Tag: South Sudan

Satellites Corroborate Reported Sudan Armed Forces Bombing of Refugee Camps in South Sudan

The Satellite Sentinel Project, or SSP, has released new imagery corroborating reports that the Government of Sudan has bombed two refugee camps in South Sudan. DigitalGlobe satellite imagery captured 14 November and analyzed by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative for SSP reveals the Government of Sudan’s military aircraft at its El Obeid airbase in North Kordofan – including Antonov planes consistent with those eyewitnesses described as bombing the Guffa and Yida refugee camps across the border in South Sudan on 8 and 10 November.

Breaking News: Sudan Bombs Yida Refugee Camp in South Sudan

The Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, attacked a refugee camp in South Sudan at 2:53 p.m. local time today. Enough Project sources indicated that no one was killed or injured in the attack, contrary to initial estimates from the Unity state government. However, casualty figures remain unconfirmed.

Relations between Two Sudans Deteriorate as War Rhetoric Returns

Relations between Sudan and South Sudan have sunk to the lowest level since the South declared independence in July 2011. “We tell our brothers in the south that if they want peace, we want peace. If they want war, our army is there,” said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in the Blue Nile capital of Damazine earlier this week in an event to declare the “liberation” of the former rebel stronghold of Kurmuk. Bashir’s remark about Khartoum’s readiness to return to war is troubling considering the regime’s recent tendency to choose armed force as the method for solving outstanding political disputes.

Confronting Rebels, South Sudan Faces Key Test

Four months since independence, the South Sudan government is still attempting to exert control over its territory, warning militias are going to intensify attacks in the border states. At a press conference in Juba yesterday, government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin called for United Nations to increase presence of peacekeepers in affected areas to protect civilians.

Making Peace in South Sudan, Circa 2011

Our guest contributor has been doing relief and development work in South Sudan since the mid-1980s. He observes that what can be done meaningfully to promote peace changing in tandem with the evolving situation in South Sudan. The current moment, on the heels of the country’s independence, could be one of the most promising opportunities to establish peace among South Sudan’s rival groups, he suggests.

South Sudan Official: Govt to Fight Lord’s Resistance Army as Terrorists

A South Sudan official has accused the North of providing support and training camps for the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA, to enable cross-border attacks into South Sudan. At a press conference recently in Juba, the South Sudan minister of interior Alison Manani Magaya said that Sudan is looking for all possible ways of destabilizing South Sudan.

U.N. Human Rights Official Assaulted by South Sudan Police

South Sudanese police dramatically flouted the concept of respect for human rights in a recent attack on a senior U.N. official – the head of the human rights division, no less. On August 20, the U.N. human rights chief in South Sudan, Benedict Sannoh, denied police access to search his belongings at a hotel in Juba, which Enough sources said contained U.N. reports.

Field Dispatch: The Challenge of Tackling Terrorism in South Sudan

The nation of South Sudan has come into existence with many unresolved issues threatening the stability of the new state. One of the greatest of these is the continued activity of seven South Sudan rebel militias, in addition to the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA.

Field Dispatch: The Challenge of Tackling Terrorism in South Sudan

Within its first month of independence, South Sudan was named  among the top five countries in the world where terrorist attacks are most likely to occur. Further attempts toward destabilization by militias are therefore imminent and are, in fact, likely still happening in the field.

New U.N. Report Suggests Eritrean Link to South Sudan Rebels

A new U.N. report published last month caused a few tremors in an already politically precarious region of East Africa. The Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, which was charged with examining compliance with arms embargoes on the two countries, submitted a meticulously documented 417-page report that sheds light on official Eritrean complicity in an expansive network of illicit activities, ranging from arms trafficking, to people smuggling, to support of armed groups in neighboring countries, and raises questions of Eritrea involvement in the new state of South Sudan.

New U.S. Policy Needed for Sudan, South Sudan: Enough Project Paper

The partition of Sudan creates a major opportunity for a re-set in U.S. policy toward both Sudan and South Sudan, the Enough Project said in a new paper. The urgent human rights crisis in the Nuba Mountains, the continuing emergency in Darfur, the successful secession of the South, and the political reforms sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East provide unprecedented entry points for the U.S. and other interested parties to finally address the root causes of Sudan's cyclical conflicts.

Prendergast and Colbert Talk South Sudan

Last night, Enough Co-Founder John Prendergast appeared on “The Colbert Report” to talk about how the new nation of South Sudan arrived on the world stage, and the obstacles the country now has to overcome.

Discussions in Washington Spotlight Long Road Ahead for South Sudan

There was a myriad of events in Washington last Thursday that focused on South Sudan’s newly-gained independence, all attempting to answer one question: Now what? The lineup of Sudan-focused events included a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, a White House conference call, and panels at the United States Institute of Peace, or USIP, the Society for International Development, and the Heritage Foundation. While the panels and individuals represented different organizations and ends of the political spectrum, they all reached a strikingly similar chord on what was at stake in the two Sudans.

Chicagoans Walk with Darfur and Celebrate South Sudan Independence

On Saturday, July 9, more than 160 students, activists, and Sudanese community members gathered at Diversey Harbor in Chicago, IL to raise funds to support Darfuri refugee education and celebrate the independence of South Sudan. The students of Youth United for Darfur, the Chicagoland coalition of high schools and colleges working together for peace and education for the people of Darfur, organized the inaugural Walk with Darfur, which raised over $1,000 to support our Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program’s efforts at Ali Dinar A school in Djabal refugee camp in eastern Chad.

South Sudan Celebrates Independence

After decades of war and struggle, South Sudan became the world's newest nation on July 9, 2011. After the celebrations, the country faces major obstacles and much must be done to bring a permanent peace between both Sudans.

Luol Deng Reflects on Basketball, South Sudan

Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng, back in his native South Sudan for the country's independence, reflects on his life, basketball and his country, after giving a clinic to young players.

New Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan Raises Its Flag

“South Sudan Oyee!! South Sudan Oyee!” The joyful call and response of cheers for the world’s newest nation filled the entire Washington, D.C., street last Saturday morning. Members of the South Sudan community and diaspora gathered in front of the new Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan for a morning full of dancing, clapping, singing, and widespread embraces to welcome their new nation.

South Sudan: If Only Independence Marked The End Of Its Woes

“I’ve got 99 problems but Bashir ain’t one” is emblazoned on t-shirts for sale in the capital of the brand-new country of South Sudan, which officially gained its independence from the North on Saturday. Even before Sudan gained independence from the United Kingdom and Egypt in 1956, civil war had broken out between the North and South, where rebels rose up to protest the region’s marginalization. Decades and 2 million deaths later, the South is now independent. The weekend was jubilant — from midnight on Friday when crowds filled the streets waving South Sudan flags, through the official declaration ceremony attended by dozens of heads of state and high-level delegations, to the Monday holiday.

Video: South Sudan’s Independence Celebration

The mood was festive in South Sudan's capital as southerners – many who traveled long distances to take part in the long-awaited historic day – declared their independence this weekend. After decades of civil war, the secession stirred up raw emotions and an outpouring of patriotism. The Enough Project's Tim Freccia captured the sights and sounds of the celebration in Juba

South Sudan Celebrates Independence with Pomp and Memories of Past

After a 56-year struggle, South Sudan has a country of its own. Thousands upon thousands of people gathered starting early this morning at the memorial for Dr. John Garang, the late rebel leader, where workers have been building and cleaning day and night to ready the dusty open space for the huge celebration. Flag-festooned Range Rovers and Mercedes delivered dozens of heads of states, including Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, to the festivities. After hours of sitting in the blistering sun, the crowd seemed newly energized – erupting in cheers and chants of “Republic of South Sudan Oyee!” – when President Salva Kiir took to the podium for his first address as the leader of the world’s 193rd country.