UNITED NATIONS: South Sudan is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December and political players are discussing whether voting should be held this year, the UN’s top envoy in the troubled African country said Wednesday.
Nicholas Haysom told the UN Security Council that the consultations make it difficult to treat the election date of Dec. 22 announced last month by the National Elections Commission “as a definitive trigger in isolation from other critical factors.”
The vote, which would be the first since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict, is meant to be the culmination of a peace agreement signed five years ago to pull the world’s newest nation out of a civil war largely based on ethnic divisions. Fighting between forces loyal to the current president, Salva Kiir, battled those loyal to the current vice president, Riek Machar, killing some 400,000 people.
Last December, Haysom outlined a series of conditions needed to hold credible and peaceful elections. In April, he told the Security Council the parties hadn’t implemented a “critical mass” of the key steps for free and fair elections — and he told the UN’s most powerful body Wednesday that his assessment is the same today.
On a positive note, he said the Elections Commission has started assessing “the ground-level infrastructure and facilities required for a conducive environment for conducting elections,” and 29 political parties have been registered.
The UN peacekeeping mission continues “to support the creation of an enabling environment for elections in South Sudan whenever they are held,” focusing on its mandate to help protect civilians, Haysom said..
He said there are concerns among large segments of civil society, political parties, the Commission on Human Rights and the international community about a bill recently passed by South Sudan’s parliament that grants the National Security Service the power to make arrests without a warrant.
Critics of the security bill say it contradicts “their aspirations for open civic and political space” to build a democratic society and is incompatible with the spirit of South Sudan’s transitional constitution and its human rights obligations, he said.
“It has been noted that the president has the power to refer the law back to Parliament to remedy the criticisms that have been raised,” Haysom said. “This would be a significant opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to achieving the open political space in which to conduct South Sudan’s first democratic elections.”
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council that the United States and many diplomatic missions are deeply concerned that the security law could “further erode the country’s political and civic environment.”
Turning to the country’s humanitarian and economic outlook, Haysom warned that “a perfect storm is gathering.”
He pointed to chronic food insecurity, the spillover of the conflict in neighboring Sudan, a rapidly deteriorating economy exacerbated by a ruptured oil pipeline and a cut in revenue, “and the potential for once-in-a-lifetime flooding in September.”
“Any one of these elements on its own presents a significant challenge,” Haysom said. “When taken together, it could push the country to a tipping point — and all during a time where the people of South Sudan are embarking on a delicate phase of nation-building.”
Edem Wosornu, the UN humanitarian office’s operations director, gave the council some stark figures — more than 9 million people, 76 percent of South Sudan’s population, require humanitarian assistance and 7.1 million are “acutely food insecure, an increase of about 1.5 million people since last year.”
Wosornu said mid-year projections by UN food security experts suggested that conflict and flooding “could result in pockets of famine between June 2024 and January 2025.”
South Sudan’s humanitarian plight is worsened by a deepening economic crisis, she said. Most oil exports have halted since February because of the ruptured pipeline. A more than 70 percent depreciation of the South Sudanese pound in the first six months of 2024 has made basic commodities unaffordable for many people, with the annual inflation rate reaching 97 percent in June, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
UN envoy says South Sudan is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December
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UN envoy says South Sudan is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December
- The vote, the first since South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict, is meant to be the culmination of a peace agreement
US MQ-9 drone crashes near Yemen: Pentagon
- The Houthis claimed Tuesday that they had shot down three MQ-9s over the past week — a figure Ryder described as “too high”
WASHINGTON: A US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed near Yemen, the Pentagon said Tuesday, after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have downed several of the aircraft in recent days.
“Yesterday, an MQ-9 did crash in the vicinity of Yemen. That is being investigated, but I don’t have any additional details to share,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists.
The Houthis claimed Tuesday that they had shot down three MQ-9s over the past week — a figure Ryder described as “too high.”
The Pentagon spokesman said he could not provide a specific number for security reasons, but that the Houthis’ figure “is not accurate.”
The latest drone crash came after the Pentagon confirmed in February that another MQ-9 — which can be used for both reconnaissance and strikes — went down off the Yemeni coast after apparently being struck by a Houthi missile.
The Houthis — who are opposed to government forces in Yemen and are one of several militant groups arrayed against Israel — began attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November.
They say they are attacking Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, but ships from multiple countries that have no ties to the conflict have been targeted.
Israel fosters hate, threatens peace framework that prevailed for decades, says Arab League chief
- Ahmed Aboul Gheit says wider recognition of Palestinian state is needed to facilitate negotiations with Israel ‘on an equal footing, grounded in legal parity’
- During meeting with the UN’s Middle East peace coordinator, he warns that Western tolerance of Israel’s war in Gaza will ‘exact a significant toll on regional stability’
CAIRO: The secretary-general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, condemned the “tolerance exhibited by major powers and the Western world toward the continuation of the Gaza war for an entire year” and warned that it will “exact a significant toll on regional stability.”
His comments came during a meeting in Cairo with Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process. Their talks focused on the evolving situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a spokesperson said, as well as the risks Israel’s war on Gaza pose to regional stability, particularly in light of Israeli calls for escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah along the southern Lebanon front.
Aboul Gheit warned that the “hatred fostered by Israel through its massacres undermines any prospects for comprehensive peace in the future and threatens to destabilize the peace framework that has prevailed in the region for over four decades.”
Wennesland offered his perspective on efforts to preserve the framework for a two-state solution, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He and Aboul Gheit discussed anticipated diplomatic initiatives that could advance a two-state solution from a position of mere rhetoric and intentions toward tangible actions and implementation.
The Arab League chief emphasized the need for continued political engagement across all platforms, particularly within the UN and its Security Council, to uphold and maintain the vision for two states.
He said: “Expanding the recognition of the Palestinian state is a pivotal step in this endeavor, as it facilitates negotiations between the two states on an equal footing, grounded in legal parity.”
Aboul Gheit and Wennesland also discussed efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Gaza and agreed that though such efforts will be crucial during the upcoming phase of the conflict, they must be complemented by a political path that directly addresses the core issue of the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Widespread relief as rescuers tow burning oil tanker to safety in Red Sea
- EUNAVFOR Aspides: MV Sounion has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill
- Greek-flagged oil tanker has been abandoned and burning in the Red Sea since late August
AL-MUKALLA: A burning tanker in the Red Sea carrying almost a million barrels of oil has been successfully moved to a safe location without leaking, the EU naval mission said, raising hopes of defusing an environmental disaster in the shipping artery.
In a post on X, the EU mission, known as EUNAVFOR Aspides, said on Monday that rescuers had completed the first phase of salvaging the burning Sounion oil tanker in the Red Sea after towing it to a safe area under the protection of its naval ships, bringing worldwide relief, primarily from marine experts who had warned of a disaster to the Red Sea ecology and shipping if the ship leaked oil or exploded.
“Under protection of EUNAVFOR Aspides, MV Sounion has been successfully towed to a safe area without any oil spill. While private stakeholders complete the salvage operation, ASPIDES will continue to monitor the situation,” the EU mission said.
It added: “The completion of this phase of the salvage operation is the result of a comprehensive approach and close cooperation between all stakeholders committed to prevent an environmental disaster affecting the whole region.”
The Greek-flagged oil tanker has been abandoned and burning in the Red Sea since late August when the Houthis attacked it several times over claims that ships owned by the Sounion parent company visited Israel ports.
Wim Zwijnenburg of the Humanitarian Disarmament Project at the Dutch peace organization PAX said on Tuesday that satellite images showed the burning ship and warships escorting it sailing near the coast of Eritrea.
“The MV #Sounion has been towed to safer waters for a salvage operation. Satellite radar imagery of today, Sept 17, shows the ship with its escort close to the coast of Eritrea, where they are likely to work on putting out the fires and making the ship ready for further towing,” Zwijnenburg said on X.
Since November, the Houthis have seized a commercial ship, sunk two, and burned several others while launching hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and drone boats at ships in shipping lanes off Yemen in a campaign that the Yemeni militia claims is intended to put pressure on Israel to end its war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Despite widespread condemnation for their attacks on ships and threats to the environment and navigation freedom, the Houthis threatened to continue to attack ships as well as fire drones and missiles at Israel.
Meanwhile, the Houthis held a military funeral procession in Sanaa on Tuesday for three of their officers who were killed in fighting with the Yemeni government.
Despite the significant drop in hostilities in Yemen since April 2022, when a UN-brokered truce went into effect, the Houthis have organized dozens of similar funerals for hundreds of their fighters killed on the battlefields in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Saada, Amran, and other Yemeni provinces under their control.
Dozens of Yemeni government soldiers have also been killed in clashes with the Houthis over the past two years.
A Yemeni government field commander was killed on Sunday when the Houthis attacked government troops in the southern province of Dhale, the latest in a series of deadly Houthi attacks on government forces.
Iran ambassador to Lebanon wounded in pager explosion: state media
- State television said his wounds were “superficial” and that he was “conscious and in no danger“
TEHGAN: Iran’s ambassador to Beirut was wounded in a pager explosion Tuesday but his injuries were not serious, state media reported.
“Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was injured in a pager explosion,” state television said, adding that his wounds were “superficial” and that he was “conscious and in no danger.”
Pagers belonging to members of Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah exploded simultaneously Tuesday, wounding hundreds of its members across the country.
A source close to the group, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, blamed the blasts on an “Israeli breach” of its communications.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily fire with Israeli forces since its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking war in Gaza.
More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah members, wounded in Lebanon when pagers explode
- Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani was injured in the explosions, Iran’s Mehr news agency reports
- Hezbollah says detonation of pagers “biggest security breach” group subjected to in nearly year of war with Israel
BEIRUT: More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, security sources told Reuters.
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured by one of the blasts. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza war erupted last October, the worst such escalation in years.
The Israeli military declined to comment on Reuters enquiries about the detonations.
A Reuters journalist saw ambulances rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. A security source said that devices were also exploding in the south of Lebanon.
At Mt. Lebanon hospital, a Reuters reporter saw motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, where people with their hands bloodied were screaming in pain.
The head of the Nabatieh public hospital in the south of the country, Hassan Wazni, told Reuters that around 40 wounded people were being treated at his facility. The wounds included injuries to the face, eyes and limbs.
The wave of explosions lasted around an hour after the initial detonations, which took place about 3:45 p.m. local time (1345 GMT). It was not immediately clear how the devices were detonated.
Lebanese internal security forces said a number of wireless communication devices were detonated across Lebanon, especially in Beirut’s southern suburbs, leading to injuries.
Groups of people huddled at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been wounded, the Reuters journalist said.
Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage which showed what appeared to be a small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier where an individual was paying spontaneously exploding. In other footage, an explosion appeared to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand at a market area.
Lebanon’s crisis operations center, which is run by the health ministry, asked all medical workers to head to their respective hospitals to help cope with the massive numbers of wounded coming into for urgent care. It said health care workers should not use pagers.
The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 50 ambulances and 300 emergency medical staff were dispatched to assist in the evacuation of victims.
Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from towns and villages on both sides of the border by the hostilities.
