A summary of the news from the Sudans and the DRC the past two weeks. Click on the title for the full article.

Sudan & South Sudan

UN Says 2.7 Million South Sudanese Will Need food aid in 2012

Around 2.7 million people in Africa’s newest nation will need aid in the New Year due to crop failures and violence. Although South Sudan won independence in July, the new nation has been struggling to end tribal and rebel violence, overcome an economic crisis, and build up state institutions. The country imports food from Sudan but border trade has been hard due to armed clashes. There has been an influx in the population due to people fleeing from northern border states where Khartoum’s army has been fighting with insurgents and South Sudanese returning home due to the independence. Erratic rains have caused food prices to shoot upwards and have made it even harder for the young nation to feed the country of 8.3 million.

Activists warn of “genocide” in the Jonglei State

Round table discussions on the Luo Nuer and Murie conflicts in Juba organized by Minority Rights Group International and Boma Development Initiative warned there could be an outbreak of “genocide” in the Southern Sudan region. It could be sparked by a lack of political action to resolve the conflict between the Luo Nuer and Murle communities. The weakness is blamed on the judiciary system. The groups called for empowerment of local government so they can handle community disputes. According to Jonglei state officials at least 3,000 people have been killed in 2011 in the ongoing inter-ethnic conflict. The UN Office for the Coordination in contrast reported that around 2,500 were killed in 2009 due to violent conflicts throughout the whole of South Sudan.

Sudan risks unrest due to inflation

Sudan is in the midst of an economic crisis that could provoke protests against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. According to Sadeq al-Mahdi, head of the Umma Party, the country’s largest opposition party, inflation could lead to unrest like it had in Syria. The African country has avoided a large revolution but there has been small anti-government demonstrations in Khartoum and the underdeveloped east that are inspired by the mass protests in the Middle East. They have been focused on inflation. Bashir has been battling an economic crisis since South Sudan took away much of the nation’s oil thus making imports more expensive.

DRC

 Congo Opposition Leader Declares Himself the Election Winner and Urges Calm

Despite placing second in the official election results, Congo’s opposition leader, Etienne Tshiseked says he is the winner of the presidential election. However, the country’s supreme court upheld President Joseph Kabila’s victory, despite concerns about irregularities from the international community. Observes fear unrest and possible civil war if Tshisekedi orders his supporters to take to the streets. Tshisekedi, according to the results, received 32 per cent of the nearly 19 million votes cast and is very popular with the country’s impoverished masses. Kabila received 49 per cent.

 ICC orders release of Congo war crimes suspect

A Rwandan rebel leader, Callixte Mbarushimana, who was sent to the International Criminal Court to face charges including torture, rape, and murder in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is to be freed because of lack of evidence. Mbarushimana is described as a senior leader of the Democratic Forces of the Liberation of Rwanda or FDLR. The leaders fled to Congo after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the group played a major role in the DRC’s 1998-2003 conflict that left 5 million people dead. Mbarushimana was detained in Paris last year and was charged with eight counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity. This was after investigations, lead by Germany, Congo, Rwanda, France and the ICC , over allegations that the FDLR were involved in rapes in Congo’s North Kivu province.

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