Category: Politics

KHARTOUM, Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan called on the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to keep the same distance from all parties amid the ongoing political crisis in the country.

His remarks came during a meeting with the head of UNITAMS Volker Perthes in the capital Khartoum, where Al-Burhan questioned the scope of a recent UNITAMS briefing on Sudan to the UN Security Council (UNSC), according to a statement by the sovereign council.

“The briefing did not cover all situations in the country and not include the positive indicators that occurred on the ground,” Al-Burhan was quoted as saying.

Perthes, for his part, said his briefing was based on the information and reports prepared by his office in Khartoum, according to the statement.

The UN envoy, however, voiced readiness to review any inaccurate information contained in the report submitted to the UNSC.

The meeting came a day after Al-Burhan warned that if the UN mission goes beyond its mandate or interferes in Sudan’s internal affairs, Perthes could be expelled.

In last week’s briefing to the UNSC, Perthes cautioned that the deteriorating economic, humanitarian and security situations in Sudan were due to the absence of “a functioning government” since October 2021 and the “violent repression” against the protesters demanding civilian rule.

On Jan. 10, the UNITAMS launched an intra-Sudanese political process to end the country’s political crisis. Perthes has since been in consultations with Sudanese political parties and civil forces in the country.

Recently, the African Union joined the UN efforts seeking to reach a political settlement in Sudan.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after Al-Burhan, general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021 and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.

Since then, Khartoum and other cities have been witnessing continued protests demanding a return to civilian rule.

Source: Nam News Network

THE HAGUE— Chadian authorities on Monday handed over to the International Criminal Court a former Central African Republic militia leader accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the Hague-based court said.

Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka is suspected of crimes committed in 2013 and 2014 “in Bangui and other locations in the Central African Republic,” the ICC said in a statement.

One of the poorest countries in the world, the CAR spiralled into conflict in 2013 when president Francois Bozize was ousted by a rebel coalition called the Seleka, drawn largely from the Muslim minority.

The coup triggered a sectarian bloodbath between the Seleka and “anti-Balaka” forces, who were mainly Christian or animist.

Mokom was the leader of an “anti-Balaka” group.

In 2019, he became the country’s minister for disarmament and demobilisation.

The ICC has “found reasonable grounds” to suspect that Mokom, in his capacity as a “National Coordinator of Operations of the Anti-Balaka”, was responsible for crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, persecution and “enforced disappearance”, the court said in its statement.

On the war crimes front, he is suspected of, among other things, “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population” and an attack against humanitarian assistance personnel as well as enlisting fighters as young as 15.

“Mr Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka was surrendered to the International Criminal Court by the authorities of the Republic of Chad on account of an ICC warrant of arrest issued under seal on 10 December 2018,” the court said.

Late Monday the court tweeted that Mokom had arrived at the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague.

“The initial appearance of Mr Mokom … will take place in due course,” it said in its statement.

The ICC, which sits in The Hague, was created in 2002 to try individuals prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity or acts of genocide.

Two former anti-Balaka leaders, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom, are already on trial at the ICC.

An alleged Seleka leader will go on trial at the ICC in September to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

LONDON— Oil prices extended their rally on Thursday, with Brent rising above US$116 a barrel, as trade disruption and shipping issues from Russian sanctions over the Ukraine crisis sparked supply worries while US crude stocks fell to multiyear lows.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies including Russia have decided to maintain an increase in output by 400,000 barrels per day in March despite the price surge, ignoring the Ukraine crisis during their talks and snubbing calls from consumers for more crude.

Brent crude futures rallied to US$116.83 a barrel, the highest since August 2013. The contract was at US$116.60 a barrel, up US$3.67 by 1.12am GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was at US$113.01 a barrel, up US$2.41 after touching a fresh 11-year high of US$113.31 a barrel.

“The White House ratcheted up pressure on Russia with the announcement that it will apply export controls targeting Russian oil refining,” ANZ analysts said in a note.

“This raises concerns that Russian oil supplies will continue to hit constraints.”

The market was reacting to the latest round of sanctions by Washington on Russia’s oil refining sector that raised concerns that Russian oil and gas exports could be targeted next.

So far, it has stopped short of targeting Russia’s oil and gas exports as the Biden administration weighs the impacts on global oil markets and US energy prices.

Russia is the world’s No 3 oil producer and the largest exporter of oil to global markets, according to the International Energy Agency. Russian crude and oil products exports reached 7.8 million barrels per day in December, the agency said.

Meanwhile, US oil inventories continued to decline. The key Cushing, Oklahoma crude hub’s tanks were at their lowest since 2018, while US strategic reserves dropped to a near 20-year low – and that was before another release announced by the White House on Tuesday in tandem with other industrialised nations.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK