This Week in South Sudan - Week 14

Monday 31 March

• 36 civilians killed in clashes in Duk County, Jonglei.
• Heads of World Food Programme and UNHCR visited South Sudan.
• Peace talks suspended until 30 April.

Tuesday 1 April

• Prosecution witness Aleu Ayieny Aleu withdrew as witness in the treason court case.
• The African Union Commission of Inquiry of South Sudan opened its second meeting.
• It was announced that Kiir will visit Omar Al-Bashir in Khartoum.

Wednesday 2 April

• South Sudan’s government appealed to the neighbouring countries to gain support for the exclusion of the seven former detainees from the next round of peace negotiations.
• World Food Programme and UNHCR requested safe passage for humanitarian workers.
• Adak Costa Mapuor, Advisor for Human Rights and Gender Affairs in Lakes state was severely beaten in her home.

Thursday 3 April

• Obama signed an executive order opening for sanctions against South Sudan.
• Severe hunger reported from UN staff.
• Hilde Frafjord Johnson, head of the UNMISS, rejected all accusations of UNMISS support to the SPLM/A-in-Oppostion.
• Five killed and two injured in Twic East County, Jonglei.

Friday 4 April

• Bashir Gbandi, the deputy foreign affair minister criticised the statement from several Western countries condemning the South Sudanese reaction to UNMISS operations.
• SPLM/A-in-Opposition claimed that they had nothing to do with the incident in Twic East County Thursday 3 April.
• The South Sudan deputy foreign affairs, Peter Bashir Gbandi, minister, on behalf of the South Sudanese government, responded to the US order on sanctions and denied that the government is obstructing the peace process.

Saturday 5 April

• Machar expressed that the disagreement with Kiir is of the “doctrinal type”, not over power.
• Citizen TV, South Sudan’s independent TV channel announced that their operation will be suspended due to security challenges.
• Salva Kiir visited Al-Bashir in Khartoum.
• SPLA politburo members went to Addis Ababa for leadership review within the IGAD peace process.
• SPLM launched an intra-party dialogue forum.