SOUTH SUDAN: JB Joshua Attends Prayers With Salva Kiir And Leaves Unexpectedly

Nigeria’s celebrated pastor and prophet TB Joshua has admitted what appeared to be a deportation from South Sudan where he attend prayers at the invitation of President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

Last week, government officials said that the wealthy Nigerian prophet was forced to leave Juba at night after some local pastors boycotted the high-level prayer organized by him at South Sudan’s Presidency, J1.

A senior government official said it appeared that he was not a real prophet as he claims.

In a statement on his social media Facebook page, Joshua explained what he said had transpired leading up to his late-night departure despite seeing many South Sudanese wanting him to stay for some time in the country.

I bring you Calvary greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Following my ‘quiet’ departure from the country of South Sudan after a recent visit there, please permit me to clear the air on what transpired.

I know that many citizens and residents of South Sudan would have wanted me to spend a few more days with them. Indeed, I saw thousands of people waiting at the lobby of the hotel because they thought I would stay for longer.

However, I had received an instruction from God to leave immediately – without waiting for any ‘thank you’ whatsoever, whether in cash or kind.

The same God Almighty had sent me there – to pray for South Sudan and lead the nation to a new beginning.

Who am I, then, to disobey the voice of my Master, my Creator, the One who gives life to us all?

On this note, therefore, I would like to urge all expectant South Sudanese and other nationals to please understand that I had to obey the voice of God.

No doubt, there is need for a revival crusade in South Sudan. As such, I await divine directions for another visit soon, for the harvest is on the way! Emmanuel – God with us!

SOUTH SUDAN: Crown Hotel Will Be Razed Down Within 7 Days

Jubek State authorities say they will bulldoze business properties along the May Road near Juba International Airport.

According to the state minister for physical infrastructure, these are some parts of Crown Hotel, Sahara Hotel and other several buildings along the road.

The planned demolition comes after the city authorities and state government surveyed the airport area recently.

They intend to expand the road section and build a bridge over the seasonal stream near Crown Hotel.

“We want to build that road as a services alternative road because we want to close this one to build a concrete bridge here,” Francis Swaka, state minister of physical infrastructure, told reporters during a pre-demolition survey at the site on Thursday.

Nearly two weeks ago, a road engineer said the buildings have been blocking flood waters – causing the Juba International Airport to flood.

Francis Swaka the Minister for Physical Infrastructure Jubek State says the demolition is an alternative to widen the road and construct the bridge around Crown Hotel.

“We’ve already notified some of the citizens there and given them 7 days after which we will come and demolish whichever building falls on the road land because this is a public road,” Swaka stressed.

Speaking at the same venue, the Deputy Mayor for Development and Infrastructure at the Juba City Council, Thiik Thiik Mayardit, asked the affected individuals and companies to pave the way for rehabilitation process.

This is because the engineers had earlier complained to Jubek State authorities about some affected individuals who are resisting the exercise.

Thiik Thiik warned of consequence should anybody interfere with the demolition.

This is for the benefit of the population, not for our own benefit. The police will be with us to stop anybody who is resisting the demolition, he stated.

Located at the landside borders of Juba Airport in South Sudan, Crown Hotel consist of 120 well-furnished luxury rooms and suites.

It provides to its distinguished clientele, a 5 stars services in addition to professional events. All to entertain international visitors and be on the level satisfying its international customers requirements.

The hotel provides the right blend of service, luxury and quiet efficiency. It combines state of the art facilities with dependable service in a caring environment, presenting the ideal choice for business and leisure travelers.

Tourism Observer

SOUTH SUDAN: Salva Kiir Orders South-West Aviation Suspension

President Salva Kiir has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority, CAA to suspend operations of South-West Aviation whose one of its aircraft crashed into Lake Yirol recently, killing 20 people.

President Kiir issued the order during a memorial prayer of the victims in Juba on Monday evening.

Among those killed are six women, two SPLA colonels, two children and bishop of the ECS Yirol Diocese, Simon Adut.

Three passengers: a 5-year-old girl, a 40-year-old man and an Italian doctor survived the crash and were flown back to Juba for treatment.

While paying his condolences to the bereaved families, Kiir directed the transport ministry and the CAA to halt activities of the airline until a thorough investigation is conducted.

I also instructed the minister and the Civil Aviation Authority to immediately suspend the operations of South-West airline in the Republic of South Sudan until the investigation is done, he said.

The President also said the CAA should sanction all airlines to provide their manifest and service manual books to avoid recurrence of such incidents.

This, according to him, will aid the CAA know how frequent and last service of the aircraft for approval and verification by other security agencies in the airport before taking off.

The President revealed that a preliminary report of the investigations indicates that poor visibility caused the crash.

However, he said it was partly due to a human error he thinks was avoidable if the pilot had made an emergency landing elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the owner of Supreme Airlines blamed overcrowding of domestic carriers on some airport security personnel.

Ayii Duang said some of the security officers who have access to the runway force crew members to carry their relatives and unauthorized luggage.

He said this hinders the CAA to apply safety rules and regulations.

Speaking at the same ceremony, Ayii urged the relevant government institutions to address the matter:

Juba Airport needs a lot of discipline to be done. Mr. President, minister of transport and the director of Civil Aviation, you need to move out the security at the airport to allow the rules of the aviation to be implemented.

An activist in greater Lakes States is calling on the national government and the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure the safety of air travelers in the country.

This comes after a passenger plane crashed in Yirol on Sunday, killing 20 people.

In November 2015, a similar crash in Juba left 40 people dead.

Experts often blame the circumstances surrounding the crash on the conditions of the airplanes – which they say are very old.

We are calling on the national authority to see to that these incidences do not repeat themselves, said Manyiel Dut, the regional coordinator for CEPO in Lakes Region.

Also South Sudan has become a dumping ground for outdated planes. We need to have a technical aviation industry that is capable of preventing further losses in the Republic of South Sudan.

On Monday, Eastern Lakes authorities suspected that the caravan might have been overloaded since the number of the passengers on the manifest was not matching with that of the victims.

Twenty people died in the crash; and three others survived.

However, the manifest shows that only 20 passengers were on board Baby Airline L-410.

Dut appealed to all South Sudanese not to board planes that have already reached seating capacity.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH SUDAN: Plane Crash Suffers 19 Dead

Nineteen people were killed on Sunday when a small plane crashed into a lake in the centre of South Sudan, while four survived, a regional official said.

Regional information minister for the Eastern Lakes state Taban Abel Aguek said a plane, carrying 23 people, had crashed in the central town of Yirol as it came into land.

The number of people we have confirmed dead is 19 people and four people survived, said Abel, adding that two children were among the survivors as was an Italian citizen.

He said the Anglican Bishop of Yirol, Simon Adut, was confirmed among the dead.

The pilot and co-pilot, a staff member with the International Committee of the Red Cross, a Ugandan who runs a private clinic in Yirol, a government official and two army officers were also confirmed dead.

The whole town is in shock, the shops are closed, some people have taken their relatives for burial.

It is a commercial plane that crashed, Abel said.

When the plane was landing the weather was foggy and this was not a good situation for plane landing.

The UN broadcaster Radio Miraya posted a picture on its Twitter account of the twisted wreckage of the plane submerged in water.

Overloading of planes is common in South Sudan, and this was believed to have contributed to the crash of a Soviet-era Antonov plane upon takeoff in Juba in 2015 which left 36 people dead.

In 2017, 37 people had a miraculous escape after their plane hit a fire truck on a runway in northwestern Wau before bursting into flames.

South Sudan was plunged into civil war in December 2013, when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of planning a coup, leaving tens of thousands dead and millions displaced.


Tourism Observer

SOUTH SUDAN: Civil War Tranforms Into Genocide

South Sudan was founded in 2011, and now it’s on the edge of collapse: Forces allied to the president and vice president have been fighting along tribal lines.

Murderous raids on civilian communities are a favored tactic, and UN peacekeepers have been criticized for not doing more to stop them. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson reports in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The world’s youngest country is tearing itself apart. South Sudan was founded in 2011, but, two years later, forces allied to the president and vice president began fighting each other. That civil war has now led to the near collapse of the country.

In partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, special correspondent Jane Ferguson begins a series of three reports.

Tonight is a look at this brutal war and its tribal roots.

And a warning: Some images and stories in this report are disturbing.

JANE FERGUSON: This was once a busy market town. Villagers from the countryside would come to Leer to trade goods and catch up on news. Now there is no one. All the people have fled into the bush, hiding from violent raids by government soldiers.

We found some of them a few miles away in rebel-held land. They had crept out of hiding to get help from aid agencies. Without it, they will starve. Their stories of what they have endured are horrifying.

RUOT MACHAR, Displaced Person (through interpreter): The government is killing men, women and children, and sometimes they even cook the dead bodies and force us to eat them. My 5-year-old daughter was slaughtered, and they made me eat her body.

JANE FERGUSON: Tales of such brutality are common in South Sudan’s civil war. A fallout between president Salva Kiir and his vice president, Riek Machar, began in 2013, tearing the country along tribal lines.

Kiir is from the Dinka tribe, Machar from the rival Nuer tribe. Fighting between the two sides soon involved other subtribes. Battles broke out across the country. Murderous raids on civilian communities are a favored tactic, according to Jonathan Pedneault of Human Rights Watch.

JONATHAN PEDNEAULT, Human Rights Watch: Both opposition and government fighters see various specific ethnic groups as being supportive of their — either of their opponents. And in order to decrease the military capacities of their opponents, they decide to target civilians, because, without civilians, those fighters won’t have a place to stay, they won’t receive food, they won’t receive popular support.

So, the aim by targeting civilians is, in effect, to cut the grass under the feet of those fighters.

JANE FERGUSON: This is what ethnic cleansing looks like. Entire populations of specific tribes are being forced out of areas in South Sudan.

Malakal town was a mixture of tribes. Government and opposition forces have been fighting over it throughout the war, both committing atrocities. Each time the town changed hands, civilians of a specific tribe were targeted. It’s now controlled by Dinka government soldiers.

Entire neighborhoods, where the Nuer and other tribes at risk used to live, lay silent and empty, the grass reclaiming streets that used to be home for so many.

We are not allowed to get out and film in the town center. There’s lots of police and army around, but what there aren’t are civilians who live here. This was once South Sudan’s second biggest city. And the streets and neighborhoods are completely abandoned now. Civilians are fleeing towns and cities across South Sudan because of repeated attacks. And they’re just turning into ghost towns.

They ran to this camp just outside the town. It is a dusty, miserable place, where sewage runs between shacks and desperately poor survivors of the violence try to go on living.

Elizabeth is one of them. A single mother of six, she sells cups of tea in the camp to earn some money. But the memory of what happened in the town is always with her.

ELIZABETH SHOL ROUT, South Sudan (through interpreter): I saw many people killed, including my brother. They called my brother to come out of the house and shot him in front of me.

JANE FERGUSON: The only thing standing between her and the government soldiers are U.N. peacekeeping soldiers. They guard this camp and others like it across South Sudan, trying to stop more massacres.

The U.N. said in December in a statement South Sudan is on the brink of all-out genocide, similar to what happened in Rwanda in 1994. And yet its peacekeepers seem unwilling or unable to stop it.

Last year, government soldiers forced their way into the camp, and over several days murdered more than 25 people and injured and raped many others.

Elizabeth shows us where they came in. She remains bitter that the U.N. soldiers didn’t stop them.

ELIZABETH SHOL ROUT (through interpreter): They did nothing. When they saw the soldiers cut the fence and come into the camp, they just opened the gate to allow the people to escape.

JANE FERGUSON: There are over 13,000 U.N. peacekeeping soldiers in South Sudan. More than 200,000 civilians have fled to their bases across the country when targeted by the violence, forcing the U.N. to create guarded camps in order to protect the people.

Despite having authority to use force if needed to stop attacks against civilians, the peacekeepers have come under criticism for not doing so when attacks have happened in front of them.

MOUSTAPHA SOUMARE, United Nations: Peacekeeping, and that’s all it is. It’s really you keep peace. So, normally, the people who come in peacekeeping, the troops and so on, are really prepared in the spirit of peacekeeping, not really entering into direct fight.

JANE FERGUSON: Despite this, he says the U.N. have now pushed their forces to improve.

MOUSTAPHA SOUMARE: They have been instructed that, if you see something like that, you make a warning shot. If people are — really not responded, you can actually use your firearm on that.

JANE FERGUSON: South Sudan is the world’s youngest nation, and the international community played a major part in its creation. After decades of devastating civil war with the North, South Sudan finally won its independence with a referendum in 2011.

American church groups and politicians had campaigned for the peaceful birth of the nation for years. But it was South Sudanese fighters, community leaders and advocates who sacrificed so much to see this country find its freedom.

One of them was Alfred Taban. A veteran journalist and newspaper editor, he was jailed and tortured repeatedly for years in the northern capital of Khartoum for calling for independence.

ALFRED TABAN, Journalist: Well, I knew we were going to succeed. I knew we had not — we had not done anything bad. We were struggling for our rights as human beings. And that’s what led me to survive. I knew we will succeed.

JANE FERGUSON: After sacrificing so much for his country, its rapid descent into civil war has broken his heart.

ALFRED TABAN: The killing of one another started, the Nuers being killed, the Dinkas being killed and other tribes, then I knew things had really gone bad. Then I knew that partly we — or they themselves, they were not only struggling for the people, but they were struggling for themselves to lead or to rule. I became very, very disappointed.

JANE FERGUSON: In frustration, he wrote a column in the newspaper he runs calling for the leaders of both sides in this war to step down. Shortly after, the government he sacrificed his freedom for jailed him for nearly two weeks.

ALFRED TABAN: They were not struggling for their people. They were struggling for themselves. And this is why really the struggle of the people of South Sudan has been hijacked from the very beginning. It has become a struggle for position and wealth, not a struggle for the betterment of the lives of the people of South Sudan.

JANE FERGUSON: Yet neither side in this war is backing down. It is spiraling into a frenzy of ethnic-driven murder and revenge. The dream of a peaceful South Sudan is dying with its people.

For the PBS NewsHour, I’m Jane Ferguson in Juba, South Sudan.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: For the record, the South Sudanese information minister canceled an interview with Jane Ferguson to respond to charges against the government.

Tomorrow, Jane reports on the famine that the war has caused.

SOUTH SUDAN: Eagle Air In Accident

An Eagle Air Let L-410, registration 5X-EIV performing flight H7-360 from Yei (South Sudan) to Arua (Uganda) with 17 passengers and 3 crew, was accelerating for takeoff at about 10:30L when the crew rejected takeoff at high speed, the aircraft went off the runway and came to a stop with the nose gear collapsed.

There were a number of minor injuries, the aircraft received substantial damage.

The pilot told local media that one of engine nozzles failed at high speed, when the he tried to reject takeoff and applied brakes the nose gear failed and they ended up in the bushes off the runway.

Yei Airport, located at position N4.127386 E30.737818, offers a dirt runway of about 1300 meters/4200 feet length in approximate direction 10/28.

No weather data are available for Yei Airport.

SOUTH SUDAN: South Supreme AN-26 Crashes At Wau

As many as 44 people are feared dead after a plane crash landed and split into pieces at an airport in South Sudan.

All 45 occupants were rescued alive, 17 or 18 have been taken to local hospitals with injuries.

Passengers were pulled from the burning wreckage after the plane belonging to South Supreme Airlines crashed at the north-eastern town of Wau on Monday.

Witnesses said smoke was seen coming from the back of the plane before it crashed and burst into flames.

Photos showed the scorched pieces of the plane as the crash site was surrounded by emergency services, airport personnel and UN peacekeepers.

Smoke filled the air as firefighters arrived at the scene of the air disaster and poured water on the smouldering remains.

Everyone on board was feared dead, local media reported, but there were claims in conflicting reports that some passengers had survived.

It is understood that the doomed flight had originated from the airport in Juba, the country’s capital.

SOUTH SUDAN: Mandari People

The Mundari are a small ethnic group of South Sudan and one of the Nilotic peoples.

The group is composed of cattle-herders and agriculturalists and are part of Karo people which also includes Bari, Pojulu, Kakwa, Kuku and Nyangwara. Kutuk na Mundari is also the name of their language, which is in similar to Kutuk na Kuku, Kutuk na Kakwa, Kutuk na Pojulu, Kutuk na Bari, and Kutuk na Nyangwara.

The traditional Mundari tribal lands are located roughly 75 kilometers north of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and are centered on the town of Terekeka in the state of Central Equatoria. They are bordered to the north by the Bor Dinka at Pariak and to the south by the Bari of Juba at the Ku'da River. Their lands are bounded on the east by the White Nile and extend west to Lake Madi in Western Equatoria state, an area roughly 100 by 75 kilometers in size.

The land, like much of South Sudan, is predominantly flat and marked by occasional isolated large hills. The low-lying land contains many rivers and lakes and is prone to flooding during the rainy season. The soil is predominantly clay-based, causing drainage and water retention problems, and provides a very fertile basis in support of cattle grazing.

The main settlements in Mundariland are Terekeka, Mongalla, Gemaiza, Muni, Tombek, Tindalo, Tali, Rego, Rokon, Rijong, South Sudan, Koweri, and Ku'da.

The Mundari, like other nilotic tribes, are very cattle-oriented: cattle serves as food, a form of currency and a mark of status. Marriages are arranged by the prospective groom offering cattle to the bride's family and husbands may take as many wives as they can support. The Mundari engage in perennial cattle raiding wars with the Bor Dinka during the dry season.

The Mundari also cultivate sorghum and catch fish using nets and spears.

In common with other nilotic tribes in Sudan, the Mundari practice ritual scarification as a rite of passage into adulthood for young men. The typical Mundari scar pattern consists of two sets of three parallel lines, each on either side of the forehead, extending in a downward slope and unconnected in the middle.

It would be hard to find a more dedicated group of herdsmen than the tribe who live on the banks of the Nile, north of the capital Juba. Their entire lifestyle is geared around caring for their prized livestock, the Ankole-Watusi, a horned breed known as "the cattle of kings."

These cows grow up to eight feet tall, and are worth as much as $500 each. It's no wonder the Mundari view these animals as their most valuable assets,or that they guard them with with machine guns.

It's hard to overstate the importance of cattle to the Mundari people,these animals are everything to them.

Almost every man would like to take a picture of them with their favorite cow.

Perhaps this is in part due to the function and symbolism of the Ankole-Watusi. Each bovine is so highly prized that it is rarely killed for its meat. Instead, it is a walking larder, a pharmacy, a dowry, even a friend. It is clear that cow is a resource maintaining not just a people, but a way of life.

The Mundari, tall and muscular, may look like bodybuilders,but their diet is pretty much milk and yogurt. That's it.

Other bodily fluids have more unlikely uses. Mundari men will squat under streams of cow urine, both an antiseptic,and as an aesthetic choice,the ammonia in the urine color the Mundari's hair orange.

Meanwhile dung is piled high into heaps for burning, the fine peach-colored ash used as another form of antiseptic and sunscreen by the herdsmen, shielding them from the 115-degree heat.

The Mundari sleep among their cattle, two feet away from their favorites, and guard them at the point of a gun. It's not unreasonable for the tribe to go to these lengths. Rustlers are dangerous to them.

Their cattle are a form of currency and status symbol, and form a key part of a family's pension or dowry. Since the end of the civil war, thousands of men have returned to South Sudan looking for wives, which has pushed up the 'bride price', making these animals even more precious and increasing lethal cattle raids.

Such raids have been deadly for the Mundari, but the effects of war are manifold. Landmines make finding fresh pasture a dangerous thing. When he visited, Mundari people use a small island in the Nile as a safe haven.

The ongoing war in South Sudan has cut off the Mundari tribe from the rest of the world. They don't venture into the town, they stay in the bush, and it's why their unique way of life endures."

Mundari have no taste for war and "their guns are not to kill anyone but to protect their herd. All the Mundari want to do is take care of their livestock, and they will protect them at all costs.

ONE DAY MUNDARI TRIBAL SAFARI - South Sudan
One day safaris from Juba, South Sudan to the Mundari people. Cost based upon the number of people in your group. Includes roundtrip 4x4 vehicle to Terakeka from Juba, pick up and return to your hotel, driver guide, translator, $50 camera permit (and the costs to get the permit from the ministry of information), Ministry of Tourism cultural fee, cold drinks and lunch. This safari is possible all year on any date.
1 person $580 usd
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German Passport Most Powerful, Afghan Least In The World

The Afghan passport has been identified as the least powerful in the world for the restrictions the countrymen face in terms of visa-free travel, an index by a London-based consulting firm showed on Friday.

The index found Germans held the most powerful passports in the world for third year in row in 2016, Tolo news reported on Friday.

A number of the European nations and the US, Japan and Canada closely follow Germany as the top nations holding the most powerful passports in the world.

The countries listed below Afghanistan were South Sudan and Palestinian territories, according to the index South Sudan being the youngest sovereign state in the world and Palestinian territories less diplomatically recognised by countries in the West.

The index update by Henley & Partners attempts to quantify the power of passports based on the judgements in the world by the amount of visa-free travel they entitle their owner to.

The update comes as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) imposed restrictions on Afghan nationals' visit who were heading towards Dubai for business and tourism.

The issue with the UAE emerged with the issuance of the new electronic Afghan passports amid concerns that the citizens of the other countries misused the Afghan passports.

However, the issue was later resolved as an agreement was reached between the two countries to improve the information quality of the newly issued e-passports.

Meanwhile, the demand by Afghans for passports has increased last year with the deteriorating security situation across the country, forcing many Afghans to travel abroad, specifically to the Western countries by risking their lives and travelling through dangerous routes.

SOUTH SUDAN: Cargo Plane Crash Kills At Least 27 People

A Russian-built Antonov-12 transport plane crashed Wednesday shortly after takeoff from the airport in Juba, South Sudan, killing 15 people, a South Sudanese presidential spokesman said.

Eighteen people were aboard the flight: 12 South Sudanese passengers and six crew members,five Armenians and one Russian,Ateny Wek Ateny, a press secretary in the South Sudan President's office said. Three people survived: two South Sudanese passengers and an infant boy less than a year old, Ateny said.

He had said earlier that there were 19 people aboard the plane, 17 of whom died.

The cause of the crash might have been engine failure, Ateny said, although he cautioned this had not been confirmed. He said a witness saw one engine fail before the plane crashed.

The plane crashed less than 100 yards from the White Nile River at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the spokesman said. A photo published by a local news organization showed the charred wreckage of a plane in the reeds near the riverbank.

The plane was bound for the South Sudanese town of Paloich, in an area of oil fields in the north of the country.

The Antonov-12 was registered in Tajikistan but it was not immediately clear who owned the aircraft, Ateny said. It was loaded with foodstuffs, he said.

South Sudan is the world's newest country, having gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

RWANDA: Government Launches Aviation Company

Reports coming out of Kigali suggest that Rwanda’s aviation industry is set for a new structure, following the formation of a new holding company named as ATL Limited. ATL, according to information received, stands for Aviation, Travel and Logistics and the company will act as an umbrella organization for, among others, RwandAir, Akagera Aviation and the Rwanda Airports Management company.

It is understood that the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority will remain as national aviation regulatory body in line with recommendations from such bodies as ICAO, which for some time has proposed to members to keep management and regulatory functions in aviation separate. Draft legislation, it is understood, is presently being finalized and will be sent to the Rwandan parliament in due course for deliberations.

RwandAir has undergone tremendous growth over the past few years and the present fleet of eight aircraft will grow by another four next year, including two wide body Airbus A330’s and two Boeing B737-800NG’s, allowing the airline to go intercontinental for the first time in its history. The airline was given a further boost when during the last Head of State Summit of the Northern Corridor Integration Project countries the presidents directed that by January next year all pending non tariff barriers and other obstacles be removed to create a single NCIP airspace in which RwandAir can then operate freely. The particular focus of that decision was to give both Uganda and South Sudan added aviation services int the absence of a national airline in these two countries, saving the taxpayers mega bucks while still providing the connectivity to and from Uganda and South Sudan which in the past has been in short supply.

Alongside has the Rwandan government more than doubled the capacity of the present international airport in Kanombe (IATA: KGL / ICAO: HRYR) while a brand new taxiway is under construction and due for completion by the time the first Airbus A330 is due for delivery in September next year. In addition is a completely new international airport planned at Bugesera, about 20 kilometres south of the Rwandan capital.

The new arrangement is according to the source in Kigali aimed to bring all aviation services under one roof and ensure that through synergy effects cost savings can be implemented across the board while maximizing revenues.

SOUTH SUDAN: First Ever Washed Coffee From South Sudan Reaches Consumer Market

Coffee from South Sudan, the East African nation that has been torn by two decades-long civil wars in the modern era and suffers from more internal conflict than any nation in the world according to the Fragile States Index, is commercially available for the first time in a generation.

Not only that, the South Sudanese coffees — currently only available in the form of Nespresso capsules in the European market — are the first fully washed coffees produced by the first organized cooperatives in the region, where an overwhelming majority of people have traditionally relied on subsistence agriculture for livelihood.

The fact that the coffee is commercially available is a major milestone for South Sudan, one of many that have resulted from a four-year-old partnership between the Nestlé-owned company and TechnoServe, the international nonprofit agency that supports solutions to poverty in the poorest areas of the developing world.

In essence, the partnership sought to rebuild the region’s industry — which had become essentially non-existent due to lack of infrastructure and market access over decades — from the ground up. In the process, TechnoServe and Nespresso helped establish and support the first ever coffee cooperatives in the Yei region; helped established the area’s first wet mills, including one for each of the three cooperatives; facilitated the first commercially exported coffee from South Sudan, a shipment of 1.8 tons to Nespresso following the first harvest in 2013; and facilitated the first legal shipment of coffee to Uganda.

According to Nespresso, the coffee shipment represented the first time a non-oil export had ever come from South Sudan to Europe, and in doing so, it represented the first ever export tax collection on coffee, which went to the Yei County government.

For Nespresso’s part, the South Sudanese coffee development has been part of its 10-year-old AAA Sustainable Quality Program, although this is the first time the company has been involved in developing a coffee infrastructure essentially from scratch. The company says it has devoted approximately $720,000 USD to the Yei regional project to date, and that it intends to invest a total of roughly $2.6 million in the region. “Nespresso sees this as a long-term investment in helping to revive the coffee industry in South Sudan and does not expect to make a return on investment for many years,” the company said in an announcement today.

“We believe that the only way to continue to deliver quality and consistency to customers is to protect the supply of our coffees,” said Nespresso CEO Jean-Marc Duvoisin. “Our experience has shown us that the best way to do this is to build a more environmentally sustainable and financially equitable outcome for farmers.”

The coffee itself is 100 percent robusta that Nespresso is calling Suluja ti South Sudan, while describing it as possessing “a bold silky texture and intense aromas of dried cereals and subtle woody notes that deliver unique flavours new to our consumers.”

Regional Airlines Talk On Way Forward

The four partner states in the Northern Corridor Integration Projects (NCIP) – Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Sudan - have finally come to appreciate that the proliferation of airlines in the region will sooner or later bring about a waste of scarce resources unless cooperation supersedes national narrow-minded ego trips, mostly by people with their own agenda.

It was welcome news, therefore, when after the last meeting of the NCIP countries in Kenya, information began to emerge that in particular South Sudan – though not a member of the East African Community but nevertheless a part of the NCIP group – and perhaps more reluctantly Uganda, came on board and agreed to promote both RwandAir and Kenya Airways to provide for the air travel needs of their respective citizens.

Bureaucrats in the national aviation regulatory offices have been tasked to create a single airspace area for the four countries, effectively preparing the way for RwandAir and Kenya Airways – Uganda and South Sudan do not have national airlines – to operate without any restrictions across the region.

RwandAir is presently operating flights from Entebbe to/from Juba and from Entebbe to/from Nairobi under fifth freedom rights. The Rwandan national airline in particular, after announcing their order for four more brand-new aircraft due to be delivered next year, including two Airbus A330s, will offer Ugandans the option to travel across the region and the continent via Kigali while expanding destinations to China, India, and Europe next year.

Similar to operations by Brussels Airlines and KLM, both of which fly from their hubs via Kigali to Entebbe, RwandAir could route their wide-body flights via Entebbe, too, subject to sufficient passenger numbers boarding and de-boarding, or else provide more feeder flights out of Entebbe to Kigali.

The same principle applies to Kenya Airways’ flights in equal terms for Juba and for Entebbe, to connect passengers from these two points of origin into their regional, African, and intercontinental network.

It is understood that the opening of the airspaces might well be restricted to the respective national carriers leaving other airlines, in particular those privately owned in Kenya out of the equation who will have to compete as designated airlines for point-to-point traffic.

The ministerial working group will submit their findings and recommendations to the next NCIP Head of State Summit which was postponed due to East Africa’s presidents attending the UN General Assembly in New York, making a postponement of the Nairobi NCIP Summit necessary.

Mr. Barry Kashambo, formerly the head of CASSOA and now Regional Director for ICAO based in Nairobi, was quoted to have said that such a move was bound to bring airfares down and increase the number of frequencies connecting the region.

The new deal could become effective, provided that in particular the notorious Kenyan regulators are kept on a tight leash, as early as the first quarter of 2016 and then provide passengers out of Entebbe and Juba with additional flights operated by Kenya Airways and RwandAir.

Left out of this development are Burundi, the worst-connected country in the East African Community and also almost shunned due to recent political events, and Tanzania, which opted to stay out of the fast-track cooperation entered into by Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, and Kenya.

Subsequently Tanzania’s airlines will not benefit from these additional opportunities which are now beckoning on the horizon, leaving that country to ponder what new path to embark on after a new president comes into office following the upcoming elections.

Aviation industry organizations like IATA and of course AFRAA, the African Airline Association based in Nairobi, have for long promoted the concept of closer cooperation instead of constant fragmentation to see more viable airlines emerge which have the capacity to withstand the competitive pressures of not just the European legacy airlines but in particular the emerging mega airlines from the Gulf and from Turkey.

What is need in East Africa, in fact across Africa, is a sound mix between full-service airlines and low-cost airlines. The latter has, and I give you Jambojet in Kenya and Fastjet in Tanzania as an example, brought a whole new segment of travelers to go by air instead of using buses or trains.

However, the former will equally have a place because of connectivity through their hubs rather than point-to-point traffic. If existing and well-operating airlines like Kenya Airways and RwandAir can be given full access to the market in Uganda and South Sudan, it will benefit travelers as much as the airlines.

What the countries must, however, watch out for is that limits are set on fares to avoid exploitative ticket prices, because that would kill this concept instantly.

SOUTH SUDAN: Imatong Forest Reserve

The Imatong Mountains also Immatong, or rarely Matonge, are located in in the state of Eastern Equatoria in southeastern South Sudan, and extend into the Northern Region of Uganda.

Mount Kinyeti is the highest mountain of the range at 3,187 metres (10,456 ft), and the highest point of South Sudan.

The range has an equatorial climate and had dense montane forests supporting diverse wildlife. Since the mid-20th century the rich ecology has increasingly been severely degraded by native forest clearance and subsistence farming, causing extensive erosion of the slopes.

The entrance to this reserve is reached by driving 192 kilometers from Juba east to Torit and then driving 60 kilometers south to Katire. Katire is an old British Forestry station built next to a running stream.

The forest has been heavily logged for timber and charcoal since British colonial times, with much of the reserve in secondary growth. Plantations of teak, Australian Eucalyptus and soft woods have been planted in some areas. In the 1950s it was ruled that there could be no logging above the 1500 meter level (4900 feet), but that is difficult to enforce. The Lotuko, Acholi and Lango tribes all make use of the reserve that covers 1032 square kilometers (103,200 hectares).

Rainfall in the reserve is the highest in all of South Sudan measuring 2261 mm annually.

The highest peak in all of South Sudan is located within the reserve called Mount Kinyeti at 3187 meters (10,456 feet).12 major streams/small rivers originate out of the reserve which feed into the Badingalo National Park.

The Imatong Mountains massif lies mainly within Torit County (western part) and Ikotos County (eastern part) of Eastern Equatoria state. It is located some 190 kilometres (120 mi) southeast of Juba and south of the main road from Torit to the Kenyan border town of Lokichoggio.

The mountain range rises steeply from the surrounding plains, which slope gradually down from about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) on the South Sudan-Uganda border in the south to 600 metres (2,000 ft) at Torit in the north.

These plains are crossed by many streams, separated by low, rounded ridges, and dotted with small gneiss hills, outliers of the main mountain range.

The mountains are formed of crystalline basement rock that rises through the Tertiary and Quaternary unconsolidated deposits of the plains in the South Sudan-Uganda frontier zone. The most widespread types of rock are leucocratic gneisses rich in quartz.The mountains are sharply faulted and are the source of many year-round rivers.

The mountains are highest in the southeast where a group of peaks reach about 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), and the tallest, Mount Kinyeti, reaches 3,187 metres (10,456 ft). This central block group of high mountains around Mount Kinyeti are sometimes called the Lomariti or Lolibai mountains, and the high central part on the Uganda side is sometimes called the Lomwaga Mountains.

Sub-ranges
The Modole or Langia mountains in the southeast of the central block are separated from the lower Teretenya ridge to the east by the Shilok River, a tributary of the Koss river.

Sub-ranges run to the northwest, west, and southwest of the central block, The northwest and west ranges are separated by the Kinyeti River valley, and the west and southwest ranges by the Ateppi valley. The ranges are generally about 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) high, with peaks rising to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The northwestern chain culminates in Mount Garia and Mount Konoro, both about 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) high, rising above the villages of Gilo and Katire. The western chain, with peaks rising up to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) high, is usually known as the Acholi Mountains. The southwestern chain extending into Uganda is often called the Agoro Mountains.

Watersheds
The Kinyeti River and other streams that drain the northern slopes of the mountains feed the Badigeru Swamps, which are 100 kilometres (62 mi) long and up to 25 kilometres (16 mi) wide at high water, but generally only 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide. Some of the water from the northern end of this swamp may filter eastward to the Veveno River, then via the Sobat River to the White Nile. Some of the water may filter westward to the Bahr el Jebel section of the White Nile. To the south and west the mountains are drained by the fast-flowing Aswa River / Ateppi system. To the northeast the mountains are drained by the Koss River, which flows between the Imatongs and the Dongotona Hills.

Blue Monkeys are found in the Imatong Forest

A 1984 report listed Bushbuck, Blue Duiker, Colobus Monkey,Blue Monkey, Elephant, Leopard, Nile Buffalo and Hyeana in the reserve. Today the Elephant and Buffalo are gone. It is estimated that over 500 species of bird use the forest, many migrating between Europe and Kenya. The endangered "Spotted Ground Thrush" is found in the reserve.

Flora
The plains and the lower parts of the mountains are covered by deciduous woodland, wooded grassland and bamboo thickets to the north and west. The areas to the east and southeast are in the rain shadow of the mountains, with dry subdesert grassland or deciduous or semi-evergreen bush. The mountains have rich diversity of flora, with hundreds of species that are found nowhere else in South Sudan. Their diversity is due to their position between the West African rain forest, the Ethiopian plateau and the East African mountains, coupled with their relative isolation for long periods during which new species could emerge.

Vegetation in the lower areas includes woodlands of Albizia and Terminalia, and mixed Khaya lowland semi-evergreen forest up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).Above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) there is montane forest with Podocarpus, Croton, Macaranga and Albizia up to 2,900 metres (9,500 ft). The levels above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) do not seem to have ever been inhabited by humans, but have been visited by honey-gatherers and hunters, and the fires they have started have destroyed the forest on many hill tops. At the highest levels, the forest is replaced by Hagenia woodland, Erica (heather) thicket and areas of bamboo.

Fauna
According to a 1984 report, the mountains supported abundant wildlife, including healthy populations of colobus and blue monkey, bush-pig and a local sub-species of bushbuck. The south eastern Kipia and Lomwaga Uplands were least visited by hunters and had the largest populations of elephant, buffalo, duiker's, hyaena and leopard.

Mammals that normally inhabit a forest environment show greatest differentiation from similar mammals elsewhere, probably due to isolation of the Imatong forests from other forests by wide areas of semi-arid savanna. This isolation dates back to the last Pleistocene Pluvial period about 12,000 years ago. The forest contains many birds found in no other part of South Sudan, and is a resting place for European songbirds en route to their overwintering places in East Africa.

Birdlife includes the endangered Spotted Ground-thrush Zoothera guttata.

People
The villages and settlements of the region are inhabited by Nilotic people including Lotuko in the east, Acholi in the west and Lango in the southern part. They practice subsistence farming and raise some livestock.

The people of the area mostly live on the plains at the foot of the mountains, but recently they have been forced to move into the mountains as high as 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) to find land for farming. Their agricultural practices have led to serious erosion of the steep slopes.

Relatively small numbers of the people practice Christianity. Foreign Christian missionaries have been entering the remote mountainous areas since 2005.

Gneiss rock hills within the reserve


SAFARIS INTO THE IMATONG MOUNTAINS -

This is a walking safari, that requires you to be able to walk over steep terraine and cross streams a few feet deep.We can drive as far as Katire, then you must walk.Only in the dry season of the months of late December to mid April should this be attempted. Other months the rain and mud would be too extreme to walk.

We can arrange for porters and set up base camps with fly tents and cook, given enough advanced notice. You should be able to carry your own back pack with your clothes and bedroll. The water in the streams you will pass is clean enough to drink.

Shorter safaris to just explore the forest and meet the Lotuko people at Torit are also available.

SOUTH SUDAN: One Day Fly Over Of The South Sudan Migration

Migration of Tiang Antelope from the air.

1 Day, 2 night Flying Migration Safari

We have arranged special 1 day safari to fly out and see the migration for a few hours, from the window of an aircraft. The dates are scheduled the day prior, to the actual ground safari that departs by vehicle for 7 or 15 days to the migration.

Description of flying safari:

Day 1- arrive into Juba international Airport. Airport pick up and drive to your hotel. Dinner at Notos. Night in hotel.

Day 2- Breakfast. Transport to the Juba International Airport to the Y-12 aircraft. In June, July and August the flight will go to Bandigalo National Park. In Jan, Feb and March the flight will go to Boma National Park. Bandigalo is reached in about 15 minutes flying time, Boma is reached in about 1 hour flying time. The aircraft will not land, but find the migration, follow it allowing photographs and then return to Juba international Airport. We will stay out over the migration as long as possible, but it will depend on several factors - how long it takes to find the migration, weather, weight of passengers and the aircraft must land with reserve fuel on return to Juba. Generally the Y-12 has fuel for 3.5 hours flying time Juba to Juba + reserve fuel.

Lunch at Davinci's on the Nile River. Dinner at Notos.

Night in your hotel

Day 3 - Breakfast.

Lunch not included.

Transport back to the Juba Intl Airport for your flight out. Or pick up at your hotel to start your safari with us by vehicle.

Price $1900 usd per person (limited to 10 people)

Includes:

Pick up at the airport day 1, return to the airport day 2, return to the hotel day 2 after the flight and day 3 return to the Airport.
Transport to restaurants night of day 1, for lunch day 2 and for dinner day 2.
2 nights air conditioned hotel
2 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 2 dinners
Flight out over Bandigalo or Boma Park to see the migration as long as fuel and weather permit

Does Not Include:

tips
airfare to Juba
visa or entry letter
medical costs
lunches on arrival day or departure day
$50 camera permit + cost to obtain the permit. If you are not going on the ground safari after the flying safari, you will need to add the costs of a camera permit.

Dates:

2016-

June 18-20 Bandigalo Park

July 6-8 Bandigalo Park

July 30-Aug 1 Bandigalo Park

2017-

Jan 1-3 Boma Park

Feb 1-3 Boma Park

Mar 17-19 Boma Park

Y-12 Chinese Built STOL 2 engine turbo prop used in the safari


For Inquiries Contact

Happy Tours Africa
happytoursug@gmail.com

SOUTH SUDAN: Fuel Tanker Explosion Kills More Than 200

A fuel truck exploded in South Sudan, killing dozens of people who had converged around the vehicle to siphon fuel.

Over 200 people have so far been confirmed dead in the explosion in Western Equatoria state on Wednesday.

However, the provincial governor, Patrick Raphael Zamoi, said the number could be larger and said others were critically injured.

People are still dying; they have not assessed the exact number in the hospital,hesaid.

The governor has made appeals to the red cross and UN to come in and help as they can't cope with the casualities.

The explosion happened in Maridi town after the truck veered off the road, according to Ateny.

Citing local authorities, he said the tanker was full of petrol that started to leak and residents were siphoning off fuel when someone lit a cigarette, sparking an explosion.

Ateny said the injured were taken to local hospitals, which were overwhelmed. Some victims were burned beyond recognition, he said.

Layal Horanieh, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, said the aid group has sent two burn kits to Maridi, each with enough equipment to treat at least 50 patients.

Deadly fuel tanker explosions are common in East Africa, where poor residents living near highways converge around fuel tankers involved in accidents to steal gas and then sell it.

In June 2013, 29 people were killed and scores injured in an explosion after a collision between a fuel truck and a passenger van in the Ugandan capital of Kampala

UGANDA: Pope Francis Visit To Attract Religious Tourism

The Uganda Tourism Board has launched a campaign to promote Uganda’s heritage across Africa anchoring it on Pope Francis’ visit to the country on November 27. “We are ready and have already designed posters to different African countries pending distribution at different churches. We hope to talk to the priests to publicise the Pope’s visit and also use social media,” said John Ssempebwa, the deputy UTB Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The visit is seen as an opportunity to boost faith-based tourism. Some of the countries being targeted are Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo which has the highest Catholic population in Africa.

“We are going to break the global world record of the number of people attending the Pope’s mass. The current record of six million people is held by Philippines, which invested about $40 million in publicity. We don’t need that. We are collaborating with the Catholic Church and we are going to break that record mark this year,” Mr Ssempebwa said.

Currently, Uganda receives more than 3,000 pilgrims on June 3 every year for the Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations in Namugongo.

“We have never advertised Martyrs Day in any of those countries. This is a one-off and importantly we are treating this as faith-based tourism. For the first time we have the Protestants and Muslims on board,” he added.

SOUTH SUDAN: Amarula Lodge Wau

Accommodation
Amarula Lodge offers fully furnished self-contained, air conditioned long term and stop over accommodation - an oasis for weary travellers, surrounded by undulating vegetation which blends seamlessly against a backdrop of eternal skies with stunning sunrises and sunsets. Amarula Lodge makes for an ideal stop over en route to Juba and other South Sudan destinations.


Buffet Meals
Having a Buffet Meal
Facilities
Amarula Lodge is a sanctuary where all your needs are catered for – accommodation, food, security, laundry, internet, and a shuttle to and from town in the morning and evening, for a nominal charge.
Amarula Lodge is a tranquil and spacious place where you can retreat from the heat and bustle of Wau town and market.


Bar & Restaurant
Where we are Located
We are located near the Airport, next to UNMISS Compound Wau Southern Sudan.
Wau Town is in northwestern South Sudan, on the western bank of the Jur River, in Wau County, Western Bahr el Ghazal State. It lies approximately 650 kilometres, northwest of Juba, the capital and largest city in South Sudan

Contact Details

reservations@amarulalodgewau.com
+211 957 251 008
+211 955 581 690
+211 955 465 570
Amarula Lodges Limited
Wau Town
Western Bahr El Ghazal State
South Sudan

SOUTH SUDAN: South Sudanese Journalist Shot Dead In Capital

A South Sudanese man holds South Sudan’s flag during a celebration in Juba on 29 July 2014. Peter Julius Moi, who worked with the independent New Nation newspaper in Juba, was shot as he headed home after work, his colleagues at the paper said.

A South Sudanese journalist has been shot dead in what a press freedom group described as a "very foreboding sign" just days after the president issued a warning to the media.

Peter Julius Moi, who worked with the independent New Nation newspaper in Juba, was shot as he headed home after work, his colleagues at the paper said.

Residents of the area where he was shot, in a field southwest of the capital, said Moi was shot with two bullets in the back. They said none of his belongings, including his mobile phone, had been taken.

President Salva Kiir issued a warning to journalists before flying to peace talks in Ethiopia.

The freedom of press does not mean that you work against your country. And if anybody among them does not know this country has killed people, we will demonstrate it one day on them.

Kiir told a news conference on Sunday, without elaborating.

Government officials and police were not available for comment about Moi's killing despite repeated attempts.

The United States called for a thorough investigation of Moi's death and for Kiir to renounce his comments.

"We're very concerned about this development," U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby, speaking to reporters in Washington, said of Moi's death. He urged South Sudan authorities "to expeditiously and thoroughly investigate this incident."

"Separate and distinct, we are obviously deeply concerned by President Kiir's comments regarding journalists earlier this week, and we call on him to disavow those words," Kirby added.

Tom Rhodes, the east Africa representative for press freedom group Committee to Protect Journalists, said: "A very foreboding sign, the journalist was killed just three days after President Salva Kiir threatened to target journalists before departing for peace talks in Addis Ababa."

"It is still too early to tell whether there is a link, but this tragedy will certainly cast a pall over independent reporting in the country as South Sudanese journalists are increasingly forced to self-censor as a means of survival," he said.

Six other journalists were killed in January when they were ambushed by unknown people in the western Bahr el Ghazal region.

Oliver Modi, chairman of the South Sudan Union of Journalists, said, "It is very serious that, this year, Peter is number seven who was killed in cold blood."

Several newspapers and broadcast stations have also been closed by security personnel without notice or a court warrant.

At the talks in Addis Ababa, Kiir declined to sign a peace agreement proposed by mediators to end the country's 20-month conflict, saying he had some reservations about the pact and asking for an extra two weeks.