Africa News from Afro News 22 December 2014 afronewsmail@gmail Warring parties in South Sudan have made some progress in negotiations Addis Ababa — The two warring parties in South Sudan have made some progress in negotiations, which resumed on Thursday in the Ethiopian capital under the mediation of the regional bloc, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).Officials from both sides said positive steps were taken, particularly on governance and ratios of power-sharing.South Sudans information minister and governments spokesperson, Michael Makuei Lueth, said the two parties agreed to create 27 ministries for a transitional government.So far we have agreed to create 27 ministries with their deputies but had outstanding issues, he said, adding that there were two ministries and deputies to the prime minister which were not agreed.Lueth however declined to explain what those two ministries were.A senior official from the SPLM-IO faction led by former vice-president, Riek Machar, told Sudan Tribune that the parties governance and political committee made a breakthrough to give 10% in power-sharing to the former political detainees and other political parties.The two principal parties were yet to agree on how to divide the remaining 90%.On power ratios, we partially agreed that we give G10 and other parties only 10%. We will discuss the 90% for division between the [SPLM]IO and the government tomorrow, the senior official who preferred anonymity said on Saturday.He also added that the two parties agreed to adopt and implement a federal system of governance during a 30 months of transitional period which would devolve more powers to states, adding that the two parties were however yet to agree on the name of such a federal government.The opposition group had suggested it would be called Federal Republic of South Sudan, but the government had been resisting the naming.The rebels also proposed that the number of states be expanded to more than 20, upgrading old colonial districts.Other contentious issues also include powers that would be attached to the created executive prime minister.On security arrangements, the two could not yet agree on whether to maintain two separate armies at least for the period of transition until elections are conducted. Zambia Ruling Party Agrees on Presidential Candidate By Sylvester Mwale PATRIOTIC Front (PF) presidential candidate Edgar Lungu yesterday successfully filed his nomination papers to contest the 2015 presidential elections, bringing an end to the differences that had characterised the ruling party in the last two months.Security was tight at the Supreme Court grounds as Mr Lungu arrived in an open-roof vehicle with his wife Esther around 12:30 hours waving the PF symbol to a thunderous welcome by scores of supporters and sympathisers.Mr Lungu was received inside the Supreme Court building by Acting President Guy Scott and his wife Charlotte before proceeding to file in the nomination papers.Mr Lungu who doubles as Defence and Justice Minister had earlier joined Dr Scott at Government House for a Press briefing to consolidate the reconciliation process in the party before proceeding to Embassy Park to lay wreaths at the tomb of former and late presidents.The Chawama Member of Parliament who was also accompanied by several MPs and party national chairperson Inonge Wina later addressed the media and the waiting crowd outside the Supreme Court.My constituency now is Zambia, we are winning by 60 to 70 per cent, Mr Lungu told journalists soon after his candidature was declared valid. We will continue building more schools, hospitals and more roads that President Sata had started.I thank you for covering us, you can now go and write your stories, whether negative or positive, you are enjoying the media freedom.Mr Lungu said he would be inclusive in his governance approach and appealed to the people to go out and campaign now that he had filed the nominations.He assured that the PF would abide by the electoral code of conduct and ensure that next months presidential elections were free and fair.Dr Scott assured the people gathered at the Supreme Court grounds that the past confusion had been buried and the party was ready to campaign for Mr Lungu as a united force.Dr Scott and Mr Lungu jumped in the same motor vehicle which was driven along the Independence Avenue after addressing the gathering and are today expected to address a public rally in Kabwe.Meanwhile, business in Lusaka literaly came to a standstill as hundreds of people walked and drove to the Supreme Court to witness the filing of nominations by Mr Lungu. Kenya: Gunmen Shoot At a Lamu Bound Bus, Police Pursuing Attackers By Cheti Praxides A Lamu bound bus was Saturday evening waylaid and shot at by suspected Al shabaab militia at Lango La Simba area in Nyongoro/Witu division in Lamu.In the 3pm incident, witnesses say about four men stopped and shot at the Tawakal bus forcing it to stop.The bus was heading to Lamu from Mombasa with 50 passengers before the incident.According to Gerald Mwangi who was one of the passengers, the four men sprayed bullets at the tyres forcing the driver to stop.When we were passing through Lango La Simba area I noticed four men emerge from the bushes from the side I was seated. They had very long guns. I then saw them aim and start shooting at the bus tyres and windows. We all lay down on our seats, said Mwangi.When the bus stopped, they entered the bus and started scrutinizing each of us without uttering anything. After about seven minutes, they told us in Kiswahili that it was not their wish that they had waylaid us(sio kupenda kwetu tuwasimamishe). They then walked out of the bus and headed back into the bushes where they had emerged from, he said.Their faces were covered and they spoke very poor Kiswahili which had a heavy Somali accent. We thank God they didnt harm us but we cant help but wonder what their real intention was, said Mwangi.Speaking to the Star on phone, Lamu county commander Ephantus Kiura confirmed the attack.I can confirm that a bus belonging to the Tawakal Bus Company was attacked at Lango La Simba in Witu division at around 3pm by four people we highly suspect to be militiamen. There are no casualties and all the passengers are fine. We think this was a trial terror attempt since no one was injured. They just shot at the bus to make it stop, and then they inspected the passengers and walked away, said Kiura.Kiura said a combined team of security officer was currently combing Lango La Simba area and neighboring areas in the hunt for the terror suspects.We are on very high alert over what just happened. We have the KDF, GSU, ATPU and the regular police who are currently combing the entire Lango La Simba area and other suspected spots in Witu as we try to get to the suspects, added Kiura.Speaking at the scene of attack, Witu senior chief Ahmed Adulrahman said the stranded passengers were ferried in police vehicles to various destinations in Lamu while the bus was towed to Witu police station.The attack comes barely a day after president Uhuru Kenyatta signed a tough security laws to deter terror attacks Liberia Senate Elections Held Despite Ebola Threat Voters who turned out for senate elections in Liberia were met with health workers at the door of polling stations to check for Ebola. The elections had been delayed twice due to the outbreak.The vote for 15 of the 30 seats in the upper house of parliament had been postponed twice since October because of the Ebola outbreak. More than 3,340 people have now died from Ebola in Liberia, making it the country with the highest number of fatalities in the current outbreak, followed by Sierra Leone and Guinea.Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah had warned that anyone running a temperature higher than 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius) could be removed from the line, asked to cast their ballots in a separate area, and then sent for screening. A sudden fever is one of the signs of the highly contagious Ebola infection.A spokesman for the national election commission said that all voters had to wash their hands before entering polling stations and maintain at least a meters distance from each other.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 05:44:42 +0000
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