(VOVworld) –Prominent Sudanese rebel groups have signed a road map brokered by African Union (AU) mediators to end the deadly conflicts in the Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan regions. Government representatives signed the road map in the capital Addis Ababa in March, but opposition groups just signed on Monday, also in Addis Ababa. The road map would pave the way for negotiations aimed at a permanent ceasefire while allowing aid groups into the area. It is also expected to give an impetus to a broader national dialogue addressing overall disagreements in Sudan and ease pressure on its sanctions-hit economy since South Sudan separated in 2011. … [Read more...] about Sudan rebel groups sign AU-brokered peace roadmap
South sudan map
Social News 11/8
Poor households in HCM City receive digital TV receivers The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) signed an agreement on August 10 to provide 2,100 digital terrestrial TV receivers DVB-T2 for poor and near-poor households in Ho Chi Minh City. Accordingly, the gifts will come to households in Districts 9 and 12, and Nha Be, Can Gio and Hoc Mon districts. This activity is part of a road map to digitalisation in Ho Chi Minh City, and aims to help poor people gain access to topical information of the nation and the world, as well as information about new sciences and technologies. According to statistics, Ho Chi Minh City currently has around 13,000 poor and near-poor households, of which more than 10,000 have yet to be equipped with standard digital terrestrial TV receivers. UN Women helps protect women's health "UN Women" in Vietnam announced on August 10 that it had delivered essential items like soap and sanitary products to thousands of women and girls in La Pa and Dak … [Read more...] about Social News 11/8
More military officers for UN Peacekeeping mission
PANO - Lieutenant General Vo Van Tuan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, on July 14th chaired a conference with the Vietnam Peacekeeping Centre (VNPKC). The event aimed to discuss the construction progress of the centre, map out preparations for deploying an engineering company and a level-two field hospital at the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan in the coming time. Addressing the ceremony, the general asked relevant units to ensure security and efficiency of this task, making contributions to heightening the image of the Vietnam People's Army on the international arena. Colonel Hoang Kim Phung, the centre's Director, briefed on the operation of two officers who had been sent to South Sudan. Major General Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Department of External Relations under the Ministry of National Defence, said that it is necessary to better legal documents relating to Vietnam's UN peacekeeping task, as well as provide more facilities for … [Read more...] about More military officers for UN Peacekeeping mission
Sudan launches new currency
KHARTOUM, July 24, 2011 (AFP) - Sudan launched a new currency on Sunday, six days after the newly independent south did so amid fears of a currency war, but the central bank said it was ready to negotiate with Juba on the old money. "Today we have launched the new currency in the capital and all the states, and we are ready to issue any amount of the currency through the banks and the ATMs," said the bank's governor, Mohammed Kheir al-Zubair. Speaking to reporters in Khartoum, he declined to specify how long the old currency would remain in circulation, only saying the transition would be completed "as quickly as possible." The new Sudanese pound has a redrawn map of the country and certain symbols are absent on the differently coloured notes, following the secession of the south on July 9. It replaces the old Sudanese pound, which has plunged in value this year, mainly because of the surge in food prices and weak state finances. One dollar can now buy up to 3.5 Sudanese pounds on the … [Read more...] about Sudan launches new currency
Foreign arms fuel south Sudanese violence, amnesty report says
Weapons from Ukraine, China and Sudan are fueling clashes between South Sudan’s government and rebel militias that have killed civilians and forced thousands to flee their homes, Amnesty International said. South Sudanese government forces used Ukraine-supplied T-72 tanks to bombard targets in oil-rich Unity state and “failed to discriminate adequately between civilians and military targets” in violation of international law, the London-based rights group said Thursday in an e-mailed report. Rebels in the area received weapons from Sudan and planted Chinese-made landmines, it said. South Sudanese forces haven’t targeted civilians, army spokesman Philip Aguer said in a phone interview from Juba, the capital. Civilians may have been caught in the crossfire when the army assaulted militias backed by Sudan, he said. “Governments must immediately stop supplying South Sudan with conventional arms which have been used to commit violations of international … [Read more...] about Foreign arms fuel south Sudanese violence, amnesty report says