SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune – SRF renew rejection of Sudan’s civilian governors’ appointment before peace

14/4/2020: Sudan Tribune – SRF renew rejection of Sudan’s civilian governors’ appointment before peace

 Sudan Tribune reports that the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) renewed its refusal to appoint civilian governments before the signing of a peace agreement, and accused the he Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) of seeking to exclude them from participating in the nomination process.

 The SRF said that the FFC decision to appoint civilian governments is an attempt to exclude them, and that it will not lead to the “establishment of equal citizenship state.”

 In a statement, the SRF said: “the FFC’s Khartoum faction seeks to exclude [the peripheral regions] and is bypassing the street and the resistance committees by striking a deal to share the state governor positions in a shameful way, and are seeking to appoint unqualified people.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project - Anti-Corruption Sit-In to Enter its Third Week in a Sudanese Town

14/4/2020: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project - Anti-Corruption Sit-In to Enter its Third Week in a Sudanese Town, by Sandrine Gagne-Acoulon

 The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) cite Radio Dabanga’s report that anti-corruption protesters have occupied government offices of South Darfur’s El Radoom region, demanding the dismissal of local executives over corruption in the mining industry.

 The activists claim that the proceeds from the area’s gold mining have been diverted from the people and blame the local executives for it. They demand that a percentage of the profit made by the mining company al-Gunade – which belongs to Himedti’s family - returns to the local community.

 Foreign policy specialist Stephen Zunes told OCCRP that the protests reflect how “people in Sudan have acknowledged the power of nonviolent actions to obtain human and minorities rights, accountability and more.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Bloomberg - Notorious Sudanese Militia Poses as Savior in Coronavirus Fight

14/4/2020: Bloomberg - Notorious Sudanese Militia Poses as Savior in Coronavirus Fight, by  Mohammed Alamin and Salma El Wardany

Bloomberg report that the Rapid Support Forces militia (RSF) is aiming to win Sudanese hearts and minds by “spearheading” Sudan’s coronavirus fight, in what the Atlantic Council’s Cameron Hudson labels as the RSF’s latest push “to reinvent themselves as defenders of the poor and downtrodden.”

 Senior Sudan analyst at the International Crisis Group, Jonas Horner, says the moment “is particularly dangerous for Hamdok as the military - and particularly the RSF - may move to demonstrate their ability to deliver in the absence of broader government action,” with Hudson noting the RSF’s ability to draw on its discipline, organisation and resources “unlike [Prime Minister] Hamdok’s government.”

 Horner called for Hamdok to spend his political capital on meeting Sudanese demands for leadership from the transitional government, with political cartoonist Khalid Albaih quoted to say that “the RSF has become one of the main obstacles to [Sudan’s] democratisation.”

SUDAN INSIGHTS ALERT: Washington Post - George Clooney and John Prendergast: Sudan needs more than words. It needs action.

Full article: 14/4/19: Washington Post – George Clooney and John Prendergast: Sudan needs more than words. It needs action.

Summary:

George Clooney and John Prendergast, co-founders of the Sentry, an investigative team that builds cases against African war criminals, call for the international community to use their leverage to pressure Sudan’s transitional military council to hand-over power to a civilian government.

 Clooney and Prendergast call for all non-humanitarian aid to Sudan to be suspended until civilian rule is in place and militias are disbanded, as well as the regime’s debt relief quests to be conditioned on the completion of “genuine” democratic transition.

 Clooney and Prendergast suggest that the “most potent” form of leverage would be for the US treasury and other global regulators to go after assets laundered by Al Bashir and allies in the international financial system, concluding with calls for the US to sanction regime officials for corruption and rights abuses under the Global Magnitsky Act. 

SUDAN POLITICAL ALERT: UK, US and Norway Troika statement on the current unrest in Sudan

14/4/19: UK, US and Norway Troika statement on the current unrest in Sudan

The UK, US and Norway called on Sudanese authorities to adhere to the demands of the Sudanese people, and enter an inclusive dialogue to facilitate a transition to democratic civilian government.

 The statement also called on the transitional military council to ensure humanitarian access to all areas of Sudan, as well as building confidence with the people by releasing political prisoners.

 The statement concluded by urging Sudan’s new leadership to build domestic and international support to help resolves Sudan’s “many pressing challenges.”  

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Associated Press - Saudis, UAE express support for Sudan military council

14/4/19: Associated Press – Saudis, UAE express support for Sudan military council

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have issued statements in support of Sudan's transitional military council.

 Saudi Arabia says it "stands by the Sudanese people" and calls on all Sudanese "to give priority to the national interest" of their country.

 The UAE called on the Sudanese "to work for protecting legitimacy and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power."

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources - Sudan transitional military council press conference

14/4/19: Multiple sources – Sudan transitional military council press conference

BBC

Associated Press

Reuters

A statement by the spokesman of Sudan's transitional military council (TMC), Shams El Din Kabbashi, revealed that a raft of TMC decisions, announcements and promises.  

 Abu Bakr Mustafa will replace Salah Gosh as the head of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), with defence minister Awad Ibn Auf removed from his role. Sudan’s ambassadors to the US and the UN were dismissed as diplomatic missions were under review.

 Kabbashi also announced that former government members were detained for corruption, with a committee formed to fight it. Media restrictions were also lifted, and police and security officers detained for supporting protesters were released.

Kabbashi also promised the formation of a civilian government , with opposition and protest groups appointing a prime minister.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Washington Post - Sudan ousted two autocrats in three days. Here's what's next

14/4/19: Washington Post – Sudan ousted two autocrats in three days. Here’s what’s next, by Mai Hassan and Ahmed Kodouda

Mai Hassan, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan, and Ahmed Kodouda, a political science PhD student, re-cap recent events in Sudan, and its prospects for democratic transition.

 Hassan and Kodouda attribute intensified popular mobilisation against Al Bashir’s regime to economic problems caused by expensive internal wars and corruption. 

 The authors then note that the ascension of Abdul Fattah Al Burhan suggests a consolidation of power by the military faction aligned to the Saudi-Emirati Middle-East bloc. The article notes the African Union’s traditional hostility to military takeovers, although it has previously come to accept it after plotters legalise their rule via constitutional changes.

 Finally, the authors note that the Sudan Professionals Association and the Declaration of Freedom and Change coalition still demand civilian government, “[reflecting] lessons learned from Egypt’s failed popular uprising.” 

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters - Arab Spring comes later in Sudan and Algeria

14/4/19: Reuters – Arab Spring comes later in Sudan and Algeria, by Michael Georgy and Tarek Amara

Michael Georgy and Tarek Amara suspect that there is a likelihood that the Sudanese military council will take the same route as the Egyptian military council did.

Georgy and Amara state that while the Arab Spring in Egypt ‘’raised hopes of political and economic reform,’’ the period of revolution was characterised by the ‘’army watching from the sidelines and then capitalising on the turmoil’’.

Georgy and Amara also suggest that Sudanese in search of ‘’freedom and better prospects’’ may end up disappointed, as they draw on examples from Arab Spring countries still awaiting change.

TRANSLATED SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Asharq Alawsat - Has Al Bashir really gone?

14/4/19: Asharq Alawsat – Has Al Bashir really gone?, by Abdulrahman Al Rashed

Abdulrahman Al Rashed, a Saudi journalist who is said to be close to the Saudi royal court, calls on Sudan’s transitional military council to deliver on their promises of handing over authority to civilians. 

Al Rashed argues that the Sudanese have the right to be skeptical of the future, and wary of a repeat of Omar Al Bashir’s “inhumane” leadership.

Nonetheless, he identifies “positive” steps taken by the transitional military council, including the abolition of party platforms in government, where Islamists remain part of Sudan’s “deep state.”

This article was published in Asharq Alawsat and Al Arabiya, two pan-Arab media outlets which are said to be linked to the Saudi government.