SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga – Demo in Sudan capital after journalist attacked

25/8/2021: Radio Dabanga – Demo in Sudan capital after journalist attacked

Radio Dabanga report that Sudanese journalists demonstrated against an alleged military assault that hospitalised Ali al-Dali, announcing a three-day boycott of all activities, particularly regarding news on the armed forces. The Military Intelligence command has initiated an enquiry and a criminal report was filed.

The protestors demanded that the transitional government reform military institutions and the statutory agencies, alongside abiding by the international treaties and covenants signed by Sudan relating to human rights and the protection of individuals.

The Ministry of Information and Culture said the attack was “reminiscent of the former regime” by the Ministry of Information and Culture and said it is working on preparing a law to protect journalists to prevent such practices.

The Sudanese Human Rights Commission stressed the need to take serious legislative and administrative measures, procedures and public policies that are compatible with Sudan’s human rights obligations.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: International Peace Institute - How the New UN Mission in Sudan Can Succeed

25/8/2020: International Peace Institute - How the New UN Mission in Sudan Can Succeed, by Philipp Jahn, Gerrit Kurtz and Peter Schumann

 Philipp Jahn of Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Khartoum, Gerrit Kurtz of the German Council on Foreign Relations and former UN official Peter Schumann, call for the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) to adopt an adaptive approach to peacebuilding in Sudan that heeds four considerations.

 In planning and implementing UNITAMS, the authors call for flexibility and Sudanese participation, institutionalising a regular advisory and monitoring mechanism inclusive of civil society and political parties.

 Secondly, the authors suggest UNITAMS fosters resilience by focusing on strengthening the ability of the civilian authorities to exert control over the security sector and its economic activities, necessitating putting parliamentarians and political parties at the center of stakeholder engagement.

 Third, the authors call for UNITMAS to ensure international coherence by ensuring follow-up processes on donor funds for Sudan, and finally, facilitating the flow of information by empowering marginalised voices and promoting transparency regarding UNITMAS activities.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudan arrests eight SPLM-N al-Hilu members: statement

25/8/2020: Sudan Tribune - Sudan arrests eight SPLM-N al-Hilu members: statement

 Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction of Abdelaziz al-Hilu (SPLM-N al-Hilu)  said that the Sudanese authorities have arrested eight of its members in the Blue Nile state, reports Sudan Tribune.

 Mohamed Youssef al-Mustafa, the head of SPLM-N al-Hilu in Government Controlled Areas said that the government had previously arrested a movement member in al-Gedaref and targeted youth and students in El Geneina in West Darfur.

 He accused the government’s security services of repressing, intimidating and targeting SPLM-N al Hilu, “in a clear violation of the constitutional document which ensures freedom of expression and public meetings.”

 Al-Mustafa condemned the conduct of some "circles and groups that have a negative attitude towards peacemaking in Sudan.”

 Al-Mustafa also called for the restructure of the army and armed militias into professional forces that work to enforce the law and protect the constitution and citizens without discrimination.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies - Eastern Sudan: A tribal conflict leaves 33 dead and 77 Injured

25/8/2020: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies - Eastern Sudan: A tribal conflict leaves 33 dead and 77 Injured

 The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) call for Sudanese authorities to investigate the rising violence in eastern Sudan, ensuring that:

  •  Any governmental figure suspected of involvement in the conflict is immediately suspended from their post pending the outcome of an effective and transparent investigation and, if there is sufficient evidence, charged and prosecuted in fair proceedings which comply with international standards.

  • A disarmament campaign is launched across Sudan

  • Basic services are provided to the two tribes to address the root causes of the conflict.

 ACJPS attribute the clashes between the Beni Amer and the Nuba “poor service delivery,” alongside local actors with political interests in inflaming tribal conflicts, who are said to be connected to regional actors and the former regime.

 ACJPS add that the security forces failed to intervene in a timely manner, despite their presence, claiming they had not received instructions from their leadership.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Tensions rise between Sudan Armed Forces garrison and El Gedaref farmers

25/8/2020: Radio Dabanga - Tensions rise between Sudan Armed Forces garrison and El Gedaref farmers

 Radio Dabanga report that farmers in the Atbara and Setit dams complex in eastern Sudan’s El Gedaref complain about increasing frictions with members of the local military garrison over agricultural land.

 A resident of Village 1, created during the construction of the dams complex in 2015, said army officers beat three farmers from the village because of disputes over agricultural land.

 “This is just part of recurrent attacks by army troops on villagers tending their farms,” he said, adding that “army individuals are cultivating lands that were expropriated for the building of the Atbara and Setit dams.”

 He urged Suleiman Ali, the newly appointed civilian governor of El Gedaref, “to intervene, stop attacks by army soldiers on the farmers, and review the ownership of the lands in the area.

 Radio Dabanga note that locals displaced by the dams project on the Kassala-Gadarif border have not received compensation or employment.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Tribal clashes kill 17 in Port Sudan, sovereign council declares state of emergency

25/8/19: Multiple sources – Tribal clashes kill 17 in Port Sudan, sovereign council declares state of emergency

 Sudan’s newly-created sovereign council has declared a state of emergency in the eastern state of Port Sudan, following tribal clashes killed 17 in three days.

 "The sovereign council decided to relieve the governor of the Red Sea and the head of its security apparatus (from their duties)," Sudan’s transitional ruling body said in a statement.

 It also "ordered the activation of a state of emergency (in the Red Sea state) and the formation of an investigating committee.”

 Clashes between the Bani Amer Tribe and the displaced Nuba tribe have also wounded over 100.

 The sovereign council said that authorities "detected for the first time the use of firearms in the fighting, which reveals the presence of internal and external interference to fuel the conflict.”

 An anonymous activist told AP that the dispute

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Sudan flooding leaves at least 62 dead as two months of rain causes devastation

25/8/19: Multiple sources – Sudan flooding leaves at least 62 dead as two months of rain causes devastation

Torrential rain and floods have killed 62 in Sudan, according to Sudan’s state news agency.

 Sudan has been battered by heavy rains since early July, affecting almost 200,000 people across 15 states.

 The UN said that more than 37,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged while more flashfloods are expected with the rainy season expected to last until October.