SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudan’s framework agreement deals with political not military issues: al-Burhan

14/12/2022: Sudan Tribune - Sudan’s framework agreement deals with political not military issues: al-Burhan

Sudan Tribune report that the commander-in-chief of Sudan’s army, Abdulfattah al-Burhan, told Sudanese troops that the framework agreement is not a settlement that harms the armed forces.

In a speech at al-Maaquil military base, north of Khartoum, al-Burhan said: “do not listen to what politicians say about military reform. Nobody will interfere in the affairs of the army at all”. Sudan Tribune state that al-Burhan’s maintains that military reform includes a review of the rules and regulations governing military activities.

Al-Burhan also claimed that Islamists were plotting a coup against him to return to power.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Darfur sit-in against UNAMID withdrawal continues 

14/12/2020: Radio Dabanga - Darfur sit-in against UNAMID withdrawal continues 

 Radio Dabanga report that a sit-in in Kalma camp near Nyala, South Darfur, entered its second week. The protestors demand that the joint United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) is not withdrawn at the end of 2020. “Protection of the displaced cannot be entrusted to those who killed them”, one of the sit-in leaders said.

One of the leaders of the sit-in called the UNAMID exit “a conspiracy against the displaced people, a humanitarian crime and a historic failure of the United Nations (UN)”.

He demanded that the mission remains until peace and security are secured, criminals are tried, settlers on the lands of the displaced are expelled, and militias are disarmed. He also demanded the restoration of lands traditionally used by a particular clan or tribal group, alongside individual and collective compensation for the displaced.

Displaced people in Kabkabiya camp in North Darfur organised similar protests.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese parties agree on coordinating role of Partners Council

14/12/2020: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese parties agree on coordinating role of Partners Council

 Sudan Tribune report that the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the military component of the Sovereign Council, and the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) have agreed on the powers of the Transitional Partners Council, but failed to settle the dispute on the position of the Prime Minister in the new council.

 The participants agreed that the new council cannot interfere in the powers of the Council of Ministers or the Sovereign Council. Also, they reiterated that its role is strictly limited to coordinate between the Partners and resolve disputes that may arise between them.

 However, the participants did not resolve the dispute over the prime minister’s position in the Partners Council. Initially, it was agreed to appoint him as an alternate chairperson but the decree appointed him as a member.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan's PM calls military involvement in private sector 'unacceptable'

14/12/2020: Reuters –  Sudan's PM calls military involvement in private sector 'unacceptable'

 

Reuters report that Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said the involvement of Sudan’s military in the private sector is “unacceptable,” and such enterprises should be turned into public companies.

“You cannot manage resources belonging to the Sudanese people without transparency or accountability. There’s no wavering on this,” Hamdok added.

His comments came in response to a question about a law passed by the U.S. Congress requiring financial transparency and civilian control over Sudan’s state-owned enterprises as a condition for U.S. assistance to Sudan, which he said would “surely help the democratic transition.”

Hamdok said his administration’s desire is to turn the military-owned companies into public joint stock companies in which the public can invest. “It’s easier said than done, but we will work on it and see what we can achieve,” he said.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Guardian – Ex-Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir sentenced to two years for corruption

14/12/2019: Guardian – Ex-Sudan leader Omar al-Bashir sentenced to two years for corruption, by Jason Burke and Zeinab Mohammed Salih

The Guardian cover reactions to Omar al-Bashir being sentenced to two years for corruption.

Sulaf Baloul, whose father was executed by al-Bashir in 1991, said he was pleased by the verdict, but “families of the martyrs, we will only feel relieved when he is sentenced to death.”

Mohamed El-Fatih, 27, said he respected the Sudanese judicial system but felt the verdict was wrong. “I am optimistic that he will be free when they appeal the decision,” he added.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New York Times - Sudan's Ousted Leader is Sentenced to Two Years for Corruption

14/12/2019: New York Times - Sudan's Ousted Leader is Sentenced to Two Years for Corruption, by Abdi Latif Dahir

The New York Times cover reactions to Omar al-Bashir being sentenced to two years for corruption.

Galal Yousif, a Sudanese artist who played a prominent role in the protests said that trying al-Bashir on corruption charges rather than human-rights abuses doesn’t amount to “real justice” for those he victimized, leaving “no one satisfied.”

Jonas Horner, a Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group, added that “the financial crimes are secondary for many Sudanese,” particularly in Darfur and the peripheral regions who want “ to see him held accountable for crimes that are far more violent and damning.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Omar al-Bashir sentenced to two years for corruption

14/12/2019: Multiple sources – Omar al-Bashir sentenced to two years for corruption

Sudan's ex-president Omar al-Bashir has been sentenced to two years in a social reform facility for corruption and illegitimate possession of foreign currency.

The judge told the court that, under Sudanese law, people over the age of 70 cannot serve jail terms. Bashir is 75.

Bashir also faces charges related to the 1989 coup that brought him to power, genocide, and the killing of protesters before his ousting in April. If convicted for the latter, he could face the death penalty.

During the sentencing, his supporters started chanting that the trial was "political" and were ordered to leave. One of al-Bashir’s lawyers, Ahmed Ibrahim, said they would appeal against the verdict.