SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New York Times – The Princes Who Want to Destroy Any Hope for Arab Democracy

11/6/19: New York Times – The Princes Who Want to Destroy Any Hope for Arab Democracy, by Iyad el-Baghdadi

Iyad El-Baghdadi argues that Saudi and Emirati backing of the TMC is driven by fears of major upheaval at home if “a major Arab country transitions to democracy.”

 Despite Saudi-Emirati claims that their interventions have been aimed at staving off Islamist extremism and promoting regional stability, el-Baghdadi notes that the Sudan uprising has been against Islamists.

 El-Baghdadi then highlights how Saudi Arabia and the UAE have “used their considerable resources to promote…military strongmen in the [Middle-East],” since the Arab Spring, citing how they “crushed” Bahrain’s uprising, bankrolled a return to military dictatorship in Egypt, and armed a “rogue” military leader in Libya.

 El-Baghdadi further notes their alliance with Al Burhan and Himedti due to their sending of troops to Yemen.

 In addition, El-Baghdadi draws attention to videos circulating social media showing Emirati-manufactured military gear deployed by Sudanese militias, with influential Saudi-controlled Twitter accounts expressing support for the TMC.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: BBC – Sudan crisis: Government propaganda trip exposes schisms

11/6/19: BBC – Sudan crisis: Government propaganda trip exposes schisms, by Fergal Keane

 The BBC's Africa editor, Fergal Keane, reports on a Sudanese government propaganda trip which went awry, exposing the country's political schisms.

 The BBC were taken to a ransacked laboratory, which health ministry spokesman said was the work of the protesters. However, witnesses disputed this account and blamed it on the Sudanese security forces.

 The BBC were then taken to a medical warehouse, where rows of medicines were stacked, many marked with the word "Release,” to dispute opposition claims that the militia was preventing the distribution of medicine.

 In Omdorman Hospital, the BBC came across the grieving family of Ali Omar Hilal, who died waiting for treatment as hospitals around Khartoum were closed. The purpose of the visit was to show that hospitals were functioning normally after being closed for two days.

 The article concludes by questioning how long the current diplomatic and media focus on Sudan’s crisis will last.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Sudan’s protesters call off strike and agree to resume talks with military

11/6/19: Multiple sources – Sudan’s protesters call off strike and agree to resume talks with military

 Sudan’s military and opposition groups have agreed to resume talks on the formation of a transitional council, an Ethiopian envoy said on Tuesday, as an opposition alliance said it was suspending its campaign of civil disobedience and strikes.

 Sudan’s Transitional Military Council also agreed to release political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, special envoy Mahmoud Dirir told reporters in Khartoum.

 The steps appeared to show a softening of positions after talks between the two sides collapsed following the violent dispersal of a protest sit-in on June 3.

Sudan’s protest and opposition alliance said it is suspending a campaign of civil disobedience and a general strike from Wednesday until further notice.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Telegraph – Vladimir Putin-linked businessman urged Sudan crackdown, leaked documents show

11/6/19: Telegraph – Vladimir Putin-linked businessman urged Sudan crackdown, leaked documents show, by Roland Oliphant

 

The Daily Telegraph reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman with close ties to Vladimir Putin criticized former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for failing to follow Russian advice on how to crack down on the country's pro-democracy uprising, it has emerged.

 Prigozhin, who is believed to run the Wagner group, a military contractor involved in Russia's war in Syria, wrote to Mr Bashir to complain that he had ignored Russian advice to paint protesters as "pro-Israel," "pro-LGBT", and "anti-Islam" in a bid to discredit them.

 Mr Prigozhin complained of a “lack of activity” by the Sudanese government and its “extremely cautious position”, the Guardian  reported, citing a letter obtained by the Dossier Centre, an investigative unit funded by the exiled Russian oligarch and Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovksy. 

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters – UAE communicating with Sudanese opposition and military council – minister

11/6/19: Reuters – UAE communicating with Sudanese opposition and military council – minister

 Reuters reports that the United Arab Emirates is continuing its communications with the Sudanese opposition and the ruling military council, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday in a tweet.

 Minister Anwar Gargash added that UAE’s goal was to support Sudan’s stability, “and a smooth organised political transition”.

 The UAE has previously pledged financial aid and support to the military council.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – US Africa envoy to visit Sudan amid crisis to encourage talks

11/6/19: Multiple sources – US Africa envoy to visit Sudan amid crisis to encourage talks
BBC
Reuters, by Khalid Abdelaziz

According to the US State department, US assistant secretary for Africa, Tibor Nagy, is visiting Sudan in efforts to call for an end on attacks on civilians. The US state department also said that Mr Nagy would “urge parties to work towards creating an enabling environment for talks between the two sides to resume.”

 The planned visit comes days after workers in Sudan began a nationwide strike to pressure the military council to respond to their demand for civilian rule. 

Mr Nagy is also to meet with Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss the ongoing situation in Sudan. 

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Guardian - Sudanese troops raped protesters at sit-in, doctors report

 11/6/19: Guardian - Sudanese troops raped protestors at sit in, doctors report, by Zeinab Mohammed Salih and Jason Burke
Zeinab Mohammed Salih and Jason Burke report on rape allegations which have emerged in light of recent attacks in Khartoum. 

Salih and Burke reveal that harrowing details of rapes, which according to witnesses have been committed by the Rapid Support Forces, have come to light in recent days, despite limited communications. 

Salih and Burke also note that rape victims have not been able to get required medical treatment due to fear of reprisal and limited availability of medical care. Salih and Burke mention too this human rights activists and experts have confirmed that reports of rape and sexual violence can be deemed reliable.  

Salih and Burke however, stress that the scale of which sexual violence has occurred is not fully clear. 

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AP - Amnesty warns war crimes continuing in Sudan’s Darfur

11/6/19: AP – Amnesty warns war crimes continuing in Sudan’s Darfur, by Bassam Hatoum and Samy Magdy

 

AP reports that Sudanese security forces have continued to commit “war crimes and other serious human rights violations” in the Darfur region, Amnesty International said Tuesday.

 Amnesty said the abuses in Darfur at the hands of Sudanese paramilitary units, the Rapid Support Forces, include the destruction of entire villages, as well as “unlawful killings and sexual violence.”

 “In Darfur, as in Khartoum, we’ve witnessed the Rapid Support Forces’ despicable brutality against Sudanese civilians - the only difference being, in Darfur they have committed atrocities with impunity for years,” said Kumi Naidoo, secretary general of Amnesty International.

 He urged that the U.N. and the AU “not turn their backs on people in Darfur who rely on peacekeepers for protection.”