SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters - Sudan looks to pyramids to attract tourism - and hard currency

14/11/19: Reuters - Sudan looks to pyramids to attract tourism - and hard currency, by Ulf Laessing and El Tayyeb Siddig

 Reuters feature piece explores the transitional government’s attempts to raise money from tourism.

 Graham Abdel-Qadir, undersecretary of the ministry of information, culture and tourism, told Reuters that the visa system has been relaxed, including dropping a permit required for travel outside Khartoum. Abdel-Qadir claimed that “there has been already a rise of tourists in October and November thanks to the new system,” and he predicted that 900,000 will arrive in 2020, and that 1.2 million may arrive in 2021.

 Reuters notes that Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt, but attracted only about 700,000 tourists in 2018 compared to Egypt’s 10 million. Sudan’s inability to attract tourists is attributed to the conflicts and crises under Omar al-Bashir, a tough visa regime, a lack of roads and decent hotels outside Khartoum.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - UN Sanctions Committee on Sudan visits Darfur

14/11/19: Radio Dabanga - UN Sanctions Committee on Sudan visits Darfur

 Radio Dabanga reports that a delegation of the UN Sanctions Committee on Sudan, and a number of representatives of the permanent members of the UN Security Council arrived in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur.

 The delegation met with the acting governor of North Darfur, Malik Khojali, who told them that the civilian-led government’s attempts to end Sudan’s internal conflicts are impeded by the international sanctions on Sudan, including those set by the UNSC Resolution 1591 issued in March 2005.

 Khojali stated that the decision is no longer appropriate at the time, due to al-Bashir’s ousting. He called for lifting of sanctions on Sudan, and emphasised the need for the return of international relief organisations that left Sudan after the issuance of Resolution 1591.

 Khojali also said North Darfur is witnessing stability, pointing to the transitional government’s work in accelerating

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudan army: End appointment of military governors

 14/11/19: Radio Dabanga - Sudan army: End appointment of military governors

 Radio Dabanga reports that the High Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) informed rebel leaders during the negotiations that it wished to end the appointment of generals as acting state governors.

 The SAF command says that “the generals were appointed by the deposed regime of Omar Al Bashir, which raises a variety of difficulties. In a number of cases, it would be better if interim civil governors would manage the states until a peace agreement is signed.”

 During the Juba Peace negotiations, the government and rebels agreed  on appointing new state governors after a peace accord has been reached.

 However, the chairman of the Sudan Revolutionary Front’s Legislative Council, El Tom Hajo, said that number of states cannot be governed by governors from among the Forces of Freedom and Change , such as war-torn Darfur, Blue Nile state and South Kordofan, and marginalised eastern Sudan.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Bomb kills three children in Sudan’s Northern State

14/11/2019: Radio Dabanga - Bomb kills three children in Sudan’s Northern State

 Radio Dabanga reports that three children were killed, and a woman and a fourth child were injured following a bomb explosion in Tangasi, Merowe in Sudan’s Northern State.

 Radio Dabanga’s sources say that the  children found a bomb that was probably left over from the El Dirwa military training camp of the Sudan Armed Forces near Domei, east of Tangasi.

 Years of conflict in Sudan has left areas littered with unexploded devices. Tangasi locals have been calling for comprehensive surveys of the area to making sure it is clear of unexploded ordnance (UXO), unexploded bombs (UXBs), or explosive remnants of war (ERW).