Day: November 3, 2021

Posted on

Sudan coup: FFC civil disobedience campaign resolute

The campaign of civil disobedience proclaimed by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) after a military coup led by Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, former chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, seized power on October 25, is being sustained by resistance committees, professional organisations, and trade unions across the country, causing many essential sector and institutions to grind to a halt. New protest marches are being planned.

The FFC – the main drivers of the revolution that overthrew the 30-year Al Bashir dictatorship in 2019 – have declared categorically that “there will no dialogue or negotiations with the putschists”.

The Bankers Association of Sudan announced a temporary suspension of the strike and sit-in effective Tuesday, “to ease the burden on the Sudanese public and disburse salaries and pensions”.

The Unified Doctors Office announced the continuation of the complete withdrawal of medics from military hospitals in the capital and the regions, which includes “all hospitals of the army, the police, and the security apparatus in its old and new form”.

The doctors also announced a strike in the state hospitals of the Ministry of Health, with a commitment to continue to cover emergencies and injuries in all departments, dialysis departments, as well as intensive care, cardiac care and all paediatric cases.

The Sudanese General Employers Federation renewed its call for civil disobedience, stressing its rejection of the military coup.

The Teachers’ Committee called on all teachers to continue comprehensive civil disobedience. They reported in a press statement on Tuesday, that the authorities dismissed the Director of the Ministry of Education of Khartoum state after his refusal to deal with the coup authority.

The coup authorities have issued a decision to resume studies for all levels in Khartoum state schools, starting on Sunday, 7 November.

Protest marches

Resistance Committees in Omdurman announced new protest marches on Thursday to reject negotiations, to bring down the coup, and hold the putschists accountable.

The Karary locality Resistance Committees Coordination said in a press statement on Tuesday that the schedule includes the continuation of civil disobedience, complete detours on the streets, and besides neighbourhood marches, calling for the overthrow of the coup.

A number of trade unions, including the Bankers Syndicate and the Bank of Sudan, announced the continuation of civil disobedience until next Saturday. Sunday and Monday will be working days, while the disobedience will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Posted on

Tambura market reopens five months after closure

The business community in Tambura County of Western Equatoria state have on Sunday resumed commercial trading following the reopening of the Tambura market after a five-month closure due to insecurity.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, traders in the town expressed happiness saying security guards had been deployed at the market to protect their property.

Kongor William, a businessman at the market said traders closed down the market after insecurity became rampant.

“The market was not closed in a day because people were up and down running, they opened their shops sometimes they closed. When the situation deteriorated, they closed completely. But since yesterday (Sunday) the market has resumed,” he said.

However, he says, since the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) deployed forces there, the traders feel secure.

“Since Sunday, the situation has returned to normal and people are selling their goods in the market and everything including green vegetables are in the market,” he added. “The day we felt that the situation was becoming worse, we contacted the contingent commander of SSPDF that we want guards for our shops and the commander gave us soldiers to protect our goods.”

According to William, cases of burglary had risen last month, with two shops broken into.

For his part, Tambura County Commissioner Mathew Mabenge confirmed the reopening of the market.

“Tambura seems to be fine in terms of security, the market is operating and when people met yesterday in the market, the Balanda and the Azande, you could see that people were in peace,” he said.

Mabenge blamed the deadly conflict that led to the closure of the market and displacement of people of villages on state politicians.

“The root cause is the politicians because if you were at the market you would see the people showing each other love, greeting their friends, there is a relationship,” he claimed.

Mabenge called on all the people of Tambura County, including businessmen and women who fled to neighboring states and counties to return home.

“My message to them, let them come back because the division six commander and his deputy have deployed the protection forces around the town,” he said.

Tambura County has experienced violent clashes in recent months, displacing thousands of people. However, life is slowly going back to normal after the government ordered the evacuation of rival forces there.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Posted on

Hope for ‘tangible results’ as int’l community close ranks to mediate on Sudan political crisis

The international community has set in motion several initiatives for mediation between the civilian transitional partners behind Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and the leaders of the military coup led by Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, former chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, that seized power on October 25, to address the current political crisis in Sudan.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Sudan and head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, expressed his hope that the mediation on the Sudanese issue would reach tangible results within the next two days.

The UN official confirmed during a virtual briefing to reporters on Monday that there are many mediation efforts underway in Khartoum by several parties, stressing the UN support for a number of these efforts and the provision of initiatives and ideas and coordination with some of these mediators.

He said the UN continued to communicate with Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and former chairman of the now dissolved Sovereignty Council, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, a number of leaders of the transitional partnership, the Forces for Freedom and Change, the rebel movements, and others. He is also in contact with the United Arab Emirates and other Arab and African countries, countries outside the region, and major international parties, especially countries in the Security Council.

“The United States plays a key role here as well as neighbours in the region such as South Sudan and Egypt,” Perthes stated.

‘What happened in Sudan is a coup and a hijacking of democracy’ – Jeffrey Feltman, US envoy to the Horn of Africa

The US envoy to the Horn of Africa, Jeffrey Feltman, considered that “what happened in Sudan is a coup and a hijacking of democracy,” stressing that “Washington will not accept the elimination of democratic foundations in Sudan.”

In his own press statement, he condemned the dissolution of the Sudanese government institutions, calling for a reversal of the October 25 coup, and stressed the need to restore the partnership between the military and civilians and to release all detainees in Sudan.

He urged the Sudanese to think about how to restore the partnership and constitutional arrangements, and expressed his concern about the democratic path in Sudan after the military coup. He confirmed that President Biden said that the events of October 25 were a major setback.

South Sudan mediation

Tut Galuak, Security Advisor to the President of South Sudan and head of the visiting delegation to Sudan, said that the delegation sat with all parties, including El Burhan and Hamdok, to resolve the crisis.

He said in a press statement that El Burhan is in the process of meeting with Hamdok to reach a final formula. He expressed his hope for the release of the detainees, explaining that Hamdok is in good health.

Troika

The ambassadors of the Troika countries (USA, UK, and Norway) called for the release of PM Hamdok. In posts on Twitter, after their meeting with Hamdok on Monday evening, the ambassadors also called for the release of the other detainees, as “an essential step towards further dialogue”.

They expressed their happiness to see Hamdok in good health, calling for his full release.

The Office of the Official Spokesman for Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok’s government announced the Prime Minister’s adherence, during his meeting with the ambassadors of the Troika, to the legitimacy of his government and the transitional institutions, considering that the release of the ministers and the carrying out of its work by the Council of Ministers in its entirety is an entry point to resolving the crisis.

PM Hamdok stressed that he will not be a party to any arrangements in accordance with the coup decisions issued on October 25. The situation must be restored to what it was on October 24.

UN Security Council

The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will hold a special session on Sudan on Friday, following a crackdown on demonstrations and gatherings after the military coup.

The session will begin at 11:30 GMT, according to a statement issued by the council.

Forty-eight countries, including 18 members of the council, called on Monday to hold an emergency session of the UNHRC on Sudan. Among the countries calling for the session are the UK, the USA, Norway and Germany, along with the Sudanese embassy in Geneva and 43 other countries. The countries called to immediately release all political detainees and to fully respect freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Posted on

Health workers receive Covid-19 vaccination training in Lakes State

About 28 community health workers have been trained to administer the Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccines in Lakes state ahead of a planned roll-out next week.

The one-day training organized by the state health ministry with support from UNICEF concluded in Awerial County on Tuesday.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) officer, who was a lead facilitator for the training, Laat Makuek Manyiel said the training was conducted in all Covid-19 vaccination centers.

“We have three vaccination centers for Covid-19 in every county, in all the eight counties of Lakes State and we conducted vaccination training for J&J in all those Covid-19 centers,” he added.

He pointed out that the people of Awerial County can get their vaccinations at Mingkaman PHCC, Bunagok PHCC, and Dor Payam PHCUs.

Makuek dispelled rumors about the effects of the vaccines and urged the people to receive the vaccinations as they are proven to be safe and effective.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Posted on

Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, and UK ‘stand with the people of Sudan’

The ‘QUAD’ for Sudan, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the USA, and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement today to affirm their countries’ stance with the people of Sudan and emphasise the importance of supporting their aspirations for a democratic and peaceful nation. They join a chorus of international support for restoration of the transitional government.

“The protests of October 30 demonstrated the depth of the Sudanese people’s commitment to advancing their country’s transition, and we remain committed to helping them achieve these aspirations,” the joint statement reads.

We endorse the international community’s serious concern with the situation in Sudan. We call for the full and immediate restoration of its civilian-led transitional government and institutions. We call upon all parties to strive for cooperation and unity in reaching this critical objective. In that vein we encourage the release of all those detained in connection with recent events and the lifting of the state of emergency. Violence has no place in the new Sudan, on this point we encourage an effective dialogue between all parties, and we urge all to ensure that the peace and security for the people of Sudan is a top priority.

The QUAD members also stress the importance of the commitment to the Constitutional Document and the Juba Peace Agreement as the foundation for further dialogue about how to restore and uphold a genuine civil-military partnership for the remainder of the transitional period, pending elections. “This will help ensure Sudan reaches political stability and economic recovery so that it is able to continue the transitional period with the support of Sudan’s friends and international partners,” today’s QUAD statement concludes.

Source: Radio Dabanga