Day: December 14, 2021

On Monday, tens of thousands of Sudanese took to the streets again to participate in the Marches of the Millions in Khartoum and other cities in the country, denouncing the October 25 coup and calling for a civilian government. Human Rights Watch has called on the USA not to accept “a return to business as usual in Sudan’s political configuration that makes key reforms impossible”. On December 9, the US Congress passed a resolution condemning the military take-over as well as a new bill that could lead to sanctioning those responsible for the coup.

The demonstrators demand the immediate withdrawal of the Sudan Armed Forces from politics, a full civilian government, and retribution for the protestors killed and wounded during the Sudanese uprising that started in December 2018.

The police fired tear gas at demonstrators who approached the Presidential Palace in central Kartoum and on protesters in Omdurman.

Large demonstrations against military rule also took place in Nyala in South Darfur, El Fasher in North Darfur, El Obeid in North Kordofan, Singa in Sennar, Ed Damazin in Blue Nile state, El Gedaref, Kassala, and Port Sudan in Red Sea state, in Madani and Rufaa in El Gezira, Atbara in River Nile state, and El Borgeig in Northern State.

Ed Damazin, capital of Blue Nile state, in particular witnessed massive protest marches that started from several neighbourhoods of the town and headed to the one-day sit-in in the El Zohour neighbourhood.

Before the start of the demonstrations, members of the Sudanese Professionals Association, the driving forces behind the December uprising against the regime of Omar Al Bashir and Blue Nile state government employees staged a protest vigil in front of the locality buildings in Ed Damazin, denouncing the military coup and the agreement between Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and PM Abdallah Hamdok signed on November 21.

Human Rights Watch

The agreement announced by the military on November 21 returned Hamdok as prime minister. However, while the deal “reaffirms” a partnership between civilians and the armed forces, it excludes the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the civilian coalition of political opposition, civil society groups and professional associations that played a key part in bringing about the downfall of long-time dictator Omar Al Bashir in April 2019 and the subsequent replacement of the transition military council by the joint civilian-military sovereign council in August 2019,” Mausi Segun, Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW) Africa Division said in her briefing on the human rights situation in Sudan to US Congress yesterday.

The “historical tolerance for repression and abuse in Sudan remains in place, including among some of Sudan’s regional and international partners, and has forced resolute Sudanese people to repeatedly put their lives on the line by taking to the streets,” she said, and emphasised that “The stakes couldn’t be higher right now as the military further tightens its grip on Sudan’s politics, repression continues, and the chances for meaningful reform diminish”.

Therefore, “the US Congress has a key role to play in ensuring that the Biden administration does not accept a return to business as usual in Sudan’s political configuration that makes key reforms impossible”.

US politics

On December 9, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Sudan Democracy Act by unanimous voice vote, as well as a resolution condemning the 25 October military coup.

According to the new Sudan bill “the assets of anyone who interferes in Sudan’s democratic transition, threatens its stability, restricts freedom of expression or media access, engages in arbitrary detentions or torture, or misappropriates Sudanese state funds” could be blocked.

Scenarios

According to Dr Suliman Baldo, a US-based Sudanese analyst in African affairs, Sudan is facing three scenarios following the military coup d’état of October 25.

The first scenario, Baldo told Radio Dabanga last week, is the most likely possibility, and consists of the continuation a dictatorial authority based on absolute oppression and violence. This also means that the economic crisis will continue to deteriorate as a result of the suspension of reforms and associated aid.

Regarding the second scenario, “the least likely to happen”, this depends on the success of the civilian government that Hamdok will form in imposing its will on the coup camp.

Baldo played down the possibility of the third scenario, “the collapse of the state” forms the third scenario, as “the wisdom of the Sudanese people, their capabilities in finding solutions, and their legacy in mediation and initiatives, make it difficult for Sudan to collapse as a state”.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The communities of Haforiere, Hiyalla, Iloli, and Oguruny of Hiyalla Payam in Torit County of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State on Sunday resolved to end inter-communal fighting and revenge killings.

On Sunday, delegates from the six villages of Hiyalla Payam including Torit Municipality chiefs and youth gathered in Tirangore Boma led by Governor Louis Lobong Lojore in search of peace.

Some of the resolutions arrived at include identifying and arresting peace spoilers communities urged to hand over criminals, communities urged not to attack security forces sent to calm clashes.

William Tulio Patricio, Oguruny community called on the state government to intervene in restoring peace among the communities in Hiyalla.

“Honorable Governor with your state cabinet, help us. The type of things that happens to us here, is not good. Last time, Oguruny was burned down, Iloli was burned down and they united. Now they are beginning their troubles again. What I am requesting from you, my opinion as chairman of Oguruny community is if there is a conflict caused by Oguruny, send for us soldiers,” Tulio said.

Iyong Tito who hails from Iloli village said they have agreed to reconcile with the other communities but urged that they all maintain peace.

“You told us to reconcile, we will reconcile and make peace with Oguruny. We will bring a bull and they will bring a bull and reconcile on Tuesday or Wednesday,” Tito said.

Ohisio Hassan Gama, a representative from Haforiere said, “Hiyala has caused us suffering. I don’t know what Hiyala want. I accept that any person who causes any chaos, the law should take its course, and if the village people favor him or her, the village should be burned down.”

Meanwhile, Hiyalla Boma Chief John Oromo Oriho said, “In Hiyala there, I am going to tell them that when you go back to another place to cause trouble, Hiyala will be burned down.”

The community representatives all urged the government to intervene and quell any clashes and burn down villages causing chaos in the region.

However, Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Lobong Lojore who headed the government’s delegation to Tirangore Village for the peace talks, stressed that the government will only use the rule of law to deal with criminals there.

He added that the government will not burn villages but instead arrest the criminals and bring them to book.

“The order today to all the six villages including Torit, every area or village that causes trouble, the government will come to that village and arrest the criminal and take the cows of the criminal,” Governor Lobong said. “Listen we will not burn the villages, we will arrest the criminal and take his or her belongings. Why burn the house? What has the house done? and you people said you will help the government to identify or tell whose child is this?

Many people have lost their lives in inter-communal conflicts and revenge attacks among the communities in Hiyalla Payam.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

During his visit to the Abuja camp for the displaced in Kereinik on Monday, the Wali (Governor) of West Darfur, said he would temporarily transfer his office to the camp site today, to be able to directly supervise the return operations of people who fled attacks on the camp on December 5.

Governor Khamees Abakar as well visited stores with food and shelter materials in the state capital El Geneina, in preparation for distributing them to the people living in the various camps for the displaced in Kereinik. He called on native administration leaders to list the displaced in need of humanitarian assistance.

In the past weeks, large groups of militant Arab tribesmen have been attacking villages, towns, and camps in Jebel Moon, Kereinik, and Sirba in West Darfur. Hundreds of people were killed, dozens of villages burned to ashes, and thousands fled to other parts of the state or to neighbouring Chad.

Leaders of Arab tribes and the Misseriya in Jebel Moon signed a non-aggression pact in El Geneina on December 9, but the other attacks are reportedly not related to tribal conflicts.

According to Ahmed Ishag, member of the Committee for Stopping the Massacres in West Darfur, the recent violence “has absolutely nothing to do with tribal conflicts, and any attempt to describe it in this way is a complicity in the crime”.

In a press conference in El Geneina on Sunday, he said that the attacks came at harvest time “in a clear targeting to destroy livelihoods in a premeditated crime that can only be described as genocide and ethnic cleansing”.

‘Security chaos’

El Hadi Idris, former rebel leader and member of the Sovereignty Council, called on Monday for a meeting of Sudan’s Security and Defence Council and the Joint High Council in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher to discuss the overall security situation in Darfur.

El Hadi told reporters in El Fasher yesterday that the situation in Darfur is unstable and witnesses a security chaos. He warned that the instability in the western region will negatively affect the national security.

Therefore, the two Councils should convene in Darfur, “to confirm the seriousness of the government and the rebel movements in extending security and stability in the region”.

On December 9, Idris announced that a joint force with special tasks will be formed “within two weeks”, consisting of the Sudan Armed Forces, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), former rebel combatants, and police forces, to contain the situation in Darfur.

Last month, Sudan researcher and analyst Eric Reeves, stated in a tweet that the (Arab) attackers see the October 25 military coup in Khartoum as a license to resume attacks on non-Arab farmers.

Source: Radio Dabanga