Day: January 2, 2022

KHARTOUM— Sudan’s Security and Defense Council ordered to speed up investigations into Thursday’s mass protests in the capital Khartoum and neighboring areas which resulted in the deaths of four protesters and injuries of hundreds of others.

The council held an emergency meeting at the Republican Palace in Khartoum, chaired by Chairman of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to discuss the security developments in the country.

The council, which groups representatives of the sovereign council and leaders of the security and military bodies, expressed regret over the casualties during Thursday’s protests, and vowed to hold those who triggered the clashes between protesters and security forces accountable.

Security forces fired tear gases and live ammunition during Thursday’s protests, and police confirmed later in a statement that four protesters were killed, while 297 others along with 49 policemen were injured in Omdurman locality, the most populated city in Sudan, situated on the western bank of the Nile River, opposite the capital Khartoum.

The country has been rocked by mass protests, and at least 52 people were killed in 11 large-scale street protests since Oct 25, 2021, when the general commander of the Sudanese army Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency and dissolved the government, a move which triggered a political crisis in the country.

On Nov 21, Al-Burhan and then removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok signed a political declaration, which included reinstating Hamdok as prime minister, but the deal has so far failed to calm the street and protesters asked the military to stay out of politics and demanded civilian rule.

The protests were also fuelled by sky-rocketing prices of foods, gases and household essentials in the country.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

U.S. Secretary of State on Saturday warned that Washington is ready to take measures against those who obstruct the aspiration of Sudanese people for a civilian-led transition.

During the past two months, Washington made unilateral calls and initiated multilateral statements condemning the coup and urging the restoration of a civilian-led transition in Sudan.

However, the coup leader and Commander in Chief of Sudan Armed Forces Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seconded by the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces resisted calls to reverse the military takeover of 25th October.

In a statement on Sudan independence day, Antony Blinken, for the first time, showed his restlessness at the military’s refusal to heed the U.S. repeated calls.

Blinken pinpointed that the military coup and subsequent violence have hampered the U.S. hope to partner with a democratized Sudan in 2021.

“We do not want to return to the past and are prepared to respond to those who seek to block the aspirations of the Sudanese people for a civilian-led, democratic government and who would stand in the way of accountability, justice, and peace,” he further said.

The coup leaders sought to get support from the Gulf countries and Egypt.

However, the oil-rich Gulf monarchies followed Washington in its efforts to restore the civilian-led government.

Cairo refused to join the regional and international calls in support of the Sudanese people. But now, Egyptian officials complain about being marginalized in the ongoing efforts to settle the Sudanese crisis.

The way forward

After his clear warning, Blinken urged stressed that there is a way forward,” including two steps.

“It requires security forces to immediately cease the use of deadly force against protesters and to take action to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations,” he said.

“It also requires Sudan’s leaders to make rapid progress on forming a credible cabinet, establishing a legislative assembly, forming judicial and electoral bodies, and transferring leadership of the Sovereign Council,” he added.

The Sudanese military, on December 31, admitted the extent of the bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters and decided to investigate the killing of civilians and hold accountable the perpetrators of violence.

However, in a speech delivered on the independence day, al-Burhan did not seem prepared to renounce the idea of “military guardianship” on the transition in Sudan.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The death toll from the bloody crackdown of anti-coup protests on December 30 rose to six people on Saturday, said the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD).

According to the CCSD, the last victim Abdallah Abbas Aroussi “died of gunshot injuries to his pelvis” during his participation in the December 30th demonstration in Khartoum twin city, Omdurman.

With Aroussi’s death; the overall death toll since the 25th October coup has risen to 55.

The Sovereign Council on Friday decided to investigate brutal repression on December 30 and to hold accountable the security forces responsible for the grave human rights violations.

Last week, the head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan decided to give the General Intelligence Service (GIS) the power to arrest civilians during the state of emergency

The Emergency Order also provides immunity for the agents and protection from civil lawsuits for the GIS’s officers and other public officials.

The repression of protesters has intensified after the appointment of Ahmed Ibrahim Ali Mofadl, as a new appointed Director-General of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) on November 27.

Mofadl, a known Islamist, recently reappointed several former security officers who like him were part of the former National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS).

He appointed Lt. Gen. Taj Elsir Osman Alsanjek, former NISS Director of the Internal Security Service, as Assistant Director for Internal Security Affairs, Gen Yasir al-Tayeb al-Mahdi, as Adviser on Foreign Security and Intelligence Affairs, and Babikir al-Austa as Manager of Detention Facilities.

Source: Sudan Tribune

The world’s largest humanitarian organization (WFP) suspended its operation in North Darfur state after the looting of its warehouse in El-Fasher.

From the evening of December 28 until the morning of December 30, hundreds of looters took over 5,000 tons of food and dismantled warehouse structures.

“WFP is outraged by these senseless attacks and condemns the continued looting of assistance and the destruction of its assets in the strongest possible terms,” said David Beasley, WFP Executive Director.

“As a result, we have been forced to suspend WFP operations in North Darfur, effective immediately,” Beasley added.

The robbed food covers the needs of nearly two million people during a month.

The looting of the WFP warehouse and former UNAMID camp in the capital of North Darfur rosed tensions among the signatory groups in North Darfur.

The Governor of Darfur Region Minni Minnawi immediately condemned the looting of the UNAMID site by armed men affiliated with armed movements that have gathered their combatants nearby the camp.

Minnawi who has troops in El-Fasher further called for an immediate investigation into the attack.

For his part, the Governor of North Darfur State Nimir Abdel Rahman who is the Deputy Head of the SLM-Transitional Council said they have arrested members of some armed groups without naming them.

After the attack on the WFP warehouse, Hadi Idris a Member of the Sovereign Council called for the disclosure of the group of the fighters involved in the two attacks.

Sources close to the investigation said the attacks aim to discredit the authority of the State Governor.

They further said the attacks have carried out by the same group.

The military-controlled collegial presidency discussed the attacks in an extraordinary meeting on Saturday.

The meeting admitted the need to reveal the perpetrators of offences from all parties according to a statement released by the Sovereign Council.

Source: Sudan Tribune

At least three civilians are dead, two after being shot in the head with live ammunition, during renewed pro-democracy demonstrations in the Sudan capital today. The joint security forces reacted with what doctors described as ‘unprecedented violence’, live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades, as marches converged on the Republican Palace in Khartoum.

Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that a heavy security forces presence was deployed in Khartoum in anticipation of the marches, called by Resistance Committees and opposition forces across the country. Major roads and bridges were also blocked ahead of the protests, and mobile phone and internet traffic was blacked-out.

A doctor at El Arbaeen Hospital in Omdurman, which was closest to the Khartoum marches, confirmed to Radio Dabanga that two civilians have been killed by gunshot wounds to the head. Another death was confirmed this evening. An as yet unknown number of injured have also been transported to hospitals after being fired upon with tear gas and stun grenades in downtown Khartoum.

Simultaneous demonstrations were witnessed in Port Sudan in Red Sea state, Rufaa in El Gezira, in Sennar, and El Damazin in Blue Nile state, but no reports of any casualties have been received by time of posting.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, four people were shot dead by security forces during Marches of the Millions in Omdurman on Thursday, and a fifth person died on Friday, after being hit by a tear gas cannister in the chest. Dozens were injured, some by live ammunition. Exact numbers are still unclear but 30 wounded cases were transferred to the El Arbaeen Hospital.

The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors described the prevention of entering an injured protester into ambulance for transportation to another hospital and the seizure of medical staff as “a flagrant human rights violation by an authority that crossed all red lines of human morality”.

Source: Radio Dabanga

Sudan’s Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok, has announced his resignation in a televised address to the Sudanese people this evening. His resignation comes just hours after at least three civilians were killed as Sudanese security forces violently suppressed another wave of the Marches of the Millions, that saw hundreds of thousand take to the streets across the country to express their rejection of the military coup d’état of October 25, and the subsequent political agreement, signed by Hamdok with coup leader Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan.

In this evening’s address, Hamdok underlined that he was unable to combine all the components of the transition to reach a unified vision, describing the crisis in the country as political, but it gradually, includes all aspects of economic and social life.

He pointed out that there are many challenges facing the country, stating: “I decided to give back the responsibility and announce my resignation as Prime Minister, and give a chance to another man or woman of this noble country to help it pass through what’s left of the transitional period to a civilian democratic country.”

Frustration

Hamdok’s resignation comes just six weeks after he was released from house arrest and reinstated in terms of a political agreement signed with Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and leader of the military junta that seized power in a coup d’état on October 25.

As reported by Radio Dabanga last week, informed sources told Radio Dabanga that Hamdok had already told a group of political and national figures in a meeting on December 18 about his “deep frustration and dissatisfaction“ concerning the charter for a new government, and his abandonment by political forces, in addition to the obstacles and difficulties of the military regarding the implementation of his plans in the transition process.

In November, Hamdok said that he will tender his resignation if the Sudanese people see that the political agreement, signed with the coup leader El Burhan, does not serve their interests.

Analysts have said that the controversial agreement is “an intermediate stage that allows avoiding the worst effects of the coup, including bloodshed, international isolation, and Sudan’s return to its former pariah status in the international community”.

US-based Sudanese analyst in African affairs and a specialist in conflict areas Dr Suliman Baldo, said in an interview with Radio Dabanga last month that all economic programmes that were in the process of tackling the economic crisis have been radically halted.He added that the El Burhan-Hamdok agreement has a very specific/limited mission in this aspect.Its only condition is that the civilian Council of Ministers enjoy full executive powers according to what is stipulated in this framework.

“Otherwise,” Baldo says, “the PM has no choice but to resign, together with his ministerial staff”. He added that “If the purpose of the return of Hamdok is to give an undeserved and unjustified legitimacy to the military coup, the international bodies will not recognise this matter even if Hamdok is prime minister”.

Violence

In the weeks since the coup, Sudan has seen an unrelenting series of pro-democracy mass protest marches and manifestations, called by Resistance Committees and opposition forces across the country. These have consistently been met by violence from a strong military presence, and Sudanese doctors confirm that at least 56 civilians have died, dozens raped or sexually assaulted, hundreds injured, and hundreds more detained, prompting international condemnation and outrage.

End December, Sovereignty Council civilian member Abdelbagi El Zubeir and Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Haisam Ibrahim handed their resignation, citing the excessive violence used against peaceful protesters as their main motive.

Source: Radio Dabanga