Day: February 8, 2022

The Sudanese security authorities arrested two BBC journalists covering anti-coup demonstrations in Khartoum before releasing them late on Monday.

The BBC team was on its way to an assembly point in the Bashadar area in southern Khartoum, but a security force in civilian clothes riding a vehicle without license plates intercepted them next to Farouk’s cemetery before seizing their cameras and taking them to an unknown destination.

The team consists of producer Mohamed Ibrahim, reporter Firas Kilani and photographer Mark Ponsky.

The Sudanese authorities used to target journalists regularly to dissuade them from covering the violent repression of protesters.

The media documented security forces firing bullets on protesters and other attacks that triggered international condemnation of the bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters.

UN independent human rights expert Adama Dieng expressed his deep concern about the arrest of BBC journalists in Khartoum.

“Journalists must be able to do their work freely without harassment and intimidation. Freedom of expression must be respected,” he said in a tweet posted after their arrest.

Also, the Preparatory Committee for the Restoration of the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate condemned the arrest of the BBC team and called for their release.

Head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan pledged to prevent attacks on journalists and hold accountable the security agents that arrest or attack them.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Yasir Arman Deputy Head of the SPLM-N, and Member of the Executive Office of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) said that the United Nations process faces many challenges that require important steps to ensure a successful settlement of the Sudanese crisis.

Last month, the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) launched a series of consultations aiming to bridge the gaps between the stakeholders and facilitate a Sudanese-led process to find a way out of the political crisis that paralyses the country after the October 25 coup.

Asked by the Sudan Tribune about the process and how the FFC groups intend to deal with the UNITAMS initiative, Arman pointed out that this process can play a significant role in the resolution of the current crisis.

“The importance of the initiative, also, lies in the international support it enjoys, especially since there is a lack of trust between the (Sudanese) parties,” he stressed.

The international community has suspended the economic support to Sudan after the military coup by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese army.

The resumption of this crucial international support depends on the re-establishment of the civilian-led transition to complete the reforms including a reform of the security sector and its economic activities.

He further pointed out that the initiative “faces challenges” especially the failure to create a conducive environment for dialogue and building trust between the parties.

The confidence-building measures require “stopping the killing and preserving basic human rights as an entry point for the resolution of the constitutional crisis,” he said.

Arman who led the SPLM-N negotiating delegation for peace talks for more than ten years stressed the need for a time limit to avoid repeating the “national dialogue experiences” of the former regime.

Regarding the course of the process, he told the Sudan Tribune that there is a need first to resolve the constitutional crisis, and restore the civilian authority to complete the transition before holding a constitutional conference.

“The first step must be to resolve the constitutional crisis which involves three forces: the forces of revolution and change, the military component and the parties to the peace process. Once the constitutional crisis is resolved, the government of the Democratic Civil Authority oversees a broad dialogue of the Constitutional Conference, which is more inclusive than (the resolution of) the constitutional crisis,” he said.

The coup leader and his supporters call to open the transition and to amend the 2019 Constitutional Declaration to include the groups that were allied to the former regime.

FFC groups reject this request saying that including these groups aims to hamper the reforms particularly allowing the military to keep intact their economic activities but also preventing the handover of the wanted former leaders to the international justice.

Al-Burhan’s pledge to hand over power

Several days ago, in El-Fasher General al-Burhan vowed to transfer power to civilian authority in two cases: to an elected government or if a national consensus is forged.

Commenting on this pledge, Arman noted that it was the first time that the coup leader speaks about the national consensus as a possible solution for the resolution of the crisis.

However, Arman said this mention to the national consensus raises many questions.

“Is this consensus should occur between the forces of revolution and change or between the forces of the old regime? How and what is the mechanism to reach this political consensus under the coup? Does that mean accepting a democratic civil transition that ends the coup?”

Source: Sudan Tribune

U.S. Senator Chris Coons told the Head of the Sovereign Council that Congress would adopt targeted sanctions against military undermining democratic transition in Sudan.

On Monday, Coons spoke b telephone with General al-Burhan about the situation in Sudan after the coup d’etat of October 25, 2021, including the bloody violence on the anti-coup protests.

In a statement issued after the call, Coons said he reiterated his concern and that of the Congressmen about the political crisis in Sudan and the ongoing crackdown by security forces on protesters.

“Coons reminded General Burhan of the strong bipartisan support for advancing legislation that would impose targeted sanctions on those undermining the democratic transition in Sudan and violating human rights if the military does not change course,” reads the statement.

The security forces in Sudan killed 79 protesters and wounded hundreds in a bid to quell the anti-coup demonstrations that erupted hours after the coup last October.

Coons stressed the need to end lethal violence against the protesters and to hold accountable the perpetrators.

Also, expressed his support to the UN-facilitated process aiming to establish “a civilian democratic government, and facilitating the military’s exit from Sudanese politics,” said the statement.

Further, he made clear that the national electoral process cannot be rushed and that major reforms are necessary to ensure elections are free, fair, inclusive, and credible.

In Khartoum, the Sovereign Council did not issue a statement about the call.

On December 9, US Congress advanced legislation that imposes targeted sanctions “against those who impede the democratic transition in Sudan, threaten its stability, restricts freedom of expression or media access, engage in arbitrary detentions or torture, or misappropriate Sudanese state funds”.

Earlier this month, U.S. senators blamed the Biden administration for its failure to impose targeted individual sanctions on the Sudanese military after the coup.

Source: Sudan Tribune