Day: August 14, 2022

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1096th meeting held on 2 August 2022, on the Report of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on Elections in Africa.

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling all its previous decisions on elections in Africa, particularly, Communiques [PSC/PR/COMM.1062 (2022)] adopted at its 1062nd meeting held on 31 January 2022;

Noting the opening remarks made by H.E. Jainaba Jagne, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of The Gambia to the AU as the PSC Chairperson for August 2022 and the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on Elections in Africa presented by the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye;

Also noting the statement by the representative of the Republic of The Gambia, which held its elections during the first half of 2022; further noting the statements by the representatives of AU Member States that will be organizing their elections in the second half of the year 2022, namely: the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Guinea Bissau, the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Tunisia;

Reaffirming the determination of the AU to continue to promote, deepen and consolidate democracy, good governance, constitutionalism and the rule of law in all Member States, in line with Articles 3 and 4 of the AU Constitutive Act; and also reaffirming the importance of ensuring that the Member States fully adhere to the provisions of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance;

Mindful of the significant contribution of credible, transparent, free and fair elections to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and political stability in Africa, as well as in strengthening democracy in the Member States; and

Acting under Article 7 of its Protocol, the Peace and Security Council:

Commends the Chairperson of the Commission for the comprehensive Report on Elections in Africa covering the period between January to June 2022, as well as the outlook for the elections to be organized in the period from July to December 2022;

Congratulates in particular, the Republic of The Gambia and the Federal Republic of Somalia for the successful organization of peaceful, transparent and credible elections while especially commending the Federal Republic of Somalia, for the successful organization of indirect elections and peaceful transfer of power, in a particularly challenging environment, which resulted in the election of H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamed as the 10th President of the Federal Republic of Somalia and in this regard, pays tribute to the AU Mission in Somalia/ AU Transition Mission in Somalia (AMISOM/ATMIS) for the critical role in providing security to the election process in Somalia ;

Takes note of the briefings by the representatives of the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Tunisia on the successful organization of Parliamentary elections and a constitutional referendum, respectively;

Further commends the AU Commission for its support towards the organization of peaceful, credible, transparent, and democratic elections on the Continent through the continued provision of technical assistance to the Member States and the deployment of election observer and preventive diplomacy teams in conflict-prone contexts; and requests the AU Commission to redouble efforts in resource mobilization, to more effectively support electoral processes, including through the timeous and sufficient deployment of election observers in all Member States organizing elections, particularly in countries in political transition, as well as to document and share lessons learnt from AU Election Observer Missions;

Commends the Kingdom of Morocco and the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) for co-organizing the 1st Specialized Training Workshop for AU Short-Term Election Observers from 13 to 17 June 2022, in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, to augment AU’s capacity to observe elections in Africa; and, in this regard, encourages the Commission and the Kingdom of Morocco to continue to regularly co-organize similar training and mobilize the necessary financial and technical resources;

Notes with satisfaction, the preparations underway in the Member States that will be organizing elections during the course of the second half of 2022; encourages all stakeholders in the concerned Member States to take necessary measures to create an enabling environment and conducive conditions for the strengthening of democracy through timely, peaceful and inclusive elections in accordance with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, as well as to ensure the safety and security of the voters against the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with the AU Guidelines on Elections in Africa in the Context of COVID-19 pandemic and other Public Health Emergencies;

Calls upon the Member State that will be organizing elections during the second half of the year, to redouble efforts in mobilizing domestic resources, with a view to ensuring full national ownership of their electoral process and reducing external dependence and its attendant vulnerabilities, while urging political parties and candidates in such elections to place the supreme interest of their countries above all else, accept election outcomes, and to make full use of all available legal channels to settle any election disputes that may arise and to refrain from any recourse to violence;

Further encourages all Member States to continue to create conducive conditions that encourage more women, the youth and people living with disabilities to actively participate in political processes, particularly elections, among others by strictly ensuring quota systems and reducing the fees for enlisting election candidature, in line with the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (The Banjul Charter), the Protocol to African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), as well as the Africa Youth Charter;

Notes with satisfaction the evolving culture of peaceful and democratic elections that continues to be deepened and consolidated across Africa as evidenced by the regularity of national elections, as well as the growing trend of peaceful transfer of power in the AU Member States, thanks to the effective management of elections by national election management bodies;

Welcomes the revitalization of the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) and underscores the need for ensuring universal representation of the whole Continent in its Executive Committee, while calling on the AU Commission to scale up technical assistance to the Association;

Urges the AU Commission to ensure gender parity and youth inclusion in AU Election Observation Missions (AUEOMs); reiterates the request for the AU Commission to organize an annual forum for national elections management bodies as a platform for sharing experiences, lessons and best practices, with a view to further improving electoral processes in the Member States;

Drawing inspiration from the Malabo Declaration and Decisions adopted by the 16th Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of States and Government on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Changes of Government, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on 28 May 2022, reaffirms deep concern over the impact of Unconstitutional Changes of Government, terrorism and violent extremism, as well as the nefarious activities of non-state armed groups on governance, and democracy, and in particular, the successful organization of elections in the Member States;

Underscores the need for the AU Commission to continue to further enhance synergies with the Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms, in inculcating and entrenching the culture of peace, democracy, political pluralism, constructive management of diversity and tolerance in the Continent, particularly in relation to elections;

Underlines the importance for the Member States to continue to uphold constitutionalism and deepen and consolidate their democratic culture, including by building strong and independent national institutions, particularly those involved in the management of electoral processes, with a view to preventing election-related conflicts and crisis situations;

Emphasizes the important role of a vibrant civil society and responsible media, both print and electronic, in promoting peaceful and credible elections and, in this regard, encourages these entities to always contribute more positively towards promoting the integrity and credibility of elections and maintenance of peace and stability in the Member States, among others, by promoting civic education and factually informing the public, as well as refraining from inflammatory reporting and activities that may incite violence;

Underlines the importance of universalization of signature, ratification and domestication of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance by all Member States; congratulates those Member States which have already signed and ratified the Charter and encourages those that have not yet done so to also consider doing the same without further delays; and

Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

Source: African Union

Sudan received 17 freight train cars from China this week as part of a deal aimed at rehabilitating the ailing railway network.

Last year, Sudan announced a $643 million plan to rebuild the railway system after the United States left decades of sanctions that hit the sector.

27 freight wagons are expected to be delivered at the end of this year by China’s CRRC Ziyang Co, bringing the total to 34.

The deal is valued at $51.6 million of which Sudan paid 30 per cent in advance.

Sudanese Transport Minister Hisham Abu-Zaid told reporters that the new equipment will allow Sudan Railways Corporation to transport 350,000 tons of goods per month by railway instead of 80,000 tons currently.

The railway network in Sudan was one of the largest in Africa, covering 5000km from Egypt in the north to Wau in South Sudan and from Port Sudan in the east to Nyala in South Darfur

However, the network declined as a result of the negligence of the former regime due to several reasons, the most important was to dismantle its strong trade union linked to the Sudanese left groups.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Egypt’s health ministry says that 41 people were killed when a fire broke out in a Coptic church in the densely populated Cairo suburb of Imbaba. Witnesses say the fire started following a short circuit in an air conditioning unit.

People shouted and screamed as the fire raged on the top floors of the Martyr Abu Sefein Church. Witnesses say it took firefighters three hours to arrive at the scene. Many of the victims were children.

Egyptian media, quoting eyewitnesses, reported that the fire started after a power outage at the church caused an electrical generator to turn lights and air conditioning units on, triggering a short circuit in one of them.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly, along with General Ahmed Rashed, the governor of the Giza province where the church is located, went to the scene of the fire. They presented the government’s condolences along with pledges to help the families of the victims.

Madbouly said he and members of his government inspected the site of the fire and are prepared to pay 100,000 Egyptian pounds to the families of those who died and 20,000 pounds to families of those who were injured, in addition to providing top notch treatment to victims who were hospitalized.

One-hundred-thousand Egyptian pounds equals about 5,214 U.S. dollars. Twenty-thousand pounds would be just over 1,000 dollars.

Authorities have also pledged to set up technical and engineering committees to investigate the cause of the fire.

Egyptian political sociologist Said Sadek told VOA that the church is located in a neighborhood full of narrow streets and alleyways. The area was a battle zone between government forces and Islamic militants in 1990.

“[Coptic churches] are usually located in very poor areas, overcrowded, and this is Sunday service by the way, and that is why [we are seeing] the high toll,” Sadek said. “Because they exist in overcrowded areas — usually alleys — civil defense and fire brigades cannot reach them very quickly, so this is a problem.”

The incident came nine years to the day government security forces evacuated a Muslim Brotherhood sit-in camp in the north of Cairo, resulting in a large number of casualties.

Source: Voice of America

The round table conference of the ”People of Sudan” initiated by the religious figure al-Tayeb Aljid, recommended that the would-be-established Supreme Council of the Armed Forces be given broad authority, including sovereign powers, to be the supreme authority in the country.

The conference ended its sessions on Sunday, after two days of discussions on many issues amid a broad boycott by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) National Consensus coalition, Sudanese Communist Party and Resistance Committees, the spearhead of the anti-coup protests.

The military-backed initiative mainly involved the dignitaries of the former regime from the banned National Congress Party (NCP) and their allied groups. All of them hailed the coup and expressed their political support for the military leaders who are perceived as their saviours.

“The conference defined the structures of the transitional period so that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is the supreme authority entrusted with defending Sudan and its people, protecting national security and constitutional order, as well as assuming sovereignty duties,” provides the final communiqué read at the closing session.

While a cabinet of technocrats will assume executive duties, adds the statement. Also, the conference refused the appointment of Sudanese holding a foreign nationality as prime minister.

The legislative council and state councils are formed on the basis of consensus between the political forces, according to the recommendations of the conference.

The participants underscored the need for national reconciliation, strengthening partnership, avoiding exclusion, and combating hate speech.

Asked about the inclusion of the dissolved NCP in the initiative, the Aljid said he did that in the name of national reconciliation and the need to bring all the Sudanese together, disregarding the principle of accountability for war crimes and corruption.

The conference further recommended the termination of the mandate of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

Ignoring the political and legal reforms, the conference encouraged speeding up the electoral process to elect a legitimate government.

However, the participant proposed to implement the recommendations of the initiative through three phases: national reconciliation, formation of the transitional government and elections.

They also proposed an 18-month period to achieve the outcome of the conference.

The meeting recommended restoring the constitution of 2005 after amending it to take into account the Juba Peace Agreement and other peace agreements, in addition, to adopting a decentralised federal system of government.

In addition, the participants called to suspend the Eastern Sudan Agreement until a consensus is reached by the local stakeholders.

Rapprochement with armed groups

The adoption of the political platform of the pro-military camp was announced as the FFC and the National Consensus coalitions are drafting their programme for the transitional government and the elections.

However, the groups of the People of Sudan Initiative seek to operate a rapprochement with the armed groups of the National Consensus coalition that supported the coup of October 25, 2021.

Mohamed Zakaria, National Consensus Spokesman told Sudan Tribune on Sunday that a meeting took place between them and the People of Sudan groups upon the request of the latter on Friday night, hours before the launch of their conference

“We received an invitation to attend the round table conference, but we declined it,” he said.

“The People of Sudan Initiative are still drafting their plans and so do we. That is why we agreed that each party would work individually to complete its vision and then consider forming a joint committee in the future,” he added.

Mubarak Ardol Secretary-General of the National Consensus said that their drafting committee for the constitutional declaration and mechanism for the formation of transitional government includes representatives of their coalition, the Democratic Unionist Party of Mohamed Osman al-Mirgani, a faction of the Beja Congress, the Council of Churches and Sufi orders and the Native Administration.

Ardol claimed the Resistance Committees are part of this panel but he was referring to former members of Omdurman neighbourhoods committees.

In his speech at the closing session on Sunday, Aljid said they would reach out to all those who were not able to participate in the two-day meeting to brief them about the outcomes of their conference.

The FFC said they had not been invited to take part in the conference.

Source: Sudan Tribune

Sudan’s Emergency lawyers said 35 people including four children were detained following Thursday’s March of Millions protest in Khartoum and Omdurman.

In a statement issued over the weekend, the group condemned the detentions stating that Sudanese security forces fired tear gas at protesters and at their lawyer’s office, and also beat and dragged those they detained.

Some 16 protesters were held in Omdurman and a further 19 in Khartoum, the group said. The lawyers said many were also injured due to the ‘’excessive force’’ applied by the security forces.

Thursday’s Marches of Millions took place across a number of cities and towns across Sudan and were organised by the resistance committees who call for an immediate civilian government.

Source: Radio Dabanga