Sudan: Only a united civilian coalition can bring peace

Article at World Politics Review - worldpoliticsreview.com
Written by Yasir Zaidan 
Published Thursday 22 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Only a United Civilian Coalition Can Bring Peace to Sudan

People chant slogans during a protest in Khartoum, Sudan, Oct. 30, 2021 (AP photo by Marwan Ali).

The current conflict in Sudan between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group is a security and humanitarian crisis. But more importantly, it is a political crisis, one that grows out of the failure to build a sustainable democratic transition after the popular uprising that removed former dictator Omar al-Bashir from power in April 2019.

That failure can be traced through the various transitional deals that have been signed and then either ignored or violated since 2019. In that time, the civilian political actors in Sudan’s transition have been unable to overcome their deep divisions, giving free rein to the armed forces under Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—known as Hemedti—to seize and now compete for control of the country. Tragically, the same thing is recurring now, meaning that when the guns are finally silenced, Sudan’s civilian political actors will be unable to play a meaningful role in steering the country to a sustainable peace.

Sudan’s first transitional agreement was a power-sharing constitutional declaration between the military and the Forces of Freedom and Change, or FFC, the civilian alliance that led the negotiations with the army after the removal of Bashir’s regime. The declaration laid the groundwork for the formation of a joint military-civilian government whose goal was to ultimately guide Sudan back to civilian rule by 2022. But it failed to achieve the uprisings’ demands because of political disputes between rival groups among the civilian participants.

The FFC represented a broad range of political parties that opposed the Bashir regime as well as rebel groups from Darfur, Blue Nile and Southern Kurdufan. That and its unity gave it a powerful position in leading the uprising that erupted in December 2018 and negotiating with the Transitional Military Council, TMC, once Bashir was deposed. However, differences started to emerge between the FFC’s civilian members and the rebel groups, who criticized the Khartoum-based FFC parties’ decision to begin talks with the TMC before the rebels were able to participate.

After signing a peace agreement with the transitional government in October 2020, representatives of the rebel movements were able to return to Khartoum, where they were incorporated into the transitional governing institutions as political actors. But the distrust that was created within the FFC only increased, due to serious concerns among the rebel groups over how the structures of the power-sharing government benefited the group of parties that negotiated the transitional agreement with the military.

As a result, the FFC split into two factions. The first, known as the FFC-Central Committee, or FFC-CC, compromises the Umma Party, the Unionist Assembly and the Sudanese Congress. The second faction, which included the rebel groups and the Unionist Party, called itself the FFC-Democratic Bloc, or FFC-DB. In addition, the Baathists and communists left the coalition entirely and created a new front called the Radical Alliance. The resulting political disputes combined with the country’s economic deterioration opened the door for the military takeover in October 2021.

Instead of finding a common position to propose a political roadmap out of the current crisis, Sudan’s civilian actors are busy repeating their previous mistakes.

These divisions were exploited and leveraged by Hemedti, who has proved to be a skillful political operator. Hemedti initially sought to inherit Bashir’s political machine, appointing many Bashir loyalists as advisers during the first months of the transition. He also sought the backing of Sudan’s tribal chiefs and traditional institutions by showering them with gifts and financial favors.

But after the military takeover in 2021, Hemedti also sought to mend fences with civilian actors by publicly apologizing for supporting the coup in the months that followed. He subsequently moved closer to the FFC-CC and eventually became an ally. In September 2022, he announced his support for the interim constitutional draft proposed by the FFC-CC to guide the country back to civilian rule, putting him at odds with the armed forces’ position of supporting only initiatives that included all political stakeholders in Sudan and not only the FFC-CC.

Meanwhile, the United Nations-led political process to facilitate talks between the FCC-CC, FCC-DB and the military initiated after the October 2021 military takeover further exacerbated the divisions among Sudan’s civilian factions. The U.N. Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan, or UNITAMS, deliberately designed the talks to exclude other important civilian actors, such as the Resistance Committees—the neighborhood groups that have led Sudan’s pro-democracy movement since 2019—and traditional tribal chiefs, and sidelined the FFC-DB from the outline agreement signed in December 2022.

That agreement ultimately served as the catalyst for the current conflict, because it called for integrating the RSF into the Sudanese armed forces, which has been a critical national security fault line ever since the 2019 uprising. Created during the Bashir regime’s war in Darfur, the RSF subsequently maneuvered between several institutional umbrellas. After the war in Darfur subsided in intensity, Bashir used the RSF to protect against potential military coups by the armed forces. Hemedti used that privileged status to gain control of lucrative commercial interests, including gold mines, front companies and banks. After Bashir’s ouster, the RSF further expanded militarily and financially.

The disagreement over the timeline for integrating the RSF into the armed forces—the military proposed a two-year transition, while Hemedti argued the process should take at least 10 years—intensified pre-existing tensions between the two sides as the deadline for signing the finalized UNITAMS-brokered agreement approached. Soon after the deadline was postponed in April, both forces mobilized their troops in Khartoum, with the fighting beginning on April 15.

But if Hemedti sought to leverage the FFC-CC in his rivalry with al-Burhan in the run-up to the conflict, the FFC-CC had similarly aligned with the RSF in an effort to play the different armed services against each other. In September 2022, for instance, Yasir Arman, an FFC-CC leadership council member, said that “the RSF represents a force to build the national army,” giving the RSF equal institutional status as the armed forces. And since the outbreak of war, the FFC-CC has refused to denounce Hemedti’s move to seize power.

There is now an urgent need to stop the war, which has left at least 900 civilians killed and 1.3 million displaced and risks triggering a regional conflagration. So far, talks between the armed forces and RSF hosted by Saudi Arabia have struggled to achieve more than shaky cease-fires and intermittent humanitarian access. In the meantime, instead of finding a common position to propose a political roadmap out of the current crisis, Sudan’s civilian actors are busy repeating the same mistakes. Several Resistance Committees have announced their withdrawal from the FFC-CC-led Civilian Coalition to Stop the War due to the FFC-CC’s neutral stance in the war as well as its narrative equating the RSF with the armed forces.  

Above all, Sudan urgently needs a new broad national front to correct the errors—in particular, the narrow and divisive political process—that led to the war. To be effective, however, any new political alliance should stand with Sudan’s remaining state institutions and insist that ultimately Sudan’s civilians must decide the fate of their country, for only that will sustainably end the war.

Yasir Zaidan is a doctoral candidate at the Jackson School for International Studies at the University of Washington.

View original: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/conflict-sudan-crisis-civil-war-democracy-rapid-support-forces/

[Ends]

Sudan: Minawi is in Fasher, Darfur, redeploys troops

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: I wrote about this today but deleted. Not sure how I can keep this up. Bad guys are depressing. Amazed Minawi's still alive.

Report from Radio Dabanga

Dated Tuesday 09 May 2023

Darfur update: Minawi is back in El Fasher and redeploys troops, cautious calm in Nyala

EL FASHER / NYALA – May 9, 2023

Governor of the Darfur Region Minni Minawi arrived back in Darfur yesterday [Mon May 8] after failed negotiations and redeployed his troops in the region. In South Darfur capital Nyala, residents have fled to Southern neighbourhoods amidst rumours of imminent attacks. Yet, the situation remains cautiously calm for now.

The Darfur region authorities said in a press statement yesterday that Minawi left the capital for El Fasher yesterday, despite the critical security conditions, after efforts to stop the war and alleviate the difficult humanitarian situation in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities failed.

Minawi is also the leader of a Sudan Liberation Movement breakaway faction (SLM-MM), who signed the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) alongside other rebel movements, and a member of the FFC-Democratic Block, a split-off faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) that contains many former rebel movement leaders.

According to the statement, Minawi “sought with his comrades of the Juba Peace Agreement Block to stop the absurd war and to invite the warring parties to meet for an intra-Sudanese dialogue to resolve all national issues peacefully through dialogue, but the conditions in the country prevented that”.

In a press conference after his arrival in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, Minawi said: “I do not support either of the two parties to the conflict.” “Our good offices in the Peace [JPA] and Democratic Blocks will continue to attempt to stop the damned war in the country”.

Minawi’s troops in Darfur

Various Sudanese news outlets just reported that Minawi ordered his troops to Darfur without saying where exactly or why.

Minawi’s SLM forces have a military presence in the Sudanese capital according to an October 2020 peace agreement with the government and have so far taken a neutral position in the conflict between the RSF and SAF.

The 300 heavily armed military vehicles that Minawi took with him to Darfur had been stationed in northern Omdurman “to protect the SLM-MM leaders” after signing the peace agreement.

The redeployment of Minawi’s forces in Darfur comes at a time of fears of intercommunal clashes and of a revival of the tribal and political tensions that underpinned the Darfur civil war and led to [alleged] genocide.

Cautious calm in Nyala

The capital of South Darfur is witnessing a cautious calm, although sounds of gunfire from light and medium weapons continue from time to time for unknown reasons, Radio Dabanga’s correspondent reported from the city.

Clashes between the RSF and SAF broke out in Nyala over the weekend.

“The sounds of ammunition have become an obsession for the people, especially women and children,” the correspondent said. Some sources suggested that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) sometimes shoot from the fortifications they have set up in the city.

Many residents of Nyala, especially from the northern parts of the city, left their homes to seek safety in the southern neighbourhoods in the past two days after rumours of imminent battles. Other families left Nyala altogether and sought refuge in the areas of El Salam, Ed El Fursan, Rahed El Bardi, Buram, and Gereida.

“The markets in Nyala are clearly affected by the violence as a large number of merchants closed their shops out of fear of the thefts and looting that accompany the battles between army soldiers and elements of the RSF,” especially in Darfur.

Nyala has witnessed significant looting since clashes between the RSF and SAF started. Local residents formed popular initiatives to secure their neighbourhoods, including barricading the streets.

Residents have reported that militia gangs are looting and mugging residents whilst staying in RSF camps and enjoying their protection.

Doctor Selma Takana, the representative of the director of the South Darfur branch of the National Health Insurance Fund, reported that 16 of the fund’s vehicles were stolen. Three health centres inside the university, the radiology department, and laboratories were severely damaged.

The Yashfeen Diagnostic Complex was also plundered and most of its medicines were stolen.

Shortages

The prices of consumer goods in the city are steadily rising, day after day.

“The prices are rapidly rising because of scarcity as there are no more lorries coming from Khartoum with supplies. The people also suffer from a great lack of liquidity because the banks are closed, which exacerbates the living crisis day after day,” the correspondent explained.

The South Darfur Community Initiative is making continuous efforts to bring in a commercial convoy that has been stuck between Nyala and El Fasher since the outbreak of the war on April 15.

The Initiative is seeking sufficient guarantees from both the army and the RSF to safely open the banks and normalise life again in Nyala, which is the largest commercial hub in the west of the country.

Despite the lack of cash and scarcity of goods, South Darfur is managing to keep some of its health services running.

The South Darfur Health Ministry announced that the medicines currently still available can cover the state’s needs for a month.

Director of the Ministry Rehab Fatehelrahman said in a briefing to the state’s Humanitarian Situation Committee, headed by West Darfur Governor Hamid El Tijani Hanoun, that the work in the Nyala Teaching Hospital, the Specialists Hospital, the Turkish Hospital, the Italian Hospital, the Police Hospital, and the Medical Corps has continued since the beginning of the war.

She also confirmed that efforts are being made to deliver quantities of medicine to Nyala that got stuck on the way.

Doctor Takana confirmed the stability of work in most of the National Health Insurance Fund centres in the 21 localities of South Darfur and reassured the state committee that there are medicines available to the National Health Insurance Fund that will contribute to covering the shortages in the hospitals. 

The health insurance centres, however, suffer from management problems. The salaries of the staff have been delayed.

Takana further said that activists in the neighbourhoods are exerting efforts to operate the El Wadi and the El Sad El Ali health centres.

El Fasher robbery

El Fasher also witness looting and theft and precarious healthcare conditions.

Passengers of a transport vehicle were subjected to an armed robbery in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Sunday evening.

One of the passengers told Radio Dabanga that the gunmen fired in the air and forced the passengers to get out of the car at gunpoint before robbing them of their belongings and stealing the vehicle’s fuel.

A number of residents have called on the North Darfur government and the Mediation Committee of Elders to intervene and resolve the deteriorating security situation in the city since the beginning of the fighting between the army and the RSF in the country.

The residents of El Fasher also suffer from frequent and long power outages, one of them told Radio Dabanga. “The electric current is cut off from six in the morning with a fluctuating return at night. This crisis will worsen in the coming days because of the lack of fuel trucks to feed the electricity generators”.

He added that the continuous power outages greatly affect the performance of hospitals and health centres and other important sectors in the city.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/darfur-update-minawi-back-in-el-fasher-cautious-calm-in-nyala-theft-continues

Ex Sudanese president Bashir and 30 allies out of jail before Sudan's leaders started fighting 15 April 2023

Report from Reuters via The New Daily.com Australia

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nadine Awadalla, Reuters

Dated Wednesday 26 April 2023 - full copy:

Former president Omar al-Bashir and allies out of jail as Sudan fighting flares

Play Aljazeera Video - SUDAN TRAVEL EXPLOITATION? 

Sudanese civilians priced out of leaving conflict 

As foreign nationals are evacuated out of Sudan by their embassies, many Sudanese are being priced out of a journey.

Sudan’s capital has resounded with gunfire and explosions, eroding a truce amid collapsing basic services, dwindling food supplies and the opening of a prison that let out allies of a jailed former autocrat.

With the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) showing no sign of easing, the army said former president Omar al-Bashir had been transferred to a military hospital before hostilities started on April 15.

It said Bashir was moved from prison with 30 former members of his regime, including Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, who along with the former president is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes for atrocities during an earlier conflict in the Darfur region.

The whereabouts of Bashir came into question after a former minister in his government, Ali Haroun, announced on Tuesday he had left Kober prison in Khartoum with other former officials.

Haroun is also wanted by the ICC on dozens of war crimes charges.

Thousands of convicted criminals, including some sentenced to death, were held in the vast prison, along with senior and lower-ranking officials from the Bashir regime, which was toppled four years ago.

Play France24 Video - Sudan fighting: Clashes between army and RSF underway despite truce. 

The US-brokered ceasefire in Sudan is now in its second day.  

But reports of new air strikes show just how fragile that truce between two warring generals really is. 

Civilian life has come to a standstill in Sudan. 

The country's residents are now facing major shortages of food, water, fuel 

and electricity. 

Sudan was already heavily dependent on humanitarian aid before the violence began nearly two weeks ago. 

But the situation has now been plunged into chaos. 

FRANCE 24's regional correspondent Bastien Renouil has the latest from Djibouti.

Sudanese authorities and the RSF traded accusations over the release of inmates, with the police saying paramilitary gunmen had stormed into five prisons at the weekend, killing several guards and opening the gates.

The RSF blamed authorities for letting Haroun and others out.

The release of convicted criminals added to a growing sense of lawlessness in Khartoum, where residents have reported worsening insecurity, with widespread looting and gangs roaming the streets.

“This war, which is ignited by the ousted regime, will lead the country to collapse,” said Sudan’s Forces of Freedom and Change, a political grouping leading an internationally backed plan to transfer to civilian rule derailed by the eruption of fighting.

Bashir came to power in a 1989 military coup and was ousted in a popular uprising in 2019.

Two years later, the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, with support from the RSF, took over in a coup.

The present conflict between the army and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo broke out in part over disagreements about how quickly to integrate the RSF into the army under the planned transition to civilian rule.

The ICC in The Hague has accused Bashir of genocide, and Haroun of organising militias to attack civilians in Darfur in 2003 and 2004.

The ICC declined to comment on Bashir, Haroun and Hussein’s prison transfers.

Play Video - WHO Warns of 'Biological Hazard' After Sudan Fighters Take Control of Laboratory 

On April 25, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a "high risk of biological hazard" after a central public laboratory was seized in war-torn Sudan.

The renewed battles were in Omdurman, one of Khartoum’s twin cities, where the army was fighting reinforcements to the RSF brought in from other regions of Sudan, a Reuters reporter said.

The army has accused the RSF of using a three-day truce to reinforce itself with men and weapons.

The truce was due to end on Thursday evening.

Thanks to the ceasefire, fighting between army soldiers the RSF was more subdued in the centre of Khartoum.

The fighting has turned residential areas into battlefields.

Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 459 people, wounded more than 4000, destroyed hospitals and limited food distribution in a nation where a third of its 46 million people rely on humanitarian aid.

United Nations special envoy on Sudan Volker Perthes told the UN Security Council on Tuesday the ceasefire “seems to be holding in some parts so far”.

But he said neither party showed readiness to “seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible”.

Foreign powers have evacuated thousands of diplomats and private citizens in recent days, including 1674 from 54 countries helped out by Saudi Arabia.

Sudanese along with citizens of neighbouring countries have also been leaving en masse.

More than 10,000 people crossed into Egypt from Sudan in the past five days, authorities in Cairo said, adding to an estimated 20,000 who have entered Chad.

Others have fled to South Sudan and Ethiopia, despite difficult conditions there.

-Reuters

View original: https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2023/04/26/omar-al-bashir-out-of-jail-sudan/

[Ends]

Sudan: ICC Prosecutor briefs UNSC on Darfur 17 Jan

HERE is a full copy of What's in Blue report dated Tue 11 Jan 2022. Note that Sudan's Prime Minister Hamdok resigned on 2 Jan. The UN Security Council will receive the semi-annual briefing of the ICC Prosecutor on Darfur on 17 Jan. The following meeting was requested by the UK, the penholder on Sudan. 

Sudan: Meeting under “Any Other Business”

Tomorrow (12 January), following the open briefing and closed consultations on Yemen, Security Council members will discuss the situation in Sudan under “any other business”. The meeting was requested by the UK (the penholder on Sudan), together with Albania, France, Ireland, Mexico, Norway, and the US. Special Representative for Sudan and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes is expected to brief.

Perthes is expected to update members on the latest developments in the ongoing political crisis in Sudan following the military coup d’état of 25 October 2021, particularly in light of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s resignation on 2 January. Perthes last briefed the Council on 10 December 2021 (S/PV.8925) on the Secretary-General’s most recent 90-day report on UNITAMS (S/2021/1008). (For background, see our What’s in Blue story from 9 December 2021.)

Hamdok announced that he is stepping down in a televised address, during which he referred to failed mediation attempts between civilian and military leaders and said that the country is at a “dangerous turning point that threatens its whole survival”. His resignation came against the backdrop of ongoing widespread protests in the country against the 25 October 2021 coup and the subsequent power-sharing agreement between the civilian and military entities announced on 21 November 2021, which included Hamdok’s reinstatement as prime minister. Several parties have rejected the agreement, including the main opposition alliance, the Forces for Freedom and Change Coalition (FFC).

The crackdown on protestors since 25 October 2021 is another area of immediate concern for Council members. As at 9 January, according to the medical group Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, 62 people have been killed and hundreds have been injured during protests involving the excessive use of force by security forces since 25 October 2021. Some Council members may emphasise the need to conduct timely investigations into casualties during the demonstrations and the importance of accountability for this violence.

Secretary-General António Guterres took note of Hamdok’s resignation in a 3 January statement and expressed regret that “a political understanding on the way forward is not in place despite the gravity of the situation in Sudan”. He also condemned the “continued violence targeting protestors”. In a 4 January statement, the Troika on Sudan (Norway, the UK and the US) and the EU emphasised that “Sudanese stakeholders will need to work on the basis of the 2019 Constitutional Declaration on how to overcome the nation’s current political crisis, select new civilian leadership, and identify clear timelines and processes for the remaining transitional tasks – including establishing the legislative and judicial branches of government, creating accountability mechanisms, and laying the groundwork for elections”. The statement urged “stakeholders to commit to an immediate, Sudanese-led and internationally facilitated dialogue” and said that the killing and injuring of protestors “is unacceptable”, while calling for independent investigations and accountability for perpetrators. The statement was reportedly rejected by the military.

At tomorrow’s meeting, Council members will be interested in hearing more from Perthes on the role of UNITAMS, particularly regarding the “UN-facilitated intra-Sudanese political process” announced by Perthes in an 8 January statement. The political process is “aimed at supporting Sudanese stakeholders in agreeing on a way out of the current political crisis and agree[ing] on a sustainable path forward towards democracy and peace”, according to the statement. Noting that “measures taken to date have not succeeded in restoring the course of this transformation”, the statement says that “all key civilian and military stakeholders, including armed movements, political parties, civil society, women’s groups, and resistance committees will be invited to participate”.

The 8 January announcement about the UN-facilitated process followed international pressure to find a way forward in resolving the political crisis. The announcement was welcomed in a statement by the Quad on Sudan (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the UK and the US), which expressed “strong support for the “UN-facilitated, Sudanese-led dialogue initiative”.

In a 10 January press briefing, Perthes announced the commencement of consultations on the way forward and provided further details, emphasising that the UN would play a facilitation role in the process, which will be Sudanese-led. Council members will likely seek further details on the next steps in this process, including an assessment of the various stakeholders’ willingness to participate. According to media reports, the Sudanese Professionals Association—an umbrella association of several trade unions—rejected participation in the initiative, while the FFC said that they would announce a position when further details are available. The military-led Transitional Sovereign Council reportedly welcomed the announcement of the UN-facilitated process, while also calling for AU involvement. (On 26 October 2021, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) adopted a communiqué suspending Sudan from the AU “until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority”. The AU PSC decided, according to a 24 November 2021 communiqué, to “promptly dispatch a mission to Sudan”, which has yet to take place.)

In addition to political developments, members may want to hear more about the situation in Darfur, including after looting and attacks against UN facilities, equipment and supplies which took place during December 2021. On 24 December 2021, there was looting and violence at the former UN/AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) base in El Fasher, North Darfur, which was handed over to local Sudanese authorities three days earlier. On 28 December 2021, a World Food Programme warehouse in El Fasher was attacked by unknown armed groups. Over 1,900 metric tons of food commodities meant to feed 730,000 vulnerable people were stolen, according to the Secretary-General’s spokesperson.

Looking ahead, the Council will receive the semi-annual briefing of the ICC Prosecutor on Darfur on 17 January.

View original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2022/01/sudan-meeting-under-any-other-business.php

UN condemns killing of 39 by Sudan's junta - Anti-military protesters to march on presidential palace

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Thanks to South Africa Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for the below copied report by Reuters plus two short videos by SABC. They provide a general overview of news on Sudan since a military coup took place in Sudan on 25 Oct 2021.

SABC has produced accurate news reports on Sudan in the past. SABC is funded wholly or in part by the South African Government. 

South Africa sent 800+ South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers for peacekeeping duties in Darfur for AMIS (African Union Mission in Sudan) and then UNAMID 2004 to 2016. South Africa was one of the first to send peacekeepers to Darfur at the height of the war in 2004. A dangerous mission, peacekeepers are not permitted to fight back. 

The following report says anti-military protesters are to march on Sudan’s presidential palace, and that Sudanese politicians detained in the coup started a hunger strike. Also, the killing of 39 people by Sudanese security forces has been condemned by the UN, and the UN mission in Sudan calls for respect of the Constitution. I say, let’s hope that today’s technology captures evidence of the junta’s new crimes.

Here is the report written by Reuters

Published at SABC News (www.sabcnews.com - @sabcnews)

Dated Tuesday, 30 November 2021, 12:35 PM

Anti-military protesters to march on Sudan’s presidential palace

Protesters plan to march across Sudan and on the presidential palace on Tuesday in the latest protest against military rule following last month’s coup. 

Neighbourhood resistance committees called the protests despite an agreement last week that reinstated civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and brought the release of most top politicians detained since the coup.

The October 25 takeover ended a partnership with civilian political groups since the topping of Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and drew condemnation from Western powers who have suspended aid.

The committees and political parties have rejected the deal, but Hamdok said it would bring the release of dozens of detainees, end a crackdown on protesters that has seen 42 people die, and preserve billions in foreign aid.

Wagdi Salih, popular leader of a controversial anti-corruption taskforce, was released late on Monday night, according to his Twitter account and sources close to him.

However, Salih and others including still-detained politicians Ibrahim al-Sheikh and Ismail al-Tag, face charges of inciting the armed forces, lawyer Moiz Hadra said.

The killing of 39 people by Sudanese security forces condemned by the UN:

VIDEO Sudan protests | The killing of 39 people by Sudanese security forces condemned by the U.N. 

“There are still detainees in Soba prison in Khartoum, men, women and children who were arrested during the protests under the state of emergency and we demand their release along with others across Sudan’s states,” he added.

“We will continue the popular escalation along with all the true revolutionary forces, until the complete demise of the junta,” said the civilian coalition, known as the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), in a statement early on Tuesday [Nov 30].

Referencing top military generals, the Khartoum committees said on Monday [Nov 29] they “do not differentiate between Hamdok or Burhan or Hemedti and the rest of the generals, they are all participants in the coup and belong in the gallows.”

Military ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has said the takeover was needed to set Sudan’s transition back on track and that peaceful rallies are allowed. Deaths during protests are being investigated, he has said, blaming police and armed political factions.

The United Nations mission in Sudan calls for the respect of the Constitution: 

VIDEO Sudan politics | The United Nations mission in Sudan calls for the respect of the Constitution

Image: Reuters - People hold Sudanese flags during a protest, in Khartoum, Sudan.

View original: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/anti-military-protesters-to-march-on-sudans-presidential-palace/

Eleven Sudan Ministers representing FFC resigned Mon 23 Nov disavowing Burhan-Hamdok agreement

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The news out of Sudan is fast moving along with horrible new developments including hellish war in Ethiopia. More later. For now I want to file this report here for easy access to the names of the 11 ministers representing FFC who resigned on Monday 23 November 2021, the day after Sudanese Prime Minister Hamdok signed a political agreement with the military coup leader Gen. Burhan in order to get all political detainees released and help stop the bloodshed and a civil war.

• Here is a full copy of a report at and by Radio Dabanga.org
• Dated Tuesday, 23 November 2021 - KHARTOUM
• 11 Sudan Ministers resign as ‘Hamdok agreement legitimises military coup regime’
• 
• Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maryam El Sadig, has announced the mass resignation of 11 Cabinet Ministers, distancing themselves from Sunday's political agreement between PM Hamdok, with junta leader Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan (File photo: SUNA)
• Eleven Ministers representing the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), who participated in the transitional government before the military junta seized power in a coup d’état on October 25, announced that they have submitted their resignations in writing to Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, disavowing the agreement signed in Khartoum on Sunday with junta leader Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, stating that the agreement “legitimises and perpetuates the military coup regime”.
• On Monday, the Central Council of the FFC – a major driver of the revolution that overthrew the 30-year Al Bashir dictatorship in 2019, and convenor of an ongoing campaign of civil disobedience and mass demonstrations since the coup – issued a statement distancing itself from the agreement with what it described as “the brute junta,” stressing that “there is no negotiation, no partnership, and no legitimacy for the putschists”.
• Those who have submitted their resignations are the Minister of Foreign Affairs Maryam El Sadig, Minister of Justice Nasreldin Abdelbari, Minister of Agriculture El Taher Harbi, Minister of Irrigation Yasir Abbas, Minister of Investment El Hadi Ibrahim, Minister of Energy Jadein El Obeid, Minister of Higher Education Intisar Segheroun, Minister of Labour Taysir El Nourani, Minister of Transport Mirghani Mousa, Minister of Health Omar El Najeeb, Minister of Youth and Sports Yousef El Dei, and Minister of Religious Affairs Nasreldin Mofreh.
• Foreign Minister Maryam El Sadig reported that the names of five ministers were not included in the list of resignations, explaining that the Minister of Information Hamza Baloul and Minister of Communications Hashem Hasabelrasoul, were unable to attend the ministers’ reflective meeting. Also absent were Minister of Cabinet Affairs Khaled Omar and Minister of Industry Ibrahim El Sheikh, due to their continued detention, and indicated the reservations of Trade Minister Ali Jido about submitting his resignation.
• In a statement, the FFC Ministers disavowed the political agreement between El Burhan and Hamdok, and made it clear that it “legitimises and perpetuates the military coup regime”.
• The ministers condemned all acts of violence that accompanied the peaceful demonstrations, calling for an immediate investigation and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
• View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/11-sudan-ministers-resign-as-hamdok-agreement-legitimises-military-coup-regime

Sudan's PM Hamdok orders security for "Martyrs' Day" protests and political detainees' release

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The news on Sudan, South Sudan and hellish war in Ethiopia is fast moving. I have scoured through several hundred news reports and tweets to find and select the ones that help document the terrible crises unfolding. Regarding the "Martyrs' Day" protests in various areas of Sudan yesterday a report by Radio Dabanga.org based in the Netherlands says "the police and security forces used excessive violence to disperse thousands of demonstrators in various cities. The forces used tear gas and sound bombs, which resulted in injuries among the demonstrators. Several protestors were shot". Read more here: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/police-uses-excessive-violence-to-disperse-nov-25-marches-of-the-millions

November 25 Marches of the Millions - Khartoum North (Bahri) (social media)/Radio Dabanga.org

Here is a copy of a report at and by www.republicworld.com

Written By Aparna Shandilya (With inputs from agencies)

Last Updated: Thursday, 25 November 2021 07:19 IST

Sudan's PM Abdalla Hamdok Orders Security For 'Martyrs' Day' Protests & Detainees' Release

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok ordered security for Thursday's protests and the immediate start of the procedure for releasing detainees, according to a statement from the prime minister's office. 

Hamdok issued the order during a meeting with Sudanese police leaders, during which they reviewed a detailed plan for securing the demonstrations and emphasised peaceful expression as a legitimate right under the principles of the Sudanese Revolution, which deposed former President Omar al Bashir in 2019, ANI reported.

According to the announcement, the procedure for releasing detainees applies throughout the country. Protests for a civilian state are anticipated in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and other places on Thursday [25 Nov]. 

Hamdok has initiated an investigation into infractions committed against demonstrators since the military power grab on 25 October. According to a statement from his office, the PM held a meeting with a group from the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), the largest civilian coalition opposing military authority, on Tuesday evening [23 Nov]. On Sunday [21 Nov], the FFC had stated that it does not recognise any political accord with military officials.

Sudan's Political Crisis

Sudan has been in a political crisis since General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan proclaimed a state of emergency and dissolved the Sovereign Council and government on 25 October. On 21 November, however, after worldwide condemnation and large protests, Al-Burhan and then-removed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok negotiated a political agreement that included Hamdok's reappointment as Prime Minister. Following the coup, al-Burhan abolished major institutions and fired the leaders of state media, public corporations, and banks, as well as a number of provincial officials. Defections were also announced by ambassadors who were dismissed of their responsibilities.

12 out of the 17 ministers from Sudan's caucus asking for a totally civilian administration resigned on Monday [22 Nov], opposing Hamdok's strategy of dealing with the military. Despite the accord that resulted in the release of a few politicians, dozens of others remain imprisoned. Protest organisers have accused Hamdok of "treason" and promised to keep the pressure on the military-civilian authority overseeing Sudan's transition. Activists have resorted to social media to call for "Martyrs' Day" protests on Thursday [25 Nov] to honour the 41 demonstrators slain in the post-coup persecution.

Image: AP [Sudanese Prime Minister Hamdok]

READ | Sudan: Opposition rejects accord between Abdalla Hamdok and Army, calls it 'treasonous'

READ | AU chairperson welcomes political deal in Sudan; calls for regular and free elections

READ | Signing of deal to reinstate deposed Sudan PM

READ | Sudan Doctors' committee report reveals 41 people killed by Army since October coup

READ | EXPLAINER: What does PM's reinstatement mean for Sudan?

View original: https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/africa/sudans-pm-abdalla-hamdok-orders-security-for-martyrs-day-protests-and-detainees-release.html

Sudan's Hamdok says investigation launched into violations against protesters

Here is a full copy of a report by Reuters

Reporting by Lilian Wagdy and Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis

Published at au.finance.yahoo.com

Tuesday, 23 November 2021, 10:36 pm

Sudan's Hamdok says investigation launched into violations against protesters

CAIRO (Reuters) - An investigation has been launched into violations committed against protesters since the military power grab on Oct. 25, Sudan's newly reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said, according to a statement from his office.

Hamdok's comments came during a meeting on Tuesday evening with a group from the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), the main civilian coalition opposing military rule. FFC had previously said on Sunday that it does not recognize any political agreement with the military leadership.

The group stressed during the meeting the importance of laying out a roadmap to implementing the political agreement, reversing all political appointments that took place after the military takeover and reinstating all those who were fired during that period, according to the statement.

Last week, protesters and a Reuters witness said they saw security forces chase protesters into neighbourhoods and homes to carry out arrests. At least 15 people were shot dead during the anti-coup protests, according to medics.

Hamdok and the group called for political prisoners to be released as soon as possible and for the right to peacefully protest to be respected.

Under the agreement signed with military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Hamdok, first appointed after the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir in a 2019 uprising, will lead a civilian government of technocrats for a transitional period.

The deal faces opposition from pro-democracy groups that have demanded full civilian rule since Bashir's ouster and have been angered by the deaths of dozens of protesters since the Oct. 25 coup.

FILE PHOTO: Sudan's then-Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, speaks during a Reuters interview in Khartoum

View original: https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/sudans-hamdok-says-investigation-launched-223629020.html