March for Sudan: Sunday 21 Jan 1:30pm London W1

🇸🇩 We must show up for our communities who are protesting the escalating brutality & violence in Sudan.

Our Legal Observers said the London protest went smoothly today, but if you are attending the march next weekend - please read our bustcards & keep each other safe ✨ https://t.co/hSbsGZHXI0 pic.twitter.com/L2jjZlN7o5

— Black Protest Legal Support UK (@blkprotestlegal) January 14, 2024

ENDS

Protest for Sudan outside the UAE Embassy in London

PROTEST FOR SUDAN: gather outside UAE Embassy, 1-2 Grosvenor Cres, London SW1 on Sunday 14 Jan at 12pm noon to show support for Sudan.

Happening tomorrow for anyone in London who wants to show support for #Sudan. #KeepEyesOnSudan https://t.co/lzajZ5NWic

— Munchkin (@BSonblast) January 14, 2024

ENDS 

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]

Attacks on embassies in Sudan 'sheer criminality'

ATTACKS AND LOOTING of foreign diplomatic missions in Sudan continue, with Algeria being the latest country to protest. 

The Algerian foreign ministry said the attack on its ambassador's residence in Khartoum constituted a violation of international law and called on Sudanese authorities to prosecute those responsible. Read more.

Report at BBC News Sudan
By BBC Monitoring

Published Thursday 22 June 2023 at 9:18 BST - here is a full copy:

Attacks on embassies in Sudan 'sheer criminality'

Image caption: The army has repeatedly blamed the attacks on diplomatic missions on the RSF, which denies involvement

Attacks and looting of foreign diplomatic missions in Sudan continue, with Algeria being the latest country to protest.

On Wednesday [21 June], the Algerian foreign ministry said its ambassador's residence in the capital, Khartoum, was “stormed and ransacked” the day before.

It said the attack constituted a violation of international law, and called on Sudanese authorities to prosecute those responsible.

Zimbabwe on the same day condemned attacks on its embassy and on its ambassador’s residence in Khartoum, with the foreign ministry spokesperson accusing paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters of being responsible .

"We have reports that most of the countries' properties were also targeted. It's sheer criminality, to take advantage of the war to loot properties of our diplomats and our embassy there," Livit Mugejo said.

On Tuesday, Mauritania said its embassy in Khartoum was similarly stormed and looted by armed men.

Mauritanian media reported that at least three vehicles used by the ambassador and staff were stolen.

The Sudanese army has repeatedly blamed the attacks on diplomatic missions on the RSF, which denies involvement.

Click here to view original at BBC News - Topics - Sudan.

[Ends]

UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan & civilian protection. 85 groups reached 2.8M people

Note, this report describes the fighting in Sudan as war. It is conflict not war.

Report at ABC News - https://abcnews.go.com
By The Associated Press (AP)
Published Saturday 24 June 2023, 12:03 AM - here is a full copy:

UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan and protection of civilians

The U.N. Security Council is calling for a halt to fighting in Sudan and the protection of civilians

Smoke rises over Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, June 23, 2023. Clashes between warring factions resumed in Sudan's capital and a neighboring city after a three-day cease-fire expired (AP Photo) The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council called Friday for a halt to fighting in Sudan and the protection of civilians.

The brief press statement followed closed consultations by the U.N.’s most powerful body.

The council also called for the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries, support for humanitarian workers, and respect for international humanitarian law.

Sudan descended into conflict in mid-April after months of worsening tensions exploded into open fighting between rival generals seeking to control the African nation. The war pits the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

A three-day cease-fire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia expired Wednesday morning and a protest group and residents said clashes resumed between the army and the paramilitary force in and around the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict has been centered largely in the capital and western Sudan’s Darfur region, which have seen ethnically motivated attacks on non-Arab communities by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, according to U.N. officials.

The fighting has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes to safer areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, according the U.N. migration agency.

The U.N. said Thursday that in the two months after the conflict began, some 85 humanitarian groups reached 2.8 million people across Sudan with vital assistance, including food, water, health services, education, sanitation, hygiene, non-food supplies and protection services.

"Partners are delivering medical supplies and providing support to health facilities that are still operating. Between 15 April and 15 June, 19 organizations reached more than 470,000 people," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

View original: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/security-council-calls-halt-fighting-sudan-protection-civilians-100346915

[Ends]

Sudan protest march Nov 30: New police violence

Here is a copy of a report at and by Radio Dabanga.org

Dated Tuesday, 30 November 2021 

Sudan Marches of the Millions: New police violence today

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Khartoum, as well as other cities across Sudan today, in the November 30 Marches of the Millions, called by the resistance committees, to express their rejection of the military coup d’état of October 25, and the subsequent political agreement, signed by coup leader Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok.

In Khartoum, several demonstrators were injured as the marches turned into hit-and-run operations with police when the demonstrators closed a number of main roads using barricades.

Meme promoting the Marches of the Millions across Sudan today (RD)

A demonstrator carries tyres for barricades (RD)

Read more: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudan-marches-of-the-millions-new-police-violence-today

Report 26 Nov 2021: Resistance Committee members beaten and humiliated as detentions continue

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/

Sudan protest: “This barricade cannot be removed, This barricade is being guarded by men behind it"

Sudan Watch Ed: I love these little boys standing behind their barricade!

“ altars da ma binshaal
Altaras warahu rujaal”
“This barricade cannot be removed,
This barricade is being guarded by men behind it”
Chant these little boys standing behind their barricade today in one the outskirts of the capital city khart#الردة_مستحيلة pic.twitter.com/EGnyOY6ngM

— Sudanese Translators for Change STC (@SudaneseTc) November 26, 2021

Hat tip Eric Reeves https://twitter.com/sudanreeves

Calling the UN and International Red Cross - Released Sudan official describes ordeal since coup arrest

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I cannot understand why the UN is not ensuring that these prisoners are identified and visited by the International Red Cross or such like. Surely there are laws in place to protect prisoners.

According to the following report, a rights lawyer representing many of the detained estimated earlier this month that at least 100 Sudanese government members were rounded up in the early hours of the coup. 

Also, activists estimated hundreds of protesters and activists have also disappeared into undisclosed prisons. Saleh (pictured) himself is unsure of who else is being held, but remains worried for their safety.

Many were taken from their homes during the morning of Oct. 25 and have been since kept in undisclosed locations, with no ability to contact family or lawyers. Why isn't the UN helping with legalities? Read more in this report.

By ASHRAF IDRIS Associated Press (AP)

Published at www.abcnews.go.com

Dated 24 November 2021, 19:47

Released Sudan official describes ordeal since coup arrest

A Sudanese government official says he was kept in isolation for nearly a month after being arrested during a military coup that plunged the country into crisis

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- A Sudanese government official said Wednesday he was kept in isolation for nearly a month after being arrested during a military coup that plunged the country into crisis.

Faisal Saleh, an advisor to Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, told The Associated Press that security forces took him blindfolded from his home in the early hours of Oct. 25

“We were expecting that there was a military coup coming," said Saleh, who also served as minister of information from 2019 until earlier this year. ”We just didn't know how or when it would take place."

Saleh is one of dozens of government officials who have been locked up since the country's top general, Abdel-Fattah Burhan led a coup against the country's interim civilian government. It has upended plans for the country to transition to democracy, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

Saleh was released late Monday [22 Nov] after 29 days of detention and immediately set about learning the events of the past month. He's still catching up and recovering from a chest infection that he contracted during his time in prison.

It remains unclear how many remain in detention, but in recent days activists' posts have indicated that several prominent opposition figures have been let go.

A rights lawyer representing many of the detained estimated earlier this month that at least 100 government members were rounded up in the early hours of the coup. The country's prime minister, Hamdok, was held under house arrest for weeks before being reinstated just days ago.

Activists estimated hundreds of protesters and activists have also disappeared into undisclosed prisons. Saleh himself is unsure of who else is being held, but remains worried for their safety.

Many were taken from their homes during the morning of Oct. 25 and have been since kept in undisclosed locations, with no ability to contact family or lawyers. The military leaders have also cut off mobile and internet communications across the country.

Saleh said after his arrest he was taken to a room locked from the outside, with a bed, dresser and toilet. He was given two meals a day and told he had access to a doctor if needed. He slowly concluded that he was being held in a military facility in Khartoum, the country's capital.

But his captors made one thing clear: He was only allowed contact with the guards who brought his food. He suspected colleagues of his were in the same building but had no way to know. Nor did he hear about the violence that followed the coup.

“I think being together with other people makes it easier,” said Saleh, who was also imprisoned under al-Bashir. “But this time I was alone, and I didn’t know what was happening outside the room.”

Since the takeover, protesters have flooded the streets in the biggest demonstrations since those that ended al-Bashir’s three-decade reign in 2019, and security forces have killed more than 40 demonstrators since the coup, according to doctors' groups.

Saleh is trying to acquaint himself with a new and frightening political landscape. He says he hopes soon to be able to sit down with his former boss. He is also calling for all detainees to be released, whether they are politicians or protesters.

“Only then we can look into the next steps,” he said.

The military reached a deal with Hamdok on Sunday [21 Nov] that would reinstate him as the head of a new technocratic Cabinet ahead of eventual elections. But the agreement has splintered Sudan’s pro-democracy movement, many of whom accuse Hamdok of allowing himself to serve as a fig leaf for continued military rule.

Saleh's account comes as the country slowly emerges from weeks of limited mobile and internet access.

On Wednesday, the internet advocacy group NetBlocks said that social media and messaging platforms were now fully functioning in the country for the first time since the coup.

View original: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/released-sudan-official-describes-ordeal-coup-arrest-81378472#

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

Hundreds of political detainees still imprisoned in Sudan - New mass marches called for November 25

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Incredibly brave Sudanese civilians will be taking to the streets to participate in a new mass march in the country's capital Khartoum on Thursday 25 November 2021. It will be the first test of the junta's sincerity and its agreement with newly reinstated Prime Minister Hamdok. It stands to reason that the junta will be keen to avoid being linked to any violations against peaceful protestors. 

Various peaceful protests in the past in Khartoum were infiltrated by criminal elements and gangs in disguise - even to the extent of wearing stolen military or police uniforms - organised by people with something to gain from ruining peace deals by arranging for infiltrators to violate protestors or act as protestors inciting violence in order to cause conflict and mistrust between signatories of peace deals. 

What's different this time is the sophisticated satellite and communications technology that is used by powerful nations around the world. Millions of people work hard to help Sudan and its people. The world will be watching with ways to identify spoilers, imposters and perpetrators of crimes. 

Please god keep everyone and PM Hamdok safe and strong. PM Hamdok is a good, decent, honourable man who wants the best for Sudan and its people. He is well connected with many supporters and peacemakers in high places around the world. It is in the world's interest that Sudan becomes stable. 

Here is a full copy of a must-read report at and by Radio Dabanga.org

Dated Wednesday 24 November 2021 - KHARTOUM / EL GEDAREF / DARFUR

Hundreds still detained in Sudan – new mass marches called for tomorrow

• 
• IMAGE: Poster calling for renewed Marches of the Millions tomorrow [Nov 25, 2021]

• While the military junta in Sudan has released some detainees, several are still imprisoned, despite the undertaking in the political agreement signed in Khartoum on Sunday by Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, that stipulates the release of all political detainees. The resistance forces have called on the public to take to the streets again tomorrow in an unrelenting campaign of civil disobedience to the coup, and the political agreement.
• On Tuesday morning, Military Intelligence held Moataz Abdallah, leading member of the Salvation Initiative, from his shop in El Koada Market in El Gedaref.
• In Sennar, the authorities detained on Tuesday Ghazi Abdallah, Zaher Hasan and Mohamed Jibril, members of the Resistance Committees of Abu Hajjar, and took them to an unknown location.
• In East Darfur, the authorities detained four members of the resistance committees in Yasin locality on Monday.
• In El Gedaref, on Monday evening, the authorities released five detainees held during the November 21 Marches of the Millions, including members of resistance committees, a teacher and a member of the Salvation Initiative. One of them, Waliedin Abdelgadir, a member of the Resistance Committees, was severely beaten, which led to his serious injury, activists pointed out.
• The court of El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, acquitted 19 members of the resistance committees of the charges brought against them under the State of Emergency laws. Activist Mohamed Ahmed told Radio Dabanga that the court acquitted the members of the resistance committees who had been detained earlier when they were holding public speeches at markets to announce the November 17 Marches of the Millions.
• He explained that the authorities detained about four activists in the department in a malicious report. He noted the continuation of the resistance committees in their nightly and propaganda parades and their preparations for the November 25 Marches of the Millions.
• Darfur Bar Association
• The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) reported that there are more than 250 detainees in police stations, detention centres and prisons in Khartoum, and many other detainees in the states.
• During a meeting of its delegation with the head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, on Tuesday at his workplace, the DBA called for the international community to follow up on the conditions of detainees and to demand the immediate release of all detainees.
• The lawyers explained that the failure to hold the perpetrators accountable for the killing of peaceful demonstrators encouraged the widespread phenomenon of systematic killing and impunity.
• The DBA warned that the current coup scene may be repeated after the end of the second transitional period. “The partnership balance is currently imbalanced in favour of the military component, which is devoted to disrupting the democratic transition.” The Association called for the continuation of international oversight and measures on the status quo to secure the democratic transition in Sudan and to protect civilians.
• Lawyers demo
• Lawyers organised a demonstration on Tuesday in front of the Supreme Court in Khartoum to protest against the killing of demonstrators and the urgent demand for retribution and the rejection of military coups. The participants in the demonstration chanted slogans calling for the immediate release of the detainees. Others denounced the military coup. It demands the lifting of the State of Emergency.
• Zain telecommunications company employees carried out a protest vigil in response to the call of the Information and Communications Technology Syndicate, rejecting the military coup and denouncing the blocking of social networking sites.
• In Sennar, lawyers organised a protest in front of the Sennar court on Tuesday, rejecting the coup. In Kassala, medical and health cadres organised a protest sit-in, rejecting the coup and denouncing the coup.
• November 25 marches
• The Khartoum Resistance Committees announced that the agreement between El Burhan and Hamdok does not concern them in anything and affirmed their adherence to their firm position that there is no negotiation, no partnership, no bargaining.
• In a statement, the Khartoum Resistance Committees called on the masses of the Sudanese people to come out on November 25 “in honour of the martyrs” and for “the overthrow of the military and civilian coup d'état”. The Committees will publish the tracks of the Marches of the Millions through its field committees in the neighbourhoods.
• The Khartoum Resistance Committees called on the masses of Sudanese abroad to demonstrate in front of embassies and international bodies, in refusal to legitimise the coup and affirming the Sudanese's rejection of any international support provided to the coup plotters.
• The Central Council of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) considers the political agreement between El Burhan and Hamdok as an extension of the coup measures announced by El Burhan on October 25
• In a press statement after the Central Council’s meeting on Monday, the FFC reiterated their rejection of the agreement as a response to the goals and pacts of the December revolution.
• The Sudanese Professionals Association said that the El Burhan-Hamdok agreement means accepting the guardianship of the Military Council over the political process. The move is considered a serious setback, and “could lead to a new coup”.
• View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/hundreds-still-detained-in-sudan-new-mass-marches-called-for-tomorrow

VIDEO CNN EXCLUSIVE: Newly-freed Sudan PM Hamdok made deal to avoid bloodshed and a civil war

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: In this excellent exclusive video interview with CNN, the newly-freed Sudan Prime Minister Hamdok explains why he compromised in a deal with Sudan's military. 

The video interview can be viewed in the original (see link below) of the following report. The interviewer asked good questions and received good answers from Mr Hamdok. 

It’s heartwarming to see that he looks strong, fit and well, proving that some news reports saying he looked 'frail' and 'haggard' are not true at all. Naturally, he must have been under a great deal of strain and exhausted from working non-stop ever since his shocking arrest with his wife at their home on Oct 25.

Ever since Mr Hamdok has been at home, there has been a stream of high level international visitors meeting with him in person throughout the time he was under house arrest with guards outside his home. 

Fortunately, he has a wonderful wife. They were arrested together and taken to the home of the military coup leader, Gen. Burhan, after which they were taken home and received high level contacts. More later. 

CNN EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW REPORT

• By Becky Anderson, Eoin McSweeney, Zeena Saifi and Noon Salih, CNN
• Yassir Abdullah and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report
• Updated 1710 GMT (0110 HKT) Tuesday November 23, 2021
• Newly-freed Sudanese PM tells CNN why he took military deal
• (CNN) Sudan's newly reinstated prime minister told CNN on Tuesday [Nov 23] that he compromised in a deal with the country's military in order to "avoid bloodshed" and a civil war.
• Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other ministers were detained during a military coup last month that saw the country's power-sharing government dissolved; more than 40 people have since been killed in protests.
• But the country's military chief, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, reinstated Hamdok on Sunday as part of a deal between the military and civilian leadership in the country,
• In an interview with CNN on Tuesday [Nov 23], Hamdok said he "regretted the bloodshed" that had followed the October 25 coup; he said the agreement had been signed in order to "avoid further killing."
• "This a not a personal interest for me," he said. "There is a motto that says you will die for country. I took the right decision."
• 
  
• Under the deal agreed by Hamdok and Al-Burhan, Hamdok again becomes leader of the transitional government, which was first established after strongman President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019.
• 
  
• The Council of Ministers, which was dissolved on October 25, will be restored and the civilian and military leadership will share power. The constitution will be amended to outline the partnership between civilians and the military in the transitional government.
• 
  
• But the agreement also includes as yet unspecified restructuring, according to Mudawi Ibrahim, a prominent official in the National Forces Initiative (NFI) which helped mediate the talks, and it has been met with resistance in Sudan.
• 
  
• Police fired tear gas at a large group of protesters near the presidential palace in Khartoum on Sunday, according to eyewitnesses on the ground.
• 
  
• The deal was rejected by Sudan's Forces of Freedom and Change coalition (FCC), which insisted there was "no negotiation, no partnership, nor legitimacy for the coup plotters."
• 
  
• On Monday, Ibrahim told CNN that the agreement was "very humiliating for the Prime Minister," adding that it had been accepted "for the sake of the country."
• 
  
• "There are so many people dying on the streets ... so the Prime Minister had to take this step and accept the humiliation," he said.
• But Hamdok, who had been held under house arrest until Sunday, refuted the idea he had been humiliated and insisted he had made the right choice.
• 
  
• He called the agreement with the military imperfect and deficient, but said the decision to sign it was taken in order to avoid a catastrophe.
• 
  
• "There is a perfect agreement and there is a workable agreement. If you wait for a perfect agreement, you will be waiting too long and it will be too late," he said.
• 
  
• He said he was confident in the military and pledged to work with them to "establish a fair roadmap" for the future of Sudan.
• 
  
• The deal, signed on live television, calls for the release of all political prisoners arrested by security forces following the coup.
• Only nine prisoners out of 31 have been released so far, Hamdok said; he called for the immediate release of those still in detention.
• 
  
• "This is the number one agenda item," he added. "I will not rest until all of them are released."
• 
  
• Yassir Abdullah and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.
• View original and the video interview here: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/23/africa/sudan-abdalla-hamdok-interview-ctw-intl/index.html