Showing posts with label Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA). Show all posts

Monday, May 08, 2023

INTERVIEW: Deutsche Welle & Alexander Rondos, Former EU Special Representative, Horn of Africa

Sudan's rival factions meet for preliminary talks in Saudi Arabia

HERE is a video posted an hour ago by Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle showing its interview with Mr Alexander Rondos, Former EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, currently in Nairobi.

The 07:39 minute interview is really good and gives one hope that there are many clever experienced knowledgeable people like Mr Rondos working hard to help Sudan and its neighbours avert catastrophic war.

Note that Mr Rondos rightly emphasises the importance of ensuring that talks involve and include Sudanese civilians and Sudan's neighbouring countries such as Chad, Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea.

To view the video click here: https://p.dw.com/p/4R2r8

or here: https://www.dw.com/en/sudans-rival-factions-meet-for-preliminary-talks-in-saudi-arabia/video-65551182

[Ends]

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Sudan's PM Abdalla Hamdok says he survived ‘terror attack’ in Khartoum - “Professionally plotted” attack claimed by Sudanese Islamic Youth Movement

  • Convoy hit by gunfire near centre of capital.
  • PM Hamdok says he's in 'good shape'.
  • Abdalla Hamdok's motorcade was targeted by an explosion, claimed by Sudanese Islamic Youth Movement.
  • Three witnesses told Reuters the attack happened near the northern entrance to the Kober bridge, which crosses the Blue Nile from Khartoum North to the city centre, where Hamdok's office is located.
  • The convoy appeared to have been targeted from above, they said. State radio said it had been hit by gunfire and a projectile, while state television said it had been targeted by a car bomb.
  • Britain's ambassador to Sudan, Irfan Siddiq, called today's incident "a deeply worrying event (that) reaffirmed the fragile nature of this transition and the vital role being played by the PM".
  • After Monday's attack the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the anti-Bashir movement, called for further rallies to display unity and support for civilian rule. 
  • The protest movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir called the blast a “terrorist attack.” The statement by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change called on people to take to the streets to “show our unity and cohesion ... and protect the transitional authority.”
Read more in the following reports by Reuters, Daily Telegraph, Deutsche Welle, BBC, Associated Press - and tweets by PM Hamdok reassuring the world that he is in 'good shape' and back at his desk watching the news on TV. Note, the must-see disturbing film clip linked to in a postscript at the end of this post.

UPDATE 4-Sudan's PM survives assassination attempt in Khartoum
Report from Reuters by Khalid Abdelaziz (Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy in Cairo Writing by Aidan Lewis and Nadine Awadalla Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Dated Monday 09 March 2020

* Convoy hit by gunfire near centre of capital
* PM Hamdok says he's in 'good shape'
* Heads technocratic cabinet in fragile transition
* Military, civilians sharing power after Bashir ousted (Adds security council comment)

KHARTOUM, March 9 (Reuters) - Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok survived an assassination attempt targeting his convoy as he headed to work on Monday morning in the capital Khartoum, officials said.

Hamdok said he was in "good shape" and that what had happened would be "an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan", where he heads a transitional government following the overthrow last year of long-time President Omar al-Bashir.

Hamdok's government is struggling to manage a severe economic crisis that triggered months of protests against Bashir and continued after his downfall in April.

Three witnesses told Reuters the attack happened near the northern entrance to the Kober bridge, which crosses the Blue Nile from Khartoum North to the city centre, where Hamdok's office is located.

The convoy appeared to have been targeted from above, they said. State radio said it had been hit by gunfire and a projectile, while state television said it had been targeted by a car bomb.

"I saw the moment of the explosion and the strike, and the strike came from a high building," one witness said.

Images broadcast on regional TV channels and social media showed a convoy including several damaged white SUVs and a badly damaged car.

Large crowds of onlookers gathered as police tried to secure the site. One member of Hamdok's entourage suffered light injuries, a government statement said.

An investigation was launched into who was behind the attack, said Information Minister Faisal Salih. 

"Terrorist attempts and dismantling the old regime will be dealt with decisively. What happened not only targeted the prime minister himself but targeted the Sudanese revolution."

The Sudanese security council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan condemned the attack and said it would seek the help of friendly countries to investigate it and bring suspects to justice, a statement said.

TENSE TRANSITION

Hamdok leads a government of technocrats under a power-sharing agreement between the military and civilian groups for a transitional period due to last until late 2022.

Relations between civilians and the military have been tense, and the government has encountered resistance as it tries to implement economic reforms.

Transitional authorities are also taking steps to disempower Bashir's supporters, including parts of the security services.

In mid-January, armed security agents linked to Bashir fought soldiers in Khartoum for several hours, after a dispute linked to severance packages.

Soon after Bashir's overthrow, authorities said they had thwarted several coup attempts by military officers.

"The attempted assassination of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is the new episode in a series of coup plots against the revolution," Khalid Omer, a leading member of the civilian coalition that backed last year's uprising, said on Twitter.

Hamdok is an economist and former senior United Nations official who is well connected with the international community.

Britain's ambassador to Sudan, Irfan Siddiq, called Monday's incident "a deeply worrying event (that) reaffirmed the fragile nature of this transition and the vital role being played by the PM".

Thousands of anti-military protesters have held demonstrations in recent weeks to support Hamdok and his government.

After Monday's attack the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which spearheaded the anti-Bashir movement, called for further rallies to display unity and support for civilian rule. 

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Sudan's prime minister survives assassination attempt in Khartoum
Report from The Daily Telegraph.co.uk
AFRICA CORRESPONDENT
Dated Monday 09 March 2020 • 4:50pm

Sudan's prime minister survives assassination attempt in Khartoum
Abdalla Hamdok's motorcade was targeted by an explosion, claimed by Sudanese Islamic Youth Movement
Photo: Security measures are taken at the site after a roadside bomb explodes near Sudanese prime minister's convoy in Khartoum CREDIT: Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Sudan’s reformist prime minister has pledged to press ahead with his country’s “democratic revolution” after narrowly surviving an assassination attempt on Monday.

A motorcade carrying Abdalla Hamdok was struck by an explosion and sustained gunfire as it approached Cooper Bridge in the capital Khartoum shortly after 9am, government officials said.

Mr Hamdok’s armoured vehicle was damaged in the attack but he himself escaped unharmed.

There were no reports of fatalities although a police outrider was wounded.

The assassination attempt, responsibility for which was claimed by a little-known group calling itself the “Sudanese Islamic Youth Movement”, will be seen as an attempt to thwart Mr Hamdok in his efforts to lead Sudan towards civilian democracy after decades of military dictatorship....

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Sudan's leader survives attempted assassination
Report from Deutsche Welle.com
By kmm/ng (Reuters,dpa,AP)
Dated Monday 09 March 2020

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was traveling in convoy through the capital of Khartoum when there was an explosion. Hamdok survived and was taken to a "safe place" but it isn't known who carried out the attack. 
Photo: Sudan's prime minister survived an attack on his convoy in the capital Khartoum on Monday morning, reported state news agency SUNA.

Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was in "good health and in a safe place" following an explosion that targeted his convoy as he traveled to work.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Tweeting pictures of himself seated behind a large desk after the incident, Hamdok assured the Sudanese people that he is well and "completely healthy."

"What happened will not stop the path of change, it will be nothing but an additional push in the strong waves of the revolution," he said on Twitter.

What happened in the attack?
The attack targeted Hamdok's convoy on Monday morning in the northeast Kober district of the city. Sudan's information minister, Faisal Salih, said that the attack was carried out using both explosives and firearms.

Images on state television showed at least two damaged vehicles at the blast site that was cordoned off by police.

Salih, said: "Terrorist attempts and dismantling the old regime will be dealt with decisively," quoted Reuters news agency. A search is underway to find the attackers.

Hamdok has headed an interim military-civilian government after a huge pro-democracy movement swept the country, ousting longterm ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Hamdok's government is in charge over a three-year transition period, intended to pave the way for democratic elections.

Watch video 02:22 Sudanese celebrate power-sharing agreement
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Sudan PM Abdalla Hamdok survives assassination attempt
Report from BBC News 
Dated Monday 09 March 2020
Photo: The area has been cordoned off by the police
Sudan's prime minister has survived an assassination attempt after his convoy was attacked in the capital, Khartoum. "I would ...Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51800278
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Sudan PM says he survived 'terror attack' in capital
By Samy Magdy, Associated Press (AP)
Dated Monday 09 March 2020 (7:23 a.m.) - excerpts:

The country’s top prosecutor, Taj al-Ser Ali al-Hebr, said in a statement that prosecutors have embarked on their investigation into the “professionally plotted” attack.

A statement from the prime minister's office said the attackers used explosives and firearms, and that a security officer was lightly wounded. The statement was read by Faisal Saleh, Sudan’s information minister and interim government spokesman. He said the convoy was hit near the Kober Bridge.

Footage posted online showed two white, Japanese-made SUVs typically used by Sudan’s top officials parked on a street, damaged with its widows broken. Another vehicle was badly damaged in the blast. Several dozen people were seen at the site of the attack, chanting: “With our blood and soul, we redeem you, Hamdok.”

The protest movement that led the uprising against al-Bashir called the blast a “terrorist attack.” The statement by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change called on people to take to the streets to “show our unity and cohesion ... and protect the transitional authority.”

- - -
Photo: Sudanese policemen stand around vehicles that were part of Prime Mister Abdalla Hamdok's motorcade in Khartoum, Sudan. Credit: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/sudans-pm-survives-assassination-attempt
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Agence France-Presse (AFP) Photo: KHARTOUM: Sudanese rescue teams and security forces gather next to damaged vehicles at the site of an assassination attempt against Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who survived the attack with explosives unharmed, in the capital Khartoum yesterday. – AFP

POSTSCRIPT - IN HASTE - FROM SUDAN WATCH EDITOR
Last night, I spent 4+ hours following links and tweets leading to and from the following tweet. The tweet features a really disturbing film clip. In disbelief, I viewed the clip, plus a few lengthier versions, six times. Each time felt more scary than the last. The background music adds to the film's seriousness, intensity and creepiness. I am not sure what to make of it all, need more time to think. In my view, the film footage appears to be genuine. Here is the tweet linking to the must-see film clip (hat tip and thanks to Eric Reeves).

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Mass killings in Darfur, Al-Bashir should face justice, says ICC - Al-Bashir taken from Kober prison to prosecutor's office in Khartoum Sudan, formally charged with corruption and money laundering

Here is a copy of an AFP report
Published Sunday 23 June 2019
By Channels Television
  
Sudan Killings: Al-Bashir Should Face Justice, Says ICC

June 23, 2019 (AFP) - The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday [19 June] demanded that deposed Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir stand trial for the mass killings perpetrated in Darfur.

“Now is the time for the people of Sudan to choose law over the impunity and ensure that the ICC suspects in the Darfur situation finally face justice in a court of law,” prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the UN Security Council.

Bashir, who has been in jail in Sudan since a military coup ended his 30-year rule in April, was indicted by the ICC in 2009 in connection with fighting in the western region of Darfur.

More than 300,000 people have died there and 2.5 million others have been displaced since 2003, according to UN figures.

Bashir appeared in a court in Khartoum on Sunday to hear corruption charges levelled against him. He also faces possible murder charges for the deaths of demonstrators killed during the protests that led to his downfall.

The generals who now rule Sudan have so far ruled out transferring Bashir to the ICC, which accuses him of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The ICC prosecutor said that after the tumultuous events of recent months, Sudan “is now at a crossroads with the opportunity to depart from its previous policy of complete non-cooperation.”

He urged the country to “embark on a new chapter by signalling a new commitment to accountability for the victims” in Darfur.

“I am ready to engage in dialogue with the authorities in Sudan to ensure that the Darfur suspects face independent and impartial justice, either in a courtroom in The Hague or in Sudan,” said Bensouda.

“Continued impunity is not an option,” she said. “The victims of the Darfur situation deserve to finally have their day in court.”

The ICC has issued five arrest warrants in connection with the Darfur case. As well as Bashir, two suspects, Abdel Raheem Hussein and Ahmad Harun, have reportedly been arrested in Sudan, Bensouda said.

Several members of the Security Council, most of them European states, have backed Bensouda’s calls for Bashir to be brought before the international court and for the new authorities in Khartoum to cooperate with the ICC.

AFP
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Sudan's Deposed Dictator Makes First Appearance Since Ouster


Photo: Omar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’s deposed leader, leaving the prosecutor’s office in Khartoum on Sunday 16 June 2019.
Credit Umit Bektas/Reuters

Article from The New York Times

By Declan Walsh
Published Sunday 16 June 2019

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan’s deposed dictator, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, was taken from a prison in the capital Khartoum to face corruption charges on Sunday in his first public appearance since he was ousted from power in April.


Appearing in a white robe and turban, as he did for much of his 30 years in power, Mr. al-Bashir was led through the gates of Kober prison, a notorious facility where he once sent his own enemies.


His appearance quelled months of speculation among many Sudanese who suspected that, contrary to assertions by the country’s military leaders, Mr. al-Bashir was being quietly detained in luxury or had even managed to flee the country.


Security officials escorted Mr. al-Bashir, 75, to a vehicle that took him to the chief prosecutor’s office, where he was formally charged with corruption and money laundering. He did not speak to reporters waiting outside the jail.


Last month, Mr. al-Bashir was charged separately with involvement in the killing of protesters during the street demonstrations that led to his ouster on April 11. He did not appear in public then.


His predicament is a sharp contrast with the fortunes of his former enforcer, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, a militia leader groomed by Mr. al-Bashir who in recent weeks has emerged as one of the most powerful figures in Sudan.


General Hamdan faced global condemnation after June 3 when his paramilitary unit, the Rapid Support Forces, stormed through a protest site in central Khartoum, killing at least 118 people in a frenzy of shooting, rape and pillage, according to witnesses and doctors’ groups. General Hamdan’s troops now control Khartoum, causing many to view him as the country’s de facto leader, even if he is formally outranked by an older general.


But General Hamdan, known as Hemeti, appeared to be laying the groundwork for a political campaign this weekend when he addressed thousands of supporters at events in and around Khartoum, behaving in a political style that bore striking similarities to that of Mr. al-Bashir.


On Saturday, General Hamdan drove in a long, heavily armed convoy to Garrhi, nearly 40 miles north of Khartoum, where he addressed supporters in a dusty clearing near the Nile.

Photo: Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, top right, the deputy head of the military council that assumed power in Sudan after the overthrow of Mr. al-Bashir, seemed to be laying the groundwork for a political campaign during a rally in Garawee, Sudan, on Saturday.
Credit Associated Press

He claimed that Western leaders were part of an unspecified plot to undermine him.


As he arrived under a blazing sun, he stood on top of a military vehicle, waving a stick at the cheering crowd in a manner that was reminiscent of Mr. al-Bashir. In his speech, he was sharply critical of the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which led the protests that forced Mr. al-Bashir’s ouster.


“Askariya! Askariya!” his supporters yelled during the speech, using the Arabic term for “army rule.”


Hundreds of soldiers surrounded General Hamdan as he spoke, positioned on buildings and trucks or sitting in pickups armed with heavy guns. After the rally, the vehicles sped off behind the general in a long trail of dust.


On Sunday, General Hamdan addressed a gathering of supporters in Khartoum.


The Transitional Military Council, which formally rules Sudan, wants to dampen a wave of withering global criticism as the extent of the violence on June 3, including numerous rapes and scores of bodies flung in the Nile, increasingly comes to light.


General Hamdan has been less apologetic. In an interview with The New York Times last week, he professed to disliking politics — “I hate politicians,” he said — but added that his ascent to power was necessary for stability. He showed few signs of intending to vacate power.


“The country needs the Rapid Support Forces more than the Rapid Support Forces need the country,” he said.


That growing prominence could put General Hamdan at odds with the regular army, stoking fears of further instability as Sudan maneuvers through the turbulent post-Bashir era.


Another test will be Mr. al-Bashir’s forthcoming corruption trial.


Officials raided his Khartoum homes in the days after his ouster, confiscating bundles of cash in dollars, euros and Sudanese currency. That money — millions of dollars — is now a central part of the case prosecutors are building against him. An additional 41 officials from his government also face corruption charges.


Mr. al-Bashir is not, however, in any immediate danger of answering to the charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity that he faces at the International Criminal Court in The Hague over his role in the conflict in the western region of Darfur.


The international court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. al-Bashir a decade ago. But Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Military Transitional Council, who also served in Darfur, said Mr. al-Bashir would never be extradited to face those charges in a foreign court.


A version of this article appears in print on June 17, 2019, on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Sudan’s Deposed Dictator Emerges for First Time Since Ouster. Order Reprints. Subscribe.

SOURCEhttps://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/world/africa/sudan-bashir-corruption-hamdan.html

Saturday, June 22, 2019

UK Ambassador in Khartoum Irfan Siddiq confirms internet has been out in Sudan since 03 June 2019

THE internet has been shutdown in Sudan since 3 June 2019. The shutdown by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) in Sudan is costing people and businesses millions of dollars, according to local newspapers.

Unusually, this site Sudan Watch has not received any visitors located in or around Sudan and South Sudan since 3 June.

Here is a copy of a 5 June 2019 tweet by Mr Irfan Siddiq, the British Ambassador in Khartoum, Sudan confirming the internet has been out in Sudan since 3 June:
- - -

Letter from Sudan

As part of the BBC’s series of letters from African journalists, journalist Ms Zeinab Mohammed Salih describes what life is like without the internet for Sudan's revolutionaries. 

Here is a copy of Zeinab's letter published at BBC News online on 17 June 2019, followed by film footage showing BBC Africa editor Mr Fergal Keane in Sudan's capital Khartoum speaking to some people who witnessed the terrible violence in Khartoum. 

Sudan's revolutionaries offline but not silenced
By Zeinab Mohammed Salih (pictured)
Many Sudanese are still in shock after the crackdown by security forces who brutally broke up the crowds at the sit-in outside the military headquarters on 3 June.

The opposition says more than 100 people were killed in the capital, Khartoum, that day - and doctors say 40 of those who died were dumped into the River Nile.

In the wake of the massacre the internet was shut down by ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC), which said it was necessary in the interests of "national security".

In the heady days of the mass protests that prompted the military's ousting of Omar al-Bashir as president - nearly everyone in Khartoum was glued to their phone.

The main body organising the demonstrations - the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) - would make its announcement via its Facebook page, which has more than 800,000 followers.

Thousands used Twitter and Facebook to galvanise their efforts to demand a return to civilian rule.
Image copyright AFP/BBC

Now that the sit-in site - which covered a vast area from the military's HQ to the campus of University of Khartoum and north to the River Nile - is in ashes, there is an overwhelming feeling of isolation.

Not only are the demonstrators no longer able to gather, but they have found it difficult to communicate and share their disappointment, frustration and anger at the turn of events.

'Costing millions'

It also leaves them isolated from the rest of the world - and in the days after the crackdown those in the diaspora were desperate to contact friends and family.

The internet shutdown is costing businesses millions of dollars, according to the local newspapers, something the country can ill afford given that it was the economic problems that first kick-started the protests in December.

For me as a journalist, it has made my working life very difficult. At first I had to send stories to London via text - and these would not always be delivered.

This was until a friend told me about a hotel in downtown Khartoum with a good landline internet connection.

But reaching the hotel is also not easy.

Most roads in Khartoum have been blocked by barricades erected by activists angered by the killings - and people, especially in the first days after the crackdown, had to walk everywhere.

Eerily this was done in complete silence - and in stark contrast to the noise that emanated for two months from the sit-in site.

A few offices also have landline internet connections and my sister walked for three hours to get to hers in Khartoum east to check an urgent email from a US university where she is hoping to study.

Those forced to walk have been seen carrying knives and sticks, especially in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, to protect themselves.

The SPA has now started to send out text messages to mobilise people but not everyone is signed up to these - I have yet to receive any - and some fear that texts are tracked by the authorities.

Most people prefer to turn to old-fashioned phone calls to pass on information.

I have spoken to more friends and contacts in the last few weeks than I have done in a year.

There is still a worry that these conversations may be tracked but it is felt that not everything can be monitored.

Word of mouth

Without the internet, many pro-democracy activists are also cut off from news that they trust.
Image copyright AFP/BBC. Image caption: There is tight security in some areas of the capital

State TV is largely ignored as it the mouthpiece of the military junta.

The Saudi channel Al-Hadath is probably the most watched television station - even though the Saudis are seen as backers of the TMC, it has wide coverage of events in Sudan

And the protest movement is slowly re-galvanising itself - by word of mouth.

Protests are beginning to be held at night in suburbs across the capital and in neighbouring cities.

As more people hear about them, the bigger they become - though witnesses say they are kept to smaller streets because of the presence of the security forces on the main roads.

Nonetheless it shows the resilience of the demonstrators - and their hope that their demands will eventually bear fruit.
Media caption
The BBC's Africa editor Mr Fergal Keane spoke to some of those who witnessed the violence in Khartoum.

To read the original article click here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-48640939

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Sudan Coup Crisis: UN chief appoints Nicholas Haysom to help African Union mediation in Sudan

  • UN Chief Appoints Adviser to Help AU Mediation in Sudan
  • Report from Voice of America.com
  • By Margaret Besheer
  • Published Tuesday April 16, 2019 5:45 PM 
  • The U.N. secretary-general has appointed special adviser Nicholas Haysom to support the African Union's mediation efforts in Sudan, where the military ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir last week.
  • "He is being put at disposal of the African Union, which we understand will be engaged in some mediation capacity between the transitional council in Khartoum and various parts of Sudanese society," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday. "Mr. Haysom will be there to support them in whatever way he can."
  • He said that U.N. chief António Guterres had spoken Monday with Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chair of the African Union Commission, and told him that Haysom would be available.
  • "The secretary-general is very attached to his partnership with the African Union and he will do whatever he can to support their efforts," Dujarric said.
  • Haysom was most recently the U.N.'s top man in Somalia, but was expelled after four months by the Somali federal government, after he tried to intervene on behalf of a former al-Shabab leader who sought to take part in elections but was banned by Somalia's electoral commission.
  • Haysom, a South African lawyer, was previously the U.N. special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan and was head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan.
  • The African Union Peace and Security Council issued a strong statement Monday condemning the military takeover in Sudan as an unconstitutional change of government, and demanding the military hand over power to a transitional civilian-led political authority within 15 days.
  • Failure to do so, the AU warned, would result in Sudan's suspension from participation in all African Union activities until constitutional order is restored.
  • Sudan's General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces, is sworn-in as the appointed deputy of Sudan's Transitional Military Council, standing before the head of transitional council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
  • Meanwhile, in Khartoum Tuesday, the country's new military ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, fired the country's top prosecutor in an apparent concession to demonstrators' demands.
  • Protest leaders have called for the new ruling military council to be dissolved and replaced by a civilian one, in the wake of the military coup that ousted President al-Bashir last week.
  • Mohamed Naji, a senior leader of the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) — the main group behind months of protests against al-Bashir — said the group wants to see a civic council formed that includes representatives from the army.
  • On Sunday, Sudan's military council said it would name a civilian prime minister and cabinet minister to help run the country but would not name a civilian to the office of the president. A military spokesman also said the council would not stop the demonstrations that are continuing.
  • The SPA has called for more demonstrations until its demands are met.
  • The protests began Dec. 19, with demonstrators accusing al-Bashir's government of economic mismanagement that sparked skyrocketing food prices, and fuel and foreign currency shortages.
  • Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in connection with atrocities in the western region of Darfur. However, the military leaders have said he will not be turned over to the ICC, but will instead be tried in Sudan.
  • Source:  https://www.voanews.com/a/un-chief-appoints-adviser-to-help-au-mediation-in-sudan/4878727.html
  • - - -

  • Updates
  • Uganda willing to offer Al-Bashir asylum
  • Here below is a link to a video report plus a copy of an accompanying written report by SABC Digital News published at Google’s YouTube on Tuesday, 16 April 2019:
  • “The government of Uganda says it is willing to consider granting asylum to deposed Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir. It says, this in appreciation for his role in the South-Sudan peace deal. Uganda's State Minister for foreign affairs Henry Okello Oryem, said on Tuesday in Kampala, that if al-Bashir applied for asylum in Uganda his government could consider the matter. We are now joined LIVE for more on this story by Correspondent Michale Baleke from Kampala, Uganda.”
    Click here to view the video:  https://youtu.be/CLHWaD87WtU
    South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is funded in whole or in part by the South African government. Wikipedia
  • Also, posted on this blog’s sister sites UGANDA WATCH and CONGO WATCH.
  • - - -

    Ex-President Omar al-Bashir moved to prison
    Here is a copy of a report by BBC News online published Wednesday April 17, 2019 11:50 GMT UK:
  • Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has been moved to Kobar maximum security prison, days after he was deposed in a military coup. Reports say the ex-leader has until now been detained at the presidential residence under heavy guard.
    He is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and is surrounded by tight security.
    Months of protests in Sudan led to the ousting and arrest of the long-time ruler on Thursday.
    Uganda's Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Oryem Okello told Reuters news agency the country would consider offering the deposed leader asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
    As an ICC member, Uganda would have to hand over Mr Bashir if he arrived in the country. The ICC has not yet commented.”
    Click here to read the full story and live updates at BBC News online:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47961424