Wednesday, June 19, 2019

US, Norway, UK Joint Statement on Sudan Crisis. Statement of AUC & IGAD meeting June 08, 2019

Press Release - June 05, 2019

US, Norway, UK Joint Statement on Developments in Sudan

The text of the following statement was issued jointly by the Governments of the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom
WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, June 5, 2019/ -- The Troika condemns the violent attacks in Sudan on June 3, which resulted in the killing and injuring of many peaceful civilian protesters. By ordering these attacks, the Transitional Military Council has put the transition process and peace in Sudan in jeopardy. We call for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government as demanded by the people of Sudan. We welcome the statement of the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and support the important role of the AU in solving the crisis in Sudan, including its demand for an immediate handover to a civilian-led government.

The Troika also expresses its serious concern over the TMC’s announcement that it will cease negotiations with the Forces for Freedom and Change, retract all previous agreements with them on formation of an interim government, and will hold elections within nine months. The people of Sudan deserve an orderly transition, led by civilians, that can establish the conditions for free and fair elections, rather than have rushed elections imposed by the TMC’s security forces.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Regional Media Hub.
SOURCE: Africa Regional Media Hub
https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/joint-statement-on-developments-in-sudan9875?lang=en
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Statement of AUC Chairperson on the situation in Sudan

June 03, 2019

03 June 2019, Addis Abeba: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki strongly condemns the violence that erupted today which led to reported deaths and several civilian injuries. In this regard, he calls for an immediate and transparent investigation in order to hold those all responsible accountable. The Chairperson calls on the Transitional Military Council to protect the civilians from further harm. 

The Chairperson wishes to recall the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) Communique of 30 April 2019 on Sudan, which demanded all Sudanese stakeholders to return to the negotiations urgently in order to arrive at an inclusive accord, which paves the way for a civilian- led Transitional Authority. 

Furthermore, the Chairperson calls on all international partners to reinforce common efforts towards the immediate cessation of the violence and rapid resumption of negotiations for a political settlement. 

Given the tense situation in the country, the Chairperson calls on all concerned to exercise outmost restraint and to respect the rights of citizens, in the interest of the country and its people.
  
The Chairperson reiterates the African Union’s determination to continue to engage and accompany the Sudanese people to support the consolidation of a political agreement in line with the relevant AU Peace and Security Council decisions.
Ebba Kalondo
Spokesperson to the Chairperson
African Union Commission

Addis Abeba 
Mobile: +251911510512
Twitter: 
@EbbaKalondo

SOURCE: 
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African Union Peace and Security Council (AU PSC) Communique of 30 April 2019 on Sudan

To read AU PSC Communique PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCCXLVI) adopted by the Peace and Security Council at its 846th meeting held in Tunis, Tunisia on 30 April 2019, on the situation in The Sudan, click here:
Excerpt:
10. Reaffirms its respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of The Sudan; and further reaffirms its support to the democratic transformation in The Sudan, in line with the communique of its 207th meeting held, at the level of Heads of State and Government in Abuja, Nigeria, on 29 October 2009; in this context, underlines the need for external actors to refrain from any action or initiatives that could further complicate the situation in The Sudan; and calls on all AU partners and the international community at large, to support AU ongoing efforts in The Sudan, bearing in mind the longstanding multifaceted challenges facing the country, including the urgent need to address the financial and economic problems; 
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Statement of AUC Chairperson on Sudan following visit by IGAD Chair June 08, 2019
Excerpts from the full statement June 08, 2019:
The Chairperson further wishes to express his deep appreciation for the close collaboration between IGAD and the AU Special Envoy Prof Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt and the Special Representative for Sudan Ambassador Mohamed Belaiche for their joint efforts in bringing parties to urgently resume negotiations.

In this regard, the Chairperson notes with satisfaction that the cooperation between IGAD and the AUC is firmly in line with the AU Peace and Security Council decision of 6 June 2019, and further reinforces the AU-led facilitation process to ensure that Africa continues to speak with one voice in its efforts to support the Sudanese people resolve the crisis in Sudan.

The Chairperson further stresses the need for all foreign actors to refrain from interference, and support the African Union efforts to support a Sudanese-led and and owned process that respects the will and aspirations of the people of Sudan, the region and the Continent.
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The 68th Extraordinary Session of IGAD Council of Ministers opened in #Addisababa June 19, 2019
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Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC)
Photo: H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat

Biography
H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, born on 21 June 1960, was elected as the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson on 30 January 2017 and assumed office in March 2017.

A constitutional lawyer by profession, Chairperson Faki has occupied senior governmental positions in a career that has spanned over 30 years and includes tenure as foreign minister and Prime Minister in his native country Chad.

At the continental level and during his tenure as Foreign Minister of Chad, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat chaired the United Nations Security Council for the month of December 2015. He also chaired the Peace and Security Council of the AU in September 2013 and steered the Nairobi Extraordinary Summit on the fight against Terrorism. He also served as chairman of the AU Executive Council.

Chairperson Faki has a formidable global reputation as a peace broker in Africa in a career that has placed a central focus on peace and security issues in Africa.

As Chairperson of the Commission, Chairperson Faki is the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative and Chief Accounting Officer. He is directly responsible to the Executive Council for the discharge of his duties.

Term Dates: 
January 30, 2017 to January 30, 2021

Country of Origin: 
Chad

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Location: England, UK England, UK

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Sudan Transitional Military Council admits it ordered brutal crackdown on Khartoum protesters

SUDAN'S ruling military council has, for the first time, admitted it ordered the dispersal of a sit-in in capital Khartoum, which left scores dead, as diplomats from the United States and African nations step up efforts for a solution to the country's political crisis. 

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) "decided to disperse the sit-in", said spokesman Shams al-Din Kabashi on Thursday (13 June). "We ordered the commanders to come up with a plan to disperse this sit-in. They made a plan and implemented it ... but we regret that some mistakes happened," Kabashi said.
Photo: A military spokesman said the findings of an investigation into the incident would be released on Saturday, 15 June 2019. Credit Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP

Full story: Al Jazeera - Friday 14 June 2019
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Monday, June 17, 2019

HISTORIC NEWS: African Union suspends Sudan

GOOD news. African-led solutions to African problems. The African Union Peace and Security Council met on Thursday 6 June 2019 to discuss Sudan and decided to suspend Sudan with immediate effect.

Here is a copy of a tweet posted at the Council's Twitter page on 6 June 2019:
To view the mostly positive comments at the tweet click here:
Note from Sudan Watch Ed: The above photo, published at AUPD website could be from the meeting. Note the IGAD Chair, and a woman sitting in the chair for Sudan. Here is the full text of the communique:

The 854th meeting of the Peace and Security Council on the situation in The Sudan Thursday 06 June 2019

Adopted by the Peace and Security Council at its 854th meeting held on 6 June 2019, on the situation in The Sudan,

The Peace and Security Council,

Recalling its communiqués [PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCCXL)], [PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCCXLVI)] and [PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCCXLII)] adopted at its 840th, 846th and 852nd meetings held, respectively, on 15 April 2019, 30 April 2019 and 27 May 2019 on the situation in the Republic of Sudan recalling specifically the provisions of paragraph 5 of the communique of its 846th meeting, in which Council decided to extend the deadline for an additional period of up to sixty (60) days for the military authorities in Sudan to hand over power to a civilian-led Transitional Authority, and paragraph 7 of the same communique that requested the Chairperson of the Commission to report to Council every three weeks and necessary, on the progress made, to enabling Council to assess the situation on the ground in Sudan, bearing in mind that Council shall, at any time deemed appropriate, in view of the prevailing circumstances in the country, take the necessary measures, including imposing of sanctions, in line with article 7(g) of its Protocol;

Noting the statement by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Sierra Leone to the African Union, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Brima Patrick Kapuwa, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the PSC for the month of June 2019, as well as the briefings  made by the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, and Ambassador Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security, pursuant to paragraph 7 of the communiqué of its 846th meeting; also noting the statements made by the Representatives of Sudan and Ethiopia, in its capacity as Chair of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD);

Reaffirming the solidarity of the African Union with the Sudanese in their aspirations to constitutional order that will enable them to make progress in its efforts towards the democratic transformation of the country.

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

1. Expresses its deep concern over the lack of progress, since its initial meeting following the Coup d’Etat of 11 April 2019 in Sudan, towards the establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority as demanded by Council;

2. Deplores the loss of innocent lives which took place in recent days in Sudan and expresses its condolences to the families of the deceased; Further wishes a speedy recovery to the injured persons;

3. Strongly condemns the violence that led to the loss of lives and injuries among civilians; Requests the Chairperson of the Commission, in close coordination with the relevant stakeholders in Sudan, IGAD and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), within the framework of relevant AU instruments relating to the fight against impunity, to make concrete proposals on the modalities for an investigation into the deadly events which took place from 3 June 2019 in Sudan, and report to Council;

4. Reaffirms the imperative for the military and security forces to ensure the full protection of civilians and respect for human rights and freedoms in Sudan;

5. Strongly condemns and totally rejects any unilateral actions by whomsoever in the process of resolving the current crisis; In this regard, rejects the unilateral actions taken by the Transitional Military Council, notably the suspension of dialogue with other Sudanese stakeholders; In this context, demands that the Transitional Military Council and all other concerned Sudanese stakeholders abide by previously reached agreements on the setting up of a civilian-led Transitional Authority; 

6. Underlines, once more, the primacy of African-led initiatives in the search for a lasting solution to the crisis in Sudan; Reiterates its call to all partners to support AU and IGAD efforts and refrain from any action that could undermine African-led initiatives;

7. Underscores, once more, the fact that the Sudanese stakeholders are the sole authors of their destiny at this critical juncture in the history of their Country; In this context, stresses that there should be no external interference by whomsoever in the process of resolving the current crisis;

8. Demands that all concerned in Sudan exert maximum restraint and refrain from any move that could ignite the already highly volatile situation in Sudan and to give primacy to the supreme interest of the people of Sudan;

9. Further demands the immediate resumption of negotiations, without pre-conditions, between all Sudanese stakeholders towards the establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority, in full compliance with the decisions of this Council;

10. Stresses the imperative, within the framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture and the African Governance Architecture, for the IGAD, based on the principle of subsidiarity and comparative advantage, to scale up its engagement in the resolution of resolution of the Sudanese crisis; Further emphasizes the need for IGAD to mobilize and convene all the Sudanese stakeholders to dialogue, with a view to speedily establish a civilian-led Transitional Authority in Sudan;

11. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to immediately take the necessary measures to further strengthen the AU Facilitation Team in Sudan and to liaise closely with the IGAD to enhance synergy and coherence in bringing together the Sudanese stakeholders back to dialogue, in order to put in place a civilian-led Transitional Authority;

12. Decides, in line with the relevant AU instruments, in particular the AU Constitutive Act, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, to suspend, with immediate effect, the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective establishment of a civilian-led Transitional Authority, as the only way to allow the Sudan to exit from its current crisis;

13. Further decides that, should the Transition Military Council fail to hand-over power to a civilian-led Transitional Authority, Council shall, without any further delay, automatically impose punitive measures on individuals and entities obstructing the establishment of the civilian-led Transitional Authority;

14. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

SOURCE
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Saturday, June 15, 2019

Rape and Sudan's revolution: 'They were crying and screaming'

Rape and Sudan's revolution: 'They were crying and screaming'

By Catherine ByaruhangaBBC Africa, Khartoum
15 June 2019
Graffiti of an armed member of the security forces in Sudan and a female protesterImage copyrightAFP
A feared unit of Sudan's security forces raped women as they dispersed pro-democracy protesters camped outside the military's headquarters 12 days ago, witnesses have told the BBC.
The military authorities deny the allegations, but Khalid, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told the BBC about the sexual assaults he saw on the day of the brutal crackdown. 
When the shooting began shortly after the morning Muslim prayers he ran for cover with another protester to a nearby building. But as the two terrified young men hid in a room on an upper floor from the chaos outside, they heard screaming and crept out to peer down the stairwell to see what was going on.
"We saw six soldiers that were raping two girls," he told the BBC.
Khalid and his friend tried to intervene, shouting "go away, go away" at the armed men, part of the Rapid Support Force (RSF), more popularly known as the Janjaweed, who responded by shooting towards them.

'He tried to rape me'

When the pair eventually managed to make it down the stairs, the fighters had gone and they found the two distraught women.
All four of them had been amongst the vast crowds staging the sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, which stretched into the campus of University of Khartoum and north to the River Nile.
The mass protests led to the coup which saw Omar al-Bashir ousted as president after nearly 30 years in power at the beginning of April - and the demonstrators had maintained their vigil to see a return to civilian rule.

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More on women and the revolution:


Female protesters in Khartoum, SudanImage copyrightAFP
Image captionWomen have been as vocal as men calling for change
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"The girls didn't say anything. They were just crying and screaming, crying and screaming, crying and screaming. I was trying to calm them," says Khalid.
"I tried to make them feel better, but they didn't stop screaming."
They decided to take the women to a mosque where they would be safer and cared for - and two men then tried to see if they could escape from the area, where teargassing and shootings continued.
As they left the mosque Khalid was captured by a group of Janjaweed and eventually found himself confronting one of the six who had earlier raped the women.
"He pushed me to the floor and brought out a long piece of steel," says Khalid, explaining that he was back in the building where the other rapes had occurred, in an upstairs office.



Media captionThe BBC's Fergal Keane spoke to some of those who witnessed the violence

"They were trying to take off my clothes and were trying to rape me. I was screaming all around to get anyone to come. 
"After like three or four minutes gunshots started under us. They looked around the office and said, 'It's better for us to get out.'"
Khalid then made a run for it - and managed to escape although he was beaten up by the Janjaweed several times on his way home.

'False stories to mislead the world'

It has been difficult to get a complete picture of the alleged atrocities that occurred when the thousands of Janjaweed fighters descended on the protesters as the internet has been cut off - and people have been scared to speak out.
Ambulance driver who has requested anonymity
BBC 



According to the opposition, more than 100 people died in the crackdown - 40 of whom were thrown into the Nile.
It is not known how many people were raped - there have been rumours that it was widespread and has continued as the Janjaweed, who came to prominence for committing alleged atrocities in Darfur, Blue Nile State and the Nuba mountains, patrol the city.
The Transitional Military Council, which has now acknowledged that it ordered the crackdown, has denied the allegations of sexual violence.
"The false information that's being spread to our people and the rest of the world is designed to mislead them," said spokesman Lt Gen Shams el-Din Kabashi.

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More on Sudan's crisis


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Another witness, an ambulance driver who asked not to be identified, told the BBC that he saw fighters argue over who would get to rape a woman.
She was being carried by medics towards his ambulance when soldiers began to fight over her: "They were feeling her up, they were arguing over who gets her."
Afterwards when the armed men had left, he and his colleagues rushed to help the woman and discovered that she was dead.
"We found out that the girl had been dead from the start. But they still didn't let her be."

'A weapon to kill the revolution'

For Sulaima Ishaq Sharif, who heads a trauma centre at Afhad University, these testimonies are not a surprise.
Sulaima Ishaq Sharif
BBC



She says she and her colleagues are treating 12 women raped on 3 June, making home visits or speaking to them on the phone, and she believes the number of victims is likely to be higher as many rapes have not been reported because of the shame associated with it and the fear of being stigmatised.
For the mental health worker, the crackdown bears all the hallmarks of the Janjaweed: "I went to the sit-in area after two days because there were so many people missing. Some of the tents still had smoke coming from beneath them. 
"Everything was destroyed - it's the same thing when you pass by villages in Darfur where they have shot and killed people and looted property, it's the same picture."

The RSF in Darfur, Sudan - 2017Image copyrightAFP
Image captionThe RSF, known as the Janjaweed, have been active in Darfur for years

With regard to the rapes, Ms Sharif believes it is not about the sex: "It's all about degradation, humiliation and beating of the spirit. This is part of what they did in Darfur - they did it as a means, a weapon of war. 
"Now it is a weapon to kill the revolution." 
Khalid agrees that psychological injuries are harder to overcome than physical ones.
"Even at home I scream, I cry alone," he says, adding that counselling is not an option when the Janjaweed continue to fill the streets.
"Whenever you see them, you get back all the memories of every single thing you've seen of them."
But he says it is important for people to speak about what they have seen: "The whole world has to know what really happened there. Not the things the military says. The truth."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-48634150
END
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