British Ambassador to Sudan @GilesLeverUK: 'Two years ago, Sudanese men and women like Abdelsalam Kesha put their lives on the line for freedom. They should not have to do so again.' pic.twitter.com/F4zJCxtulO
— UK in Sudan 🇬🇧 (@UKinSudan) October 29, 2021
Sunday, November 21, 2021
UK: Two years ago, Sudanese put their lives on the line for freedom. They should not have to do so again
Sudan: Darfur war leader Abdelwahid El Nur calls for revolution to overthrow Burhan's military coup
NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: It is difficult to imagine where Sudan and South Sudan would be without Mr Abdelwahid El Nur (pictured below). Putting a complicated situation simply, he and other armed rebels including JEM started the Darfur war in 2003. They have much blood on their hands.
The photo caption does not indicate where or when the photo was taken. Since shortly after starting the Darfur war he has been living in luxury in Paris and travels widely even as far as Israel. Once in a while he pops up in Sudan on rare occasions when the security situation is unusually calm.
In the photo he is wearing an expensive jacket. His face still doesn't show any worry lines, guilt, angst, suffering, poverty or malnutrition. He is from Darfur. Years ago he used to brag about the people from Darfur being his people. Until fifteen years ago he had the support of many Sudanese people in and from Darfur. I suspect most of them gave up on him while he sat enjoying himself in Parisian bars and hotels. Maybe he's too shy to visit Darfur incase the world will see how little support he has nowadays.
He once said he aims to be the president of Sudan. As stated many times here at Sudan Watch, I believe he is too cowardly and not intelligent or skilled enough to preside over Sudan or anything else. In the report below by Netherlands-based Radio Dabanga one can see how he states the obvious and uses the words and ideas other people have already thought of and publicised for years. He's an opportunist, not a leader.
When he uses his brain and his own words and ideas he sounds like an idiot. I can't recall reading news that explains how he is funded and manages to travel abroad while living safely in Paris. He directed the Darfur war using a satellite phone while sitting in a comfortable armchair in a Parisian hotel.
If he made sense and was a genuinely brave freedom fighter with realistic and good intentions not only for the people of Darfur but for all Sudanese people, he could be someone to respect and admire. Frankly speaking, seeing his face makes me feel sick. I've observed how much death and destruction his idiotic thinking and actions have caused. Deep down he must know he's responsible for the suffering of millions of Sudanese people. I find it odd that journalists fail to explain how he lives and how he is funded.
The following report respectfully gives him a platform from which to pontificate his nonsense, none of which he deserves. In my view, he's a dodgy character and a deluded chancer. He reminds me of Tintin.
Copy of news report at and by Radio Dabanga.org
Dated 4 November 2021 - KHARTOUM
Sudan rebel leader Abdelwahid El Nur calls for ‘comprehensive popular revolution to overthrow coup’
Photo: The head of the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW), Abdelwahid El Nur (File photo)
The head of the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW), Abdelwahid El Nur, has called for “a comprehensive popular revolution in order to overthrow the coup and restore Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok”, and calling on the resistance committees “not to accept any compromise”.
In an interview with Radio Dabanga broadcast today, El Nur asserts that “the salvation of Sudan lies in the restructuring of the military institution,” and called for the reintegration of all military and paramilitary forces into a single unified army, with a combat doctrine aimed at defending the citizens and protecting the land and the constitution, and non-interference in politics.
‘The army’s intervention to suppress the demonstrations is an attempt to turn the peaceful uprising into a bloody one…’
He considers the army’s intervention to suppress the demonstrations as “an attempt to turn the peaceful uprising into a bloody one,” stressing the need to adhere to peace. He stressed that the people’s will is stronger than all weapons.
El Nur accused the military institution of committing crimes in the south, Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, the Blue Nile and the East since 56, and said that it had committed genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity and caused the displacement of millions, and created militias and mujahideen.
‘Sudan possesses the human and economic resources that can rescue it from the current situation…’
On the Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue initiative adopted by the movement, the rebel leader said that the initiative aims to reach the state of institutions and form a unified national army. He stressed the need to adhere to PM Abdallah Hamdok’s government “to move from a state of obstruction to future horizons”, explaining that Sudan possesses the human and economic resources that can rescue it from the current situation through a national project. He called for giving priority to the interests of the Sudanese people, dealing with foreign countries according to their positions, and helping Sudan to get out of the crisis in order to reach a civil state and a civil government.
Saturday, November 20, 2021
'Complicity' in war crimes alleged: Top Lundin Energy executives charged over Sudan legacy
Full copy of news report published at Upstream Online.com
Written by IAIN ESAU in London
Dated 11 November 2021 14:22 GMT UPDATED 17 November 2021 16:08 GMT
'Complicity' in war crimes alleged: Top Lundin Energy executives charged over Sudan legacy
Swedish Prosecution Authority lays charges against chairman Ian Lundin and director Alex Schneiter after 11-year investigation into historic operations of Lundin Oil
Pictured in 2009: The Thar Jath oilfield lies in Block 5A in South Sudan. It was discovered in 2001 before South Sudan's independence and before Lundin Energy sold its stake in the block Photo: AFP/SCANPIX
The Swedish Prosecution Authority (SPA) has laid criminal charges, including "complicity in grave war crimes", against Lundin Energy chairman Ian Lundin and director Alex Schneiter, related to the company's legacy operations in Sudan.
Lundin Oil was a key player in war-torn Sudan between 1991 and 2003, when it exited Block 5A.
It quit the country fully in 2009, two years before the country split into South Sudan — which holds most of the oil — and Sudan, through which the south's oil is exported.
The SPA said Lundin Oil was active in Sudan when control of oilfields in the country's southern region became a contentious issue in a long-running civil war.
The SPA — which began its probe into the company's Sudan activities in 2010 and has now generated an 80,000-page report — said the two men are "suspected of having been complicit in war crimes committed by the then Sudanese regime with the purpose of securing the company’s oil operations in southern Sudan".
Lundin 'refutes' charges
The Stockhom-listed independent said it "refutes that there are any grounds for allegations of wrongdoing by any of its representatives", stressing that both executives "strongly deny the charges and have the full support of the board in contesting them at trial".
Lundin Energy said in a statement today the charges against its chairman and director refer to periods of operations in Sudan running between 1999-2003 and 2000-2003, respectively.
The charges include claims against Lundin Energy involving a forfeiture of economic benefits of about SKr1.39 billion ($159 million) and a corporate fine of SKr3 million.
This forfeiture represents a gain of SKr720 million the company made when selling its Sudanese business in 2003.
The prosecution said the company was actively exploring Block 5A in Unity State, which eventually became one of the areas worst affected by the war.
Military forces from the south were originally charged with providing security around Lundin Oil's assets when the company started operations in 1997, said the SPA, claiming that a militia group allied to the Khartoum government tried to take control of Block 5A, but failed, although its attacks led to "great suffering" among civilians.
Khartoum-militia protection
In 1999, the SPA said that Sudan's military, together with the same militia group, led operations to take control of the area and create the necessary conditions for the company to continue its activities, leading to a conflict that was still underway when Lundin Oil quit the block in 2003.
The SPA believes Sudan's government, through its military and the militia allied to the Khartoum regime, carried out a war that conflicts with international humanitarian law and, according to Swedish law, constitutes grave war crimes.
Systematic attacks
Public prosecutor Henrik Attorps, SPA's head of the Sudan probe, said: ”In our view, the investigation shows the military and its allied militia systematically attacked civilians or carried out indiscriminate attacks. Consequently, many civilians were killed, injured and displaced from Block 5A.”
Chief public prosecutor Krister Petersson, alleged that directly after the military went into Block 5A in May 1999, in breach of a local peace agreement, "Lundin Oil changed its view of who should be responsible for security around the company’s operations", requesting from Sudan's government that its military should undertake this role, "knowing that this meant" the use of "force."
"Complicity"
He said: "What constitutes complicity in a criminal sense is that (the company) made these demands despite understanding or... being indifferent to the military and the militia carrying out the war in a way that was forbidden according to international humanitarian law.”
The SPA alleges that Ian Lundin and Schneiter "continued to promote crimes that the (Sudan) military and its allied militia were to commit to enable continued oil operations until March 2003."
"Comprehensive" evidence
The SPA said its evidence is "comprehensive" and centres on civilians who were attacked.
"We will also hear witnesses who followed and studied the situation in Sudan and... met refugees and heard their stories. We will rely on written reports from the area, primarily from the UN and other international organisations as well as from journalists who observed the area”, said public prosecutor Karolina Wieslander.
In terms of support for its allegations of complicity in war crimes, the SPA said this consists of Lundin Oil's internal reporting, its communications with Sudan's government and witnesses connected to the company.
In total, the SPA said it has carried out about 270 interviews with about 150 people.
As a result of these charges, Ian Lundin will not stand for re-election as chairman at Lundin Energy's 2022 annual general meeting, but both he and Schneiter will remain board directors.
"Incomprehensible decision"
Commenting on the charges, Ian Lundin said: “This is an incomprehensible decision by the SPA since it is not supported by any evidence in the investigation, a situation that has not changed for the last 11 years.
"I know that we have done no wrong and that we will ultimately prove this in court."
He was placed under investigation by the SPA in 2016 and interviewed for the first time a year later.
Lundin Energy said it is "extremely concerned about the fairness, reliability and legal basis of the investigation and about the credibility and accuracy" of reports from a non-governmental organisation "that seem to form the basis of the prosecution case."
While the company did not name the NGOs, Amnesty International and Christian Aid have both published reports on the Sudan conflict.
"No evidence"
"In the company’s firm opinion," said Lundin Energy, "there is no evidence linking any representative to the alleged primary crimes and this will be fully demonstrated at trial."
The company said it is "firmly convinced" it was a positive force for development in Sudan and operated there "responsibly", as part of an international consortium, and in "full alignment" with the policy of constructive engagement endorsed by the United Nations, European Union and Sweden at the time."
"No legal basis" to fines and forfeitures
Lundin Energy said it will "firmly contest the claims for a corporate fine and forfeiture."
The company said the forfeiture amount is less than announced by the SPA in 2018, and believes "there is no legal basis for any such claim."
Lundin Energy pointed out that the SPA's decision to lay charges is another step in a lengthy legal process that may take "many years" to reach a conclusion. (Copyright)
Friday, November 19, 2021
Swedish oil executives charged with complicity in Sudan war crimes
SWEDEN has charged two executives (pictured below) of a Swedish oil exploration and production company for complicity in the military's war crimes in Sudan from 1999 to 2003. Full story here below.
Note, in this site's sidebar there is a USAID 2001 Sudan Oil and Gas Concessions Map. Click on title above the map to view a larger version and see Block 5A. Also, in the sidebar there is a search box. Type in the words 'Darfur oil' to read related reports in the archive of this 18-year-old site.
Full copy of article published at India Express.com
Dated 11 November 2021 07:08 PM
Written by The Associated Press (AP)
Sweden charges two oil executives for war crimes in Sudan
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Sweden has charged two executives of a Swedish oil exploration and production company for complicity in the military's war crimes in Sudan from 1999 to 2003, including in its dealings with the country's regime to secure the company’s oil operations in the African nation.
The two, who were not identified by the Swedish Prosecution Authority, had “a decisive influence” on the business of Stockholm-based Lundin Oil AB in Sudan, the prosecutors said, adding one was indicted for complicity for the period May 1999-March 2003, and the other for the period October 2000-March 2003.
Lundin Oil later became Lundin Petroleum and is now known as Lundin Energy.
From 1983 to 2005, Sudan was torn apart by a civil war between the Muslim-dominated north and Christian south.
A separate conflict in Darfur, the war-scarred region of western Sudan, began in 2003. Thousands of people were killed and nearly 200,000 displaced.
A 2010 report by an activist group, the European Coalition on Oil in Sudan, alleged that Lundin Oil and three other oil companies helped exacerbate the war in southern Sudan by signing an oil exploration deal with the Sudanese government for an area the regime didn’t fully control. That led the Swedish prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into the company. Six years later, its chairman, Ian H. Lundin, and then CEO Alex Schneiter, were informed that they were the suspects of the investigation.
Lundin was the operator of a consortium of companies exploring site Block 5A, including Malaysia’s Petronas Carigali Overseas, OMV (Sudan) Exploration GmbH of Austria, and the Sudanese state-owned oil company Sudapet Ltd.
Our ”investigation shows that the military and its allied militia systematically attacked civilians or carried out indiscriminate attacks," Public Prosecutor Henrik Attorps said in a statement. In a reaction, Lundin spokesman Robert Eriksson said the Swedish prosecutors decision to issue charges was “incomprehensible" and called the investigation “unfounded and fundamentally flawed."
“Both Ian and Alex strongly deny the charges, and we know that Lundin did nothing wrong. There is no evidence linking any representatives of Lundin to the alleged primary crimes in this case," said Eriksson, head of Lundin's media communications, said.
After the Sudanese military went into Block 5A in May 1999, Lundin Oil “changed its view of who should be responsible for the security around the company’s operations,” the prosecution said, and added that the company requested that the military should now be made responsible for the security, knowing that this meant that the military would then need to take control of Block 5A via military force.
"What constitutes complicity in a criminal sense is that they made these demands despite understanding or, in any case being indifferent to the military and the militia carrying out the war in a way that was forbidden according to international humanitarian law”, the Chief Public Prosecutor Krister Petersson said.
Eriksson said that Lundin operated in Block 5A “responsibly, as part of an international consortium, and in full alignment with the policy of constructive engagement endorsed by the United Nations, European Union and Sweden at the time.”
The authority said that there also was a claim to confiscate an amount of 1.4 billion kronor ($161 million) from Lundin Energy AB, which, according to the prosecutor, is the equivalent value of the profit of 720 million kronor ($83 million) which the company made on the sale of the business in 2003.
”It is important that these serious crimes are not forgotten. War crimes are one of the most serious crimes that Sweden has an international obligation to investigate and bring to justice," Attorps said.
Photo: Sweden Flag (Photo | AFP)
PHOTO CREDIT: the above photo of the two oil executives is from a Financial Times.com report dated 11 Nov 2021 entitled 'Swedish oil executives charged with complicity in Sudan war crimes' - Lundin case is first prosecution of corporate bosses for such serious offences since Nuremberg trials: https://www.ft.com/content/8fd015a3-622f-4741-86ca-97d462f3ed9d
1. Charged: Lundin Energy chairman Ian Lundin. Photo: LUNDIN ENERGY
2. Charged: Lundin Energy director Alex Schneiter Photo: STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/SCANPIX
3. Pictured in 2009: The Thar Jath oilfield lies in Block 5A in South Sudan. It was discovered in 2001 before South Sudan's independence and before Lundin Energy sold its stake in the block Photo: AFP/SCANPIX
PHOTOS: the three photos cited above can be viewed in a report at Upstream: https://www.upstreamonline.com/people/complicity-in-war-crimes-alleged-top-lundin-energy-executives-charged-over-sudan-legacy/2-1-1097152
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Thursday, November 18, 2021
PHOTOS: Members of Sudan's Sovereignty Council
The Member of the New #Sudan 🇸🇩 Sovereignty Council pic.twitter.com/nEwFhFEhzm
— Saida Zahidova (@Saida_Zahidova) November 15, 2021
Wednesday, November 17, 2021
British photographer Tom Stoddard 'who shone a light where there had been darkness' dies aged 68
ACCLAIMED BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHER TOM STODDART 'who shone a light where there had been darkness' has died aged 68 after bravely battling cancer. Known for his distinctive black and white pictures he has documented key moments in history from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the World Trade Centre attacks and is firmly established as one of the worlds most respected photographers. Tom took this iconic photograph of a man stealing maize from a starving child at a feeding centre at Ajiep, southern Sudan, in 1998. In 2019 he told London's Evening Standard: “I have seen many awful things, but I have also seen a lot of fantastic and beautiful things. Humans do terrible things to each other, but there is also courage and humanity. That helps me keep it all in perspective…I’ve been very lucky in my career, with a ringside seat to history.” Rest In Peace Tom + + +
Sources: https://photoarchivenews.com/news/winning-images-tom-stoddard-2021-photojournalism-award/ https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/photographer-tom-stoddart-dies/Photo credit: Copyright © 2008 Tom Stoddart/Getty Images. Caption from British medical journal The Lancet established in 1823, from an important article by Alex de Waal entitled 'On famine crimes and tragedies' published November 1, 2008: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)61641-4/AJIEP, SUDAN-JULY 1998: A well nourished Sudanese man steals maize from a starving child during a food distribution at Medecins Sans Frontieres feeding centre at Ajiep, southern Sudan, in 1998. (Photo By Tom Stoddart/Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/G39HxC3yFD
— KH (@iKuchayHilal) November 15, 2021
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Sudan's military has released Al Jazeera's journalist - Sudan remains under internet blackout
🇸🇩 Following global pressure, #Sudan's military has released Al Jazeera's journalist in Khartoum, but the country remains under an internet blackout as the army continues cracking down on anti-coup protesters. 👇 https://t.co/TfyBXvlrAR
— Doha News (@dohanews) November 16, 2021
Al Jazeera says its chief in Sudan taken to prison
NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: This site, hosted by Google, has been inaccessible intermittently since last Friday. Here below are the messages on three error pages I saw while trying to visit the site. The site's statistics show that it has not received any visitors located in Sudan since the coup.
Also, here below is a report saying Sudanese security forces went to the home of Sudanese national Al-Musalami al-Kabbashi, the bureau chief of Qatari-based Al Jazeera TV, last Sunday (14 Nov) where they arrested him and took him to prison, the latest in hundreds of arrests since a military coup three weeks ago. The report says Al Jazeera has given prominent coverage to the recent protests (8 were killed last weekend bringing the total to 23) and aired a detailed interview with the coup leader Gen. Al-Burhan.
Here is a link to a 25-minute interview by Talk To Al Jazeera aired on 9 Nov 2021 entitled Al-Burhan: 'I will have no political role' after power handover: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/talk-to-al-jazeera/2021/11/9/burhan-i-will-have-no-political-role-after-power-handover
- - -
Sudan Watch on November 12, 13, 14
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Here is a copy of a news report by Agence France-Press (AFP)
Dated Monday, 15 November 2021, 7:11 pm·
Al Jazeera says its chief in Sudan taken to prison
Sudanese security forces have taken the bureau chief of Qatari-based Al Jazeera TV to prison even though the prosecution ordered him freed, the broadcaster said Monday.
Al Jazeera journalist Al-Musalami al-Kabbashi, a Sudanese national, was arrested from his home on Sunday, the latest in hundreds of arrests since a military coup three weeks ago.
Sudan's top general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25 declared a state of emergency, ousted the government and detained the civilian leadership.
The army's power grab has derailed a transition to full civilian rule, sparked international condemnation and provoked regular protests.
Burhan insists the military's move on October 25 "was not a coup" but a push to "rectify the course of the transition".
Al Jazeera, which said it "holds the Sudanese military authority responsible for the safety of all its employees", denounced the detention of Kabbashi, saying that "the prosecution had ordered his release".
Al Jazeera has given prominent coverage to the recent demonstrations, but has also aired a detailed interview with Burhan.
Other media outlets besides Al Jazeera have also been targeted. Before the coup, Sudan was already ranked 159 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index by the NGO Reporters Without Borders.
It's not the first time judicial decisions have been disregarded by the coup authorities.
Sudan has continued to remain largely offline even after a court ruled last week that internet services be restored. Judges also ordered the release of detainees arrested during nationwide anti-coup rallies on Saturday but "police took them to an unknown location," a lawyer, Enaam Attik, told AFP.
Earlier on Monday, medics said the death toll from the weekend protests had risen to eight, bringing the total number killed since last month's military takeover to 23.
The union named all eight people killed, including a 13-year-old girl who it said had suffered "a shot to the head outside her home".
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee is in Sudan until Tuesday seeking "release from detention of Sudanese political and civilian leaders, the return of Prime Minister Hamdok to office, and the restoration of a civilian-led transitional government."
Sudan has a long history of military coups, enjoying only rare interludes of democratic rule since independence in 1956.
bur/sbh/pjm/it
View original: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/al-jazeera-says-chief-sudan-191153317.html
Sudanese scholar declines junta's offer to be PM
Report by Sudan Tribune.com
Published Saturday November 13, 2021
Sudanese scholar declines military's offer to be prime minister
In statements to Aljazeera TV on Friday, Hunud Abia Kadouf confirmed reports that the Sudanese military leaders had proposed to him to form a new cabinet but he declined the offer.
Kadouf was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the International University of Africa in Khartoum by the minister of higher education on November 7, 2020.
Previously, he was the Dean of the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws at the International Islamic University Malaysia.
Kadouf was born in 1944 in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan state.
After the military coup of 25 October, al-Burhan said he would appoint a technocrat prime minister who would lead a cabinet including apolitical ministers representing the 18 Sudanese states.
The coup leader said committed to the constitutional document concluded with the Forces for Freedom and Change in August 2019.
However, he unilaterally appointed a new Sovereign Council on the 11th of November and maintained the representatives of the military component and the former rebel groups who joined the collegial presidency according to the Juba peace agreement. (ST)
View original: https://sudantribune.com/article222859/
Monday, November 15, 2021
Lives lost during anti-coup protests in Sudan 13 Nov
Deeply concerned by the loss of life and injuries during today’s protests in Sudan. We continue to stand with those seeking restoration of the country’s transition to democracy. https://t.co/DlNf4objk1
— Bureau of African Affairs (@AsstSecStateAF) November 13, 2021
Sunday, November 14, 2021
VIDEO: Saudi FM about political situation in Sudan
The #Saudi🇸🇦 FM @FaisalbinFarhan about the political situation in #Sudan🇸🇩: pic.twitter.com/CeVqCb17CE
— Salman Al-Ansari (@Salansar1) November 13, 2021
PHOTOS: Sudan coup leader Burhan sworn in
THIS tweet is by Wasil Ali, formerly deputy editor in chief of @SudanTribune_EN [ https://twitter.com/SudanTribune_EN ].
#SudanCoup leader @aftaburhan being sworn in again as chair of reinstated @TSC_SUDAN before a shabby dressed acting chief justice (whom I had no idea existed). As he read the oath you could tell by the voice & face expression that Burhan hasn't been getting alot of sleep lately pic.twitter.com/9NtQZ5XzUU
— Wasil Ali - واصل علي (@wasilalitaha) November 12, 2021
Sudan transition to democracy is in real danger
#NorwayUNSC remains deeply concerned about developments in #Sudan
— NorwayUN (@NorwayUN) November 11, 2021
The transition to democracy is in real danger. Yet it is not too late for action - if we stay united & send consistent messages
All those detained since 25 Oct must be released as a prerequisite for real dialogue pic.twitter.com/1yzyjce4nJ
Sudan military can't put demands for democracy back into the bottle
#Sudan: The military can't put demands for democracy back into the bottle
— UK at the UN 🇬🇧 (@UKUN_NewYork) November 11, 2021
The people are on the streets as they were 2yrs ago, calling for return to democratic transition
We repeat our call for the military to deliver a settlement based on genuine military-civilian partnership pic.twitter.com/SXs4SAYvWL
Saturday, November 13, 2021
Sudan: UNSC consultations on situation since coup
Report from and by What's In Blue dated Wednesday 10 November 2021
Sudan: Consultations on the situation since the coup
Tomorrow (11 November), Security Council members will convene for closed consultations to discuss the situation in Sudan. The meeting was requested by the UK (the penholder on Sudan), Estonia, France, Ireland, Norway, and the US. Special Representative for Sudan and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes is expected to brief. At the time of writing, no outcome was expected.
Perthes is expected to update members on the latest developments in Sudan following the military coup d’état announced on 25 October by the Chairperson of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Perthes’ latest briefing to the Council on the situation in the country took place on 26 October in closed consultations. (For background, see our What’s in Blue story from 26 October.)
Since 25 October, mass demonstrations opposing the coup have been taking place in the capital, Khartoum, and across the country. In several instances, protestors have been met with excessive force, including live ammunition, according to the Joint UN Human Rights Office in Sudan. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet noted in a 5 November statement that at least 13 civilians have reportedly been killed by military and security forces since 25 October, and hundreds more injured. Arrests have continued, including of political leaders and journalists. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok remains under house arrest at his residence. At the time of writing, the nationwide shutdown of the internet imposed by the military authorities since 25 October remained in place, despite a Sudanese court having ordered its restoration on 9 November.
At tomorrow’s meeting, Council members will likely seek further details on the mediation efforts underway and on the role played by UNITAMS in this regard. In a 1 November press conference, Perthes said that the situation in Sudan was “stable but tense”. Among other things, he said that multiple mediation efforts are underway in Khartoum by “a host of actors” and that the UN continues to play a good offices role in supporting some of these initiatives, including by providing ideas and coordinating with some of these mediators. Perthes emphasised that UNITAMS is engaging with all Sudanese actors across the political spectrum, as well as with regional and international interlocutors, with the AU being a main partner. He added that he is in contact with countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and South Sudan. In response to a question about which countries could exert diplomatic influence on the situation, he responded that the US, Egypt, South Sudan and “wider regional neighbours” could play a role. On 4 November, Perthes met with AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa Olusegun Obasanjo. They reportedly discussed regional dynamics, shared efforts towards de-escalation, release of detainees, and restoration of the transition through dialogue.
According to Perthes’ statement at the 1 November press conference, UNITAMS has been in contact with several Sudanese stakeholders, including al-Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as General Hemeti), Prime Minister Hamdok, members of the opposition alliance Forces of Freedom and Change (FCC), and civil society representatives. On 5 November, UNITAMS released a statement strongly condemning the detention of members of the FCC’s Central Council after their meeting with Perthes, which took place near the UNITAMS headquarters on the previous day. The statement called on “the military leadership to cease arresting politicians and activists and to stop committing further human rights violations”.
The Human Rights Council (HRC) held a special session on Sudan on 5 November, following a request by the UK, the US, Norway, and Germany (with the support of at least one-third of the HRC’s members). Bachelet briefed, saying among other things that “the whereabouts of most of those arrested remains unknown” and that the “disproportionate and deadly use of force by the Sudan Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, and other security forces…must end immediately”. She also noted that all radio stations and television channels in the country have ceased broadcasting, except for channels which are controlled by the military authorities. Bachelet added that several offices of civil society organisations have been raided. At the 5 November meeting, the HRC adopted a resolution, without a vote, which “condemns in the strongest possible terms the military takeover” and decides to appoint, for one year, a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan (A/HRC/S-32/L.1). Council members China and Russia, which are currently on the HRC, disassociated themselves from the consensus on the resolution.
On 26 October, the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) met on Sudan and adopted a communiqué that expressed “deep concern over the military takeover in Sudan” and strongly condemned the “seizure of power by the Sudanese military”. It decided to immediately suspend Sudan across all AU activities “until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority”.
On 28 October, Security Council members issued a press statement (SC/14678) expressing “serious concern about the military takeover in Sudan on 25 October” and calling on Sudan’s military authorities to restore the civilian-led transitional government. Among other things, Council members called upon all parties to refrain from violence and emphasised the importance of “full respect for human rights, including the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression”.
It seems that there were some areas of disagreement during the negotiations on the press statement. Apparently, the UK and several other members would have preferred stronger language condemning, rather than expressing concern over, the situation. (Council members had previously adopted a press statement on 22 September that “condemned in the strongest terms the attempt on 21 September to disrupt Sudan’s transition by force”.) Members agreed on the term “military takeover” rather than “coup” in the 28 October press statement. Secretary-General António Guterres and Bachelet have both referred to it as a “coup” in their statements. Council members such as the UK, Estonia and Norway have also referred to it as a “coup”, including when appearing at media stakeouts on 26 October. Apparently, Russia and the US have not characterised it as a “coup”. The Troika on Sudan (the UK, the US and Norway) have also referred to it as a “military takeover”, as did the AU PSC in its communiqué.
Tags: Insights on Africa, Sudan
View original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2021/11/sudan-consultations-on-the-situation-since-the-coup.php
Friday, November 12, 2021
Sudan’s Burhan names post-coup transitional council
HERE is a copy of report published at France24.com
Dated Thursday 11 November 2021 - 21:47
Written by Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Sudan’s Burhan names post-coup transitional council without main bloc demanding civilian rule
Burhan on October 25 dissolved the government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, detained the civilian leadership, and declared a nationwide state of emergency, sparking a wave of international condemnation.
His latest announcement comes just two days ahead of planned mass protests against the coup.
In New York, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the latest developments were "very concerning."
"We want to see a return to the transition as quickly as possible," he told reporters.
"We want to see the release of the prime minister as well as all other politicians and leaders that have been detained."
At a closed-door Security Council meeting, UN special envoy Volker Perthes warned that "the window now is closing for dialogue and for a peaceful resolution", according to Britain's ambassador Barbara Woodward
Sudan's information ministry, which has remained loyal to the deposed government, quoted ousted minister Hamza Baloul as saying the council's formation was "an extension of the coup measures".
Under the decree, Burhan, who chaired Sudan's ruling council formed in August 2019 following president Omar al-Bashir's ouster, keeps the post.
Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, remains his deputy in the 14-member council.
The mixed military-civilian body also retains Shamsaldine al-Kabashi, Yasser al-Atta, and Ibrahim Gaber, all senior army figures.
But the civilian representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Change, the umbrella alliance which spearheaded the anti-Bashir protests, were dropped from the council.
Among the civilian members is former parliamentarian Abou al-Qassem Bortoum, a businessman supporter of Sudan's normalisation with Israel.
Salma Abdelgaber from Al-Gazira state in central Sudan, Youssef Gad Karim from North Kordofan state, Abdelbaqi al-Zubair representing Khartoum state and Rajaa Nicola, a Copt, are also on the list.
Ex-rebel leaders Malik Agar, Alhady Idris and Altaher Hagar, who signed a 2020 peace deal with the government, also kept their seats.
One member from east Sudan has yet to be named pending consultations, according to state television.
International pressure
Last month's military takeover sparked nationwide anti-coup protests which were met by a bloody crackdown that left at least 14 people killed, according to medics.
Scores of pro-democracy activists have since been arrested as Sudan has largely remained under a rigorous internet outage.
On Thursday, the telecommunication authority said the internet cut was ordered to "safeguard national security" and would to remain in force until further notice.
A court ruling had ordered an end to the outage.
On Thursday, security forces arrested activist Mohamed Nagi al-Assam, according to an independent medics union.
Assam was a leading activist during the 2019 protests which led to Bashir's ouster.
The military power grab has triggered international condemnation, punitive aid cuts and demands for a swift return to civilian rule.
Burhan insists it was "not a coup" but a move to "rectify the course of the transition".
Sudan's army has said that the formation of a new civilian government is "imminent".
On Tuesday, Burhan met with diplomats from the US, UK and Norway who called for Hamdok's "restoration" to office and the release of all detainees.
"We discussed our strong desire to see Sudan's democratic transition put back on track. We warned against unilateral action," the diplomatic troika said.
Hamdok was briefly detained immediately after the coup but later placed under effective house arrest.
Last week, the military released four civilian members of the ex-government but key officials are still detained.
On Thursday, several EU ambassadors called for "a return to constitutional order". (AFP)
VIDEO: In this May 17, 2021 file photo, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attends a news conference during the International Conference on Sudan at the temporary Grand Palais in Paris, France. © Sarah Meyssonnier, Pool/Reuters/File
View video and two tweets at the original copy here: https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20211111-sudan-s-burhan-names-post-coup-transitional-council-without-main-bloc-demanding-civilian-rule
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