SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Washington Post - Can Sudan revive the Arab Spring?

15/5/19: Washington Post – Can Sudan revive the Arab Spring?

 The Washington Post editors call for Sudan’s civil opposition to “hold fast for control” of the negotiated 11-member sovereign council to govern Sudan in the transition period, in order to ensure that “real change, and eventually, democracy are able to flower.”

 The editors argue that if the Sudanese protest movement can break from the legacy of the “unfulfilled” Arab Spring, it will “prove immensely valuable for its people and the Arab world around it,” particularly “those suffering under the regimes that have been trying to save Sudan for dictatorship.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Guardian - Top 10 books about Sudan

15/5/19: Guardian – Top 10 books about Sudan, by Jamal Mahjoub

 Sudanese author Jamal Mahjoub ranks the top 10 English-language books about Sudan.

 They are:

 1. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

2. Prison Notebooks by Ibrahim al-Salahi

3. The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction edited by Ralph Cormack and Max Schmookler

4. The Grub Hunter by Amir Tag Elsir

5. The Sudan Handbook edited by John Ryle 

6. Darfur: A New History of a Long War by Alex de Waal and Julie Flint

7. Bakhita by Veronique Olmi

8. Khartoum at Night; Fashion and Body Politics in Imperial Sudan by Marie Grace Brown

9. Thirteen Months of Sunrise by Rania Mamoun

10. Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology edited by Adil Babikir

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Foreign Policy - The Man Who Terrorized Darfur Is Leading Sudan's Supposed Transition

15/5/19: Foreign Policy – The Man Who Terrorized Darfur Is Leading Sudan’s Supposed Transition , by Jerome Tubiana

 Researcher Jerome Tubiana profiles the rise of TMC interim vice president Himedti, who is argued to be the true power in Sudan’s ruling military council.

 Tubiana states that Himedti is the “the main legacy of Bashir’s 30-year rule,” arguing the empowerment of the Janjaweed under Himedti’s leadership created [an uncontrollable] monster”

 Tubiana attributes Himedti’s rise to official government positions to blackmail and threats of rebellion, before noting that Himedti was picked to lead the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after he was one of the few Janjaweed leaders to remain loyal to Al Bashir.

 Tubiana highlights the RSF’s emergence as a “third pole of power within Sudan’s security apparatus, rival to both army and intelligence,” as well as outlining Himedti’s role in removing both Omar Al Bashir and Awad Ibn Auf from power.

 Tubiana concludes by stating that “flooring the monster may require more than unarmed protesters.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan's military rulers suspend talks with protest leaders

15/5/19: Reuters – Sudan’s military rulers suspend talks with protest leaders

 Reuters reports that Sudan’s military rulers have indefinitely suspended talks with protest leaders on the establishment of a sovereign body, a leader of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces said on Wednesday.

 The source said that no new date had been set for the talks, which were expected to hammer out an agreement on the composition of a body that would run the country for a transitional period until elections

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources - Sudanese forces storm barricades at sit-in demo

15/5/19: Multiple sources - Sudanese forces storm barricades at sit-in demo

 At least nine people have been injured at a pro-democracy sit-in in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, eyewitnesses say, as violence continued in the country in the wake of the removal of President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudanese soldiers wearing Rapid Security Forces uniforms stormed barricades at the site of the demonstrations outside army headquarters on Wednesday, eyewitnesses told CNN.

 Gunfire could be heard, they said.

 In a Facebook post, the opposition Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said that 14 people were wounded, including eight who had gunshot wounds.

 The Transitional Military Council (TMC), which has held power since Bashir's arrest last month, had no immediate comment. It was unclear who may have been responsible for the death.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources - Military and opposition agree on three-year transition

15/5/19: Multiple sources – Military and opposition agree on three-year transition

Sudan's military leaders have announced an agreement with the opposition alliance for a three-year transition period to a civilian administration.

The Transitional Military Council (TMC) said the alliance would have two-thirds of the seats on a legislative council.

However, the two sides are yet to agree on a sovereign council - the top tier of power, where both want a majority.

 At a joint news conference on Tuesday night, Lt Gen Yasser al-Atta said a final agreement on power sharing would be signed with the opposition alliance - the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) - within 24 hours.

 

That would include the forming of a sovereign council which will rule the country until elections.