SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese army newspaper accuses UNITAMS head of spreading terrorism

18/4/2022: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese army newspaper accuses UNITAMS head of spreading terrorism

Sudan Tribune report that Ibrahim al-Houri, the editor-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces newspaper, launched a scathing attack on western countries, accusing them of seeking to destroy Sudan and fight Islam, in a one-page editorial that is the first of its kind since the collapse of Omar al-Bashir’s regime.

Al-Houri also claimed that Volker Perthes, who heads the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), was working to spread terrorism in Sudan.

Al-Houri also labelled former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and described him as the “British agent” who aimed to dismantle Sudan in collaboration with a “European-American Zionist Masonic lobby” in cooperation with the UN World Food Programme’s David Beasley.

On his Facebook page, Al-Houri called for “jihad” against western powers and “their leftist agents of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) and the Resistance Committee.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Drinking water crisis felt across Sudan

18/4/2022: Radio Dabanga - Drinking water crisis felt across Sudan

Radio Dabanga report on the drinking water crisis in Darfur, Kassala and the Red Sea states.

In Kassala, the price of water barrels range between 1,000-1,500 SDG. The crisis is attributed to the government neglecting to remove sand and silt, which hinders groundwater recharge, or listen to repeated citizen demands to link water supply to nearby dams amid warnings that the large consumption of groundwater as drinking water will affect the horticultural sector.

In the Red Sea State, the prices of jerrycans of water range from 500-1,000 SDG. Mayor Mohamed Abdelkader attributed the crisis to the spread of water basins around neighbourhoods that impede water access to neighbourhoods. He accused local officials of mismanagement, citing “illegal approvals of the main water line”, and called for the prevention of basins, adding that proposed solutions to provide a desalination plant at sea will not succeed in the presence of the current administration.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Bloomberg - Sudan to Replace Military Governors After Dispute Emerges at Top

18/4/2020: Bloomberg - Sudan to Replace Military Governors After Dispute Emerges at Top, by Mohammed Alamin

Bloomberg report that Sudan will replace all provincial military governors with civilians after tense talks within the power-sharing government over the pace of Sudan’s democratic transition.

 Sudan’s Information Minister, Faisal Mohamed Salih, said that Sudan will also appoint a transitional parliament by the start of May. He also dismissed suggestions that the military was plotting a coup, describing “a very tough series of meetings” between Prime Minister Hamdok, military representatives and the Forces for Freedom and Change, that produced a new agreement.

 Salih said the Khartoum state governor had now been replaced by a civilian, and the 17 other provincial heads will be changed in the coming days. The posts will be temporary until a final peace deal is made between Sudan’s government and a patchwork of rebel groups, he added.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - SFR can accept Sudan’s governors provided taking part in the nomination process

18/4/2020: Sudan Tribune - SFR can accept Sudan’s governors provided taking part in the nomination process

 Sudan Tribune reports that the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) said it is willing to back the appointment of state governors and the Transitional Legislative Council in Sudan before peace, provided that the process is based on agreed criteria and that it can take part in the nomination process.

 The SRF demands that the appointments should be conducted according to transparent standards that ensure competence, experience, ethnic diversity, women’s participation, non-partisanship, and popular acceptance. Also, it voiced its rejection of any appointment based on "party loyalty or quotas based on narrow organizational selfishness.”

 The SRF also demands involvement in the nomination process, and warned that if their demands are not met, peace negotiations will be suspended.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New Statesman - In Sudan, President Bashir is gone - but the shadow of his government remains

18/4/19: New Statesman - In Sudan, President Bashir is gone - but the shadow of his government remains, by Nesrine Malik

Nesrine Malik highlights the dilemma of Sudanese protesters in their pursuit of civil government: the absence of civil society leaders.

 Malik attributes this to Al Bashir’s regime stifling any opportunity for figures outside government to incubate a political movement or build an electoral profile. Malik also notes that the regime “embedded itself so deeply that dismantling it overnight is impossible.”

 Despite the Sudanese people's distrust of a new regime that involves members of the old guard, Malik  highlights the increased leverage that the street protesters have over the TMC, concluding that the resolve of the protesters is stronger.

SUDAN POLITICAL ALERT: Human Rights Watch - Sudan: Heed Calls for Justice

18/4/19: Human Rights Watch – Sudan: Heed Calls for Justice

 HRW calls on Sudan’s transitional military council to uphold their commitments to human rights and justice for past crimes, by transferring Omar Al Bashir, and other Sudanese fugitives to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

 HRW stated that the TMC have “yet to make clear their plans to hold accountable key figures who oversaw serious crimes in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and elsewhere, or the killing of protesters,” adding that RSF commander Hemedti should not be made immune to accountability for “serious” RSF crimes committed in Darfur.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudanese pound strengthens on black market after Bashir's ouster - traders

18/4/19: Reuters – Sudanese pound strengthens on black market after Bashir’s ouster – traders, by Khalid Abdelaziz

 The Sudanese pound strengthened sharply on the black market on Thursday, two traders and a businessman said, as imports dwindled amid the political chaos that led to the overthrow last week of president Omar Al Bashir.

 The pound firmed to 53 pounds to the dollar on the black market from 74 pounds just before the military ousted and detained Bashir

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - U.S. urges Sudan's military to step aside, make way for civilian-led transition

18/4/19: Reuters – U.S urge Sudan’s military to step aside, make way for civilian-led transition, by Lesley Wroughton

The US State Department called on Sudan’s military to step aside and make way for a peaceful civilian-led transition.

“The will of the Sudanese people is clear: it is time to move toward a transitional government that is inclusive and respectful of human rights and the rule of law,” department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

A senior State Department official said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Makila James would hold talks in Khartoum over the weekend, to assess the situation on the ground.