SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Bloomberg - Sudan Is Warned Proposed Post-Coup Deal Rules Out Return of Aid

7/4/2022: Bloomberg - Sudan Is Warned Proposed Post-Coup Deal Rules Out Return of Aid, by Simon Marks

Bloomberg report that Sudan’s coup leaders Sudan’s coup leaders were warned against pushing through a deal for a new transitional government that formalises the army’s grip on power, with people familiar with the proposal saying it would not lead to the resumption of crucial Western aid.

Two anonymous diplomats and a UN official told Bloomberg that billions of dollars in foreign financial assistance frozen in October would not be restored as the pact did not return Sudan to civilian-led government, and the local UN mission that is supposed to support a democratic transition is not involved in the proposal.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - EXCLUSIVE- Draft Sudan deal seeks to cement military's grip

7/4/2022: Reuters - EXCLUSIVE- Draft Sudan deal seeks to cement military's grip, by Khalid Abdelaziz

Reuters report that factions aligned with Sudan's military have drawn up a deal to form a transitional government that would cement the army's control and bypass pro-democracy groups it shared power with before the October 2021 coup.

Three sources from groups that back the draft deal, which has not been previously reported, said it had support from some political parties aligned with the military, former rebels who signed a peace deal in 2020, and some tribal and religious leaders, with the military reportedly seeking to broaden support for the draft deal by courting Sudan's two largest traditional parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and the Umma Party, or factions within them.

The deal would reportedly appoint a technocratic cabinet and parliament to govern until elections expected in 2023 while elevating the military as Sudan's paramount authority, diverging sharply from the power-sharing enshrined in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Jailed head of Sudan's outlawed ex-ruling party to be freed -lawyer

7/4/2022: Reuters - Jailed head of Sudan's outlawed ex-ruling party to be freed -lawyer

Reuters report that Ibrahim Ghandour, the jailed head of Sudan's former ruling Islamist National Congress Party (NCP) is to be freed, becoming the most senior figure from the deposed regime of Omar al-Bashir to have charges of crimes against the state dropped since the October 2021 coup.

Ghandour, formerly al-Bashir’s foreign minister, was found innocent of undermining the constitution, financing terrorism, and plotting the assassination of former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok along with other attacks.

Two other NCP leaders, Anas Omer and Kamaleldin Ibrahim, were among 12 others cleared of the same charges.

In addition, dozens of Islamist officials in state media, the foreign service, justice ministry, and elsewhere have been returned to service following court orders. They were initially fired by the Tamkeen committee – a taskforce working to dismantle al-Bashir regime's political, bureaucratic, and financial apparatus - which was placed under review by coup leader General Abdelfattah al-Burhan.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Major points that triggered Sudan’s anger from UNITAMS report

7/4/2022: Sudan Tribune - Major points that triggered Sudan’s anger from UNITAMS report

Sudan Tribune report that the Sudanese government submitted a letter to the UN Security Council (UNSC) criticising a report submitted by to the UNSC by UN envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes, who heads the UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).

The government said that the methodology of Perthes’ report did not reflect a spirit of cooperation and transparency, as he described the aftermath of the October 2021 coup as a “setback” and focused on human rights violations, rule of law and gender issues.

The government said Perthes’ use of the word “coup” was “contrary to the truth,” suggesting the term “corrective measures”. Perthes was also criticised for stating that 13 cases of rape were recorded by the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors whereas the Office of the Public Prosecutor has verified only two cases.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Bloomberg - Sudan Says Ousted President to Stand Trial for Crackdown, Coup

7/4/2020: Bloomberg - Sudan Says Ousted President to Stand Trial for Crackdown, Coup, by Mohammed Alamin

 Bloomberg report that former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will stand trial on charges related to the 1989 coup that brought him to power as well as a crackdown on the protests that eventually led to his ouster.

 Sudan will wait until the coronavirus lockdown is over before proceeding with the trial

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Africa Report - Democracy in Sudan: more work needed

7/4/2020: Africa Report - Democracy in Sudan: more work needed, by Andrew Tchie and Jihad Mashamoun

 Jihad Mashmoun, a political analyst on Sudan, and  Andrew Tchie, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute propose numerous solutions for democracy in Sudan.

 With the leaders of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) stated to be “inexperienced and fragmented,” the authors call for diverse Sudanese civic groups to build political consensus with a “robust road map that clearly outlines practical steps towards democracy.”

 Suggested economic reforms include calls for Sudan to focus investment in infrastructure, education, health and agriculture, tackle corruption and strengthen regional trade links.

 To consolidate peace, the authors call for Sudan’s leadership to “contend with the influence of Islamic groups and elites that make up Sudan’s deep state.”

 Finally, the authors call for the appointment of independent provisional parliamentarians who reflect Sudan’s diversity and hold the Sovereign Council, FFC and Cabinet to account, alongside electoral support to prevent electoral manipulation or violence.