SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - El Fasher death toll mounts amid calls to destroy RSF artillery

23/6/2024: Sudan Tribune - El Fasher death toll mounts amid calls to destroy RSF artillery

Sudan Tribune report that the death toll in Al-Fashir has risen to over 260, with more than 1,630 injured since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) siege began on 10 May 2024, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

MSF also condemned the RSF’s shelling of the Saudi Maternity Hospital’s pharmacy, which resulted in the death of a pharmacist and two others nearby. The hospital, now only partially operational due to damage, remains the sole functioning medical facility in al-Fashir after the RSF put the South Hospital out of service on 8 June. Nonetheless, the Saudi hospital has been targeted twice since 10 May, part of eight attacks on healthcare facilities in the city. 

Meanwhile, the acting governor of North Darfur, Al-Hafiz Bakhit, urged the army to halt the RSF’s indiscriminate shelling of Al-Fashir neighbourhoods by destroying the RSF’s artillery.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New York Review of Books - Sudan Starves, by Joshua Craze, Kholood Khair and Raga Makawi

23/6/2024: New York Review of Books - Sudan Starves, by Joshua Craze, Kholood Khair and Raga Makawi    

Sudan faces “the largest famine the world has seen for at least forty years,” but the UN’s deference to the army (SAF) for authorisation hampers humanitarian efforts argue Joshua Craze, Kholood Khair and Raga Makawi.

With SAF restricting cross-border aid delivery into territory held by the Rapid Support Forces militia (RSF), they call for the UN to relocate operations to a regional capital outside SAF control, establish cross-border hubs in Chad and South Sudan, and directly engage with local forces, including the RSF.

The authors also suggest the World Food Programme (WFP) unilaterally declare a famine, despite SAF's objections, to unlock more funding and pressure for humanitarian access to RSF-held areas.

Despite the UN’s fears of expulsion, the authors note its leverage as “the [WFP] is too big to expel” given SAF’s reliance on it to feed its territory and maintain support.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - PM Hamdok calls for unity to address ‘comprehensive national crisis’ in Sudan

23/6/2021: Radio Dabanga - PM Hamdok calls for unity to address ‘comprehensive national crisis’ in Sudan

 Radio Dabanga report that Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok announced the initiative National Crisis and Transition Issues - The Way Forward, “to find a way out of the national crisis and issues of democratic transition” in Sudan.

The initiative contains proposals to implement the goals of the Sudanese revolution, solve the economic and political crises in the country, develop a clear a national programme to unify the transitional bloc, and achieve a comprehensive peace by expanding its base.

“The decision-making centres in Sudan should work according to a common vision” on “a civil, democratic system of government based on equal citizenship and free and fair democratic elections,” he stated.

 The various political actors should therefore “reach the largest possible consensus" on the tasks to be implemented during the transitional period, he added.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Human Rights Watch - Sudan: Prioritize Justice and Institutional Reforms

23/6/2020: Human Rights Watch - Sudan: Prioritize Justice and Institutional Reforms

 Human Rights Watch (HRW) call for Sudan to prioritise justice, legal and institutional reforms.

 Noting the “little progress” on accountability for the June 3 2019 Khartoum massacre, HRW call for Sudanese authorities to ensure that attorney general (Taj el-Sir al-Hibr) has political backing and sufficient resources and technical support the investigating committee’s work, which “should be able to investigate and prosecute up the chain of command those most responsible for planning and ordering the dispersal operation.”

 HRW also call for a “comprehensive” plan for reforming the army, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), police, auxiliary forces, and the sprawling national intelligence and security agency, NISS (renamed GIS), citing the need to: set up accountability systems in the forces and put them under civilian oversight.

 HRW also call for authorities to investigate alleged connections between the security forces and a network of state-owned companies, controlled by the military and security apparatus.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters – Ethiopian, African Union mediation needs to be unified – Sudan military council

23/6/19: Reuters – Ethiopian, African Union mediation needs to be unified – Sudan military council

 Reuters reports that Sudan’s ruling military council said on Sunday that Ethiopia and the African Union needed to unify their efforts to mediate between the council and an opposition coalition on the structure of the country’s transitional government.

 The council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said on Sunday the council had rejected Ethiopia’s proposal, which the opposition coalition agreed to on Saturday, but had agreed in principle to the AU’s plan.

 “The African Union’s initiative came first,” said Kabbashi, adding that the council had not studied the Ethiopian initiative, which he described as unilateral.

 A draft of the Ethiopian proposal seen by Reuters suggested that a ruling sovereign council would be made up of seven civilians and seven members of the military, with one additional seat reserved for an impartial individual.

 Details of the AU proposal were not immediately known.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters – Sudan court orders company to end military-ordered blackout – lawyer

23/6/19: Reuters – Sudan court orders company to end military-ordered blackout – lawyer, by Khalid Abdelaziz

 Reuters reports that a Sudanese court ordered telecoms operator Zain Sudan on Sunday to restore internet services, lawyer Abdel-Adheem Hassan said, after they were severed nearly three weeks ago following the June 3 massacre.

 Hassan filed his own case against Zain Sudan over the blackout.

 Sudanese officials could not be reached for comment and it was unclear what impact Sunday’s court order would have.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Sudan’s protesters accept Ethiopian roadmap for civilian rule

23/6/19: Multiple sources – Sudan’s protesters accept Ethiopian roadmap for civilian rule

• Reuters

• AP, by Hussein Malla and Samy Magdy

 Sudan’s protest movement, the Declaration of Freedom and Change (DFC), has accepted an Ethiopian roadmap for a civilian-led transitional government, although the transitional military council did not immediately commit to the plan.

 Ahmed Rabie, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals’ Association which is part of the DFC, said that the proposal included a leadership council with eight civilian and seven military members, with a rotating chairmanship. All the civilians would come from the DFC, except for one independent and “neutral” appointee, he said.

 The military will chair the council for the first 18 months, with the DFC leading for the second half of the 3 year transition.