SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: New York Times – Sudanese Security Forces Fire on Protesters as Military Tightens Grip

13/11/2021: New York Times – Sudanese Security Forces Fire on Protesters as Military Tightens Grip, by Declan Walsh

 

Declan Walsh’s feature piece on the latest crackdown on anti-coup protests provides quotes from Magdi el-Gizouli, a fellow at the Rift Valley Institute, who said that the

giant crowds of young people thronging Sudan’s streets on the 13 November Millioniyah highlighted how much Sudan’s leading generals underestimated popular resistance to the takeover.

 

But el-Gizouli added that army commander-in-chief Abdulfattah al-Burhan appears to have seized power to prevent his own ouster by lower-ranking officers who feared they might lose the privileges that the military has amassed over its many decades in power. With that as the backdrop, he said, no amount of Western pressure is likely to persuade Al-Burhan to change course.

 

“Stepping back from this coup might mean a fracturing of the army,” el-Gizouli said. “It’s not going to be easy for them to reverse the steps they have taken.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Five protesters killed in 13 November Millioniyah demonstrations

13/11/2021: Multiple sources – Five protesters killed in 13 November Millioniyah demonstrations

 

Tens of thousands of Sudanese defied gunfire and tear gas in nationwide demonstrations against the military coup of the 25th of October.

 

According to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD), five protesters were killed. Four of them were killed with live bullets, and the other suffocating due to tear gas.

 

The protests took place in Khartoum, Kassala in eastern Sudan, Al-Jazeera state, and the Darfur region, where an unknown number of protesters were reportedly killed, al-Shimaliyah state and the River Nile state.

 

CCSD said that many others were wounded, and that the chaos in the streets prevented many from reaching hospitals.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan's bourse maps out expansion plans amid uncertainty

13/11/19: Reuters - Sudan's bourse maps out expansion plans amid uncertainty, by Ulf Laessing

 Reuters feature piece examines the challenges facing the development of Sudan’s financial market.

 The article notes that many foreigners who have bought into the market struggled to repatriate their investments due to hard currency shortages caused by oil revenues lost from South Sudan’s succession

 Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi said the transitional government plans to set up an investment body to review investment regulations, which “will encourage higher volumes once economic reforms have been enacted and inflation brought down.”

 Elbadawi also re-iterated the need for Sudan to be integrated into the global financial system by having its terrorism designation lifted by the US.

 Dima Awad, general manager at Sudan’s biggest brokerage, Sanabel Securities, said financial market growth requires infrastructure development, government support, new technologies, connectivity with the Gulf, and a greater range of tradable products, since many foreign investors are not interested in Sukuk (Islamic bonds) which dominates Sudanese financial trade.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Communist Party of Sudan: Govt must take control of Jebel Amer gold mines

13/11/19: Radio Dabanga - Communist Party of Sudan: Govt must take control of Jebel Amer gold mines

 Radio Dabanga reports that the Communist Party of Sudan has demanded the government take control of the Jebel Amer gold mines in North Darfur. The party asserts that the gold “is currently outside the control of the government’.

 At a press conference in Khartoum, party leader and economist Dr Sidgi Kaballo questioned who owns Jebel Amer, saying that gold production in the area reaches a tonne per day, but the gold goes directly to the markets of Dubai and France.

 Kaballo also criticised the Sudanese finance ministry’s plans to spend $5 billion to prevent an economic collapse, saying that “regulation of the gold and oil sectors will save that amount and more.”

 He also labelled the Islamic banking system as the “largest financier of corruption,” and criticised the Forces of Freedom and Change’s economic programme, warning that plans to import rather than plant wheat “will turn the country into drought.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudanese women demand participation in peace negotiations

13/11/19: Radio Dabanga - Sudanese women demand participation in peace negotiations

 Radio Dabanga reports that the Political and Civilian Women Organisation called for the participation of women in the peace negotiations, scheduled to start in Juba, South Sudan on November 21.

 In a meeting with Sovereign Council member Mohamed El Taayshi, leading member of the women organisation Ahlam Nasir called for coordination of the negotiations with all stakeholders, including women, to realise a comprehensive peace and security.

 She presented an action plan, including the organisation’s vision on the peace process and ways to address their concerns. The way women can participate in the peace negotiations in Juba was also discussed.