SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy - Resistance Committees: The Specters Organizing Sudan’s Protests

26/11/2021: Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy - Resistance Committees: The Specters Organizing Sudan’s Protests, by Muzan Alneel

TIMEP fellow Muzan Alneel warns that stability in Sudan cannot be achieved without satisfying public demands as reflected by resistance committees (RCs)…that amplify and reflect Sudanese voices”.

By failing to listen to and understand the RCs, Alneel warns that international media and policymakers can “pave the road for a political arrangement with no popular support, making it even more fragile than before”.

Initially formed in every neighbourhood to facilitate decentralised protests, Alneel summarised the RCs’ rise to prominence. As the civilian component of the power-sharing government “deprioritised popular demands,” the RCs “evolved into the voice of the ignored masses” by protesting the lack of justice for massacre victims and unpopular economic policies, before subsequently leading anti-coup protests.

Alneel adds that the RC stance against closed-door politics and compromising with the military are “clear indicators of how the Sudanese public under RC leadership will react [to] attempts [to] force another compromise”.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Al-Bashir handover to ICC is a red line for Sudan’s SRF: spokesman

26/11/19: Sudan Tribune - Al-Bashir handover to ICC is a red line for Sudan’s SRF: spokesman

Sudan Tribune reports that The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) stressed that demands for Omar al-Bashir’s hand over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a "red line” for them.

 "We are with the prompt handover of Bashir to the ICC and this red line for us and it is not negotiable," said Osama Said, SRF spokesman.

 Said further said that the referral of the Darfur crimes file to the ICC was a decision of the Security Council, and that the Sudanese government has to abide by this resolution and its consequences as a member of the international system.

 Said also said that the SRF will oppose the Forces of Freedom and Change if state governors are appointed in conflict zones without their consultation.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Middle East Institute – Resilience amid turmoil: Russia and Sudan maintain strong ties despite political upheaval

26/11/19: Middle East Institute – Resilience amid turmoil: Russia and Sudan maintain strong ties despite political upheaval, by Samuel Ramani

Samuel Ramani, a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, cites Sudan’s strategic location on the Red Sea and long history of aligning with Russia on diplomatic crises, to argue that Russia will try to shape the course of Sudan’s democratic transition.

 Ramani examines Russia’s two-track engagement strategy in Sudan, which allows it to maintain positive relations with both the military establishment and civilian policymakers, who are increasingly focused on economic development.

 However, Ramani also states that prominent Moscow-based defence analyst Kirill Semenov told him that Russia supports a military-brokered transition in Sudan, and hopes to strengthen its person-to-person links with the Sudanese military to ensure that it can compete with China for long-term geopolitical influence.

 Nonetheless, Ramani adds that Russia is seeking to distance itself from allegations that it is promoting autocracy.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AFP – Sudan cabinet scraps law abusing women’s rights: state media

26/11/19: AFP – Sudan cabinet scraps law abusing women’s rights: state media

 AFP reports that Sudan’s cabinet has scrapped the public order law, which resulted in women being flogged, fined and jailed during Omar al-Bashir’s rule.

 "Some policemen were using this law to harass women," said Mohamed al-Amin, who is also a defence lawyer for al-Bashir. "What we need is to precisely define under article 152 the dress code for women,” he added.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters: Exclusive: Sudan militia leader grew rich by selling gold

26/11/19: Reuters: Exclusive: Sudan militia leader grew rich by selling gold, by Khalid Abdelaziz, Michael Georgy, Maha El Dahan

 Reuters’ investigation reveals that the activities of Al-Junaid Company, owned by Himedti’s family, which sold gold bars worth millions of dollars in Dubai.

 Al-Junaid general manager, Abdelrahman al-Bakri, said the firm is owned by Himedti’s brother Abdelrahim, who is also the deputy head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He also denied that Algunade is linked to the RSF.

 However, current and former government officials and gold industry sources told Reuters that in 2018, former president Omar al-Bashir gave Himedti free rein to sell Sudan’s gold through Al-Junaid, which allegedly bypassed central bank controls over gold exports.

 Despite claims that Al-Junaid would hand over some of its earnings to pay for the government’s wheat and fuel expenses, a senior government official said that Himedti used the gold proceeds to buy weapons and vehicles for the RSF.

 Reuters also touch upon Al-Juanid’s usage of toxic cyanide and mercury in its activities.