SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudan coup: Detentions continue, internet remains closed

28/10/2021: Radio Dabanga - Sudan coup: Detentions continue, internet remains closed

Radio Dabanga report on the military’s wave of arrests, as blocked internet services impede the work of the UN’s humanitarian agency.

 

Sovereignty Council member Mohamed al-Taayshi and members of his office were held following statements he made against the coup, alongside Hassan Nasrallah, an advisor to Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

 

The Sudanese Teachers Committee announced the detention of its president, Yasin Hasan Abdelkarim. The authorities also held journalists Fayez al-Seleik and Maher Abuljoukh.

 

The Sudanese Journalists Network condemned the closing of telecommunications and the internet and the targeting of journalists “in a way that recalls the practises of the former regime,” which “enables the militiamen behind the coup regime, its security apparatus and its shadow brigades, to commit even more crimes against the Sudanese and the revolution, and hide evidence that proves their involvement in mass attacks like the massacre of the [June 3, 2019] sit-in”.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Conversation – Sudan coup: years of instability have made the army key power brokers

28/10/2021: Conversation – Sudan coup: years of instability have made the army key power brokers, by Justin Willis

 

History professor at Durham University Justin Willis, argues that colonialism “helps explain the military’s appetite for political power,” as “power came through the gun”, leaving generations of soldiers believing they are the ultimate guardians of Sudan.

 

Willis also argues that colonial rule produced a centralised state with power focused around Khartoum, leading Sudan’s political elite to view control of the state as a route to wealth, with civilian leaders during their brief periods of rule seeking power by mobilising regional or sectarian sentiments and localising patronage politics.

 

In tandem with Sudan’s economic dependence on cotton and wealth gap between the centre and peripheries, civilian politicians were unable to solve Sudan’s problems, giving the soldiers “a ready excuse for repeated interventions,” with the military’s prolonged leadership facilitating more state control, allowing it to expand its patronage economy and acquire its own industries and investments, in a shadow economy beyond any scrutiny.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Washington Post – Behind power grabs in Sudan and Tunisia, the shadow of Gulf monarchies

28/10/2021: Washington Post – Behind power grabs in Sudan and Tunisia, the shadow of Gulf monarchies, by Ishan Tharoor

 

Washington Post columnist Ishan Tharoor warns Saudi Arabia and the UAE may buttress military coup leader Abdulfattah al-Burhan’s regime, with academic Jean-Baptiste Gallopin suggesting that the Gulf powers’ financial support “gave the generals crucial leeway to resist popular demands for civilian rule, shaping a lopsided balance of power that allowed the generals to navigate a period of mass mobilisation”.

 

Gallopin added that UAE’s “covert financial flows subsequently earned them unparalleled leverage across large segments the political spectrum, which helped the generals … consolidate their power.”

 

Tharoor notes that the International Crisis Group called for the US and EU to use

“the considerable leverage they have with Gulf capitals and Cairo to convince them to push the generals in Khartoum to change course.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Economist – The army’s takeover in Sudan highlights a worrying trend

28/10/2021: Economist – The army’s takeover in Sudan highlights a worrying trend

 

The Economist suggest that the military coup in Sudan could have been avoided but for “squandered opportunities” by Sudanese civilian politicians and western donors.

 

It was suggested that, through the “squalid” power-sharing deal, civilian politicians could have built trust with the army by potentially “offering amnesty for all but the most serious war crimes in exchange for full disclosure about them,” with the Economist stating that this approach worked in post-Apartheid South Africa.

 

Then, the Economist argues that western donors could have smoothed Sudan’s transition with aid more quickly, but “instead the economy kept contracting, fuelling a sense of crisis that the army exploited”

 

Finally, the Economist suggest that Sudan’s military leaders now take western threats lightly, given how “days before the coup, Western diplomats warned the generals to back off.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters – Sudanese general ignored U.S. warning as army rolled out coup plan

28/10/2021: Reuters – Sudanese general ignored U.S. warning as army rolled out coup plan, by Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir and Aidan Lewis

 

Reuters feature piece reveals how the Sudanese army staged a coup despite Jeffrey Feltman, the US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, warning its commander, Abdulfattah al-Burhan, not to do so.

 

According to diplomats and two of his aides, the army reportedly failed to persuade Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to dismiss his cabinet “so they could tighten their grip on the transition without using force while keeping him in office”.

 

Al-Burhan was under pressure from factions in the army and Himedti, his Sovereign Council deputy and head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to take a hard line with the civilians

 

Western states that backed the transition will need to re-evaluate how to apply pressure on Sudan, said Jonas Horner of the International Crisis Group.

"The military brushed aside what was being held over their heads in the end," he said.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Al-Burhan wants Hamdok to lead Sudan’s new government

28/10/2021: Multiple sources – Al-Burhan wants Hamdok to lead Sudan’s new government

 

The head of the military council, Abdulfattah al-Burhan, said he wants to appoint a “technocrat prime minister” to form a new transitional government to share leadership with the military, with Abdallah Hamdok his favourite candidate.

 

Al-Burhan sees Hamdok’s involvement as key to building international credibility for the new administration, with the US and World Bank freezing aid and the African Union suspending Sudan’s membership.

 

The overtures to Hamdok suggest the military is facing difficulties finding civilian representatives for the new administration, with most political parties rejecting the coup and no significant figure speaking favourably.

 

Hamdok’s refusal to join a military-appointed government dashes al-Burhan’s hopes for a credible prime minister, Jonas Horner of the International Crisis Group told Bloomberg. Al-Burhan would like a “pliant” new premier, “but such has been the military’s vast miscalculation that underpinned the coup, the position is likely to appear something of a poisoned chalice to many.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Biden urges restraint, criticises Sudan’s junta

28/10/2021: Multiple sources – Biden urges restraint, criticises Sudan’s junta

The US and UN dialled up the pressure on Sudan's new military junta as confrontations between soldiers and anti-coup protesters took the death toll to at least 11.

After the 15-member U.N. Security Council called for the restoration of Sudan's civilian-led government, US President Joe Biden said: “our message to Sudan's military authorities is overwhelming and clear: the Sudanese people must be allowed to protest peacefully and the civilian-led transitional government must be restored,”

 "The events of recent days are a grave setback, but the United States will continue to stand with the people of Sudan and their non-violent struggle," said Biden.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudan sources: 11 demonstrators dead, protests grow

28/10/2021: Radio Dabanga - Sudan sources: 11 demonstrators dead, protests grow

 

Radio Dabanga report that 11 protesters were killed and 150 injured since demonstrations against the military coup began.

 

Military forces continued to chase protesters in the neighbourhoods of the capital and remove barricades while the protesters re-closed the roads as soon as the forces had left. Demonstrations were dispersed with tear gas. The authorities continued to close the internet services. Phone calls are reportedly possible but extremely difficult.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Independent – Sudan military rulers fire rebel diplomats as they struggle to gain international recognition

28/10/2021: Independent – Sudan military rulers fire rebel diplomats as they struggle to gain international recognition, by Ahmed Aboudouh

 

The Independent report that Sudan’s military leader Abdulfattah al-Burhan dismissed six Sudanese ambassador after they publically challenged the military coup: those in the US, EU, France, China, Qatar and the UN Mission.

Observers suggest that despite being a symbolic gesture, the ambassadors’ rebellion could further embarrass al-Burhan and the military who seem desperate for international recognition.

Over 30 Sudanese diplomats in and outside Sudan condemned the military’s takeover in a joint statement. The foreign ministry said on that the dismissed ambassadors “are the sole legitimate representatives of Sudan,” and al-Burhan’s decisions are not legal.

These statements are mostly intended to show the world how unpopular the coup is, according to western officials, but “also gives a glimpse of hope for activists pushing against the military power grab at home.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources – Sudanese embark on nationwide civil disobedience campaign

28/10/2021: Multiple sources – Sudanese embark on nationwide civil disobedience campaign

 

In a response to the military coup, Sudanese embarked on a civil disobedience campaign, as large number of professional groups, unions, and associations announced strikes and other civil disobedience actions, leaving economic activities at a halt, with a “complete paralysis” in government and educational institutions in Sudan, as many people responded to the calls by the Sudanese Professionals Association, a trade union umbrella group that played a leading role in the uprising.

 

The majority of government institutions have stopped working, and most of the travel between Khartoum and the states has stopped.  Military forces fired live ammunition in neighbourhoods in the southern part of Khartoum to remove the road blocks set up by protesters.

 

A group of neighbourhood committees in Khartoum have announced a schedule of further street barricades and protests leading to what it said would be a “march of millions” on Saturday 30 October.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Guardian - Violent abductions target Sudanese civilians in aftermath of coup

28/10/2021: Guardian - Violent abductions target Sudanese civilians in aftermath of coup

 

The Guardian report that dozens of Sudanese politicians, journalists and activists have been swept up by army officers since the military coup.

 

Among those arrested included: Yasir Arman, a political adviser to Sudan’s detained prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, alongside his politically inactive younger brother.

 

The wave of arrests targeted journalists, including manager of the al-Democrati newspaper El-Haj Warrag, and Faiz el-Sailik, a former Hamdok adviser arrested after condemning the coup on Al-Jazeera. He was not allowed to take his medications to a suspected Rapid Support Forces (RSF) prison.

 

Maher Abugoukh, who manages political programmes on Sudanese state TV, was arrested and his whereabouts are unknown, likewise for Siddig al-Mahdi of the National Ummah Party.

 

Human rights lawyer Jehanne Henry said: “Sudan’s security forces are yet again cracking down on protesters with extreme violence in the streets and they are rounding up political leaders and activists by the hour.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - FFC slams lifting fuel subsidies as violation of economic conference decisions

28/10/2020: Sudan Tribune - FFC slams lifting fuel subsidies as violation of economic conference decisions

 Sudan Tribune report that the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) described the government’s decision to lift fuel subsidies and sell them at market rates as a "flagrant violation" of the decisions of the First National Economic Conference organised by the government.

 Tijani Hussein, an FFC economic committee member said the decision was amid a “major disinformation campaign about economic benefits of normalisation with Israel.”

 He added that the lifting of subsidies upon the IMF’s directive reflects “obedience to external dictation and the application of the neoliberal approach [which is] imposed by the US and its counterparts on developing nations and constitutes…capitalism…at the expense of the poor people without offering them anything but poverty, unemployment and hardship.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudan liberalizes fuel prices officially

28/10/2020: Sudan Tribune - Sudan liberalizes fuel prices officially

 Sudan Tribune reports that Sudan has liberalised fuel prices, culminating in a 400% increase of previous prices.

 Minister of Energy and Mining Khairy Abdel-Rahman Khairy said a litre of gasoline is up to 120 pounds from 28, while a litre of diesel is up 106 from 23.

 The Sudanese government cancelled fuel subsidies as part of an “unpopular” economic reform rejected by the leftist groups but endorsed by a national economic conference.

 The Sudanese Communist Party held a press conference to denounce the removal of fuel subsidies and vowed to organise popular protests.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese Sovereign Council says played honorary role in health campaign

28/10/19: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese Sovereign Council says played honorary role in health campaign

 Sudan Tribune reports that Mohamed al-Faki, the spokesman for Sudan’s Sovereign Council, said their participation in a health campaign organised by the Rapid Support Forces militia (RSF) was honorary, and coordinated with the government.

 Several representatives of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) at the Sovereign Council including Aisha Musa, Raja Nicola Issa, Hassan Qadi and Mohamed al-Faki participated in the RSF health campaign in Sennar, the Blue Nile states, Red Sea and Kassala.

 Responding to the Sudanese Professionals Association criticism of their participation, al-Faki said that the sovereign council did not infringe of the powers of Health Ministry, as the ministry and the RSF jointly arranged the campaign.

 As for questions as to why Health Minister Akram Al-Tom was absent from the inauguration of the campaign, al-Faki said that al-Tom had “professional commitments.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Arman criticizes calls for self-determination by SPLM-N al-Hilu

28/10/19: Sudan Tribune - Arman criticizes calls for self-determination by SPLM-N al-Hilu

 Sudan Tribune reports that Yasir Arman, the deputy leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) has criticised calls for self-determination made by the SPLM-N faction of Abdel Aziz al-Hilu.

 Arman said that al-Hilu’s demands for self-determination on an ethnic basis “that differentiates the local population on criteria other than the right of citizenship… leads to protracted ethnic wars.”

 He further said that South Kordofan and the Blue Nile state have Arab and non-Arab tribes that do not claim self-determination, and that the  Nuba ethnic groups that played an important role in unifying Sudan would not support the idea, as many of them now live outside the Nuba Mountains.

 Arman stressed that al-Hilu’s “divisive” demands for self-determination undermines the vision for a “new Sudan.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Sudan’s Sovereign Council resolves to review cases of detained rebels

28/10/19: Radio Dabanga - Sudan’s Sovereign Council resolves to review cases of detained rebels

 Radio Dabanga reports that Sudan’s Sovereign Council has agreed to review the cases of members of the armed movements detained across the country. The newly established Supreme Council for Peace has decided that political and community consultations should be held among the Sudanese public, to consider their perceptions concerning the comprehensive peace process taking place in the country.

 The decision was made during a series of meetings of the Sovereign Council, headed by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, at the Republican Palace. The Supreme Council for Peace, chaired by El Burhan, decided to continue its meetings in order to reach a full vision regarding the next round of negotiations scheduled to start on November 21 in Juba, hosted by South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Followers of former Janjaweed leader demand his release

28/10/19: Radio Dabanga - Followers of former Janjaweed leader demand his release

Radio Dabanga reports that relatives of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, which consists of former Janjaweed members who then rebelled against Omar al-Bashir’s government, held a protest vigil in front of the Attorney General's office in Khartoum, demanding the release of all detainees including their leader Musa Hilal.

 Hilal and ‘some of his associates’ were arrested in 2017 for not complying with an order of the Al Bashir regime to disarm. His lawyers argue that resisting the Al Bashir regime cannot constitute a crime.