♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan’s news highlights from Darfur and Sudan
A woman with her child in eastern Sudan (File photo)
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's news highlights from Darfur and Sudan
♦ Relief for Sudan’s poor to start in December as inflation tops 98.8%
May 17 – 2020 KHARTOUM Sudan, together with the Friends of Sudan countries, will begin funding the Financial Support for the Poor Family Project in mid-December.
During an interview with Sudan TV on Thursday, Minister of Finance Ibrahim El Badawi explained that the strategic project aims to cover 70 per cent of the Sudanese population. He said that the project will grant SDG 500 monthly to each individual in the target group.
About 65 per cent of Sudanese live below the poverty line, he said. Red Sea state is the poorest state in Sudan, followed by Blue Nile state, South Kordofan, the five states of Darfur, and West Kordofan.
“For the accuracy of information, we will rely on the government institutions to identify the target groups,” he said. “This formula has been applied in Kenya, Chile, and a number of other countries.”
The annual inflation rate in Sudan reached 98.81 per cent in April, compared to 81.64 per cent in March, according to the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA). Rural areas are the hardest hit.
The increase was attributed to rise of the prices of all components of “the food and beverage group”, in addition to “the housing group” due to the high prices of cooking gas, charcoal, firewood, and “the transportation group” because of the high fuel prices.
♦ Death toll in South Kordofan clashes reaches 26
May 14 – 2020 KADUGLI / KHARTOUM The clashes that erupted in Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan, on Tuesday, have left 26 dead. Another 19 people were injured.
The fighting broke out at the market of Kadugli on Tuesday, and later moved to the northern part of the town. A number of homes went up in flames. There were no security forces or regular forces present at the time.
Among the wounded are paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). They have been transferred to Khartoum for treatment. A three-day curfew was announced to contain the situation.
Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’, Deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the RSF, Sudan’s main government militia, told reporters in Khartoum about “a plan aimed at the withdrawal of the RSF militia from Khartoum by provoking conflicts and creating tribal strife in the peripheries”.
He referred in this regard to fighting that recently broke out in South Darfur, Kassala, and Kadugli, as well as to the violence that erupted in El Geneina and in Port Sudan last year.
“Hidden hands .. not only work to destroy the RSF, but also intend to destroy Sudan,” he said. “We will expose them in the near future.”
On Monday, the Sudanese Security and Defence Council discussed “robust mechanisms” to address the widespread violence in the country. A joint force of army soldiers and RSF militiamen will be deployed to confiscate illegally-held weapons and unregistered vehicles in the country.
More news from Radio Dabanga:
New deadline set for Sudan peace negotiations
May 18 – 2020 JUBA The South Sudanese team mediating the peace talks between the Sudanese government and the armed movements announced in Juba yesterday that the first documents of the peace agreement will be …
Two Darfur doctors among 97 Covid-19 dead in Sudan
May 17 – 2020 KHARTOUM Reported cases and deaths related to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic are on the increase across Sudan. Official figures show Khartoum as the most severely affected, however observers …
Accord signed to end violence in South Kordofan
May 17 – 2020 KADUGLI An Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities and Restraint was signed today between native administration leaders and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) in South Kordofan in the presence of …
ACJPS condemns human rights violations by Sudan’s armed forces
May 15 – 2020 NEW YORK A report by the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) between March and May indicates that members of the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia continue to violate …
Sudanese militiamen killed in ‘army attack’
May 15 – 2020 KADUGLI Nine members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan’s main government militia, were killed in an attack by army soldiers near the South Kordofan capital of Kadugli on Wednesday. At least 16 other …
Nurses in Sudan demand protection against Covid-19
May 14 – 2020 KHARTOUM / SENNAR / EL GEDAREF Sudanese nurses threaten with an open-ended strike if their demands for protective equipment are not met. At least 157 new cases of Covid-19 were registered on Wednesday. …
‘Cautious calm’ in Sudan’s Kassala after clampdown on tribal strife
May 12 – 2020 KASSALA An uneasy calm returned to Kassala in eastern Sudan on Monday following reconciliation efforts by tribal leaders, and the deployment of a government security force to quell ongoing clashes between …
May 12 – 2020 KHARTOUM On Monday, the Sudanese Security and Defence Council held a meeting in the capital Khartoum to assess the widespread violence in the country and the possibilities for robust mechanisms to address …
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