♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact digest of the past week's most-read highlights, from the heart of Sudan. Subscribe to receive this digest weekly in your inbox.

UNITAMS head to Dabanga: Political cooperation needed to avert Sudan collapse
 
September 8 – 2022 KHARTOUM Volker Perthes, the UN Special Representative for Sudan and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), said that the country is on the verge of economic and security collapse. He warned of dire consequences “if all do not cooperate to save the country”.
 
In an interview with Radio Dabanga. Perthes said that the political scene became more complicated following the coup d’état of October 25 last year, which negatively affected the economic, social, and security situation. “It is high time to put the interests of Sudan above personal, factional, partisan, and regional interests,” he said, and emphasised the need for the various parties in the country to cooperate, regardless of differences in viewpoints and interests. He urged all forces to sit with each other in dialogue to save the country.

Unifying Sudan's resistance committee charters: similarities and challenges
 
September 9 – 2022 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN / KHARTOUM The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) has analysed the draft charters of the Sudanese resistance committees to identify where they stand and where they may go, amidst attempts to unify different charters. They highlighted many similarities between both charters, but also a few caveats and concerns.
 
Sudan’s resistance committees emerged during the December Revolution and played a huge role in mobilising the public and ousting the Al Bashir dictatorship. They also played an important role in opposing the military juntas that took power after. They have the potential and capacity to turn the youth movement into something bigger to support democratic transition, political analyst El Battahani explains, but they will need to unify their voices to succeed.

Girl raped near Zamzam camp, displaced give Darfur govt 24 hours to respond
September 14 – 2022 EL FASHER On Tuesday, Zamzam camp leaders gave the Darfur authorities one day to do something about recurrent attacks by gunmen in the area after a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped in the vicinity of the camp. Since last Monday, when the Darfur Regional Government officially agreed to provide more protection, the area witnessed a large number of attacks on displaced working on their farms in the area.
 
More than 70 injured in Khartoum demos, young Sudanese ‘shaved’ again
September 14 – 2022 KHARTOUM At least 74 protesters were wounded during anti-junta Marches of the Millions in Khartoum organised by the resistance committees on Tuesday. A day earlier, government forces assaulted young people in the city and forcibly shaved their heads. An officer of the Rapid Support Forces convicted for killing a protester has been released.
 
Sudan Committee for missing people in rebel-govt fighting commenced its work
September 13 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Committee for Prisoners and Missing Persons working to gather more information on those who went missing during battles between armed rebel movements and Sudanese military forces before the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement officially commenced its work in its office in Khartoum and is now open to receiving complaints and information from stakeholders.
 
Imams denounce ‘corrupt practices’ of Sudanese Minister of Finance
September 13 – 2022 KHARTOUM In sermons during Friday prayers in Khartoum last week, imams of mosques strongly criticised Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim for exempting his nephew from paying customs fees for a new car.
 
US Ambassador visit: International protection demanded by North Darfur displaced
September 12 – 2022 ZAMZAM CAMP / EL FASHER In a meeting with the US Ambassador John Godfrey, residents of Zamzam camp for the displaced near El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, requested international protection from continuous violations and attacks.
 
Gold remains Sudan’s largest export commodity
September 11 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Central Bank of Sudan (CBoS) report on foreign trade states that gold still remains the largest export commodity from Sudan.
 
UN Secretary-General: ‘Human rights situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate’
September 11 – 2022 GENEVA United Nation’s Secretary-General António Guterres submitted a detailed report on September 2, on Sudan’s political, economic, and security situation between May and August this year.
 
Northern Sudan environmentalists stop army tanker in Sawadra
September 9 – 2022 SAWADRA Young members of the Six-Party Committee for the Protection of the Environment in Sawadra, Northern State, on Wednesday prevented a water tanker to reach a plant of the International Mining Company in the area.
 
Sudan Bar Association to consult pro-democracy forces on draft constitution
September 8 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Steering Committee of the Sudan Bar Association announced that it will hold meetings with the various groups that participated in the drafting of a new version of the transitional constitution that was concluded earlier this week.