♦ 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.

Sudan’s El Burhan meets world leaders at UN
 
September 25 – 2022 NEW YORK / CAIRO / KHARTOUM The Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, returned to Sudan on Saturday evening after his visit to New York where he addressed the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and met several world leaders on the side lines of the session. En route from New York to Khartoum, El Burhan touched down in Cairo for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. 

In a press statement at Khartoum airport, the Director of the Political Department of the Sovereignty Council and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ali El Sadig, who accompanied El Burhan, said that in addition to attending and addressing the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, El Burhan also held meetings on the side lines with a number of heads of state and regional and international organisations.

EU delegation in Khartoum to discuss Sudanese democracy struggle
 
September 23 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament paid a visit to Sudan where it met with Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo and other TSC members in the Republican Palace in Khartoum. The delegation also met with the mainstream Forces for Freedom and Chance-Central Council (FFC-CC) and the Forces for Freedom-National Accord (NAF).
 
The EU delegation is visiting Sudan to discuss the Sudanese democracy struggle with authorities and civil society. In a press statement following the meeting with Hemeti, Chairman of the Committee David McAllister stated that the EU gives its “full and complete support to the Sudanese demand for democracy and democratic civil rule”.

ACJPS calls on Sudan and int’l efforts to help with ‘unidentified bodies crisis’
September 29 – 2022 KHARTOUM The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) called on several organisations and figures in Sudan, including the Attorney General, Minister of Health, United Nations, and various professional associations to implement the recommendations concerning the protocol on dealing with unidentified bodies, announced by the Missing Persons Investigation Committee (MPIC) on September 19.
 
US Ambassador Godfrey’s remarks on Sudan prompt sharp Russian retort
September 28 – 2022 KHARTOUM The first US Ambassador to Khartoum in 25 years, John Godfrey, denies that junta leader Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan’s participation in the 77th session of United Nations General Assembly signifies a new page in relations with the West and the USA, as Lt Gen El Taher Abu Haja, Media advisor to El Burhan and the Sudan Armed Forces, claimed during El Burhan’s visit to New York last weekend.
 
El Burhan urges int'l community to support political consensus in Sudan
September 28 – 2022 KHARTOUM Chairman of the Sovereignty Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and leader of the October 2021 coup d’état Abdelfattah El Burhan called on the international community and Britain to urge the various political groups and parties in the country to achieve a political settlement and cooperate with all parties alike.
 
SBA clarifies: new Sudan constitution heavily curbs military influence
September 27 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Sudan Bar Association (SBA) has further explained the vision of their proposed draft constitution with regards to military reform in a symposium in Khartoum on Saturday, after criticism. They propose limiting military powers much more than stipulated in the 2019 Constitutional Document.
 
Sudan: Tax increases and salary issues spark more strikes
September 27 – 2022 ED DAMAZIN / KHARTOUM / EL FASHER / EL GEDAREF / KADUGLI The wave of strikes in Sudan continues in full force. Traders and Merchants went on strike in several states to protest exorbitant tax increases, a new strategy of the government to fill the national treasury. Other workers went on strike to demand fair salaries and unpaid financial dues amidst the economic crisis.
 
Seven cases of monkeypox reported in West Darfur
September 26 – 2022 EL GENEINA / SIRBA / KEREINIK / FORO BARANGA The Director General of the Ministry of Health in West Darfur, Osman Ali Abakar, reported the death of a new-born girl (27 days) due to monkeypox in the state. One other case is in home quarantine, and two cases are recovering.
 
Sudanese women present gender-responsive constitutional vision
September 23 – 2022 KHARTOUM After a two-week-long workshop series organised by the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a group of Sudanese women presented a new unified gender-responsive constitutional vision. Meanwhile, the Sudanese Professionals Association rejected the recent draft constitution proposed by the Sudanese Bar Association (SBA).
 
Sudan: 18yo woman killed by security forces in Omdurman
September 23 – 2022 OMDURMAN During a raid by police and other security forces on the Abu Saeed neighbourhood in Wad Al Bashir in Omdurman on Monday, Shireen Hasan Abbas (18) was shot dead in front of her family’s home. Locals say unpunished violent behaviour is normal during police raids and believe that they are targeted because of their ethnic and tribal background.
 
Sudan junta leader El Burhan attends UN summit
September 22 – 2022 NEW YORK Sudan’s chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, is scheduled to address the 77th United Nations General Assembly session.
 
Working Sudanese unable to make ends meet as economy founders
September 21 – 2022 KHARTOUM Rising costs of transport, food, and basic commodities are putting immense pressure on Sudanese consumers, as the Sudanese Pound continues to waiver against major international currencies. Increasing reports of deaths from malnutrition and starvation are filtering through from across the country, confirming a food crisis that has been repeatedly highlighted by aid organisations.