♦ 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.

Covid-19: US-COVAX grant of a million doses of Pfizer vaccine lands in Sudan

October 4 – 2022 KHARTOUM As many countries in the world report an upsurge in Covid-19 infections as the ‘autumn wave’ approaches, a consignment of more than a million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Sudan, donated by the USA as part of the COVAX Platform that aims for equitable distribution of vaccines to countries regardless of their income.

In a statement, the US Embassy in Khartoum announced the arrival of 1,000,350 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which brings the total number of vaccines provided to the people of Sudan via COVAX to 4,685,480, and said that the donation “is part of our commitment in leading the global response to end the pandemic and with the singular objective of saving lives”.

Hemeti: New school feeding programme to benefit 400,000 students in Sudan

October 5 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Vice President of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo, has announced a programme of school feeding that will benefit 400,000 students in its first phase.

Addressing the Sudanese School Feeding Initiative, Hemeti he called on all states of Sudan to redouble efforts to take advantage of opportunities to bring the country and citizens out of poverty towards production and economic wellbeing. He said that “the magnitude of the major political, economic, and social challenges that Sudan is facing require unity, social cohesion and helping each other”.

Sudan lorry drivers face ‘600 per cent transit fee increase’
October 6 – 2022 KHARTOUM Lorry drivers in Sudan threatened to close all bridges in the capital, in order to protest the 600 per cent increase in transit fees. As well as lorry drivers, tractor and digger owners will also reportedly use their vehicles to help close the bridges in Khartoum.
 
Sudan lawyers: Atbara acquittals demonstrate ‘integrated platform for impunity’
October 5 – 2022 ATBARA Lawyers and public observers voiced outrage after the Criminal Court of Atbara in Sudan’s River Nile state acquitted three defendants accused of killing Mukhtar Abdullah in front of the security apparatus building in Atbara on April 11, 2019; a day on which at least 13 people died across Sudan, alleged from action by security forces and ‘shadow battalions’, according to Sudanese doctors.
 
Minawi criticises Sudan govt forces for failing to join Darfur force two years after peace agreement
October 4 – 2022 EL FASHER Wali (governor) of the Darfur region Minni Minawi has expressed his frustration over the fact that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have still not joined a joint peacekeeping force in Darfur as stipulated by the Juba Peace Agreement, which was signed exactly two years ago on the day Minawi held his speech.
 
Protest escalation in October as Sudan coup marks first anniversary
October 4 – 2022 KHARTOUM The Coordination of Resistance Committees in Khartoum state announced six Marches of the Millions this month, October, to mark the one-year anniversary of the October 25 military coup d'état as part of their protest escalation schedule.
 
Local authorities fail to meet demands of multiple Darfur protests
October 3 – 2022 EL KUMA / EL SEREIF / ED EL FURSAN Several separate protests in North and South Darfur are demanding action from local authorities over financial aid issues, tribal leaders, and agricultural crop failure as the region continues to suffer from growing acute food insecurity, recent flooding, and mass displacement.

Sudan staple food costs ‘increase 300% since last year’
October 2 – 2022 KHARTOUM According to a recent report published by the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), Sudan’s growing acute food insecurity, recent flooding, and mass displacement as a result of intercommunal conflict, have led to Sudan being classified as a country in ‘crisis’.
 
55 groups sign new charter for Sudan's resistance committees
September 30 – 2022 KHARTOUM 55 resistance committees and revolutionary bodies signed the new Revolutionary Charter for the Establishment of the People’s Authority on Wednesday as a political vision for the resistance committees.
 
Thousands of Sudanese take to the streets in new Marches of the Millions
September 30 – 2022 KHARTOUM / WAD MADANI / DONGOLA / NYALA / ATBARA Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the cities of Khartoum, Wad Madani, Nyala, Dongola, and Atbara in response to the calls of the resistance committees to demand the overthrow of the coup regime and retribution for the martyrs in new Marches of the Millions.