♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦

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

Sudan peace talks: Agreement to be signed on Monday

August 30 – 2020 JUBA The Sudanese government delegation and members of the Sudan Revolutionary Front rebel alliance on Friday signed the Darfur track file, in preparation for the final signing scheduled for Monday in the presence of Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

The signing in initials in Juba was attended by the South Sudanese mediation team, the Chadian and Emirati mediation delegations, and a representative of the Egyptian government. PM Hamdok is due to travel to Juba today with a high-level delegation to attend Monday’s signing ceremony.

The head of the mediation team for Sudan’s peace negotiations, Tut Galuak, invited the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement, headed by Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW), to join the peace talks.

Galuak further stated that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction led by Abdelaziz El Hilu adheres to the Juba Declaration of Principles signed by the parties in Juba in September last year, to achieve a comprehensive peace.

Resistance Committees: ‘El Burhan speech a threat to Sudanese revolution’

August 26 – 2020 KHARTOUM / OMDURMAN Activists in Khartoum have described the statements of Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Chairman of the Sovereign Council, earlier this week as “a serious and direct threat to the revolution”.

In a speech at the Army Command in Khartoum on Sunday, El Burhan denied rumours that attribute the economic crisis in the country to SAF companies and investments and “their manipulation of the economy”. He pointed to poor planning and management as the causes of the current crisis.

The army has counted 450 so-called “government companies” not linked with SAF. More than 220 companies are operating outside the financial system. “They do not pay taxes or customs, and the records and scope of their work are unknown,” the military leader said.

He further accused the current government of not cooperating with the army. “We offered the government all assistance concerning these companies, but it did not act.”

The Resistance Committees Coordination in Khartoum however described El Burhan’s statements as “suspicious”. They called on the Sudanese for more vigilance and caution, and announced they will continue their “peaceful public pressure until the course of the revolution has been corrected”.

Sudan Irrigation Minister: Political will needed to crack no-deal dam deadlock
August 30 – 2020 KHARTOUM / ADDIS ABABA / CAIRO Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia have failed during their latest round of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to reach an agreement on the draft by Friday.

Nile water level breaks record in Sudan
August 28 – 2020 KHARTOUM / EL GEDAREF The water level of the Blue Nile in Khartoum reached a height record of 17.43 metres on Thursday. Parts of the banks of the White Nile and the River Nile are flooded.
 
Violence and chaos in eastern Sudan’s Kassala
August 28 – 2020 KASSALA / KHARTOUM Yesterday, Kassala town and surroundings witnessed widespread violence. Protests against the new Kassala governor took place again in Kassala and Port Sudan. A ministerial delegation will visit the conflict-torn state soon.

Economist: ‘Sudan govt economic programme threatens democracy’
August 27 – 2020 KHARTOUM The Sudan government’s current economic programme threatens the future of democracy in the country, according to economist Sidgi Kaballo. He announced that Sudan will hold a National Economic Conference in late September.

Call for stricter laws to protect women in Sudan
August 27 – 2020 KHARTOUM Sudanese women’s groups in Khartoum yesterday called on the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice to enact deterrent laws that protect women from physical, verbal, and psychological harassment.

Polio spreads in Sudan
August 26 – 2020 KASSALA / KHARTOUM The Kassala Ministry of Health reported a polio case in the state. 71 new coronavirus (COVID-19) patients were recorded in the country. The new governor of Kassala described the health situation in the state as stable but vulnerable.

Hamdok: ‘Sudan’s transitional govt not authorised to decide on relations with Israel’
August 25 – 2020 KHARTOUM Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok told the visiting US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo at their meeting in Khartoum today that the transitional government is not authorised to decide on the normalisation of relations with Israel.

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