♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦
A compact digest of this week’s most-read highlights, from the heart of Sudan.
Sudanese PM Hamdok visits Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa on December 13 (Social media)
A compact digest of this week's most-read highlights, from the heart of Sudan. Subscribe to receive this digest weekly in your inbox.
December 15 – 2020 KHARTOUM Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok took aim at the Sudanese military over its vast economic activities on Monday, which he says should be limited to the defence sector, during a speech on the anniversary of the beginning of the revolution which overthrew the country’s former regime under Omar Al Bashir.
“In today's world, there is no place to hide,” explaining that financial transparency and accountability of companies that exist in relation to the government and the military is a basic and imperative requirement, as it is not possible to manage the resources of the Sudanese people without it.
“Every army in the world invests in defence companies,” said Hamdok, “but it is unacceptable for the military and security services to do so in productive sectors, and thus compete with the private sector,” referring to entire sectors of Sudan’s economy which are dominated by companies controlled by senior military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces officials.
The speech was made after the US officially removed Sudan from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, and also follows the passing of the Sudan Democratic Transition, Accountability, and Fiscal Transparency Act of 2020 by the US House of Representatives last week.
Regarding his visit to Ethiopia, Hamdok said it was ‘‘very successful’’ and that there were a number of important developments.
El Burhan criticises Sovereign Council, defends TPC
December 10 – 2020 KHARTOUM NORTH In a speech last Wednesday, Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan accused the Sovereign Council of failure and defended his decision to establish the Transitional Partners Council (TPC).
"A year after its creation, I say that the transitional council has failed to respond to the aspirations of the people and of the revolution," El Burhan said, addressing military trainees from the ‘Descendants of Taharqa 4’ at the end of their training year at Shakout military area north of Khartoum with the participation of units of the 5th Infantry Brigade, Air Force, Air Defense and Rapid Support Forces.
El Burhan emphasised the inability of the government to achieve the aspirations of the people and the revolution despite the fact that is has been more than a year since the Sovereign Council and the Council of Ministers were formed. He pointed out the increased suffering of people to obtain their daily needs.
His plans have received widespread criticism from all kinds of political parties and civil society organisations who accused El Burhan of abusing his authority to transfer political power away from the country's constitutional institutions to the TPC.
Delling emphasises the importance of local and indigenous cultures
December 15 – 2020 DELLING The town of Delling in South Kordofan witnessed the closure of the harvest festival on Saturday. Events included folk exhibitions, dances and wrestling, drawing crowds from both urban and rural areas.
Darfur sit-in against UNAMID withdrawal continues
December 14 – 2020 KALMA / KABKABIYA The sit-in at Kalma camp near Nyala, South Darfur, entered its second week. “Protection of the displaced can not be entrusted to those who killed them”, one of the sit-in leaders said.
Appointment fuels fear for privatisation in Port Sudan
December 14 – 2020 PORT SUDAN The employees of the Sea Ports Authority in Port Sudan organized a protest in front of the gate of the southern port, protesting against the appointment of former director Bahri Mahmoud as an “expert”.
1000 Ethiopian refugees live in 'extremely difficult conditions' in Kassala
December 13 – 2020 HAMDAYET Acting governor of Kassala, El Tayeb El Sheikh, warned of the effects on eastern Sudan of the war in Tigray in Ethiopia and the influx of tens of thousands of refugees into the region on Friday.
UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence closure
December 12 – 2020 KADUGLI / KHARTOUM At a closing event of the UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign on Thursday, Asma Abakar, director of the El Kandaka humanitarian aid organisation, called for ‘‘solidarity’’ and ‘‘cohesion’’.
COVID-19: Khartoum hardest hit by pandemic
December 10 – 2020 KHARTOUM 425 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in two days during Sudan’s second wave of infections. The health situation in the Khartoum is especially severe, as doctors recommend schools remain closed.
El Burhan to withdraw Sudanese citizenship from over 3,000 people
December 10 – 2020 KHARTOUM The head of the Sovereign Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, announced the decision to withdraw Sudanese citizenship from 3,548 naturalised residents, granted to them under the regime of former ruler Omar Al Bashir.
Education minister calls for schools to reopen
December 9 – 2020 KHARTOUM The Ministry of Education has recommended that basic and secondary schools reopen, especially the eighth-grade of basic schools and the third-grade of secondary schools, after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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