♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's news highlights from Darfur and Sudan

♦  Sudan government extends Khartoum curfew

May 6 – 2020 KHARTOUM / EL TAWISHA / EN NAHUD / ABU HAMED / PORT SUDAN El Rashid Saeed, First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information said at a press conference yesterday evening that an extension of the curfew in Khartoum will be announced soon.

Whether or not to extend the traffic ban is now studied by the Ministry of Health, he said. A decision will be taken before the ban ends on May 9.

Minister of Health Akram El Tom expressed his concern over the 100 new coronavirus infections recorded yesterday. “If all health and personal safety measures are not adhered to, we expect to reach 1,000 new patients daily by the end of the week,” he warned.

Um Hosh in El Tawisha locality in North Darfur was quarantined yesterday after a coronavirus case was confirmed. The locality decided to close all shops except pharmacies from 6 pm to 6 am. Only cargo vehicles are allowed to enter El Tawisha.

En Nahud in West Kordofan closed all shops in the locality for a week starting today. Pharmacies, butchers, bakeries, mills, groceries, and vegetable shops are allowed to stay open until 2 pm. Abu Hamed locality in River Nile state granted local employees paid leave for two weeks. The 12 pm to 6 am curfew has been extended.

In Red Sea state, two isolation centres and four medical shelters have been prepared for coronavirus patients. The Sudan Doctors Central Committee however said that the places face shortages of food and other daily necessities.

♦  Sudanese activists petition Hamdok about UN force mandate

May 7 – 2020 KHARTOUM On Monday, a group of Sudanese civil society activists urged Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok in a petition to add ‘physical protection’ to his request for a new UN force to be deployed in the country.

The 98 signatories of the petition dated May 4 point to the two letters Hamdok sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres earlier this year, in which he requested the UN Security Council to establish a Chapter VI Special Political Mission/Peace Support Operation to assist in the peace process and help Sudan to mobilise international financial assistance.

In both letters, the issue of physical protection of civilians was not clearly addressed, the activists say. They doubt if Sudan is able protect its citizens one year after the ousting of the regime headed by Omar Al Bashir.

They urge PM Hamdok to “shift course on your demands to the Security Council from Chapter VI to a Chapter VII mandate with emphasis on civilian protection, demand that the Unamid mission, equipped with a more robust force for civilian protection, be extended beyond October 2020”.

What is needed is “additional support for Unamid to continue its mission under its current mandate or its replacement with a broader mission under Chapter VII with additional tasks contained in your letters”.

More news from Radio Dabanga:

Coronavirus: Governor of Sudan's El Gezira in self-quarantine

May 11 – 2020 WAD MADANI / SHEIKAN / KHARTOUM The governor of El Gezira, Maj Gen Ahmed Sabir will go into quarantine at home after he had contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19). …

Clashing South Darfur herders to face justice

May 10 – 2020 NYALA Rizeigat and Fallata herdsmen arrested during the recent violence will all face justice, without any consideration of diya compensation, the acting governor of South Darfur has vowed. Sudanese …

Unamid, UN sign financial deal to support Sudan in its fight against Covid-19

May 8 – 2020 ZALINGEI The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (Unamid), in consultation with the Sudanese government and in partnership with the UN Agency, Funds and Programmes (AFPs) implementing the …

CAR refugees in South Darfur moved to a new site

May 8 – 2020 KHARTOUM The UN Refugee Agency has started the relocation of some 14,000 refugees, who fled the Central African Republic (CAR) for Um Dafug in South Darfur to El Mashaga, which is a better site further …

Covid-19 stresses Sudan’s health services

May 7 – 2020 KHARTOUM / SENNAR / EL FULA The rapidly growing number of coronavirus cases in Sudan are burdening the already worn-out health services in the country. On Wednesday, the Sudanese Ministry of Health …

Sudan activist re-detained by Rapid Support Forces militia

May 6 – 2020 ED DAMAZIN The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Ed Damazin, capital of Blue Nile state, detained a shop owner for the second time in a month. He was released the following day after being questioned, …

Op-ed: Silencing voices – Who speaks and who is silenced?

May 5 – 2020 DABANGA SUDAN By Sara Creta There is a feeling, a widespread common perception among refugees living in camps across Africa and in detention centre in Libya. It’s a sense of injustice and oppression that …

Sudan’s PM Hamdok discusses gold rate, Abyei, and state governors

May 5 – 2020 KHARTOUM On Monday, Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok said that the delay in appointing civilian state governors has hugely affected change in the states and their people. Via a phone call, Hamdok and the …

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