♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

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

♦ Sudan releases AFP and Reuters reporters, two still detained

January 23 – 2018 KHARTOUM The Sudanese security service has released all but two of the reporters who were detained for covering the price-hike protests in Khartoum last week. On Monday the security authorities released Reuters correspondent Khalid Abdelaziz and AFP correspondent Abdelmunim Abu Idris, along with journalist Shawgi Abelazim (El Youm El Tali) who were arrested when they reported on one of the vigils that were staged on Tuesday and Wednesday in Omdurman and Khartoum last week. Eight journalists were arrested at the sites of demonstrations. Their detentions raised criticism on Sudan’s press restrictions from the United States and international human rights organisations.

Also journalists involved in the coverage of the Omdurman protest this week told this station that they were threatened with detention in case they would photograph the demonstrations.

In addition, leading members of the Communist Party of Sudan and the National Umma Party are still being held by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). Their whereabouts are unknown. The CPoS had organised a mass rally in the Sudanese capital in protest against the economic policies of the government. The recent austerity measures implemented in the first week of January led to the doubling, and in some cases, the tripling of prices of basic consumer goods. Prices of wheat increased with 233 per cent.

Continue reading

♦ Sudanese migrants tortured to death in Libya

January 22 – 2018 TRIPOLI On Friday, two Sudanese died as a result of torture at the Tajoura Prison in Libya. Sudanese activist Adam Hari Bosh told Radio Dabanga from Tripoli that he could not give any details about the victims so far. He pointed to two videos that appeared on social media on Saturday, showing Sudanese being tortured by Libyan militiamen. Radio Dabanga has access to the videos of the alleged torture.
“Libyan gangs sent shocking videos showing two young Darfuris from Kutum being subjected to brutal torture to their families, demanding a ransom of SDG 120,000 ($17,000) for each of them,” he said. “The areas where this violence take place are all under control of the Libyan government.”

Bosh criticised the Sudanese government for doing nothing to help its nationals in Libya. “All African governments have evacuated their nationals from Libya, except the Sudanese government. Khartoum has done nothing to save its own people. “More than 5,000 Sudanese are stranded in Libya,” he said.

The Commissioner of Social Affairs of the AU Commission, Amira El Fadil, commented yesterday by saying that she has ordered an investigation into the origin of the videos.

Last week the North Darfur governor asked a visiting delegation from the US Department of Defence, headed by political adviser at the embassy in Khartoum, Wallace R. Bain, to provide logistic support to control the vast border with Libya. It would aim to help combatting illegal immigration and human and drug trafficking.

More news from Radio Dabanga: