♦ This week’s news in brief ♦
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan’s highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan
♦ Sudanese singer arrested for 'indecent dress'
October 22 – 2018 KHARTOUM The Public Order Court in Khartoum indefinitely postponed the trial of popular Sudanese singer Mona Magdi after she was arrested on charges of wearing indecent dress on Sunday.
Magdi was detained by Khartoum police on the grounds of an old photo that was posted on social media sites showing her wearing trousers at a private party. Political forces, civil society organisations and women’s groups have condemned the trial as null, void, and blatantly targeting women’s rights and personal freedoms.
Sudan’s strict Islamic morality laws criminalise “indecent dress” under Article 152 of the Sudanese Penal Code. Many women in Sudan have been tried. The crime is punishable by up to 40 lashes and a fine.
♦ US Dollar rate spikes further: 52 Sudan Pounds
October 23 – 2018 KHARTOUM The Minister of Finance announced the 2019 budget should address the ongoing scarcity of liquidity. The purchase price of the US Dollar reached 52.30 Sudanese Pounds (in checks) while the purchase price rose to 49 Pounds (in cash) in the parallel markets. The latest reported exchange rate on the black market was SDG 51 on October 7, meaning a growth of 2.5 per cent in two weeks.
Minister of Finance, Moutaz Mousa said that next year’s budget guidelines provide a 10 per cent growth rate for the economy, as an annual average. It would aim to stabilise the exchange rate and address the scarcity of money which has exacerbated the situation in Sudan, he said. The previous annual budget has been widely criticised for allocating a high percentage to the army, security service and paramilitary forces, and neglecting the education and health sectors.
Sudan is suffering from a chronic lack of hard currency and cash, while exports remain low. High inflation figures caused a severe drop in purchasing power among the Sudanese since early January, after the government implemented major austerity measures.
More news from Radio Dabanga:
October 23 – 2018 EASTERN CHAD Sudanese refugees in Kounoungo camp in eastern Chad have complained of food shortages caused..
October 23 – 2018 BINDISI / WAD BANDA More teachers have joined a wave of strikes against the non-payment of salaries for educational…
October 21 – 2018 NYALA / OMDURMAN Agents of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) held 13 Christians from a home…
October 21 – 2018 KHARTOUM The Chairman of Sudan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj Gen Kamal Abdelmarouf, said that he has succeeded in …
October 19 – 2018 ABU KERSHOLA Military Intelligence in South Kordofan have arrested a man suspected of being the brother of a rebel …
October 19 – 2018 EL GEZIRA El Gezira University said that 25 students are still being held at the police department following a clash and…
October 18 – 2018 KHARTOUM The state security prosecutor summoned a number of journalists to appear before the prosecutor in Khartoum…
October 18 – 2018 SUDAN Listeners from various Sudanese states have renewed their complaints about the rise in the prices of food and…
Sudan Call memo to WHO highlights ‘collapse in Sudan health sector’
October 18 – 2018 KHARTOUM The Sudan Call, a coalition of opposition parties and armed movements, has submitted a memorandum to the…
October 17 – 2018 GIREIDA / TAWILA Two people were killed and four others were wounded in a road robbery in Gireida in South Darfur on…
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