♦ This week’s news in brief ♦
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan’s news highlights from Darfur and Sudan
A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's news highlights from Darfur and Sudan
♦ Opposition party's VP imprisoned for Sudan protests
March 12 – 2019 OMDURMAN The Omdurman Emergency Court has issued prison and fine sentences against 13 members of the opposition National Umma Party (NUP), including the co-president, Dr Maryam El Sadig. She was arrested during a protest in front of the party's offices on Sunday.
Sudanese media reported that Maryam El Sadig El Mahdi had written on her Facebook page that she would not pay the fine she was sentenced to, leading to her imprisonment for three weeks.
The NUP co-president’s prison sentence is considered the first emergency court ruling against a leading political figure since the imposition of the State of Emergency last month. The State of Emergency has been ratified by parliament – for six months, instead of a year, as was decreed by president Omar Al Bashir.
♦ Women detainees on hunger strike – Al Bashir promises release
March 10 – 2019 OMDURMAN / KHARTOUM On Friday, dozens of women who are being held in Omdurman women’s prison entered a hunger strike to protest the oppression and arbitrary detention of women and celebrate International Women’s Day. More than 60 activists in Khartoum staged a similar hunger strike in solidarity with the women detained in connection with the demonstrations.
Overall, activists estimate that more than 150 women are currently in prison in Sudan for their participation or organisation of the ongoing protests.
In a gesture to mark International Women’s Day, Al Bashir told the head of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), which has been central to the suppression of protests, to release all women who have been detained in connection with the protests. No reports have been received to suggest any women have actually been released following the order.
The next day, the Emergency Court in Khartoum sentenced nine women protesters to 20 lashes each for participating in an unauthorised anti-government demonstration. The sentence has not yet been carried out pending an appeal.
More news from Radio Dabanga:
Medicines in short supply or unaffordable in Darfur
March 12 – 2019 DARFUR Patients in Darfur have complained about the lack of medicines, making them unaffordable. They point to the exit of a number of pharmaceutical companies…
El Jareeda journalists fed-up with press curbs
March 12 – 2019 KHARTOUM Journalists of El Jareeda newspaper have submitted a memo to the National Human Rights Commission in Sudan against the exceptional measures that the…
Sudan uprising: Protests continue in Khartoum, White Nile, El Gezira
March 10 – 2019 KHARTOUM / WHITE NILE / EL GEZIRA Anti-government demonstrations calling for the removal of President Omar Al Bashir from power continued across the states of…
More journalists detained in Sudan press curbs – senior editor still held incommunicado
March 10 – 2019 KHARTOUM The Sudanese Journalists Network condemned the ongoing crackdown on the press and journalists by the security forces, and held the National Intelligence…
Sudan fuel crisis: South Kordofan running on empty
March 10 – 2019 EL ABBASIYA El Abbasiya locality in South Kordofan is witnessing an acute fuel crisis. A number of residents confirmed that there is no fuel to be found in the area. The…
Tear gas attack on students in university, Khartoum
March 8 – 2019 KHARTOUM Hundreds of students of the National University held a vigil at the campus in southern Khartoum yesterday. Security forces attacked them with tear gas in the…
North Darfur attacks: Two children abducted, four wounded
March 8 – 2019 TAWILA Three separate attacks in Tawila locality in North Darfur on Thursday have left four people wounded. Two children have been kidnapped. Witnesses told Radio…
Sudan lawyers file appeals against Emergency Court verdicts
March 6 – 2019 KHARTOUM The Democratic Lawyers Alliance announced that they filed two appeals against the decisions of the Emergency Court of El Imtidad in Khartoum against…
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