♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

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

As Ramadan began, ongoing negotiations between opposition forces and the Transitional Military Council progressed, Sudan Doctors reported that 90 people have been killed in anti-government demonstrations since mid-December 2018, two girls were raped at gunpoint in South Kordofan.

♦ Sudan’s opposition declares ‘unity in spite of differences’

May 8 – 2019 KHARTOUM The opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) has confirmed its commitment to the revolt in the country and the sit-in in front of the General Command of the Sudanese army in Khartoum and the mass movement until the fulfilment of the demands for the next phase.

SCP president Omar El Degeir played down the differences among the members of the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC) over the contents of the constitutional document and the mediation committee. In a press conference in Khartoum on Tuesday he described the different positions of the components of the signatories of the Declaration of Freedom and Change as “normal”, stressing the need to manage different visions with the spirit of one team and common goal.

The deputy chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, Yasir Arman, has warned against ignoring the issues of war and peace during the current phase, saying that this has implications for the future of the country.

Mohamed El Hasan Libat, the AU Special Envoy to Sudan, announced the intention of the AU Peace and Security Council to discuss a report on the developments in Sudan in two weeks, focusing on the process of the transition of power.

♦ South Kordofan girls raped at gunpoint

May 3 – 2019 ABU KERSHOLA On Sunday, two girls were raped at gunpoint while they were at their farm in South Kordofan. One of the victims is a minor. The rape was allegedly perpetrated by four Popular Defence Force PDF soldiers. The victims are now undergoing medical treatment. A case was opened at Rashad police office, but no further investigation was held. In a press statement, HUDO, a Sudanese NGO dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights, reports that YHAB* is 15 years old and WHI* is 18 years old. The crime occurred at Elfaid Um Abdalla, a small town in Abu Kershola locality. HUDO calls upon Police in South Kordofan state to carry out genuine investigations, to apprehend and present the suspects before courts of law.

*Names initialised to protect victims’ identities

More news from Radio Dabanga:

Sudan’s Military Council agrees to proposals of mediation team

May 6 – 2019 KHARTOUM The Sudanese team mediating between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the forces of Freedom and Change has proposed the formation of a leadership council for Sudan, consisting of…

Sudan uprising: ‘Revolution expands in Kordofan’

May 5 – 2019 KORDOFAN / WHITE NILE The revolutionary movement and sit-ins have continued in Kordofan states for the fourth week in support of the sit-in in front of the military command in Khartoum…

South Kordofan girls raped at gunpoint

May 3 – 2019 ABU KERSHOLA On Sunday, two girls were raped at gunpoint while they were at their farm in South Kordofan. One of the victims is a minor. The rape was allegedly perpetrated by four Popular Defence Force PDF soldiers…

Sudan uprising; Mass action continues to grow

May 3 – 2019 SUDAN In the fourth week of the Sudanese sit-in in front of the General Command of the Sudanese army in Khartoum and military units in the states, hundreds of thousands of people participated in…

US Senate resolution urges ‘swift transfer to a civilian-led political authority in Sudan’

May 3 – 2019 WASHINGTON A resolution that encourages ‘a swift transfer of power by the military to a civilian-led political authority in Sudan’ was tabled in the US Senate on Thursday, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. It also reiterates that…

Red Sea flour workers strike continues

May 2 – 2019 RED SEA STATE The open-ended strike of workers at government-owned SEEN Flour Company in the Red Sea state demanding better wages entered its third consecutive day yesterday…

15 arrests at South Kordofan protest

May 2 – 2019 DELLING Military Intelligence (MI) agents in Delling in South Kordofan arrested about 15 people and took them to the military garrison on Wednesday…

EU division head meets legal, media, humanitarian actors in Sudan capital

May 2 – 2019 KHARTOUM Patrick Simonnet Head of Division of Horn of Africa in the European Union’s External Action Service arrived in the Sudan capital of Khartoum today and held meetings with representatives of several…

Convoy from Darfur swells Khartoum sit-in

May 1 – 2019 KHARTOUM For the fourth week in a row, tens of thousands of Sudanese are protesting in front of the General Command of the Sudanese army in Khartoum and army units in other cities in the country…

Sudan junta makes contact with armed rebel groups

May 1 – 2019 KHARTOUM The Transitional Military Council (TMC) has established contact with the armed movements including the Sudan Liberation Movement under the leadership of Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW)…

Rebels: Delegation negotiating with Sudan’s Transitional Military Council ‘does not represent SRF’

April 30 – 2019 SUDAN The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of three rebel movements) has confirmed that the delegation of the forces of Freedom and Change which has been meeting the Transitional Military Council since April 11 to date does not…

Khartoum protesters build barricades, defy Sudan V-P’s appeal to open roads

April 30 – 2019 KHARTOUM Public anger erupted on the streets of Khartoum on Monday night after the commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and effective Vice-President as deputy-head of…

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