♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

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

The US reacted to Monday night's violence in Khartoum, conflict in El Gedaref was resolved in an agreement, and our Editor-in-Chief, Kamal El Sadig, wrote a piece on the five most pressing challenges facing Sudan. Here's this week's roundup:

♦ Four dead as gunfire rakes Khartoum sit-in

May 14 – 2019 KHARTOUM Gunfire that erupted at the sit-in in front of the General Command of the Sudanese army in Khartoum on Monday evening, has left four people dead. Dozens more have been injured. The violence is being blamed on ‘shadow battalions’ and ‘sleeper cells’ of supporters of the ousted Al Bashir regime.

Reports reaching Radio Dabanga say that protestors at the sit-in, that has been maintained since April 6, were targeted by ‘gunmen in military uniforms’. Witnesses said that there were also sharpshooters on buildings, and the dead army officer, named only as Captain Koroama, was targeted by them. 

The USA has voiced its sympathy to the families of the victims of Monday night’s violence, and called on Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC) not to allow the incidents to stand in the way of building on the progress of Monday’s negotiations. 

A statement via the US Embassy in Khartoum today says the attacks on protestors “were clearly the result of the TMC trying to impose its will on the protesters by attempting to remove roadblocks." 

♦ Agreement reached after violent conflict in El Gedaref

May 14 – 2019 EL GEDAREF The two parties of the violent conflict that erupted in El Gedaref in eastern Sudan on Saturday have signed an agreement of reconciliation and tolerance. A dispute between a woman and a man about the price of a barrel of water grew violent and led to the woman being killed on Saturday. Listeners told Radio Dabanga that fighting between the relatives of the victim and the water seller led to the “outbreak of tribal clashes”.

Witnesses reported eight people killed and more than 50 wounded on Saturdayand Sunday and property was burned. Brig Gen Saleh Abakar, the head of El Gedaref state security committee, claimed that the total number of deaths from tribal clashes that erupted in El Gedaref on Saturday and Sunday has so far reached seven, and 22 injured.

The ‘agreement of reconciliation and tolerance’ was signed by representatives of the Nuba and Bani Amer tribes in El Gedaref. In the document, all types of division and dispersal are being rejected. The two tribes agreed on the importance of peaceful coexistence and working together to promote social peace. They also agreed to cooperate with the committee the governor has formed to conduct an inventory of the losses to redress the damage caused by events.

More news from Radio Dabanga:

Dollar rate rising again on Sudan’s parallel market

May 13 – 2019 KHARTOUM On Sunday, the exchange rate of the US Dollar rose to SDG 64 in cash and SDG 75 in cheques …

Port Sudan workers to lift strike, open roads

May 12 – 2019 PORT SUDAN The temporary workers at the Ports Authority in Port Sudan announced the lifting of the strike and the opening of the roads they were blocking after …

Sudanese lawyers open proceedings against Al Bashir regime leaders

May 12 – 2019 KHARTOUM Leading Sudanese lawyers have initiated legal proceedings against the leaders of the former regime, on charges of orchestrating the military coup in 1989. The …

Sudanese answer call for civil disobedience

May 10 – 2019 EL GEZIRA / WHITE NILE / WEST KORDOFAN / WEST DARFUR / EL GEDAREF / SOUTH DARFUR / KHARTOUM Armed forces broke through barricades and opened fire …

How did civil discontent propel Sudan towards the overthrow of Al Bashir?

May 10 – 2019 SUDAN On December 13, 2018, a protest about bread and fuel shortages broke out in the town of Atbara, Sudan; commentators claim that the demonstration sparked …

Injuries as army, militia clash with Khartoum protestors

May 9 – 2019 KHARTOUM / NYALA Members of Sudan’s regular forces have reportedly continued to assault the protesters in front of the General Command in Khartoum, where …

Sudan’s junta demands wider powers

May 9 – 2019 KHARTOUM Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) has stressed the need to grant the leadership council (Sovereign Council) powers to impose a State of …

Deaths, injuries from militia lawlessness in South Kordofan

May 9 – 2019 TALODI HUDO, a Sudanese NGO dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights, reports that on May 3, members of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces …

US Deputy Secretary of State calls Sudan’s TMC chief: ‘Expedite move to civilian govt’

May 9 – 2019 WASHINGTON / KHARTOUM The US Deputy Secretary of State, John J Sullivan, spoke with the Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC), Lt Gen Abdelfattah …

Sudan opposition condemn ‘TMC procrastination’

May 9 – 2019 KHARTOUM The Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC) has strongly condemned the response of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) to its proposed constitutional …

This digest is an excerpt from the weekly Darfur & Sudan News Update. Subscribe here to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox.

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