♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

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

Abdelaziz El Hilu, leader of the SPLM-N faction in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan (File photo)

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

♦  SPLM-N El Hilu, Sudan govt agree on peace talks roadmap

October 18 – 2019 JUBA The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction under the leadership of Abdelaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu) and the Sudanese government reached an agreement on a roadmap for peace negotiations concerning South Kordofan.

Four days earlier, on Monday, two tracks of peace talks were launched in Juba, capital of South Sudan, between the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF, a coalition of five armed movements) and the Sudanese government, and between SPLM-N El Hilu and Khartoum.

SPLM-N El Hilu spokesman El Jak Mahmoud deemed the agreement on the roadmap “a factual break-through”, given the movement’s previous experiences with the regime of ousted President Omar Al Bashir. “During the past eight years, there were 22 rounds of negotiations with the former regime without reaching an agreement,” he stated.

The rebel group suspended the talks on Wednesday, accusing the Sudanese government of violating the agreed ceasefire. The chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, issued a constitutional decree declaring a cease-fire "on al fronts throughout Sudan" on the same day. On Thursday, the SPLM-N El Hilu returned to the negotiating table.

 

♦  Media banned from Sudan Courts Martial

October 17 – 2019 KHARTOUM A military court in Khartoum has ruled to ban media coverage of the trials of defendants accused of involvement in the foiled coup attempt in July, as well as the Court Martial of former Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal. The court said the ruling was in “order not to harm justice”.

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) spokesman Brig Gen Amer El Hasan said “Musa Hilal belongs to the army and is therefore subject to the Sudan Armed Forces Act.”

El Hasan explained that in the case of military trials by the military judiciary under the Act, the SAF has the right to assess the trials and keep them confidential. He asserted that “the elements of a fair trial are fully available and “the trial takes place, with the full powers of the General Courts for the sake of justice”.

In a statement last month, the Darfur Bar Association described the trial by Court Martial of Hilal and his affiliates as “invalid and has no legal ground because the alleged crimes relate to the resisting and opposing the former regime, which are legitimate activities that cannot constitute crimes”.
 


More news from Radio Dabanga:

SRF rebels, Sudan govt sign agreement in Juba

October 21 – 2019 JUBA The Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF, an alliance of Sudanese armed movements) and the Sudanese government, today signed an agreement in the South Sudan capital …

Marches mark 55th anniversary of the 'October Revolution'

October 21 – 2019 SUDAN Thousands of Sudanese took to the streets of Khartoum and all major cities across the country today to mark the 55th anniversary of the 1964 ‘October Revolution’ …

Doctors: 'Health condition collapse' in Kassala

October 16 – 2019 KASSALA The Sudan Central Doctors' Committee reported widespread prevalence of chikugunya and dengue fever in Kassala, pointing out that 48 percent of the total …

‘No censorship’ at Khartoum International Book Fair

October 16 – 2019 KHARTOUM Sudan’s Minister of Culture and Information, Feisal Mohamed Salih, announced the inauguration of the 15th Khartoum International Book Fair that will that …

South Kordofan protests against toxins, militia presence continue

October 21 – 2019 TALODI On Friday, protesters against the use to toxic substances in gold mining in Talodi in the Nuba Mountains, South Kordofan, gave the Sudanese government …

Gunmen pillage five villages in South Darfur

October 21 – 2019 GIREIDA Armed robbers pillaged five villages near Gireida in South Darfur on Saturday. In a separate incident near Manawashi, a villager was killed and three others …

Minister: 'Financial support inadequate for Sudan's poor'

October 20 – 2019 KHARTOUM Sudan’s Minister of Labour and Social Development has described the feasibility of direct financial support to poor and vulnerable people in the country …

Eastern Sudanese activist accuses security chief of murder

October 18 – 2019 EL GEDAREF An activist in eastern Sudan's El Gedaref accuses the police and the state's prosecution of foot-dragging concerning the complaint lodged against …

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


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