♦ 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
♦ ‘Sudan govt. used chemical weapons in Darfur’: Amnesty Int.
Evidence strongly suggests the repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, in Darfur’s Jebel Marra, Amnesty International (AI) says in a new report on Thursday.
The report Scorched Earth, Poisoned Air features satellite images, survivor testimonies, and photos to confirm the occurrence of “war crimes” in Sudan’s war-torn western region.
“It is time to expose the harrowing human rights violations taking place in Jebel Marra to a world that has so far ignored them,” AI states.
Using satellite imagery, more than 200 in-depth interviews with survivors and expert analysis of dozens of appalling images showing babies and young children with terrible injuries, the investigation indicates that at least 30 likely chemical attacks have taken place in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January 2016. The most recent was on 9 September 2016.
Based on testimonies from caregivers and survivors, the human rights watchdog estimates that between 200 and 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents, with many –or most– being children.
Hundreds more survived attacks but in the days after exposure to the chemicals developed symptoms including bloody vomiting and diarrhoea; blistering and rashes on skin; eye problems; and respiratory problems which were reported to be the most common cause of death.
In response to the report, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) is currently discussing the option to halt the peace talks with the government.
♦ Sudan opts for free wheat and flour trade
October 3 – 2016 KHARTOUM The Sudanese Minister of Finance announced on Saturday that the government will withdraw from the international wheat and flour market, and open the door for free import of the food staples.
Minister Badreldin Mahmoud said that the new measure will not require any specifications from suppliers. In addition, the authorities will end the control over the domestic wheat and flour market. The minimum weight for a piece of bread will be abolished.
At a meeting of Finance Ministers of the Sudanese states and their senior assistants regarding the 2017 National Budget, Mahmoud stated that the federal government will continue to review salary policies, and address possible gaps in these policies.
The budget for “the defence forces and security organs” will not be altered.
The costs of wheat import continue to rise as a result of the ongoing fall of the Sudanese Pound against the US dollar on the ‘parallel market’ since 2012.The Head of the Bakers' Union in Sudan said in January 2016 that the country imports wheat worth about $1.4 billion.
The Sudanese government recently agreed to a package of measures proposed by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Sudan to curb the fast rise of the US Dollar on the black market during the past five months.
More highlights from Radio Dabanga:
Anger in North Darfur's Tawila about 'land annexation'
October 3 – 2016 EL FASHER / TAWILA The population of Tawila locality in North Darfur have strongly denounced the ‘annexation attempt' of the area of Kolge by the El Shatiya, a clan of the Rizeigat tribe. In a speech…
Central Darfur 'Nierteti detainees' released, two others held
October 2 – 2016 ZALINGEI On Saturday, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) released 16 displaced people in Khartoum. Two displaced men were detained in the South Darfur capital of Nyala…
Diarroea epidemic: Death toll rises in Sudan
September 29 – 2016 EL GEZIRA / KHARTOUM The death toll in the current watery diarrhoea outbreak in Sudan continues to rise as medical facilities struggle to cope. Babies, young children and the elderly are…
More Sudanese doctors join strike for security
September 29 – 2016 KHARTOUM The Central Committee of Doctors in Sudan has announced that doctors across Khartoum state and Kordofan have now joined the strike demanding security and protection for medical…
North Darfur schoolgirl raped, three escape
September 28 – 2016 KABKABIYA A 14-year-old schoolgirl was repeatedly raped, allegedly by elements of the Rapid Support militia in Kabkabiya locality in North Darfur today. The coordinator of the Kabkabiya camps…
Date prices, production fall in Sudan
September 27 – 2016 NORTHERN STATE Farmers in the Northern State of Sudan have complained of decreased production of dates after the establishment of Merowe Dam, and falling prices since the…
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