♦ 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 releases 20 detainees: SCP leaders still held
December 27 – 2016 KHARTOUM The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have released 16 leaders of the opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCP), and four members of the Reform Now movement. Party president Omar El Digeir was released late on Sunday. Eight other leaders and members of the party also remain in detention.
Approximately 40 opposition politicians and activists have been detaine since the start of the civil disobedience campaign, which followed the liberalisation of the fuel and medicine markets and other austerity measures in early November, causing a substantial knock-on economic effect. Detentions of activists and opposition members have been reported from across Sudan in the days after the December 19 Disobedience action.
Meanwhile the leader of the National Umma Party, El Sadig El Mahdi, has held a meeting with the leading youth activists of the civil disobedience campaign that was launched on 19 December, and before on 27 November in Sudanese cities, to propose an alliance between the two groups. Sudanese activists on Facebook have announced the formation of a 'November 27 Movement' that will engage in organising acts of peaceful resistance against the regime.
Relatives of the detained SCP members held a vigil they are “deeply concerned” over the continued detention without charge or even allowing them to have visitors in the prison. According to a former prisoner speaking to Radio Dabanga, detained opposition members and humanitarian aid workers in Sudanese prisons are subjected to torture: “Detainees are regularly tortured and threatened with death by members of the security apparatus.”
♦ 'Sudan's 2017 budget will lead to continued crisis': Economist
December 25 – 2016 KHARTOUM The 2017 budget for the year 2017, which was submitted to the Sudanese Parliament on Wednesday, will lead to continued economic crisis in the country, a prominent economist has predicted. On Wednesday night, Sudan’s Finance Minister, Badereldin Mahmoud, submitted the budget for the year 2017 with a deficit of SDG 1.6 billion ($246 million) and reliance on taxes by 74%. The total funds allocated to the Ministry of Defence are SDG 14 billion ($2.16 billion), SDG 3 billion ($500 million) for Rapid Support Forces, SDG 4.3 billion ($675 million) for the National Intelligence and Security Service, and SDG 6.28 billion ($9.6 billion) for the Ministry of the Interior.
The 2017 budget which the Finance Minister submitted “will adversely affect production and investment climate and lead to continued economic crisis”, said Dr Hassan Bashir, Professor of Economics at El Nilein University. It is “overly focused” on defence, security, and general management of the state, with weak spending on economic development, social services, and infrastructure. “It further relies on taxes and fees for 74 per cent.” The budget deficit which has reached SDG 6.1 billion.
The ongoing shortages of hard currency at the Central Bank of Sudan continued to push the black market rate of the US Dollar upwards this year. Last month the exchange rate increased to SDG18 on the parallel markets.
Other highlights from Radio Dabanga:
Ten people die of acute diarrhoea in Sudan's El Gezira
December 27 – 2016 WAD MADANI Ten people died of acute watery diarrhoea in a hospital in El Gezira state on Sunday and Monday. The hospital has received dozens of infected cases…
Emergency amendments pass first vote in Sudanese Parliament
December 26 – 2016 OMDURMAN A controversial raft of emergency amendments, based on the National Document agreed to by Sudan’s National Dialogue and proposed by the Presidency, passed the first phase of voting in Parliament today. The…
Farmer-herder clashes leave trail of dead in Darfur
December 25 – 2016 RAHID EL BERDI / MUKJAR At least 12 people have been killed and ten more wounded in clashes between farmers belong to El Borno tribe and Awlad Rashid herders in Rahid El Berdi in South Darfur. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga on…
Students clash in Khartoum: 'Dozens wounded'
December 23 – 2016 KHARTOUM / SHENDI Dozens of students have been wounded in clashes at the Sudan University in Khartoum on Thursday. Six students are seriously injured. A group of students of the Faculty of Agriculture's western…
Severe cold kills three malnourished Darfur children
December 22 – 2016 JEBEL MARRA Three children have died from hunger, and the severe cold that has been witnessed in Darfur’s East Jebel Marra over the past few days. Abdelhafiz Adam Abakar (2), Eisa Yahya (3), and Suleiman Yahya…
Two young women raped at gunpoint in Central Darfur
December 22 – 2016 NIERTETI Two young women have been attacked and raped at gunpoint by paramilitaries in the area of Malgo, west of Nierteti in Central Darfur. A relative of the women told Radio Dabanga that the women, who…
Five more Sudanese newspapers gagged
December 21 – 2016 KHARTOUM Five newspapers have been gagged in the 24 hours following the civil disobedience action in Sudan on 19 December. On Tuesday, the print run of El Jareeda was confiscated by security agents for the ninth…
This digest is an excerpt from the weekly Darfur & Sudan News Update. Subscribe to the newsletter here
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