♦ 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
♦ Envoy Booth: 'US picked sanctions relief conditions it could achieve progress in'
May 15 – 2017 DABANGA SUDAN Over the next three months, the United States will decide whether Sudan has made sustainable progress on certain areas and it will remove 20-year-old economic sanctions imposed on Sudan. The criteria for the revoking in July, such as Sudan's ceasing of offensive military activity, were drawn up while Donald Booth was in charge as US Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan. “The five tracks are the beginning of a process, for the mutual confidence that was needed in order to address these very difficult issues of human rights and good governance,” the ambassador told Radio Dabanga in an exclusive interview broadcast this week – parts can be listened to online.
“Given the level of trust that the US and Sudan were starting from, we needed to have areas where it would be as clear as possible if indeed the agreed objectives were being met,” Booth explained the choice for the five tracks that are conditions for Sudan for the lifting of sanctions. A track which human rights organisations, activists and observers felt was missing in the plan was a discussion on human rights and good governance in Sudan. Booth: “We had to pick areas in which we could both measure and achieve progress.[…] It was also, frankly, a way to address and improve what had been tense relations between Sudan and Uganda.”
♦ Sudan files capital charges against Dr Mudawi, Idris
May 14 – 2017 KHARTOUM On Thursday, the State Security Prosecution in Khartoum filed criminal charges against two human rights defenders detained since December last year. Some of the charges are punishable by death. Lawyer Nabil Adib, the head of the defence team, told Radio Dabanga from Khartoum that the prosecution charged Dr Mudawi Ibrahim and Hafiz Idris for undermining the constitutional order, inciting war against the state, espionage, inciting hatred against denominations, being members of criminal and terrorist organisations, and dissemination of false news.
“There is no evidence proving that the defendants have been involved in any of the six mentioned articles,” the lawyer said. The prosecution filing charges means the end of the investigation stage, more than five months after the well-known human rights activists have been detained by agents of the National Intelligence and Security Service. Dr Mudawi Ibrahim, a university professor and founder of the Sudan Social Development Organisation (SUDO), and Hafiz Idris, head of the Youth Association of the North Darfur camps for the displaced, spent time in a detention site and Kober Prison in Khartoum. A decision to release them on bail in March was cancelled last week for unknown reasons.
More news from Radio Dabanga:
At least 20 new Cholera cases in Sudan's White Nile
May 16 – 2017 EL GEZIRA ABA Cholera continues to claim more lives in White Nile state. Yesterday, two deaths were reported, in addition to the escalation of infections…
Villager killed in military raid, South Kordofan
May 16 – 2017 DELLING A raid by members of the Sudanese Military Intelligence west of Delling, resulted in the death of a villager on Sunday…
Over 20,000 villagers in South Kordofan face hunger, thirst
May 15 – 2017 ABBASIYA More than 20,000 people in Abbasiya locality in South Kordofan are facing severe water and food shortages. Some of them…
Darfur rebels welcome German initiative to revive peace talks
May 15 – 2017 PARIS Two Darfur armed movements have agreed to meet with the Sudanese government in Germany this month. They call for an alternative…
Sudanese in the Netherlands protest deportation of Nuba refugee
May 14 – 2017 THE HAGUE UPDATED Sudanese activists in the Netherlands have expressed deep concern about the imminent deportation of a Nuba refugee…
Casualties of Buram tribal clashes 'more than 100'
May 12 – 2017 BURAM The clashes between two tribes in Buram, South Darfur this week have left dozens of people dead or wounded, according to several witnesses in the…
Sudan also pardons co-convicted of Christian activist
May 12 – 2017 KHARTOUM The Sudanese pastor and an activist who were accused and convicted for aiding espionage, together with a Czech activist, have been granted…
US Embassy official visits site of demolished church in Khartoum
May 10 – 2017 KHARTOUM The US Chargé d'Affaires ad interim Ervin Massinga has termed the demolition of Soba El Aradi Church in Khartoum on May 7 “a very sad…
Sheikh foresees ‘humanitarian disaster’ as thirst grips North Darfur camp
May 10 – 2017 SORTONY Sortony camp for the displaced in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, is heading for a ‘humanitarian disaster’ unless a solution is found for the water…
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