♦ 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
The Radio Dabanga crowdfunding campaign has raised almost 30 extra days of broadcasting, thanks to everyone who donated. This just shows that great things can happen when lots of people come together. With the campaign coming to an end, we still need more days of airtime to continue delivering life-saving news to Sudan.
♦ New school year postponed because of fuel price hikes
June 26 – 2018 NYALA / WAD MEDANI The fuel shortage in Sudan have led to a postponement of the start of the new school year in South Darfur. The state government announced the decision this week amid the deteriorated economic conditions in Sudan, and especially the hike of fuel prices which caused a nationwide rise of public transportation tariffs. The majority of children who have to travel long distances to school are expected to become a victim of this.
School tuition fees rose, too, which school administrations fear might lead to discontent and protests. “Most families have more than one student in either of the two stages, and have to take care of their tuition, school supplies and food,” South Darfur teacher Mohamed Abdallah told Radio Dabanga.
The price hikes for school supplies are also felt in Sudan’s central-eastern El Gezira state, in the market of Wad Medani. This town became the scene of a protest staged by teachers on Sunday, who wanted to denounce the closure of more than 200 schools in El Gezira state. Fifteen teachers who were detained at the time, have been released on Monday. “Children now have to travel up to five hours to reach a school,” a demonstrator told this station.
♦Sudan: Journalists decry new Act to curtail press
June 24 – 2018 KHARTOUM Sudanese journalists have harshly criticised the draft Press and Publications Act that has been approved by the Sudanese Cabinet on Thursday, which provides for the suspension of journalists from writing and the expansion of powers of the Press and Publications Council.
Spokesman for the Cabinet, Omar Mohamed Saleh, explained that the term “newspaper” will now also include the electronic press and that the Sudanese Press and Publications Council could stop a journalist from writing “for a period it deems appropriate” or withdraw the temporary license, among other amendments to the press act.
Faisal El Bagir, the general coordinator of the Network of Journalists for Human Rights (JAHR), told Radio Dabanga that the aim of the Act “is to get the electronic press into the house of obedience”. The new act is in preparation of the 2020 elections, El Bagir said.
International press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement on June 14 condemning “another offensive against critical journalists and media outlets by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS)”. The NISS seized entire issues of three privately-owned dailies in the past week, and interrogated two journalists for covering sensitive issues.
More news from Radio Dabanga:
June 26 – 2018 EL ABBASIYA The Sudanese Military Intelligence released a man from El Abbasiya after severely torturing him during his detention that lasted more than three months…
Khartoum Round of South Sudan peace talks starts
June 25 – 2018 KHARTOUM The Khartoum Round of the South Sudanese peace negotiations, held under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), started…
Sudan’s NISS accuses blind Darfuri sheikh of espionage; detains activists
June 25 – 2018 KHARTOUM After months of incommunicado detention in the prison of Kober in Khartoum North, the prosecution referred Sheikh Matar Younis and Adam Haroun to court. Agents…
Rains destroy 420 homes in Central Darfur camps
June 24 – 2018 ZALINGEI Torrential rains on Thursday rain destroyed 430 houses in displaced camps in Zalingei in Central Darfur.
Farmer killed, other wounded in South Darfur attack
June 25 – 2018 GIREIDA Gunmen shot dead a farmer and wounded another in South Darfur on Saturday.A relative of the deceased told Radio Dabanga that a group of five gunmen stormed the farm of…
Economist: New SDG 50 note ‘deliberate destruction of Sudan monetary system’
June 24 – 2018 KHARTOUM The conflicting decisions by the Central Bank of Sudan around the replacement of the SDG 50 note are “a deliberate destruction of the monetary system, confusion in the…
Port Sudan: NISS detain 13-year-old boy as hostage
June 24 – 2018 PORT SUDAN The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) in Port Sudan investigating participants in the water protests last week have detained a 13-year-old child as…
Fuel shortage, finance woes threaten crops in Sudan’s agricultural projects
June 21 – 2018 EL GEZIRA The El Gezira and El Managil Agricultural Scheme has warned of the failure of planting sorghum, groundnut and cotton in the current agricultural season because of the…
New attack against returnees to Kutum, North Darfur
June 21 – 2018 KUTUM Two women were seriously injured in a militia attack on farmers returning voluntarily to Kutum in North Darfur on Wednesday. This follows a similarly brutal attack which left at…
ICC Prosecutor calls for accountability for Darfur crimes
June 20 – 2018 NEW YORK In her 27th six-monthly report to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presented today, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda…
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