♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

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

In the run-up to mass strikes across the country today and tomorrow, the military junta, rebel leaders, and political heads have been speaking outabout the future of Sudan; meanwhile Transitional Military Council leader El Burhan visited Egypt and the UAE. Here's a roundup of Sudan this week:

♦ National Umma Party rejects Sudan general strike

Holding free general elections will only be possible when preconditions that ensure the integrity of the process are met, the NUP statement said. Mechanisms installed by the ousted Al Bashir regime must be dismantled so they can’t disrupt the elections.

The NUP called for discipline on both the military and the protesters and hoped that they could agree on a code of honour. The statement confirms that the historic sit-in before the army command in Khartoum reflects, in the eyes of the NUP, the popular revolution and the youthful and feminine enthusiasm that represents the return of hope.

In preparation for the strike, the Sudan Professionals Association erected a billboard. It depicts Sudanese professionals standing alongside the hashtag (directly translated as #civiliaaaan) which is used to show support for the establishment of a civilian government. The quote reads: "To those who brought us here, leave us alone, we will continue by ourselves. Do not divide and tire us."

♦ SPLM-N Deputy-Chairman Yasir Arman arrives in Khartoum, meets US diplomat

May 27 – 2019 KHARTOUM Deputy chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North under the leadership of Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) Yasir Arman and secretary-general Ismail Khamis arrived in Khartoum in the early hours of Sunday.

Arman was not subjected to any harassment at his arrival at Khartoum airport, in spite of a death penalty hanging over his head, as he was condemned to death in absentia by the Al Bashir regime and the present military junta refused to cancel the sentence.

On Monday, Arman and representatives of the SPLM-N Agar met with US Chargé d’Affaires Steven Koutsis. The meeting discussed ways forward on the establishment of a civilian-led government. A statement via the US Embassy in Khartoum says that “any arrangement for the transitional period must include an inclusive dialogue for a lasting peace. All factions willing to join in the process should be allowed to return to Sudan immediately without restrictions.”

Arman issued a statement later on Sunday, saying that he wanted to form a national front against “fascism”. He reiterated the SPLM-N commitment to the Alliance for Freedom and Change and warned that the SPLM-N would not accept a new military rule. The SPLM-N deputy chairman reached out to the Islamists who want to establish a new regime that will be open to all Sudanese.

“We will meet anyone who opposed the Al Bashir regime from the beginning or in the last days”, Arman said.

First state visits abroad for head of Sudan’s military junta

May 27 – 2019 CAIRO / ABU DHABI Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC), made his first visits abroad to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. In Cairo he discussed the transfer of power to a civilian …

Sudan talks: El Mahdi proposes civilian majority govt with military president

May 26 – 2019 KHARTOUM / VIENNA El Sadig El Mahdi, chairman of the National Umma Party (NUP), has advised the Alliance for Freedom and Change (AFC) to agree on the formation of a Sovereign Council with a civilian majority and …

Sudan Friday prayers: Sermons protesting and others backing military junta

May 26 – 2019 KHARTOUM / EL OBEID / PORT SUDAN / EL GEDAREF During Friday prayers, the sit-ins in Khartoum and various other Sudanese cities witnessed varying speeches. Some of them were welcomed, other speeches were stopped …

Sudan uprising: Another protester dies, professionals call for more actions

May 26 – 2019 KHARTOUM / EL FULA On Friday, a man who was hit on the head during attacks on protesters at the sit-in in front of the Sudanese army command in Khartoum on May 13, succumbed to his wounds. The Sudanese Professionals …

Sudanese Professionals Association rejects junta decision on trade unions

May 24 – 2019 KHARTOUM The decision last week of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) to cancel the freezing of the trade unions has been rejected by the Sudanese Professionals Association on Thursday. “It is a rebellion serving the …

Vigils and readiness to strike across Sudan

May 24 – 2019 SUDAN At several places in throughout Sudan, professionals have organised vigils in response to the call of the Sudanese Professionals Association to prepare for a nationwide general strike and civil disobedience. At all of these …

Sudan Call meet in Vienna

May 23 – 2019 VIENNA The leaders of the Sudan Call (a coalition of Sudanese armed movements, opposition parties, and civil society organisations) began five days of meetings in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Monday. El Sadig El Mahdi …

Sudan: General strikes continue in spite of TMC threats

May 23 – 2019 KHARTOUM Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan, a.k.a. ‘Hemeti’, the deputy chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) and commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, has threatened to dismiss all government …

Project for solar-powered irrigation in River Nile state launched in Sudan

May 22 – 2019 RIVER NILE STATE Sudan’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Water Resources Irrigation and Electricity, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan signed an agreement on …

Sudan police to review cases of naturalisation by Al Bashir decree

May 21 – 2019 KHARTOUM The Director General of Sudan’s Police Forces has issued a decision establishing a specialised technical committee to examine and review all cases where people were granted Sudanese citizenship by naturalisation …