♦ 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's second Civil Disobedience: 'Partial success', dismissal threats
December 20 – 2016 KHARTOUM / DARFUR Sudan witnessed varying responses to the calls for a nationwide civil disobedience action against the recent austerity measures and the government policies on Monday. Authorities of various states reacted to the civil strike by forcing people not to join in and there are reports of threats of dismissal and locking of shops.
In Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur, absent government employees were threatened with dismissal, the Central Darfur camps coordinator told Radio Dabanga. Also shops or stalls that were closed would be marked with red paint and barred with locks. In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, about two thirds of the shop owners did not open their doors on Monday, multiple sources reported. Also most of the shops in El Fasher remained shut during the day and public transport did not work in the morning. In West Kordofan, activists pointed to a heavy deployment of police forces, as well as a number of “government-affiliated photographers” at the town markets. In eastern Sudanese towns (Kassala, Port Sudan, and El Gedaref) life seemed to continue as usual while many students remained inside.
According to political scientist Dr Salaheldin El Doma, the December 19 Civil Disobedience was “partially successful” but “clearly received a larger response than the earlier three-day strike” from 27 to 29 November. The participation of political parties in the fundamental process of resistance is essential, he said. “It is impossible for youth groups to do this work without the support of older politicians, because of their previous experiences with resistance to dictatorships.”
The editor-in-chief of the independent El Jareeda daily newspaper said that the “poor response” to the call for strikes is attributable to that in November, people were still in shock over the skyrocketing prices of medicines. “And authorities have exerted many efforts to weaken the response to the calls.”
♦ Darfur: Kidnappers release UNHCR staff
December 20 – 2016 EL GENEINA Three UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) staff members who were kidnapped by gunmen on 27 November, have been set free in West Darfur.
The Governor of West Darfur addressed a news conference on Monday, announcing that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) staff members Sarun Pradhan, and Ramesh Karki from Nepal, and their Sudanese driver Musa Omer Musa Mohamed “have returned safely to El Geneina on 17 December. The three men were abducted by gunmen in a vehicle from central El Geneina on the night of Sunday 27 November.
”The state security authorities were able to recover the three kidnapped staffers working for the UNHCR after dialogue with the kidnappers,” Governor Fadlul Mola El Haja said. He did not release any details about the negotiation, whether any ransom was paid, nor any information about the fate of the kidnappers.
El Haja said that the employees have been admitted to a hospital which will assess their health situation.
In a statement today the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi said he is very pleased by the safe release, and especially thanks the Sudanese Government and its personnel who worked to ensure this outcome.
Other highlights from Radio Dabanga:
Two girls raped in North Darfur
December 20 – 2016 TAWILA Two girls of 12 and 16 years were raped near their camp in Tawila, North Darfur, last Friday. Approximately 13 armed men on camels attacked a group of women…
WHO may shut down Sudan health facilities
December 20 – 2016 KHARTOUM Dozens of health facilities supported by the World Health Organization in strife-torn areas of Sudan risk closure due to a lack of funds, exposing one million people…
Family of detained Sudanese human rights defender concerned about his safety
December 19 – 2016 KHARTOUM The family of the well-known Sudanese human rights defender Dr Mudawi Ibrahim, who is being held incommunicado by the National Intelligence and…
Sudan Feature: Does today's Civil Disobedience represent a popular uprising?
December 19 – 2016 DABANGA SUDAN Whether the 19 December Civil Disobedience action in Khartoum shakes the ruling power and has an effect on the recent austerity measures or not…
Mass detention campaign in Sudan prior to civil strike
December 18 – 2016 SUDAN Many Sudanese are reportedly planning to respond to activists’ calls to join a civil strike tomorrow in protest against unprecedented increases in the prices of basic consumer…
Sudan’s El Jareeda daily gagged for the eighth time
December 18 – 2016 KHARTOUM On Friday, officers of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) seized all 12,000 copies of the El Jareeda independent newspaper from the printing press…
Medical source: 16 diarrhoea deaths this week in El Gedaref
December 16 – 2016 EL GEDAREF Sixteen out of more than 70 people infected with acute watery diarrhoea died in the past week in El Gedaref in eastern Sudan. A source in El Gedaref hospital…
Lawyer in South Kordofan gold factory case arrested
December 16 – 2016 KADUGLI A lawyer in Kadugli, South Kordofan has been arrested by the security service on Wednesday. Ten security service agents arrested Bilal Hamid Kalimni, a lawyer and legal advisor…
This digest is an excerpt from the weekly Darfur & Sudan News Update. Subscribe to the newsletter here
and then