Africa

December 25, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - The Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, (aka Hametti) has accused government officials of causing a cash shortage that has emptied ATMs and urged the government to provide services to people.

RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, (aka Hametti) (SUNA photo)

While thousands took to the streets in Khartoum on Tuesday, Hametti's speech bore a different tone that was openly critical of the country authorities, saying officials manipulated what led to a sharp cash crisis.

"Until now, we do not understand what is going on in the banks. Why a person deposits his money (in the bank) and does not find it. There is manipulation and the corrupt officials must be held accountable," he said in a speech to his militiamen who arrived in Tayba area of Khartoum state from North Darfur state.

Also, Hametti told his troops, which arrived in Khartoum while significant protests taking place in the streets of the capital, that they will not be sent to quell the demonstrations.

He said that the date of arrival of the force was determined before the occurrence of any events, and they "did not come to terrorize anyone" before to add that they "will be on the lookout for rebels and agents".

The militia leader called on the government to provide services to people and create decent conditions of living for them. Also, he stressed the need to intensifying control of the market prices and fighting greed and unscrupulous merchants.

Hametti's statements come after rumours that the powers of the militia leader have been reduced by the government and that the army is preparing to eject him from his position.

On Monday, the Ministry of Defence announced the appointment of the former Sudanese Army spokesperson, Al-Sawarmi Khaled as new spokesperson of the Rapid Support Forces.

(ST)

By Mahmoud A Suleiman

The uprising of the people of Sudan this time has coincided with the events of the declaration of independence of Sudan from within the parliament and the annual Martyrs' Day Celebration.

The uprising of the people of Sudan was accompanied by two great festivals, Eid al-Shuhada (Martyrs' Day) and the day of the declaration of independence of Sudan from within the parliament. The latter represents a historic Sudanese national event when Abdul Rahman Dabaka, a parliamentary deputy from the Darfur Province, suggested a Proposal for the Declaration of the Independence of the Sudan from within the Parliament on Monday the 19th December 1955, when the unity of the will of the Sudanese people behind one word which was independence for everyone in accordance with a prior agreement and hence they were the will to announce and declare it. It is one of the days of the Eternal Sudan, which preserves its history and its splendor, but repeats its memory every year because of its insistence on reaching the chandelier that was planned. https://mod.gov.sd/index.php/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/18718-%D8%A5%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-19-%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A8%D8%B1-1955%D9%85.html

On that immortal day in the history of the Sudan, at that historic session, Mr. Abdulrahman Mohamed Ibrahim Dabaka presented the proposal for the declaration of the independence of the Sudan from within the Parliament. It is noteworthy that the Deputy who presented the foregoing Proposal was a representative of the South Baggara Department Constituency in the Darfur Province and his origins descend from the Locality of “Idaelghanam” Translated literally into the sheep well, now it has been renamed by the National Islamic Front (NIF) Arabised Fundamentalists into “Iddalfursan” the Well of the Knights! On that Day, the Names of those who are among the first patriotic system have been shining were Abd al-Rahman Dabaka, Mirghani Husain Zaki al-Din and Mushawar Jumaa Sahl. Hammad Abu Sadr and others.

Thus, on Monday the Nineteenth of December 1955, the Independence of the Sudan From the clutches of Anglo-Egyptian colonialism better known as the Condominium was declared from within the Parliament and the Sudan Martyrs' Day, has also been Celebrated by the Sudan Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which is observed each year, both the dates of the events have coincided with the uprising of the people of Sudan against the tyranny of the ruling regime of National Congress Party (NCP) led by the genocidal criminal and the fugitive International Justice Omer Hassan Ahmed al - Bashir and his criminal, corrupt and incompetent entourage. It is ironic that the uprising of the people of Sudan also coincided with the return of Omer al-Bashir and his team of entourage from his visit to Russia, Belarus, Syria on aboard the Russian plane, accompanied by his large begging Team of (NCP) regime close insiders partly on Tourism shuttles at the expense of the Sudanese people suffering from hunger, disease and lack of fuel and medicines.

It is also pertinent to recall that the uprising of the people of Sudan against the (NCP) autocratic regime coinciding with that National Occasions on the return of Sudan's criminal dictator Omer al-Bashir from his shuttle trips at the expense of poor people's money on a Russian plane after passing through Damascus in Syria to meet his ilk fellow Dictator Bashar al-Assad. After returning from his visit to Bashar al-Assad Omer al-Bashir met the consequences of his inhumane crimes and heinous reactions he has perpetrated through his lean years of arbitrary oppression against the Sudanese people, who today rose up in an Intifada all over the country to get out of the grip of repression, starvation, disease, poverty and genocide. Bashir and his criminal corrupt entourage have not expected this happening because the tyrants do not think they will ever leave their seat of power. They believe that their rule will be forever. Dictators like Bashir and others of his kind hey neither take lessons from the history nor from the events that took place around them and led to the demise of their counterparts in neighbouring countries; the so-called Arab Spring in late 2010 which remains as a living example.

The people of Sudan have overthrown military regimes twice before, in 1964 and 1985, and in September 2013 the NISS and the Janjaweed militias killed more than 200 protestors in the manner described as “Shoot to kill”. It seemed that Bashir's moment of reckoning had come with the current popular uprising of extreme discontent for the Poverty, lack of potential and lack of basic daily living commodities such as a loaf of bread while the associates of the (NCP) regime enjoy Life of luxury and spending of people's wealth lavishly.

How did the protests begin, according to the BBC report?
They started in the eastern town of Atbara, where demonstrators burned the offices of Mr Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP). Witnesses said that in some areas the military was not intervening and even appeared to be siding with the demonstrators.

But in a statement on Sunday 23rd of December 2018 indicated that the military has pledged loyalty to Mr. Bashir and said it would safeguard the "nation's security, safety along with its blood, honour and assets". On the other hand, a presidential adviser, Faisal Hassan Ibrahim, has been quoted as saying that the protests were being directed by "organised entities", without giving further details.

On Saturday 22 December 2018 AFP quoted witnesses in Wad Madani, south-east of Khartoum, as saying police used tear gas and beat protesters calling for Mr. Bashir to step down.

In El Rahad, south-west of Khartoum, the National Congress Party (NCP) office and other administrative offices were set ablaze and protesters chanting "no to hunger" were tear-gassed, another witness said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46666237

It seems that the spark of the uprising that swept all the cities of Sudan recently began in the city of Atbara. Atbara is the national seat of labour Movements and nicknamed the city of iron and fire as it is the Sudanese working-class City that is the headquarters of the Sudan railways - it remains a major site of labour activism and radical politics. But the spark of the diversion extended to Dongola in the far north and the city of al-Obeid in Kordofan and in Port Sudan and the city of Nyala and El Geneina and El Fasher in the Darfur region in western Sudan and of course in the Capital Khartoum with its three Towns at the junction of the two Nile Rivers of White Nile and Blue Nile to form the River Nile.

It is noteworthy to mention that the Sudanese people's uprising inside the Mother Land was attended by all Sudanese outside the country, whether they in the United States of America or in Europe, especially in London and in Manchester in the United Kingdom, in Europe in France especially in Paris, along with Sudanese people staging protests in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC)) at The Hague in the Netherlands and of course in Germany.

The cheers in all these demonstrations in different locations were echoed saying the people want to overthrow the regime." Cheers chanted in the streets, but quickly moved to the football stadiums during the match between Mars and Al Ahli, Khartoum after at least 20 people were killed and dozens arrested during protests against high prices.

Mass media outlets reported that the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) have arrested Opposition leaders as protests continued all over the Sudan. Meanwhile, protests have continued on Saturday in a number of towns across Sudan. Eyewitnesses said students protesting in the town of al-Rahad, North Kordofan State, set fire to the ruling National Congress Party's (NCP) headquarters and other official buildings. Also, there were unconfirmed reports that the house of the notorious Génocidaire the Governor of North Kordofan Ahmed Mohammed Haroun who is one of four Sudanese men wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur Region was set on fire on Saturday evening.

Darfur Conflict and Ahmed Mohammed Haroun
However, it was in his role as the holder of the Darfur security dossier at the Interior Ministry in 2003 that he attracted most notoriety. In between 2003 and 2004 Haroun is believed to have organized and mobilized the 'Janjaweed' militias that have been held responsible for numerous war crimes since the outbreak of conflict in the region. It was on account of his actions during this period that in April 2007 the ICC prosecutor Louis Moreno-Ocampo decided to issue an arrest warrant for Haroun, accusing him of overseeing the numerous acts of rape, murder, plunder and destruction committed by pro-government militias in the region. The warrant observed that Haroun had contributed personally to the perpetration of these abuses by exhorting the militias to commit these acts in public speeches.
http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Kordofan-governor-vows-to,42127
Protesters also gathered in several neighbourhoods of the capital, Khartoum and in the city of Madani, Gezira State. http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article66811

Demonstrations in Sudan and Protests continue with calls for a strike.

Anti-government protests in Sudan continue for the Seventh day, and analysts say it is the biggest popular challenge to the regime of Omer al-Bashir who took power through a military coup d'état on June the 30th 1989.

The Sudanese armed forces (SAF) issued a statement pledging their support for the president, at a time when doctors' strike is due to begin, followed by a strike on Tuesday 25th 2018, Christmas Day. It is noteworthy that the Coptic Community in Sudan hinted saying that they will rather postpone the Festive Celebrations on the Day declared for the strike.

On Sunday, the Sudanese regime's National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) forces used teargas to disperse soccer fans that had gathered on one of the roads and blocked it, shouting slogans calling for freedom.

Furthermore, it was reported that the Police prevented the demonstrators who were coming out of the Football Stadium from crossing the bridge to the heart of Khartoum and the Presidential Palace. Moreover, the Security elements cordoned off the stadium and the roads leading to it, as soon as the protesters left for Al-Arba'een – The Forty's Street, chanting slogans against the government of Omer al-Bashir; the Police dispersed the angry protestors in the surrounding areas. Police in Sudan have fired tear gas at football fans demanding an end to President Omar al-Bashir's rule as protests spread across the country.

Hundreds of demonstrators blocked a road near a football stadium in the capital, Khartoum, on Sunday 23 December 2018 before clashing with riot police.

So far, the Opposition figures say 22 protesters have been killed since Wednesday, but officials say the figure is much lower. The protests erupted after bread and fuel price rises were announced. But they have escalated into calls for an end to Omer al- Bashir's 29-year rule. Over the past year, the cost of some goods has got more than doubled, while overall inflation has risen to nearly 70%, the value of the Sudanese pound has fallen sharply and shortages have been reported in cities including Khartoum. Earlier, footage on social media appeared to show continuing protests in a number of areas. The Central Sudanese Committee of Doctors said its members had seen protesters in hospitals with gunshot wounds and said there had been a number of deaths and injuries. “The people want the downfall of the regime” is one of the people's chants!
.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46666237

It is important to refer to the troika Countries statement over the Sudanese Protest which says the following:
“The Troika (the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom and Canada) are concerned about the violence occurring during recent protests in Sudan, including reliable reports of the use of live fire by the Government of Sudan and of multiple deaths during several protests. We reaffirm the right of the Sudanese people to peacefully protest to express their legitimate grievances.

We urge all to avoid the use of violence or destruction of property. We also urge the Government of Sudan to respond to statements appropriately, through uniformed police acting in accordance with Sudanese and international human rights law, including the right to freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression - and to avoid the use of live fire on protestors, arbitrary detention, and censorship of the media.

We expect the Government of Sudan to implement measures to investigate cases in which abuse of force has occurred, and welcome the assurances provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard.

The Troika countries (the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom and Canada) are concerned about the violence that occurred during recent protests in Sudan, including credible reports of the use of live ammunition by the Government of the Sudan and multiple deaths during several protests. We reaffirm the right of the Sudanese people to peaceful protest to express their legitimate grievances.

We urge everyone to avoid using violence or destroying property. We also urge the Government of the Sudan to respond appropriately to the demonstrations, through regular police and in accordance with Sudanese and international human rights law, including the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression - and to avoid the use of live ammunition on protesters, arbitrary detention and media censorship.

We expect the Government of the Sudan to implement measures to investigate cases of abuse of force, and we welcome the assurances provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this regard.”
http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article66821

Howard Zinn the American historian, playwright, and social activist and a chairperson of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College as well as a political science professor at Boston University has been quoted as saying: “Protest beyond the law is not a departure from democracy; it is absolutely essential to it.”
https://www.google.com/search?q=howard+zinn&oq=Howard+Zinn&aqs=chrome.0.0l6.1889j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Moreover, Martin Luther King Jr. has been quoted as has said: “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” “The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.” “To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men.” “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/activism

The Tunisian Poet Abu al - Qasim Shabi has said in his Poem: “If people ever wanted life, then fate must respond and the constraint must be broken. And those who did not embrace the longing for life * Evaporated in the atmosphere and dispersed” !
https://analbahr.com/%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84-%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A5%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B9/

Thus, the people of Sudan had the right to rise up against tyranny, starvation and the futile wars imposed on it by the Dictator, the Genocidal criminal who remains fugitive from the international justice, Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and his criminal entourage sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the Netherlands for apprehension and to bring them for fair trial and punishment.

Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com/

December 25, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Thousands of protesters on Tuesday took to the streets of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum in a mass march to the Presidential Palace demanding that President Omer al-Bashir step down.

The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) on Monday called on the Sudanese to gather at Abu Jinzeer squire to march to the Presidential Palace to hand over a memo demanding President al-Bashir to step down.

However, police and security forces cordoned off the Abu Jinzeer square since early morning hours on Tuesday forcing protestors to flood the streets in downtown Khartoum.

Protestors chanted slogans such as “Peaceful ... Peaceful against the Thieves”, “Freedom, Peace, Justice ... Revolution is the Choice of the People” and “The People Want to Bring Down the Regime”.

Security forces used excessive force attacking the peaceful protestors with tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

Medical sources speaking to Sudan Tribune in Khartoum said 8 protesters were injured by fire bullets, pointing out that 4 of them are in critical condition.

Eyewitnesses said security elements wearing civilian clothes prevented the journalists from taking pictures, pointing that several journalists and TV correspondents have been beaten up and their mobile phones were confiscated.

Also, activists released videos on the social media showing protesters wounded by the bullets of the security forces and other videos of security agents in plain clothes shooting demonstrators.

Tuesday's march follows nearly a week of protests initially triggered by rising prices and shortages of bread and fuel but later escalated into calls for al-Bashir to step down.

The protests over the past week have been met with a heavy security crackdown, with more than 37 protestors killed and dozens injured according to Amnesty International.

Also, dozens of protesters and opposition leaders have been arrested since the beginning of the popular protests.

The Sudanese authorities have suspended school and universities classes in Khartoum and imposed emergency situation and curfew in a number of states.

(ST)

December 25, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Lam Akol, the leader of the National Democratic Movement (NDM) defended Peter Gadet's election at the chairmanship of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance (SSOA), adding that the other faction has been terrified by the support he has got.

Lam Akol, chairman of South Sudan's opposition National Democratic Movement (NDM) (AFP/Samir Bol Photo)

The election of Peter Gatdet at the head of the opposition coalition last November sparked a rift between two camps within the opposition alliance one led by the incumbent chairman Gabriel Changson and the other headed by Lam Akol.

South Sudan Patriotic Movement (SSPM) spokesperson Stephen Lual Garang Monday accused Akol of building a new SSOA faction with elements from outside the coalition, warning that these actions undermine peace implementation.

But NDM leader minimized the statements of the SSPM spokesperson and dismissed the accusations, pointing out that these accusations show they are in disarray after the election of Gadet.

"They refused to admit defeat in the elections and their members are breaking away from them in recognition of the elections result," Akol told Sudan Tribune on Tuesday.

"It is this desertion that is frightening them," he stressed.

In a statement released on 1 December, Peter Gadet said he won with five votes against three for Gabriel Changson, underscoring that the vote took place after agreeing on the procedures to be followed in the election.

Asked about the IGAD's position on the rift as they have to work with SSOA as one on the peace partners involved in the implementation of the peace agreement, he said that the regional bloc, at the moment, is adopting a wait-and-see posture.

"It says persons already nominated by SSOA to the various implementation committees and mechanisms should not be changed," he said.

"The question that cannot be avoided will be: to whom will heads of committees/mechanisms report?" Akol emphasized.

(ST)

December 25, 2018 (KHARTOUM) - Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir accused unnamed groups of exploiting the living hardship to carry out sabotage and vandalism and described them as "agents, mercenaries and traitors".

Many cities across Sudan have been protesting against difficult economic conditions in the country since last week, calling to overthrow the regime of President al-Bashir. Also, demonstrators in some towns have burned the premises of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP).

Speaking in a public meeting in Wad al-Haddad area of Al-Jazira State on Tuesday, al-Bashir called to cease protests and not give an opportunity to those who commit sabotage.

He said the popular reception he received in the area was a decisive response to the rumour that he had been arrested and imprisoned and threatened to pursue those disseminating the rumours.

The Sudanese admitted that Sudan is facing "economic problems caused by the siege imposed by the West because of its refusal to kneel" as he said, stressing his rejection of foreign pressure.

He added that the war is waged against Sudan for its adherence to its religion and dignity, asserting that it "will not sell it for wheat or the dollar".

The Sudanese Central Committee of Doctors reported that nine people were injured in the protests that broke out Tuesday in the capital, Khartoum, including one critical case.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, the doctors pointed to the use of live bullets against the demonstrators.

The union which was among the professional groups that called for the demonstration underscored the high level of popular mobilisation saying that they "passed the point of no return".

President al-Bashir pledged that development projects in the state would be continued and called on the people of Al-Jazira State, whom he described as producers, to not pay attention to traitors and agents.

(ST)

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Corridor in a care facility for older people. 

© Flickr

This month we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To mark the occasion, we have asked Human Rights Watch experts to reflect on some of the key human rights challenges in their area of specialty.

We are living longer than ever. Experts estimate that over one-third of all babies born in wealthy countries in 2012 will live to celebrate their 100th birthday. Life expectancy in every region is increasing. The United Nations calculates that in Asia, where most older people in the world live, nearly 30 years have been added to life expectancy over the past few decades. Africa is projected to experience the same by 2050.

Such a societal shift forces us to consider what it means to live an independent, dignified life as an older person. Should our enjoyment of fundamental human rights diminish with age?  The answer is, “no.”

Older people have the right to live independently in their communities on an equal basis with everyone else, with support if necessary. But right now, ageism, or discrimination against people based on their age, persists across societies and often drives policy decisions that undermine human rights.

For example, older people in many parts of the world are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to where and how to live when they experience physical, emotional, or mental changes that can come with aging: move into an institution or forgo crucial supports at home.

Living in an institution like a nursing facility can have serious repercussions beyond the fluorescent lighting, “privacy” curtains that separate people in the same rooms, and the grim cinderblock walls common to so many. It can risk our human rights to liberty; to informed consent and health; to family and private life; and sometimes even our right to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment. It can jeopardize the freedom and independence that make up who each of us are.

In 2018, for example, Human Rights Watch documented how 179,000 older people living in nursing facilities in the United States, mostly those with dementia, receive dangerous drugs that nearly double their risk of death in a matter of weeks—without their informed consent, or sometimes even their knowledge. In Australia, a Royal Commission of Inquiry into aged care was announced in September 2018, amid deeply troubling media reports about physical and psychological abuse and neglect in nursing facilities. In Argentina, research in 2017 by academics specializing in social protection for older people found that families can force their older relatives into unregulated facilities without their consent.

Being literally locked away from the rest of the world makes older people more vulnerable to being overmedicated and having other rights violated.

The risks associated with institutions are increasingly recognized. In its 1999 decision, Olmstead v LC, the US Supreme Court recognized the right of people with disabilities to live in the least restrictive setting, and that when a person needs some support, living in a facility “severely diminishes the everyday life activities of individuals” and is a form of discrimination when it is unjustified. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which entered into force in 2008, and is ratified by 162 countries, requires that states parties guarantee the right to live in the community.

Countries that currently rely heavily on nursing facilities to deliver services to older people should move to ensure older people can also in practice, and in a meaningful way, exercise their right to live at home, with support as necessary. For those countries that have yet to develop services and support systems for older people, the rights-respecting path forward should be to focus on community services from the outset. Getting older shouldn’t mean giving up our dignity, safety, and independence.

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