Sudan: Dimming light of hope for a possible civilian rule..

Yesterday, the news was broken that the Transitional Military Council and the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) had agreed to peace deal. This deal certainly is a made in way, that gives way for both parties, but surely betray a lot of the ideals that the FFC had and the public had in the demonstrations. Maybe, the FFC soften it up and trying to sell it out. In hope for a negotiated and secured future, even putting trust in the TMC.

The reason why I say that is that the deal per now is a 3 years and 3 months of temporary leadership. Where it will first get 6 months to secure the peace. Than as a part of these 6 month, the Military will lead the new Council for 21 months, while the Civilian leadership will after this get a period of 18 months.

The Sovereign Council, which it has been named, will consist of 5 people from the FFC and 5 members from the military, as well as one civilian member agreed upon by both parties. Making it a Sovereign Council of 11. There will be a Legislative Council and a Council of Ministers, which will be formed after the new structure of government.

There will now be a joint technical committee made by African Union lawyers and the mediators of Ethiopia to finalize this agreement, as it will be finished by Saturday. Certainly, this is all a win for the military, as they will be by the table and no just co-exist with the civilian rule. They will have a say and possible have one man more than the FFC. This meaning, the FFC and the civilian will still be at the mercy of the army.

That is why this is possible a hard bargain, if the TMC have done this to buy time. They have really bought a lot for very little, as they seems like reasonable, while the foreigners are praising the deal. While the TMC don’t have to pay the price for the violence or the killings of demonstrators. Neither, the arrests nor challenged on the silence of the internet or electricity elsewhere. The TMC have gotten very much and legitimacy by doing very little. Even as these negotiations has been going on, the men of civilian leadership have been arrested and intimidated. Clearly, that has not cost the TMC anything and they have even gotten a sweet deal.

Even today, the day after the power agreement in Rabak, White Nile State, the Rapid Support Force (RSF) used their trucks on civilians, who after prayers went around chanting and celebrating in public places. Then the RSF came with 5 trucks and dispersed all off them. This is what the TMC does, while they are making nice to the world.

Let see if the TMC will backtrack or even try to overpower the Sovereign Council, as there are even expectations that the TMC will get the First President of the Council in question. This will surely avoid possible bloodshed, but if the TMC doesn’t get the will. Than, the RSF might be used by the TMC again. That might be the reason why the FFC accepted this half-baked peace-deal, as they saw the stalemate as troublesome. Since, the TMC have not shown their trustworthiness of late.

Time will tell, even if they get the PR shots and the showing of the world of a declaration and peace agreement tomorrow. At this point, I am not sure if this is good or bad, as time will tell if the TMC will honour the deal or not. If they will slowly try to overpower and misuse the legitimacy the Sovereign Council gives them. That is what worries me, but that is because I have a hard time trusting war-lords, as they want to grab as much as possible and uses negotiations only to buy time. Peace.

African Union: Statement of the Chairperson of the AU Commission on the situation in Sudan (05.07.2019)

Bachelet urges Sudan to restore freedoms, investigate violations and move swiftly to civilian rule (04.07.2019)

Bachelet said her office had received a number of allegations of excessive use of force by the security forces against protestors.

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 4, 2019 – As more details emerge about casualties during Sunday’s mass protests in towns and cities across Sudan, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday called on the Sudanese authorities to lift restrictions on the internet and launch proper independent investigations into all acts of violence and allegations of excessive use of force, including attacks on hospitals.She also urged the authorities to respect people’s right to protest peacefully and to ensure a swift transition to a civilian government, in line with the clear wishes of large segments of the Sudanese population and of the African Union.

The mass protests reportedly took place in more than ten major towns and cities, including Khartoum, Omdurman, Kassala, Gadaref, Madani, Port Sudan, Atbara, El Fasher, Nyala, Zalingie and Kosti, in response to calls from the Sudan Professionals Association to support demands for a civilian-led transitional authority.

Despite the total shutdown of the internet by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) on 10 June, the scale and breadth of Sunday’s protests appear to have been unprecedented in recent Sudanese history.

Bachelet said her office had received a number of allegations of excessive use of force by the security forces against protestors. A senior Ministry of Health official reportedly announced late on 30 June that seven people had been killed and 181 wounded during the protests that day. He blamed much of the violence on the protestors, noting that the injured included ten members of the security forces.

The Sudanese Doctors Central Committee, affiliated with the Sudan Professionals Association, also reported that seven protestors had been killed in Omdurman and Atbara by live bullets allegedly fired by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and other security forces.

An additional three bodies of local activists were found in Khor Abu Anga in Omdurman on the morning of 1 July, reportedly with visible signs of torture, taking the death toll to at least ten since the start of Sunday’s nationwide protests. “It is essential there are prompt, transparent and independent investigations into how all these people lost their lives, as well as into the causes of such a large number of injuries,” Bachelet said.

Bachelet said she was especially disturbed by reports that, once again, hospitals had been attacked by security forces. The public hospital in Gadaref city was allegedly raided by joint RSF, security and police forces who chased protestors inside the hospital, firing live ammunition and tear gas, injuring at least one person. The UN Human Rights Office received similar allegations that RSF and police had pursued protestors into the military hospital in Omdurman firing tear gas and live bullets, and that a member of the medical staff was shot dead inside the hospital. The Al-Tabib hospital in Khartoum was also reported to have been raided by the RSF and police.

The UN Human Rights Chief noted that earlier calls for investigations into the killings, attacks on medical facilities and thousands of reported rapes and sexual assaults that took place on 3 June and subsequent days had gone unheeded.

“The RSF were alleged to have been heavily implicated in the mass violations in early June,” Bachelet said. “The fact that no serious action has been taken to investigate what happened then, and further in the past, simply feeds the belief that members of the RSF and other security forces have carte blanche to do what they want to protestors and other people. This is a completely unacceptable situation and the Transitional Military Council has an obligation to ensure that members of the security forces are held accountable for any crimes they commit.”

She noted that her offer on 7 June to deploy a UN human rights monitoring team to examine allegations of human rights violations committed since 3 June, had gone unanswered.

She said the TMC’s 27 June offer to release prisoners of war was a welcome gesture, but regretted that the 30 June deadline set by the African Union for a handover to a civilian authorities had not been met.

“This recipe of restrictions, unmet promises, and bouts of unbridled violence which are neither investigated nor punished is stoking massive resentment – as Sunday’s protests showed all too clearly,” she said. “If things continue like this, it will be a recipe for disaster.”

The UN Human Rights Chief said the authorities must issue clear instructions to all security forces not to use force against peaceful protestors, noting that use of firearms is prohibited unless there is imminent risk of life or serious injury.

Sudan: Sudanese Mobile Telephone (Zain) Co. Limited (Zain Sudan) – Notification of Force Majeure (01.07.2019)

Joint Communique of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the African Union Commission on the Situation in Sudan (02.07.2019)

Sudan: AU and Ethiopia Joint Proposal for the Settlement of the Political Situation in the Republic of Sudan (27.06.2019)

Sudanese Professionals Association: Press Release (29.06.2019)

SPA
Press Release

Security forces belonging to the Transitional Military Council (TMC) raided the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) premises and prevented the press conference, due to start earlier today- 29th of June- at 7:00 pm. We strongly condemn this repressive behavior which reflects the awe of the TMC from the SPA communicating with the people of Sudan, resorting to extreme suppression of freedom.

We hold the TMC accountable for the safety of SPA members present at the venue at the time of the incident.

We reaffirm that we shall proceed in the path of our revolution and the million’s march taking place on the 30th of June is a strong response to the this savage and chaotic behavior.

SPA Media Team

29 June 2019

#مليونيه30يونيو
‏#BlueForSudan
‏#IAmTheSudanRevolution
‏#Watch_Sudan_on_June30th

Troika Statement on Freedom in Sudan (30.06.2019)

Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate: Urgent Appeal (30.06.2019)

Sudan: Lt. Gen. Hemeti is much more conning than I ever could anticipate…

Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagaio aka Hemeti, the warlord of the Janjaweed, the man whose the mighty enforcer of the Rapid Support Force. A brutal militia whose force has caused havoc over the years in Darfur. Who shown recently what they did there in Khartoum. Who is know the deputy leader in the Transitional Military Council (TMC), the new leadership structure of Sudan, post Al-Bashir are now showing his conning ways.

This man will do whatever to stay in power and has now not only hired a Canadian Lobbying firm for the giant amount of 6 Million USD, but he has given them specific targets to clean their slate and look good internationally. This is the usage of the Saudi Arabian donation to the Sudan government, as it would make way for a positive reporting internationally, by the help of foreign backers like Dickens and Madson. This is really conning.

What the FARA documents reveal is their mission. The mission to control more of the oil reserves in South Sudan, by the help of foreign backers. They are clearly trying to forge an alliance of control of the South Sudan, by taking it back by the diplomatic measures. This is how the Sudanese repay the tribute of Khartoum declaration and new revitalized peace agreement in Juba.

Just take a look:

“More specifically we shall lobby to garner international support for the restoration of domestic tranquility in Sudan. In furtherance of this end we shall strive to obtain urgent meetings for your representatives with Heads of various Middle Eastern Governments to discuss and resolve any outstanding matters between Sudan and these Governments and enhance mutual cooperation especially in the field of internal security. We shall also strive to have the United States terrorist designation of Sudan dropped. We shall also seek a resolution to any remaining State divestment programs and issues of U.S. Export Controls and regulations. We shall further attempt to correct unfavorable international media coverage and current misconceptions concerning the Sudan and its Government. We shall assist in the integration of South Sudan with Sudan in the form of a Sudanese Union modeled after the European Union and the integration of the marketing of the oil and mineral reserves into a consolidated entity. We shall also strive to secure for you U.S. investment in a joint oil project involving the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan for the full development of existing and potential oil and gas resources” (Dickens and Madson – Consultancy Agreement, 07.05.2019).

The TMC and Hemeti really have no scruples, not only to make themselves look good by paying millions in lobbying. All sort of dictators, dictatorships and their allies does this. It is well  known and they all have a partner in close proximity of Washington DC to make them look good. So, it is not shocking that the Sudanese TMC wants smell good in public, but it is their initial missions of the lobbying. That signals what they are up too.

The Khartoum based leadership, the TMC, the one who uses force against unarmed civilians and massacre them without any haste; will now use the foreign backers to clear their slate and ensure a safe journey in power.

We see that the RSF head honcho and deputy in the TMC is now trying to forge himself another image. Which will not be the true picture of the state, but the ones that favours him and his ambition. Clearly, it is much more dire and vicious that previously broadcast. The only good news, is that the transparency of the FARA documents revealed these matters. So, that the Sudanese and TMC couldn’t forge this narrative. Peace.