Day: October 27, 2021

Sudanese security forces arrested demonstrators in Khartoum Wednesday, including three leading pro-democracy activists, as the World Bank and the African Union took steps to increase pressure on the leaders of Monday’s military coup.

Witnesses say security forces fired tear gas at protesters and arrested them while removing their barricades in the capital. Activists from the Umma Party, Sudan’s largest political group, were among the detainees.

The activists, all critics of the military takeover, have been identified asSudanese Professionals’ Association leader Ismail al-Taj, Umma Party leader Sadiq al-Mahdi and a former media adviser to the prime minister, Khalid al-Silaik.

Meanwhile, the African Union suspended Sudan’s involvement in the organization’s activities until power is returned to a civilian government, according to an AU statement.

The World Bank said in a statement that it has “paused” financial aid to the country and “stopped processing any new operations as we closely monitor and assess the situation.”

Many businesses in Sudan remain closed in response to calls for strikes, which some doctors and state oil workers said they would join in support of the ousted government. Central bank employees have also gone on strike.

On Tuesday, military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan defended the army’s overthrow of the transitional government, saying it was necessary to avoid a civil war.

“The whole country was deadlocked due to political rivalries,” Burhan said at a televised news conference in Khartoum. “The experience during the past two years has proven that the participation of political forces in the transitional period is flawed and stirs up strife.”

Deposed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and his wife, who had been detained Monday, were allowed to return to their home late Tuesday but were “under close surveillance,” a statement issued by his office reported.

Burhan also acknowledged that “we arrested ministers and politicians but not all” and said that some would face trial for allegedly inciting a rebellion within the military.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing that the secretary-general’s special envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, met in Sudan Wednesday with Burhan to discuss the takeover and subsequent developments. Dujarric said Perthes reiterated that the U.N. wants to “see a return to the transition process” and demanded an immediate release of all arbitrarily detained.

Dujarric said Perthes also met with Hamdok in his home.

“What we want to see … is the complete release of Prime Minister Hamdok,” Dujarric declared. “He remains under some sort of house arrest. He is not free of his movements, and he should be free of his movements.”

In a statement Tuesday from the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Hamdok’s release and spoke with him late Tuesday. Blinken again called on Sudan’s military to release all civilian leaders, according to the statement.

UN Security Council

The U.N. Security Council met privately Tuesday to discuss the situation but have so far not issued any statement condemning the coup. Some members, including Russia and China, have publicly questioned whether it is a coup and have said council members should not interfere in Sudan’s domestic affairs.

But Kenya’s U.N. ambassador told reporters Wednesday he hoped the council would pronounce itself now that the African Union had taken action.

“I very much hope the Security Council will consider this step by the (AU) Peace and Security Council to be a challenge to step up to the plate,” Martin Kimani said.

National emergency

Burhan declared a national emergency Monday and announced the end of the joint civilian-military Sovereign Council that had run the country since August 2019, shortly after the ouster of longtime autocratic President Omar al-Bashir.

He pledged the military would turn power over to a civilian government in July 2023 after general elections are held.

The center of Khartoum near the Foreign Ministry and other government offices was quiet early Wednesday, according to journalist Mohamed Ali Fazari.

He said in an interview with VOA the relative calm in central Khartoum could be interrupted by a group of neighborhood committees planning a “march of millions” on Saturday.

“People are calling for a big demonstration, which they call the One Million March demonstration, on October 30, and also there are some calls for civil disobedience,” Fazari said.

On Monday, the Sudan Doctors Committee said at least four people were killed and 80 injured when security forces opened fire on demonstrators protesting the coup. Despite the violence, more demonstrations took place Tuesday.

Global response

The Arab League was also among those calling on Sudan to stay on a path toward civilian rule.

A joint statement issued by the United States, Britain and Norway through the State Department condemned the coup and called on Sudanese security forces to immediately release all people “unlawfully detained.”

“The actions of the military represent a betrayal of the revolution, the transition, and the legitimate requests of the Sudanese people for peace, justice and economic development,” the statement read.

The State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to Sudan.

In a statement Tuesday, Sudan’s ambassador to the U.S., Nureldin Satti, condemned the coup “that has put an end to the civilian democratic transition in Sudan.”

“I am heartened to see that my colleagues in Brussels, Paris and Geneva and New York have followed suit and condemned the military coup,” Satti added. “We shall work with other colleagues in the diplomatic service and in the diaspora to resist the military coup in support of the heroic struggle of the Sudanese people to achieve the objectives of the December 19, 2018, revolution.”

Hamdok, an economist and diplomat who has worked for the U.N., was named transitional prime minister in August 2019. The transition received strong support from Western countries, including the United States, which removed Sudan from its state sponsors of terrorism list.

But Hamdok faced stiff resistance from elements of Sudan’s military. On September 21, forces still loyal to Bashir used tanks to block a key bridge and attempted to seize power. The coup was put down, and dozens of soldiers were arrested.

Thousands took to the streets last week to protest the prospect of a return to military rule.

“This country is ours, and our government is civilian,” protesters chanted.

Source: Voice of America

Here’s a look at what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top diplomats have been doing this week:

Sudan

The United States called on Sudanese military forces to release all civilian leaders in detention, amid growing international condemnation of the military takeover. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored the U.S. support for a civilian-led transition to democracy while speaking to Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after his release from military custody.

Sudanese Security Forces Arrest 3 Leading Pro-Democracy Activists

Iran

The United States said it is prepared to return to Vienna for talks aimed at restoring a 2015 Iran nuclear deal that has been stalled for months, adding it is possible to “quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to mutual full compliance with the JCPOA.” Iran said Wednesday it would resume talks with world powers about its nuclear development program by the end of November.

Iran Agrees to Resume Nuclear Talks

First ‘X-gender’ passport

The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday it has issued the first U.S. passport with an X-gender marker for nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people. The move follows a commitment to ensure “the fair treatment of LGBTQI+ U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender or sex.”

US State Department Issues First ‘X-Gender’ Passport

Digital security

The State Department is creating a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy to focus on tackling cybersecurity challenges at a time of growing threats from opponents. There will also be a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology, who will lead the technology diplomacy agenda with U.S. allies.

US State Department Creates Bureau to Tackle Digital Threats

Taiwan

The United States encouraged all United Nations member states to join the U.S. in supporting Taiwan’s “robust, meaningful participation throughout the U.N. system” and in the international community, consistent with Washington’s “One China” policy. Calling Taiwan “a democratic success story,” Blinken said Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the U.N. system is “not a political issue, but a pragmatic one.” China said Taiwan has no right to join the United Nations.

US Calls for Renewed Taiwan Participation at UN

On the 50th anniversary of the adoption of U.N. Resolution 2758, a senior U.S. official said the international community benefits from “Taiwan’s expertise to address some of today’s most difficult global challenges,” while explaining how China is misusing U.N. Resolution 2758 to block Taiwan from participating in the U.N. system.

Turkey

U.S. officials said the Biden administration seeks cooperation with Turkey, a NATO ally, on common priorities but will not shy away from addressing disagreements while promoting the rule of law and respect of human rights globally. The remarks came after Turkey declared 10 ambassadors from Western countries “persona non grata” for calling for the release of Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala.

Turkey to Banish 10 Western Ambassadors, Erdogan Says

Source: Voice of America

Once commonplace, abuses by state security forces against civilians in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have dropped sharply in the previous year, according to rights groups.

Boubacar, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said last year unidentified gunmen came to his home at night, shot and wounded his wife and son, then killed his brother.

The next day, on doctors’ orders, he traveled to Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, for medical treatment to save his son’s injured hand from amputation.

While he was away, he said, Burkinabe security forces kidnapped two of his brothers. Neighbors, he said, identified the forces. Since then, the family has had no word and doesn’t know if the two are alive or dead.

Abuses by security forces in the Sahel conflict, where Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger battle terror groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida, were once common.

Last year, the number of civilian fatalities caused by security forces was approaching those caused by terror groups.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, ACLED, shows the number of civilian fatalities caused by security forces has fallen dramatically in the last year to Oct. 1, compared with the previous year.

They have dropped by 77% in Burkina Faso, 74% in Mali, and 65% in Niger.

Rights groups say they have also observed the change and suggest why it might have occurred.

“We believe that there’s a combination of factors,” said Corrine Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “First has been reporting by human rights groups, by journalists, as well as pressure from the international community.”

Analysts say there could be other factors at play, including the outsourcing of military activities to government-backed militias, among other things.

“Over this period, the security situation in the Sahel has continued to get worse,” said the European Council on Foreign Relations’s Andrew Lebovich. “And so, I think one other possible explanation is that regional security forces are doing somewhat less patrolling and are doing somewhat fewer operations where they’re actually interacting with populations in rural areas, especially.”

The Burkinabe army says accusations of abuse by security forces have not been proven. In a statement to VOA, it said respect for human rights is a major concern for the national armed forces and is part of the basic education for soldiers.

But the consequences of the atrocities are not going away.

“The bad news is there have not been investigations, much less, justice and accountability,” said Human Rights Watch’s Dufka.

Boubacar said trying to seek justice from the same authorities he believes committed crimes would be pointless.

He said he can’t see how there would be a positive outcome, even if he went to court, so he decided to let matters lie.

But he still wants to know what happened to his brothers.

Source: Voice of America