IV. THE RESPONSE TO GROWING CIVIL UNREST BY THE NIF/NCP REGIME
Eric Reeves | November 18, 2016 | http://wp.me/p45rOG-1Zn
THE KHARTOUM REGIME’S PREFERRED MEANS OF DEALING WITH DOMESTIC OPPOSITION:
Sudanese army conducts largest-ever military drills | Sudan Tribune – December 6, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) on Tuesday said it has conducted the largest military exercises in its history in the presence of President Omer al-Bashir and senior army commanders. SAF troops march during the (…)
Sudan threatens to use “other options” to end war in Darfur and Two Areas | Sudan Tribune – December 11, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday has said the government would resort to other options to achieve peace in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile if the armed groups refused to engage in negotiations to (…)
Sudanese army attacks SPLM-N positions in S. Kordofan: rebels say | Sudan Tribune | November 24, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) said on Thursday that the Sudanese army attacked rebel positions in Um Dorain County, South Kordofan. Sudanese army soldiers and RSF militiamen (…)
Sudan reiterates rejection for humanitarian access from abroad
Sudan Tribune | September 20, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government renewed its rejection for the delivery of humanitarian assistance from Ethiopia as the African Union chief mediator Thabo Mbeki is expected to visit Khartoum in the upcoming days…
[Khartoum’s imposition of a humanitarian blockade upon many hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile is part of a continuing genocidal war of attrition—and it is now over five years since the embargo was first imposed—even longer for parts of Darfur such as Jebel Marra. The regime has determined that its most pressing domestic problems can only be solved militarily and by means of indiscriminate denial of critical humanitarian assistance. We need hardly wonder about the feelings of these people about the actions of December 19—ER]
Sudan’s ruling party calls on its members to abort civil disobedience call | Sudan Tribune | December 10, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday has held an expanded meeting to brief the heads of its chapters in Khartoum on the challenges facing [Sudan]…
In his address before the meeting of the party chapters in Khartoum on Saturday, NCP deputy chairman and presidential aide Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid said “Sudan is facing an unfair campaign that aims to exploit its resources and wealth”. He pointed that the country is being targeted internally and externally, saying they would go ahead with the implementation of the national dialogue’s outcome. Hamid renewed the call for the holdout opposition to join the dialogue, expressing his party’s support for the upcoming government of national concord. The presidential assistant demanded his party members to face the challenges and ignore calls by the “rumors mongers” for civil disobedience, saying they only exist on the “virtual world.”
Sudan’s Bashir says civil disobedience was “one million percent failure” | Sudan Tribune | November 29, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir said the civil disobedience act that took place in his country during the past three days was a complete failure
[With his mathematically incoherent invocation of a “one million percent failure,” al-Bashir would seem to be a match in hyperbole for Donald Trump. Hyperbole aside, we must wonder whether al-Bashir will use the same “figure” after the mass civil protest of Monday, December 19. We must also wonder why such extraordinary measures are being taken by his regime in anticipation of December 19, at least in the wake of such a “complete failure”—ER]
‘Civil disobedience not allowed in Islam”: Sudan scholars | Radio Dabanga | December 4, 2016 | KHARTOUM | The Sudan Scholars’ Corporation has denied issuing a statement saying that civil disobedience is allowed in Islam. Chairman Mohamed Osman Saleh told the Sudan News Agency (Suna) on Thursday that the statement attributed to the Sudan Scholars Corporation and that is currently circulating on the social media, “has nothing to do with our corporation”. He described the statement as “a forged document fabricated by the enemies of the nation’s stability”.
The scholar emphasised that the Corporation “adheres to its fixed position of not allowing disobedience towards a ruler unless he is obstructing religious laws.”
[The corruption of Islam for political purposes; the conclusion here is not based on textual exegesis but political expediency—ER]
‘Sudanese govt. cannot be ousted by keyboard activists’: Al Bashir | Radio Dabanga | December 12, 2016 | KASSALA In a first reaction to Sudan’s second civil disobedience action planned for 19 December, President Omar Al Bashir said that the government is immune to civil disobedience actions and ‘Whatsapp activists’.
In a rally in Kassala town on Monday, the president stated in a speech -in the Sudanese colloquial- that a government cannot be ousted by social media. “I will not hand over the country to activists who want to get at us with their keyboards and Whatsapp.”
“If you want to overthrow the regime, why don’t you criticise us in the streets? I will tell you why. We know that you will not come, as you know very well what happened in the past.”
The president referred here to the reactions of the authorities to widespread protests in the country in September and October 2013 against subsidy cuts and austerity measures that led to soaring prices of most basic commodities. Security and police forces as well as paramilitaries were deployed to quell the street protests. An unknown number of people—estimated to be more than 200—were killed.
Al Bashir further told his audience in Kassala that “Those who are after us should approach us directly. The Salvation (government) is not Omar Al Bashir, you are!”
No fear
Pointing to his travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in end November, Al Bashir denied rumours that he fled from the three-day civil strike in Khartoum on 27-29 November. “When you called for the civil disobedience action, it happened that I was abroad on an official mission.” He said that he represents “the pride and dignity of the Sudanese”, and stressed that he will never resign. “The [Sudanese] land, drenched with blood of our martyrs, will never be sold for Dollars. We will never hand it to keyboard and Whatsapp activists.”
Al Bashir told the crowd in defiance of the indictments by the International Criminal Court that “I’m ready to travel to the New York today if the United States granted me a visa [..]. I would enter [..] the land of the enemy.” He further emphasised that he does not know any fear.
Activists
In the Al Jazeera TV programme The Stream of last week, Sudanese commentator Ahmed Kodouda explained that the current regime “has been extremely brutal” against popular uprisings. “The Sudanese people have recognised that they have to change their tactics and operate in a way that allows them to send a clear message to the government. [The current protest] has been very successful in that it showed that people are able to mobilise and to send a clear message, not only to the government but also to the opposition which has failed so far to create a viable alternative to this government.”
One of the “keyboard activists” told Radio Dabanga over the weekend that “We are using the social media in a highly organised manner. In this way, we are able to undermine the various attempts by the authorities to jam the upcoming disobedience action through the electronic jihad [holy war] brigades.” The activists predict that the current regime will be overthrown by next April.
Sudan’s Bashir says civil disobedience “won’t topple government” | Sudan Tribune | December 2, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir on Monday said the civil disobedience wouldn’t topple his government stressing he won’t hand over the country to those who hide behind the “computer keyboards”. Groups of activists have launched a wide electronic campaign to mobilize the Sudanese to engage in a civil disobedience action on December 19 th to protest recent government decision to lift fuel, electricity and drug subsidy.
Sudanese opposition forces and armed groups expressed support for the general strike and called upon their affiliates to play an active role to ensure its success. In his address before a crowd in Sudan’s eastern city of Kassala on Monday, al-Bashir said the government wouldn’t be overthrown by the “WhatsApp”, pointing he wouldn’t hand over the country to the activists who oppose the government via the social media.
“You hear about those who seek to defeat you through the keyboard and the WhatsApp..I won’t hand over the country to them, and I say to them: If you want to topple the regime, meet us on the streets, however, we are certain that you won’t take to the streets because you are aware of what had occurred in the past,” he said.
In September 2013, over 200 people were killed according to rights groups in the spontaneous popular protests after the announcement of the first austerity plan.
The Sudanese president urged his supporters not to listen to the calls of those who he called the “mercenaries” who want to “sell the country for a few dollars”…
It is noteworthy that al-Bashir’s speech in Kassala was the first of its kind since the government announced the second austerity plan in November.
The government decision stirred up large protests across Sudan last month. Also, large segments of the Sudanese had engaged in a three-day civil disobedience action from 27 to 29 November. In an interview with the UAE-based Al Khaleej newspaper on 29 November, al-Bashir said the general strike was a “one million percent failure”, pointing that all residents were keen to go to their workplaces.
Sudan’s dialogue higher coordination body dissolved | Sudan Tribune
| December 5, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Dialogue Higher Coordination Committee known as 7+7 on Monday has dissolved itself and approved the formation of an extended committee to follow up on the implementation of the dialogue outcome…
‘Sudan’s problems to be solved with policies, not strikes’: NCP official | Radio Dabanga | December 18, 2016 | KHARTOUM
Khartoum court to resume trial of student charged with murder | Sudan Tribune | December 12, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – Trial of a college student charged with murder for allegedly killing a police officer during protests at Khartoum University (UofK) in April is scheduled to resume (…)
And The KHARTOUM-ORCHESTRATED Darfur genocide continues—Suffering beyond “austerity,” ethnically-targeted violence and murder…security is non-existent
See above all: “Men With No Mercy”: Rapid Support Forces Attacks Against Civilians in Darfur, Sudan,” Human Rights Watch | September 9, 2015
Ongoing road blockade by gunmen in Darfur causes shortage | Radio Dabanga | December 16, 2016 | SORTONY / DERIBAT
Vital Darfur road link blocked by militants | Radio Dabanga |December 14, 2016 | DERIBAT
Darfur crime overview: Twelve people killed in attacks | Radio Dabanga | December 13, 2016 | DARFUR
Herders kidnap man for stolen sheep in South Darfur | Radio Dabanga | December 12, 2016 | FANGA
Two children die in North Darfur UXO blast | Radio Dabanga | December 12, 2016 | FANGA
Darfur: Four people killed, son of trade official kidnapped | Radio Dabanga | December 9, 2016 | MURNEI / KABKABIYA / NYALA
Village attacked, surrounded in Central Darfur | Radio Dabanga |December 9, 2016 | ZALINGEI / DERIBAT / NYALA
Darfur child killed by ‘stray bullet’ | Radio Dabanga |December 8, 2016 | SORTONY
Darfur herders still hold convoy hostage | Radio Dabanga | December 8, 2016 | | Deribat
Three villagers dead in Darfur herder attack | Radio Dabanga | December 7, 2016 | EAST JEBEL MARRA
17 shops destroyed in South Darfur market inferno | Radio Dabanga | December 7, 2016 | GIREIDA
Man killed, farmers injured in North Darfur attacks | Radio Dabanga | December 5, 2016 | KATUR
Darfur: Policeman killed, farmer shot | Radio Dabanga |December 2, 2016 | NIERTETI / GIREIDA
Livestock destroys crops in North Darfur, farmers raped, beaten | Radio Dabanga | December 1, 2016 | NORTH DARFUR
Two farmers killed in North Darfur | Radio Dabanga | November 30, 2016 | TAWILA / SHANGIL TOBAYA / NYALA
Militiamen threaten to displace villagers in West Darfur |Radio Dabanga |November 28, 2016 | SILEIA
Five villages plundered in North Darfur’s Kutum |Radio Dabanga |November 27, 2016 | KUTUM
Boy killed, brothers attacked in West Darfur | Radio Dabanga |November 25, 2016 | KEREINIK
Darfur: Girl, four women raped by militiamen | Radio Dabanga | November 25, 2016 | NIERTETI / KASS
Shoppers wounded in Darfur market shooting |Radio Dabanga | November 24, 2016 | KABKABIYA
Drinking water crisis as militiamen bar access to North Darfur wells | Radio Dabanga | November 23, 2016 | KABKABIYA
Roads in North Darfur’s Kutum still blocked |Radio Dabanga |November 21, 2016 | KUTUM
Eight killed in new clash in Joghana, South Darfur |Radio Dabanga | November 18, 2016 | GIREIDA
Central Darfur: One man killed, nine kidnapped by gunmen | Radio Dabanga | November 18, 2016 | NIERTETI / ZALINGEI
Darfuri refugees in Chad concerned about food rations, striking teachers | Radio Dabanga | November 17, 2016 | DJABAL REFUGEE CAMP
Policeman, herder slain in clash near North Darfur’s Tabit |Radio Dabanga | November 17, 2016 | TABIT
Attacks, robberies in North and West Darfur |Radio Dabanga | November 17, 2016 | SIRBA / EL FASHER
Inferno destroys 30 homes in South Darfur camp |Radio Dabanga | November 17, 2016 | GIREIDA
Herders’ fighting nears Tabit: five wounded, two kidnapped |Radio Dabanga | November 16, 2016 | TABIT / KUTUM
Bandits attacked five people and have kidnapped two of them, on the road between Tabit and Hashaba in North Darfur. Fighting between herders and farmers has caused tension in the area, which local paramilitary forces have attempted to control.
The attackers on Monday were armed herders, according to a relative of the victims. In the first incident, they opened fire and wounded three people: Ahmed Hamed, Mohamed Idris Adam, and Hamada Hamed El Duma. The same night, the bandits kidnapped Ismail Ali Hassan and Yagoub Abaker Hassan on the Tabit-Hashaba road. The wounded have been taken to a health centre in Tabit, and then to El Fasher hospital for treatment.
‘Children in Sudan dying from lack of clean drinking water’ |Radio Dabanga | November 13, 2016 | KHARTOUM
Deadly village raid sparks protest in South Darfur |Radio Dabanga | November 11, 2016 | GIREIDA
Darfur: Three killed in armed attacks | Radio Dabanga | November 11, 2016 | GIREIDA