Protesters yesterday in Khartoum, courtesy of Girifna
It was déjà vu yesterday in Khartoum, when on the second Monday in a row the police and security agencies loyal to Omar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP) forcibly shut down a peaceful demonstration organized by the Juba group (those political parties that signed the Juba Declaration in September) . The student group Girifna has a gallery of photos from the scuttled demonstration. This time NCP officials tried vigorously to split the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) from the network of political parties calling for reforms to the national security laws, peace in Darfur, and free and fair elections in April 2010.
On Sunday, the SPLM and NCP announced a breakthrough in their negotiations over the 2011 referendum, the status of the Abyei area, and the popular consultations promised to the people of the Blue Nile and South Kordofan. So on Monday NCP officials said that the SPLM had also agreed to suspend the protests warning that any move to the contrary would nullify the recent breakthrough. SPLM leaders though denied these reports, with Yasir Arman, the deputy secretary general of the SPLM, stating: “any attempts to drive a wedge between the SPLM and the Juba forces will not succeed.”
Instead, some SPLM officials participated in the demonstration and afterwards they and other participants strongly condemned the use of tear gas to disperse the gathered crowds. In addition, Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the SPLM, accused (in Arabic) the NCP of paying people to suppress the demonstration.
The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) today put out the most detailed report of yesterday’s events:
On Monday 14 December 2009, Sudanese security forces dispersed a peaceful protest organised by the Juba Declaration Forces, and aimed at presenting a petition to parliament detailing needed legislative changes and demanding the establishment of an enabling environment for free and fair national elections. The crowd was dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets which led to at least seven people being seriously injured. People were pursued into private homes, pulled out and forced to sit down and be beaten.
One victim, Rania Musa Tahir, sustained a serious head injury and a broken arm. Shames Aldeen Abdelraheem, a man in his 70s, also sustained a serious head injury and injuries to his shoulder. A rubber bullet also hit Mutaz Mohammed and seriously injured him. All three were taken to the hospital.
Nine journalists were arrested, including seven from Soaut el Umma newspaper, and Lucia John from Al-Sharouk TV and Rashan Oshi, a journalist from Al Tayar newspaper. These detainees were reportedly beaten in police custody. Several other journalists and correspondents of international media were beaten in the streets and a number had their cameras and other equipment confiscated.
A number of other people were arrested, as well, including:
Hala Abdelhaleem, the leader of the HAQ or New Forces Movement
- Mubarak El Fadil Mahdi, the head of the reformist branch of the Umma party
- Mariam al Sadiq al Mahdi, of the Umma party
- Abdullah Deng Nyal, of the Popular National Congress
- Mohammed Jalal Aldeen Hashim, an activist and university professor
- Faisal Shabu, communist party
- Makki Ali Bilail, head of the Justice Party and a former minister of government
A total of 118 people were detained, and a fuller list of detainees is available upon request. 48 faced trial today.
In addition, parallel demonstrations in other cities were also disrupted. In Atbara , in the North of Sudan, 13 people were arrested. Among those arrested there was Sid Ahmed Alkhatib, a medical doctor and a well known trade unionist. In Sinja, in Southern Blue Nile, five people were arrested.
Available information indicates that the protesters were seeking only to peacefully voice their political opinions. Their right to do so is protected by Article 39 of the Sudanese Interim Constitution and should be respected. The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies calls on the government of Sudan to immediately charge the detainees with an internationally-recognised criminal offense or release them. In addition, we emphasize that the suppression of such protests undermines not only national and international guarantees with regard to freedom of expression, but also impedes the process of carrying out free and fair elections in Sudan scheduled for April 2010, and the full implementation of the democratisation programme envisioned by the CPA.
On this day of repression in Sudan, the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration was present in Khartoum. After meetings with Sudanese officials, he welcomed the breakthrough agreement between the NCP and SPLM. However, he also “condemned any kind of violence and encouraged the leaders of the political forces to work to adopt implementation mechanisms and dialogue to move forward on the outstanding issues and create a climate for negotiations that will bring about the desired change” (in Arabic).
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: Darfur, Omar al-Bashir, South Sudan, Sudan
