Day: October 26, 2021

Sudanese military chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan said Tuesday the army’s overthrow of the country’s transitional government 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 county’s military.

The U.N. Security Council met privately Tuesday to discuss the situation. The United States, along with council members Britain, Estonia, France, Ireland and Norway, called for the session. U.N. Special Representative for Sudan Volker Perthes briefed them from Khartoum.

Before the meeting, several council members reiterated their government’s condemnation of the coup and the need for an end to violence against protesters.

“Two years ago, the people of Sudan put their lives on the line for democracy, and they should not have to do so again,” British Ambassador Barbara Woodward told reporters.

Military chief 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 autocrat President Omar al-Bashir.

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

Demonstrators remained in the streets of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, to protest the arrest of Hamdok and other officials of the Sovereign Council.

The Sudan Doctors Committee said at least four people were killed and 80 injured Monday when security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

Despite the violence, protesters were on the streets of Khartoum again Tuesday, condemning the coup and shouting “no to military rule.”

The U.S. Embassy in Sudan has warned Americans in the country to shelter in place.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the African Union and the Arab League were among those alarmed and dismayed Monday at the latest events in Sudan, and they called for the country to stay on a path toward civilian rule.

Guterres also expressed concern about the growing number of coups worldwide. “We are seeing a multiplication of coup d’états” that are the result of “strong geopolitical divides,” he said.

There have been coups this year in Myanmar and in the African nations of Niger, Chad, Mali and Guinea.

He told reporters Tuesday that the Security Council’s “difficulties” in taking strong measures have created an atmosphere in which some military leaders feel they can act with “total impunity.”

“My appeal, obviously, is for — especially the big powers — to come together for the unity of the Security Council in order to make sure that there is effective deterrence in relation to this epidemic of coup d’états,” Guterres said.

The White House said it was “alarmed” by the developments, while the U.S. State Department said it was suspending $700 million in financial assistance to the country.

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.

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 the country’s 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 al-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

The United States says it will review its support for an elite unit of the Somali National Army following its participation in a battle against a former ally in the fight against al-Shabab extremists.

An official at the U.S. embassy in Mogadishu spoke to VOA’s Somali service following reports that U.S.-trained elite Somali forces known as Danab, or “lightning,” took part in this week’s fighting in the central Somali town of Guriel.

The fighting pits government troops and Galmudug regional forces against the militias of Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ). The moderate Islamist group is a rival to al-Shabab, which the United States considers the major militant threat in the region.

A Danab commander, Major Abdilatif Ahmed Ali Fayfle, was among those killed in the fighting.

The U.S. official in Mogadishu, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the embassy is aware of the reports that Danab forces were involved in the fighting and of the death of the Danab commander.

The official said the support would be reviewed as a result of that involvement.

“The United States provides training and support coordination to Somali National Army Danab Brigade units to advance our shared objective of defeating al-Shabab,” said the official. “As a result of this incident, we will be reviewing the support we provide to ensure it is being used appropriately and consistent with U.S. policy and objectives.”

VOA Somali tried unsuccessfully to contact the commander of Somali national forces, General Odawaa Yusuf Rageh, who was in the Guriel area this week.

The fighting in Guriel, which started on Saturday, has claimed the lives of dozens of people, injured scores of others, and displaced about 100,000 Somalis, according to local officials and health workers.

ASWJ militias were ousted from the area in early 2020 following the formation of a new administration for Galmudug state. The group’s leaders fled the area at the time.

Earlier this month, the group suddenly remerged ahead of planned parliamentary elections, sparking the current armed conflict against the federal government and Galmudug forces.

The official said the U.S. extends condolences to the families and loved ones of all those affected.

“We call on all sides to cease military operations and engage in political dialogue towards peaceful resolution,” said the official.

The U.S. has been training and providing support to Danab since 2013. Danab, which is currently about 1,400 military personnel, has bases in southern and central Somalia. In addition to training the Danab soldiers, the U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes against al-Shabab militants in support of the Somali government.

Source: Voice of America

United Nations officials say more than 100,000 people are displaced in central Somalia following days of fighting between the government forces and a group opposing the region’s local administration.

The clashes that began last week in Gurieel town in Somalia’s Galmudug federal state are reported to have killed at least 120 people, most of them soldiers or fighters.

The fighting is between government forces and their former ally, Islamist group Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a. Gurieel is the second largest town in Galmudug state and both sides want control of the town ahead of parliamentary elections.

Speaking at a virtual conference Tuesday, James Swan, the U.N. representative in Somalia, called for an end to the fighting.

“We are concerned that this is a distraction from other critical priorities, namely the completion of the electoral process and a continuation of the fight against al-Shabab,” Swan said. “As a consequence, we would certainly welcome efforts by the parties to this conflict to pause on the ongoing hostilities and explore opportunities for talks or dialogue that might allow for peaceful resolution of the situation without further suffering of the people.”

Mohamed Ayoya, UNICEF’s country representative in Somalia, says the aid agencies are struggling to provide humanitarian assistance to the population in the area.

“Our assessment so far has shown that 20,000 households have been displaced and that’s more than 100,000 people,” he said. “The problem is that getting access to people with the service we can offer at the time is extremely complicated and difficult. So as we speak, we on the ground, we have partners trying to provide the services in terms of water and sanitation, hygiene but also food.”

The aid agencies said health centers have been damaged in the conflict, reducing people’s ability to access health care.

The U.N. also said a local humanitarian organization was targeted while doing their work, and one of its workers was killed.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said 7.7 million Somalis will be in need of assistance in 2022, as conflict, unpredictable weather patterns and diseases continue to disrupt people’s lives.

Delayed elections

In recent months, Somalia has been locked in political crisis due to delays in elections, caused by threats from al-Shabab militants and disagreements over the process.

Swan says the postponements contribute to the overall state of distress in the country.

“These delayed elections are occupying such a central place in the attention of the leadership of the country at this time that, unfortunately, it is causing other critical priorities to be deferred,” he said. “We can look across the board at the development agenda, additional work to be done in the security sector. We can look at longer-term state-building priorities around the constitution, around establishing the rule of law institutions, judicial institutions.”

In hopes of ending the Galmudug conflict, Somali opposition groups have urged the government to stop sending reinforcement troops to the town.

Source: Voice of America