Home Tags Posts tagged with "sudan president"

sudan president

0

Thousands of protesters in Sudan have demanded the full dismantling of the “deep state” left behind by ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.

On April 11, President Omar al-Bashir was toppled by the army after 30 years in power and a military council has pledged elections in two-years time.

From December 2018 onwards, Omar al-Bashir faced large-scale protests which demanded his removal from power.

However, protesters remain camped outside army HQ in the capital, Khartoum, demanding a civilian administration.

Reports on April 15 said there had been efforts to disperse the sit-in but protesters joined hands and troops stepped back from a confrontation.

The crowd chanted “Freedom” and “Revolution”, and appealed to soldiers to protect them, witnesses said.

Mariam Ibrahim: Sudan apostasy woman to campaign against religious persecution

Ahmed Mohamed Meets Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum

The Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA) which has spearheaded the protests, urged supporters to foil any attempt to disperse the sit-in.

“We hope that everyone will head immediately to the areas of the sit-in to protect your revolution and your accomplishments,” the group said in a statement.

The SPA was formed in 2016 and includes an array of professional groups including doctors, lawyers, journalists, university professors and engineers.

The pro-opposition umbrella group says it was established to counter Sudan’s mainstream trade unions which stood accused of being pro-government.

In 2018, with inflation rising and the value of the national currency falling, the SPA was at the forefront of campaigning for a national minimum wage.

On April 14, the transitional military council sought to appease protest leaders, telling them that key figures from the former government had been arrested. It is not clear who those officials are.

A military spokesman also promised not to disperse protesters and said the council was “ready to implement” whatever civilian government the opposition parties agreed.

In another development, 13 people were reportedly killed in an armed attack on protesters in the troubled region of South Darfur over the weekend.

“Gunmen” attacked the anti-government protest at a camp for displaced people about 10 miles east of the regional capital, Nyala, according to the privately owned Darfur 24 news website.

Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the International Criminal Court. He denies any wrongdoing.

Coup leader Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf announced the military would oversee a two-year transitional period followed by elections and imposed a three-month state of emergency.

0

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes charges, left Khartoum on June 13 to travel to South Africa for an African (AU) summit, state news agency SUNA said.

The ICC has called on South Africa to arrest Omar al-Bashir.

Omar al-Bashir is wanted for war crimes over the conflict in Darfur.

An ICC statement said South Africa should “spare no effort” in detaining him.

But instead he was welcomed by South African officials on his arrival in Johannesburg, SABC tweeted.

Since the Sudanese president was indicted by the ICC in 2009 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Darfur conflict, his overseas travel has been severely restricted.

Omar al-Bashir was accompanied by the foreign minister and other top Sudanese officials, SUNA reported.Omar al Bashir travels to South Africa

There are tensions between the ICC and the AU, with some on the continent accusing the court of unfairly targeting Africans.

The AU has previously urged the ICC to stop proceedings against sitting leaders.

The warrants against Omar al-Bashir, who denies the allegations, have severely restricted his overseas travel.

He has, however, visited friendly states in Africa and the Middle East.

The ICC has no police force and relies on member states to carry out arrests.

As a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Omar al-Bashir if he sets foot in the country, but correspondents say this is unlikely to happen.

The AU has previously refused to co-operate with the ICC, accusing it of bias against African leaders.

Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of states to the ICC, expressed “deep concern about the negative consequences for the court” if South Africa refused to comply with its obligations to carry out the arrest.

Human rights organizations and South Africa’s main opposition party have also called for Omar al-Bashir’s arrest.

Darfur has been in conflict since 2003, when rebels took up arms against the government. The UN says more than 300,000 people have died, mostly from disease.

The ICC has ended an investigation into war crimes in the region, but the warrants against Omar al-Bashir remain outstanding. The court accuses him of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.