Month After Bashir Ouster, Sudan Far from Civilian Rule
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7 International Sunday, May 12, 2019 Month after Bashir ouster, Sudan far from civilian rule Military dragging heels on civilian authority to oversee transition KHARTOUM: Sudan’s army rulers and pro- said without specifying when the negotiations it comes to the protesters’ key demand for a testers are to resume talks over handing pow- would resume. Protesters remain determined civilian authority to oversee a four-year tran- er to a civilian administration, protest leaders to achieve their goal. “We want civilian rule or sition, the military has simply dragged its said yesterday, a month after veteran presi- we will stay here forever,” said Iman Hussein, a heels. “They are pressuring us with time, but dent Omar al-Bashir was deposed. The regular at the sit-in outside the army complex we are pressuring them with our presence Alliance for Freedom and Change - an which protesters have kept up since April 6. here,” said protester Hussein. “One of us has umbrella for the protest movement - said the to win in the end, and it will be us.” generals had invited it for a new round of talks Winner ‘will be us’ after several days of deadlock. Protesters initially gathered at the army ‘Escalatory measures’ The apparent invitation to fresh talks came complex to seek the generals’ help in ending The protest movement says the military as thousands of protesters remain camped Bashir’s three decades of iron-fisted rule. On appears intent on hijacking the revolution and outside army headquarters in central April 11, the army toppled Bashir in a palace determining its outcome. Protest leader Khalid Khartoum, vowing to force the ruling military coup replacing him with a military council Omar Yousef told reporters on Wednesday that council to cede power - just as they forced formed entirely of generals that has so far the movement was now considering “escalato- Bashir from office exactly a month ago. “We stymied protesters’ dreams of a civilian-led ry measures” like launching a nationwide civil received a call from the military council to transition to democracy. A deepening eco- disobedience movement to achieve its demand. resume negotiations,” the Alliance for nomic crisis that fuelled the four months of The generals are under pressure too, with the Freedom and Change said in a statement. nationwide protests which led to Bashir’s United States and the African Union calling on Late last month, the alliance, which brings ouster shows no sign of abating. them to ensure a smooth transition of power. together protest organizers, opposition parties Huge queues form daily at ATM machines. In a telephone call with military council and rebel groups, handed the generals its pro- Basic goods have become ever more costly, chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, US posals for a civilian-led transitional govern- due to the sliding value of the Sudanese Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan ment. But the generals have pointed to what pound. The generals insist they will not use backed “the Sudanese people’s aspirations for they call “many reservations” over the alliance’s force to disperse the sit-in, which protesters a free, democratic and prosperous future”. KHARTOUM: A Sudanese protester raises a sign of victory outside the army headquarters on roadmap. They have singled out its silence on have kept up even during daytime fasts for the The State Department said Sullivan encour- May 9, 2019. — AFP the constitutional position of Islamic sharia law, holy month of Ramadan. The generals have aged Burhan to reach agreement with the which was the guiding principle of all legisla- offered several concessions to placate the Alliance for Freedom and Change and “move tion under Bashir’s rule but is anathema to sec- protesters, including detaining Bashir in expeditiously toward a civilian-led interim lion credit line to shore up the Sudanese settle for a military dictatorship, they will be in ular groups like the Sudanese Communist Party Khartoum’s Kober prison, arresting several of government”, during a phone call on pound and fund imports of basic goods. Some the same position as Bashir,” opposition and some rebel factions in the alliance. his lieutenants and promising to prosecute Wednesday. But the generals have strong sup- members of the protest movement are opti- leader Sadiq Al-Mahdi, the prime minister “We want to hold the talks quickly and sort officers who killed protesters during the last port from oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the United mistic that the generals will ultimately cede Bashir overthrew in an Islamist-backed coup out all these points in 72 hours,” the alliance days of the former president’s rule. But when Arab Emirates, which have extended a $3 bil- power. “Because they know if ultimately they in 1989, told AFP earlier this month. — AFP Libya, where they were blamed for Battle for around 20 attacks last year. And over the ANC in power past week IS has carried out two deadly assaults targeting Haftar’s forces - on a Tripoli gives training camp in the southern city of but scandals Sebha on May 4 that left nine dead and chance to IS an attack Thursday in Ghodwa, also in the cost it votes south, that killed two civilians. TRIPOLI: The battle for Tripoli between Feeding on divisions PRETORIA: The African National Congress easily rival Libyan forces both championing the Instability has reigned over Libya won South Africa’s general election but its share of fight against “terrorism” has created a since the 2011 uprising, with rival political the vote fell, reflecting anger at corruption scandals security vacuum, allowing the Islamic and military forces vying for power and and racial inequalities that remain entrenched a gen- State group a chance to re-emerge, ana- fighting for the country’s oil wealth and eration after the party took power. The turnout for lysts warn. Libya expert Emad Badi says cities. Groups such as IS have fed on this Wednesday’s vote was markedly lower than at the last the fighting has given IS “the opportunity chaos to grow, and divisions that persist election in 2014, falling to 66 percent from 73.5 per- to reorganize, recruit and strike alliances as reflected by the battle for Tripoli only cent, according to the electoral commission, while the with other groups (and organize attacks) serve to bolster them, analysts say. “The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), to show they are still around”. Jihadist divisions give terrorists an unexpected also saw its vote share fall. groups capitalized on Libya’s descent opportunity to mobilize and reorganize,” ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte said into chaos after the 2011 uprising that said Khaled Al-Montasser, a professor of “confidence is returning and we need to correct our killed veteran dictator Muammar Gaddafi international studies who lectures at mistakes”. Other ANC officials had already acknowl- KHAN SHAYKHUN, Syria: Smoke rises above buildings during shelling by Syrian to establish a presence in the North Libyan universities. edged the decline in support for the party compared regime forces and their allies on this town in the southern countryside of the rebel- African country. After losing Sirte and Derna, IS was with five years ago. Provisional results on Saturday held Idlib province yesterday. — AFP IS had its main stronghold in weakened but not totally defeated as its showed the ruling party secured 57.51 percent of the Gaddafi’s hometown of Sirte, east of fighters withdrew to the country’s remote parliamentary vote. The DA picked up 20.76 percent Tripoli, until it was expelled from the and vast desert in the south or infiltrated and the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters took 10.79 Mediterranean coastal city in Dec 2016. coastal communities. The threat militants percent, the Independent Electoral Commission said Aid groups suspend The group’s demise came at the hands pose was highlighted in a statement on its website. of forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Thursday by the GNA, which also blamed The ANC’s victory secures it enough seats in par- internationally recognized Government Haftar’s offensive for giving groups like IS liament to give President Cyril Ramaphosa another aid to northwest Syria of National Accord (GNA), especially another chance to regroup. “GNA forces five years in office but may leave him short of ammu- fighters from the western city of continue to repel the Haftar militias but their nition to battle party rivals who oppose his reforms to BEIRUT: UN-linked aid groups have sus- OCHA said five humanitarian workers, Misrata. Those fighters are among pro- attacks... destabilize our country and allow galvanize the economy and counter graft. It was the pended activities in parts of violence- including two health professionals, have GNA forces now battling the self-styled terrorist groups like Daesh to re-emerge,” it worst electoral performance by the late Nelson plagued northwest Syria, where stepped been reportedly killed due to air strikes Libyan National Army of military said using an Arabic acronym for IS. Mandela’s former liberation movement, which has up bombardment by the regime and Russia and shelling. WFP also said that some of its strongman Khalifa Haftar who launched Karim Bitar, director of research at the governed South Africa uninterrupted since the coun- is jeopardizing the safety of humanitarian partners inside Idlib have been “displaced an assault on Tripoli on April 4. French Institute for International and try’s first free election marked the end of white minor- workers. “As of 8 May, at least 16 humani- due to the violence, while a few others Haftar has vowed to “cleanse” Libya of Strategic Affairs, draws a parallel with ity rule in 1994.