Sudan - Country of Concern: latest update, 31 March 2014
Updated 21 January 2015
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Over the last three months, the situation in Sudan has continued to raise concerns. Of particular note was the escalation in violence in Darfur, and in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states (the “Two Areas”), and the continuing erosion of civil liberties by the government. The Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, raised human rights with the government of Sudan during his visit on 14-16 January, where he also met representatives of civil society and humanitarian agencies. In February, Professor Mashood Baderin, the UN Independent Expert on Human Rights in the Sudan, expressed his concern on a visit to the country that the government had yet to make progress on a number of his previous recommendations, and had failed to take concrete steps to reduce conflict in Darfur and the Two Areas.
A new surge of violence in Darfur has resulted in attacks against the civilian population, large-scale destruction of civilian property, and mass displacement of civilians. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported an additional 215,000 internally displaced people since the beginning of 2014 (as of 17 March), as a result of the increased offensive between rebel groups, former pro-government militia, and government forces. Mr Simmonds issued a press statement on 6 March calling for all parties to end the violence, and reminding the government of its responsibility to protect civilians.
The conflict between government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) forces continues in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, with aerial bombardment and ground fighting leading to civilian causalities and displacement. NGOs report that February saw the highest number of civilian casualties since the start of the conflict in South Kordofan in 2011. Peace talks between the government of Sudan and SPLM-N, convened by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP), have repeatedly stalled.
More refugees continue to enter Sudan as the internal conflict in South Sudan continues. According to the UN Refugee Agency, as of 14 March, the number of arrivals from South Sudan is estimated to be between 44,100 and 46,500 people.
The closure of media outlets and seizure of newspapers continues. On 14 February the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) confiscated the print run of four publications: Al Taghyir, Akhir Lahza, Alahram Alyoum and Al Watan. Further editions of Al Watan were also seized on 20 February and seizures of other publications continued throughout the month; however, on 5 March, the Constitutional Court reversed the previous decision to close Al Thar. The IFEX (formerly the International Freedom of Expression Exchange) report of 12 March captured the extent of this clamp-down on media freedom, highlighting that eleven papers were seized in just over one week in March. Journalists continue to face harassment from the security forces. At least five remain in detention. There are also ongoing concerns about the revised draft press law, which has been heavily criticised both by press and civil society. The previous draft was rejected by parliament. Activists are calling for swift action to avoid further harm to media freedoms in Sudan.
More positively, on 3 March, the Sudanese Intellectual Property Court cleared journalist Khalid Ahmad of accusations of harming the morale of the armed forces and denigrating its leaders. Ahmad declined to talk about the case to avoid being “taken back to the court”. During this period, the British Embassy in Khartoum sponsored a five-day capacity-building course for journalists.
Protests at the University of Khartoum on 11 March resulted in the death of a Darfuri student, Ali Abaker Musa, and several serious injuries. Further smaller protests followed across Khartoum. Police dispersed crowds at the funeral on 12 March and again at a memorial held on 13 March. Although the demonstrations were largely peaceful, the police used tear gas to disperse crowds at both events. Since 11 March, several activists and lawyers across Khartoum have been arrested, with some detainees being held incommunicado. In response to the events at the University of Khartoum, the British Embassy issued a statement, and the UK raised its concerns at the UN Security Council.
Following the protests in March, the police promised to investigate properly the death of protestor Ali Abaker Musa. His family and activists are sceptical as the government has yet to release any report into the deaths of over 200 protesters at previous demonstrations in September 2013, despite pressure from the UN Independent Expert. In January, the remaining 41 of the original 600 people detained following the September protests were tried and convicted of public order offences.
On 14 March, the Special Court in Sinja sentenced in absentia 17 members of the SPLM-N to death by hanging. Among those sentenced are Malik Agar, the SPLM-N chairman, and chairman of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance of armed opposition groups and Yasir Arman, the Secretary-General of the SPLM-N and SRF Foreign Relations Secretary. The exact number of executions and death penalty sentences handed down in Sudan remain unclear. It is widely believed that publicly available figures, including those released by Amnesty International, are a gross underestimate.
There are continued general reports of torture of those in detention, including severe beatings of people detained following the March protests. On 11 February, a Human Rights Watch report drew a connection between the failure of the Sudanese security forces to tackle human trafficking properly, and the routine torture of victims of trafficking bound for Egypt.
In February, an Ethiopian woman, the alleged victim of a gang rape which was filmed and circulated on social media, was put on trial for adultery. Despite clear evidence, the victim’s own allegation of rape was not investigated as the Attorney General, blocked her from filing a complaint of rape as she was under investigation for a criminal offence. The woman was found guilty of indecent acts, but the judge resisted the prosecution’s call for a harsh sentence, instead imposing a fine of 500 Sudanese Pounds (approximately US$90), which was later paid by an anonymous donor. The British Embassy issued a statement on the Embassy Facebook page in response to the verdict. Three of the male defendants were convicted of adultery and sentenced to 100 lashes. Two more were convicted of indecent acts, sentenced to 40 lashes and ordered to pay fines. One was convicted of distributing indecent material. A final defendant was not convicted due to insufficient evidence.
A planned event on 8 March, co-sponsored by the Embassy, to mark International Women’s Day in Khartoum, was cancelled when NISS refused to issue the required permit. The British Embassy issued a statement on the Embassy Facebook page. On 14 February, the UK sponsored an event at the University of Khartoum marking the global “One Billion Rising” campaign seeking an end to violence against women. This year’s theme was “Access to Justice”. Around 2,500 people, men and women, attended the event. The UK continues to encourage the government of Sudan to sign the Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.