EUROPEAN UNION NEWS DIGEST
South Sudan Presses for Abyei Referendum
(VOA) South Sudan has called on the international community to ensure quick implementation of the agreement to hold a referendum to determine the final status of the disputed oil-rich border region of Abyei. Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said the referendum is the only democratic way for the people of Abyei to decide whether they want to remain in the north or return to the south. Benjamin said Juba received international backing during the 68th UN General Assembly for the referendum to take place as planned.Benjamin said both Sudan and South Sudan also briefed a UN team, including the five permanent member countries of the Security Council, as well as member countries of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Benjamin said the international community must put pressure on Sudan to accept the proposal for a referendum. Benjamin said South Sudan is ready to make whatever contribution it can make towards financing the referendum. But, he says it is the responsibility of the entire international community. The Khartoum government is opposed to the idea of a referendum and favors a negotiated political settlement.
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South Sudan Ambassador: Relations between Khartoum and Juba Reached Stage of Agreements Implementation
(SUNA) The Ambassador of South Sudan State to Khartoum, Mayan Dut Wol, said that the recent visit of President Salva Kiir, to Khartoum has resulted in adoption of measures and programs for enhancement of the relations between Sudan and South Sudan. In a statement to SUNA Sunday, Ambassador Wol said that the crossings between Sudan and South Sudan are now open, the four freedoms agreement is under implementation, the joint security committees have made wide strides and waiting for the signing of agreement and the demarcation of the zero line at the joint border.
Read More: http://suna-sd.net/
Mass arrests, newspaper confiscations continue in Sudan
(Radio Dabanaga) During the demonstrations on “Angry Friday”, security forces reportedly arrested a number of activists and protesters in Greater Khartoum and other Sudanese cities. The UN Independent Expert and Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Sudan, Dr Masood Badrein has denounced the repression of the protests. He called on the government to carry out an urgent and transparent investigation into the violence and the killings, and to clearly charge the detainees or release them immediately. Security forces confiscated Friday’s print run of El Yaum el Tali. On Sunday morning, all printed copies of El Gerida newspaper were confiscated. UN Independent Expert Dr Masood Badrein has demanded the authorities put an end to the prosecution of journalists and the restrictions on the media.
Read More: https://www.radiodabanga.org/
Sudan security besiege University, raid hospital in Khartoum
(Radio Dabanga) Security forces reportedly used batons and tear gas to disperse medical students at the University of Khartoum who staged a demonstration on Sunday. Students reported to Radio Dabanga that security troops, in uniforms and in plain clothes, besieged the University carrying electrical batons and various firearms, preventing students from going onto to the streets. According to witnesses, security forces reportedly raided the Khartoum hospital on Sunday in order to prevent a strike organised by a number of doctors in protest against the massive arrests of demonstrators, activists, journalists and political party members.
Read More: https://www.radiodabanga.org/
Political Sector of National Congress Calls for Continuity of Dialogue with all Political Parties
(SUNA) The Political Sector of the National Congress has called in its meeting Sunday for continuation of dialogue with all the national political forces, top of them are the Ummah Party and the People’s Congress, toward guaranteeing contacts between all the political components in the country, said that the spokesman of the National Congress, Yasser Yousif. He said that the dialogue between the National Congress and the other political parties did not stop during the recent incidents in the country, stressing the National Congress seriousness for continuity of the dialogue for the interest of the country and the citizen. He said that the Political Sector also reviewed in its meeting a detailed report on the application of the economic procedure package.
Read More: http://suna-sd.net/
Sudan’s ruling party showing fresh signs of rebellion against Bashir
(Sudan Tribune) Several figures within Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) who signed a memo last week calling for the cancellation of recent cuts in subsidies and an end to the bloody crackdown on protesters, refused to appear before a commission of inquiry formed by the party. The memo, which was sent to president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir and initially signed by 31 NCP members, criticised the government’s decision to remove subsidies on fuel and other basic commodities, saying it “harshly” impacted on Sudanese citizens. Disputes within the NCP escalated against the background of divergent positions on the public protests which have lasted for two weeks. One senior source told Sudan Tribune that a meeting at the NCP’s leadership office last Thursday saw a sharp confrontation between president Bashir and three of the memo’s signatories.
Read More: http://www.sudantribune.com/
SPLM-N wants direct talks with Khartoum over vaccination campaign
(Sudan Tribune) The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) reiterated its demand for direct talks with the Sudanese government over the conduct of a polio vaccination campaign for children under five years in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Since last September, Khartoum declined to meet the SPLM-N rebels to discuss preparations related to this campaign particularly a cessation of hostilities needed before to reach 147,000 children in South Kordofan and 7000 children in Blue Nile. The Sudanese government said a deal can be reached through indirect talks brokered by the tripartite mechanism. Reports from the Blue Nile and South Kordofan say civilians continue to flee their villages as result of the continued military confrontation between the two parties or bombardment by the Sudanese warplanes.
Read More: http://www.sudantribune.com/