August 2024
In This Newsletter:
1. Al-Burhan meets the director of Egyptian intelligence in Port Sudan | Sudanese Foreign Minister: Cairo informed us of its inability to hold the consultative meeting with the American side
2. Amendments to the Judicial Procedures Law in Egypt threaten the fairness of litigation procedures
3. The United Nations World Food Program investigates two of its senior officials in Sudan on charges of fraud and concealing information from donors
4. Human Rights Watch calls for an end to the persecution of individuals of sexual and gender diversity
5. 45 monitored cases of direct violations against journalists and press freedoms, including four assassinations, during the past four months
6. Food prices rise significantly in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, amid the worsening cash liquidity crisis
Al-Burhan meets the director of Egyptian intelligence in Port Sudan | Sudanese Foreign Minister: Cairo informed us of its inability to hold the consultative meeting with the American side
Days after the failure of the Sudanese-American consultations in Cairo, the head of Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas Kamel, arrived today in Port Sudan, where he met with the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Army, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, in the presence of the Director of Sudanese General Intelligence, Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal. According to Sovereignty Council media, the meeting discussed Sudanese-Egyptian relations and common challenges between the two countries, while Al-Burhan praised the Egyptian role in supporting Sudan, expressing his appreciation for the Arab Republic of Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. For his part, Kamel stressed Egypt's keenness on the security and stability of Sudan, hoping that the war would end quickly to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese. In this context, the Cairo consultations between the Sudanese government and its American counterpart reached a dead end last week, as the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Hussein Awad, indicated that the American delegation did not attend despite sending part of the Sudanese delegation to Cairo. On the other hand, the US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perillo, said that he held discussions with the Egyptian government, but the Sudanese delegation violated the protocols. Militarily, the Sudanese army escalated its air operations, targeting Rapid Support Forces positions in several states, including Khartoum, resulting in civilian casualties, while the army continued its advance in southern Khartoum, regaining control over several areas, and seizing military equipment of the Rapid Support Forces. In El Fasher, the Rapid Support Forces continue their violent artillery shelling of civilian objects, resulting in casualties, while their violations against civilians continue in Sennar, where they are besieging the village of Jalqani, which witnessed horrific massacres that claimed the lives of more than 80 people. The continuation of the ongoing war in Sudan increases the suffering of the communities of sexual and gender diversity, as they may be exposed to increasing acts of violence that force them into displacement in search of safety.
More details: https://bit.ly/4dVQJTh
Amendments to the Judicial Procedures Law in Egypt threaten the fairness of litigation procedures
Last August, the Bar Association issued a statement in which it objected to the new draft criminal procedure law being discussed by the Egyptian House of Representatives. According to the Bar Association, the new law expands the powers of arrest, detention, investigation and trial at the expense of the accused’s right to defense, such as emphasizing limiting appeals to criminal judgments to The Public Prosecution and denying the same right to the accused or the civil plaintiff. The union also explained that the draft law reformulated some provisions of the current law that violate the Constitution, as it did not include any amendments related to the emphasis on ensuring the constitutionally stipulated right of defense by proxy, and the continued obligation of the accused to be present in person at some levels of Litigation. There were also no amendments to the texts granting the investigating authority the right to conduct the investigation without the presence of a lawyer, and the right to withhold investigation papers from the lawyer, to the point of depriving him of obtaining copies of the papers under the pretext of necessity and urgency. These amendments undermine the right of the citizen, guaranteed by the Constitution and international conventions, to a fair trial. The continued possibility of withholding case papers from defense lawyers opens the way to prevent people of sexual and gender diversity from obtaining a possibly strong defense in their cases before the various courts, as such an amendment increases the modes of discrimination that may be used by investigating officers and public prosecutors against those who do not conform to their personal perceptions of morals and values.
More details: https://bit.ly/3z1EO7v
The United Nations World Food Program investigates two of its senior officials in Sudan on charges of fraud and concealing information from donors
Reuters said on Wednesday that the United Nations World Food Program is investigating two of its senior officials in Sudan on charges of fraud and concealing information from donors, according to 11 sources familiar with the investigation.
Reuters confirmed that the investigation conducted by the Office of the Inspector General of the World Food Program focuses on suspicion that senior WFP staff in Sudan misled donors, including member states of the United Nations Security Council, by downplaying the alleged role of the Sudanese army in obstructing the delivery of aid to areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces. With all these complexities, people of sexual and gender diversity may face difficulty in accessing basic services such as food, water, shelter, and health care services, especially in areas of floods and rain, which may prevent them from requesting the services they need. They may lack information about available service options, or may not be able to afford the services."
More details: https://bit.ly/3TnWTnb
Human Rights Watch calls for an end to the persecution of individuals of sexual and gender diversity
“In its report submitted to the 48th session of the Universal Periodic Review of Egypt at the UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch highlighted the ongoing discrimination and violations faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community in Egypt. The report said: “Egypt does not explicitly criminalize same-sex relations. However, many Egyptian laws restrict the right to freedom of expression and privacy. The Egyptian security services are waging a relentless campaign of repression against gay, bisexual, transgender people and LGBTQ+ activists, in one of the worst campaigns that Egypt has witnessed in recent decades. Security forces arbitrarily arrest people in public places on the basis of their gender expression, detain them in inhumane conditions, and systematically subject them to ill-treatment, including torture.[26] In addition, security forces ensnare LGBTQ+ individuals through dating apps and other forms of online targeting.[27]” The organization recommended “ending all forms of persecution of people based on suspected same-sex behavior, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity, or gender expression.” It has also called for investigation and to hold accountable individuals who make statements online or offline that incite or threaten violence against LGBTQ+ people.”
More Details: https://bit.ly/4dXRMCk
45 monitored cases of direct violations against journalists and press freedoms, including four assassinations, during the past four months
“The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate said on Sunday that it had monitored 45 cases of direct violations against journalists and press freedoms, including four assassinations during the past four months. The freedom secretariat of the union issued a report on August 25 monitoring crimes, violations and abuses against journalists and freedoms in the period from April 15, 2023 to August 2024. The report confirmed that there were some cases of violation that were forced to be withheld and whose details were not included in the monitoring because the journalists who were exposed to them were still within the danger zone.
The report added, “We considered it in our interest to withhold information related to the violations they are exposed to in order to protect their lives, especially since there are still threats to some of them.”
The report noted that most of the violations against journalists occurred by virtue of their work or affiliation to the journalism profession, indicating that the total number of violations since the outbreak of war reached 438 cases, classified and documented according to the nature of each violation. The report also confirmed the assassination of 10 journalists since the outbreak of war, including two female journalists. While the total number of physical attacks and injuries reached 10 cases, including 4 female journalists.
The report also monitored 6 complaints recorded against journalists, indicating that they are used as a means to intimidate journalists and silence their voices. These attacks create greater difficulty in accessing any reliable information about the community of sexual and gender diversity, and they may also be exposed to assault or killing by armed groups and both sides of the conflict.
More details: https://bit.ly/4dXS7F6
Food prices rise significantly in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, amid the worsening cash liquidity crisis
“Food prices have risen significantly in the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, amid the worsening cash liquidity crisis. Citizens said that prices in the city have risen significantly amid food scarcity in light of the ongoing Rapid Support siege of the city and the ongoing battles between it and the army and its allied movements.” Since last May, the prices of basic foodstuffs have risen in the city's markets, such as oil, sugar, and flour, in addition to hygiene tools, according to what El Fasher Resistance Coordination Committee reported.
The rise in food prices comes in light of the continuing cash liquidity crisis, as there are no outlets available to provide banknotes in the market and various stores. People rely only on digital apps for financial transactions, which face additional problems due to interruption of Internet networks, as there is no option to access these apps except via satellite Internet (Starlink). People of sexual and gender diversity in Sudan face the same risks as Sudanese people, and more, such as increased harassment and violence. They may also be particularly targeted because of their sexual identity or gender expression, and the community continues to lose access to basics like food.”
More Details: https://bit.ly/3XlWLpv