Status: Repressed

Key events taking place in the third quarter of 2021 with an impact on civic space in Sudan.

In order to push for the implementation of his initiative to solve the national crisis known as The Way Forward, Dr. Abdullah Hamdok, the Transitional Prime Minister, announced in August 2021 the formation of a national mechanism for the initiative of 71 members. It is worth noting that the Prime Minister had put forward his initiative on June 22 with the aim of fortifying the path of democratic transition.

In early August, Mrs. Samantha Power, the Director of the US Agency for International Development, and a member of the US National Security Council, visited Sudan and announced her country's support for the democratic transition process in Sudan. She met with the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, who called on the United States to provide support for the success of the transitional period and the establishment of fair elections.

On September 21, 2021, the Sudanese government announced the thwarting of a coup attempt aimed at seizing power in the country, and since that announcement civilians and military partners in the government have been exchanging accusations. The situation has come to a freeze and suspension of public and institutional meetings between the two parties. Extensive foreign efforts have been mobilized as a result, including the Norwegian, American and French delegations for Sudan.

Since the end of last June, negotiations between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement have been suspended at the conclusion of a round of negotiations between them that lasted about two weeks in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. An agreement of declaration of principles was signed between the two parties at the beginning of this year.

On the 9th of last September, some components of the Forces of Freedom and Change signed the document of the political declaration of the unity of the forces of freedom and change and the issues of transition and building a state of citizenship and democracy. Other forces from within the coalition denounced the announcement on the same day in a press statement and considered it a prelude to a fracture in the Alliance of the Forces of Freedom and Change, then announced the continuation of the work of the Technical Committee to reform the alliance. Later, at the end of September, the Technical Committee announced a mass mobilization calling for a return to the founding platform. The move represented an official declaration of the division of the Forces of Freedom and Change.

The beginning of September witnessed a re-escalation in eastern Sudan by the Supreme Council of the Beja and Independent Chiefdoms. Both the port and the national road linking the Red Sea state with the rest of the Sudan of Sudan were closed. This escalation had been justified by the rejection of the eastern path, which was included in the Juba Peace Agreement for Sudan, signed between the transitional government of Sudan and the parties to the peace process.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND EXPRESSION
Status: Restricted

Freedom of information and expression deteriorated from the previous quarter and remains RESTRICTED during the quarter July–September 2021.

Freedom of expression has come under increased pressure during this quarter with an increase in the number of journalists being threatened, and/or harassed and/or physically assaulted when carrying out their journalistic work. In Adaien, capital of East Darfur state, court proceedings commenced against a reporter (Mohamed Salih Albashar) for the Darfur 24 news outlet who was being accused for taking photographs without permission in Adaein Hospital. In Nyala, South Darfur state, another reporter from Darfur 24 (Abdelmoniem Madibo) was detained and beaten by uniformed personnel affiliated with one of the armed groups and stationed at the previous UNAMID facilities in the state.

Similar incidences have been happening in other parts of the country and the Sudan Journalists Network issued several statements condemning these increased violations against journalists. With the overall chaotic political context in the country there are multiple actors wielding authority and carrying out these attacks on journalists - some of whom include persons affiliated with the armed groups that were signatory to the Juba Peace Agreement, as well as individuals affiliated with the Committee for the Dismantlement of the NCP regime. Disarray in the justice sector has also been a cause of misuse of judicial powers by some of these state/state-affiliated actors.

Media freedoms have also continued to come under attack during this quarter with both online and offline newspapers being subjected to closure and/or suspension. In September, two newspapers were subjected to suspension by the National Council for Press and Publications for running an advertisement calling for the closure of national roads. In a similar attack on media freedoms in August, the National Council for Press and Publications suspended the issuance of Al-Dar newspaper for three days as punishment for publishing an article related to LGBT rights. Earlier in July, several online news sites were blocked by authorities (Prosecutor General for Information Crimes) in an effort to quell what was perceived by authorities as in increase in hate speech and mis/disinformation. The Cybercrime Act of 2007 (revised in 2020) continues to act as the main legal instrument used in such cases which infringe on media freedoms and the right of expression.

On media related legislation, the Ministry of Information released in August three bills that it had been working on in relation to reforming the media sector. These included a proposed Access to Information bill, a revised Press and Publications bill, and the Sudan Press and Television Bill. Earlier in 2020, a media reform study commissioned by the UNESCO and the Ministry of Information, as well as a media conference organized by the national NGO SUDIA in partnership with Canale France International, these three bills had been flagged as the most important pieces of legislation for reforming the media sector.

Internet access continued to be restricted and unaffordable to the larger segment of the Sudanese population due to high costs, lack of accessibility and frequent service disruptions. Two of the country’s biggest mobile network operators, Zain and Sudani both increased their prices for internet access during this quarter, with increases reportedly exceeding 45% of what they were previously.

RIGHTS OF ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY
Status: Repressed

Rights of association and assembly remained unchanged during this quarter and continues to be Repressed, mostly on the back of the continued absence of laws to facilitate exercise of the right of association and continued reprisals against peaceful demonstrations.

Freedom of assembly and the right to protest continue to be met with violent reprisals and the declaration of a state of emergency by the local governments of several states across the country. In September, the government of North Kordofan state announced a curfew in four neighborhoods in the state capital of Al-Obeid after violent incidences in which four people lost their lives. Central Darfur State government also announced a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the capital city of Zalingei when student led protests resulted in the death of a student and injury of four others.

Members of the neighborhood resistance committees have also been targeted with arrests by authorities over this quarter. On July 9th, authorities in the capital city of Nyala arrested three members of the neighborhood resistance committees for participating in a vigil following the Eid prayers. In Khartoum two members from the Umbadda neighborhood resistance committee were arrested for two days for chanting against the Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Hemeti, during a visit to the area.

Issues related to CSO autonomy manifested in a decision by the Humanitarian Aid Commission on 1 August, establishing a Preliminary Committee and tasking it with carrying out a series of functions related to the re-establishment of the Sudanese Council of Voluntary Associations (SCOVA). SCOVA is supposed to be an independent umbrella body for voluntary associations and ever since the December 2018 revolution has been going through institutional difficulties – given the affiliation of some of its leadership with the former NCP regime. And whilst the move was welcomed by some others saw who had been calling for its reform, others saw in it an extension of the previous regimes policy of infringing on the independence of voluntary networks and institutions.

In another incident impacting the independence and neutrality of civil society organization, Hudu Center for Human Rights reported that Mercy Corps an international organization operating in Habila, South Kordofan state, suspended its services after receiving threats from an armed group, claiming that the organization was supporting the rebels.

NON-DISCRIMINATION / INCLUSION
Status: Repressed

Compared to the previous quarter there was a slight improvement non-discrimination/inclusion during this quarter however the overall status remains “Repressed”.

Progress during the quarter has been attributed to the unprecedented appointment of two persons of determination with impaired vision as diplomats in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August. However, in the wider frame, people of determination have remained marginalized and have been unable to recover the building that was used as their Council offices. The Head of the Federation also reported in August that an increasing number of people of determination were subjected to sexual assault and pointed to a lack of accurate statistics about the percentage of abused and demanded the necessity of activating laws and putting deterrent penalties on the abusers.

In August, a group of women who had participated as observers in the negotiations leading up to the Juba Peace Agreement and more specifically the Darfur track of the agreement held a press conference in which they objected against their marginalization and lack of inclusion in any decision-making positions and more specifically structures or committees that have been established as part of the peace agreement such as the Higher Committee for follow-up and implementation of the peace agreement, or the Executive Committees of the System of Governance Conference, or the Council of Partners. Article 1.20 of the chapter on national issues had recognized “the importance of fair and effective representation of women at all levels of power and decision-making positions, at a rate of not less than 40% forty percent”.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION
Status: Restricted

During this quarter citizen participation remained Restricted and Unchanged compared to the previous quarter (April-June 2021).

The absence of the Transitional Legislative Council continued to impede public/citizen participation at the national level in the governance and transitional affairs of the country. Meanwhile the Ministry of Justice released in late August a series of draft laws on its website and invited comments from the public - these included, the Elections Commission Draft Law, and the Draft Law for Constitution Making. The Ministry of Justice also organized two consultation workshops around the draft elections commission law with political party representatives and a second one with civil society representatives in late September. In a similar effort and to improve communication with the public, the government established an official government spokesperson platform which began to provide regular updates to the public starting in August.

August witnessed calls by more than 65 civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the African Center for Justice and Peace Studies, the Darfur Bar Association, and the SIHA, on the government to translate its commitments to International Criminal Court (ICC) and expedite the surrender of the former President Omar Al Bashir and others who had been issued with summons to the ICC. In Red Sea state several civil society organizations gathered in front of the public prosecutor’s office and called for the establishment of a special prosecutor to address increased misinformation and hate speech on social media that was causing social unrest and provoking conflict.

Download Arabic version of the brief here.