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Sudan: 56 civilians killed, hundreds injured as army, paramilitary clashes continue

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The Sudanese military on Sunday confirmed that 56 civilians have been killed while hundreds of others, including combatants on both sides, have been injured as a fierce fighting between its regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, led by powerful deputy head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, or “Little Mohamed” continues.

The Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CDSD), a group of volunteer medical personnel in the country, also said in a statement on Sunday that around 595 people have so far been wounded, some critically, since the outbreak of the clashes on Friday.

The doctors’ union also reported that scores of military personnel were killed in the fighting without giving a specific number, due to a lack of firsthand information from many of the hospitals where those casualties were taken.

The group earlier said it had recorded deaths at Khartoum’s airport and Omdurman, as well as west of Khartoum in the cities of Nyala, El Obeid and El Fasher.

The military statement said government forces launched air strikes on a base belonging to the paramilitary forces in the city of Omdurman, which adjoins the capital Khartoum, in a bid to reassert control over the country after the paramilitary forces attacked some of its camps in the capital.

Local media in the country also reports that in the early hours of Sunday morning, sounds of heavy artillery firing were heard across Khartoum, Omdurman and nearby Bahri, and there was also gunfire heard in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, where there had been no earlier reports of fighting.

The RSF, in its own statement, claimed to have seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence, state television station and airports in Khartoum, the northern city of Merowe, El Fasher and West Darfur state, a claim the army rejected.

The RSF evolved from so-called Janjaweed militias, which fought in a conflict in the 2000s in the Darfur region, where they were used by the government of President Omar al-Bashir to help the army put down a rebellion.

al-Bashir was ousted after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019 while a transition government dominated by civilians was overthrown by the military in 2021 with the cooperation of the RSF.

Tensions between the military and RSF escalated as the two groups have continued to compete for legitimacy and control of the country and in recent months, the conflicts were increased by a frosty relationship between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of Sudan’s military, and Dagalo.

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

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Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

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Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

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The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.

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