Politics

Sudan still boils four months after Al-Burhan’s coup; 84 killed so far

Published

2 years ago

March 3, 2022

The dust is yet to settle four months after Sudanese dictator, General Abdel al-Fattah al-Burhan organised a coup to overthrow a regime he has dictated to since 2019, and retained his powers as de facto leader of Sudan.

Demonstrations continue to trail the “self coup” despite the deadly crackdown with protesters calling for the end of military rule of General Al-Burhan.

A self-coup is a form of coup in which a nation’s leader, despite having come to power through legal means, dissolves or renders powerless the national legislature and unlawfully assumes extraordinary powers, not granted under normal circumstances.

One of the protesters was shot dead on Monday during a march by thousands against last year’s coup, thus taking the total number of people killed to at least 84 since General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led the October 25 military takeover.

The protester killed on Monday was shot in the head in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, according to the Sudanese Doctors’ Committee.

The shooting happened as thousands of demonstrators tried to cross the bridge across the Nile linking the city to Khartoum.

“Tear gas canisters will not stop us!” said Taqwa Mohammed, a demonstrator near Khartoum’s presidential palace, where the ruling Sovereign Council is based along the Nile River.

The Northeast African country has a long history of military coups that dates back to 1957. More recently, the country experienced a coup in 2019 that ousted the military junta of Omar-al-Bashir which had been in power for over 30 years. There was also a report of an aborted coup in September 2021 and a “self coup” later in October of the same year that brought in Head Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan.

In the case of General Abdel al-Fattah al-Burhan’s coup, the dictator had been the head of the eleven-member Sovereignty Council of Sudan which was the collective head of state of Sudan from 20 August 2019 when it was created by the August 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration.

Al-Burhan displaced the council in the infamous 25 October 2021 self coup.

Politics

Again, Rwanda denies it attacked displaced persons in DR Congo

Published

10 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

For the sixteenth time, Rwanda refuted US charges on Saturday that its troops attacked a camp for internally displaced persons in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), placing the blame instead on militants it claimed were backed by the military of the Congo.

The US State Department released a statement in which it vehemently denounced the incident that claimed at least nine lives on Friday.

There have been persistent accusations against Rwanda of providing support to the armed organizations, which has resulted in diplomatic tensions between the neighbours in East Africa.

Citing the threat that Rwanda’s surface-to-air missile systems posed to civilians, U.N. and other regional peacekeepers, aid workers, and commercial aircraft operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the US demanded in February that Rwanda remove its systems and all of its armed forces from the DRC immediately. Rwanda denies providing any assistance to the rebels.

According to the U.S. statement, the M23 rebel group, which Rwanda supports, and the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) held the positions from which the attack was launched. The United States is “gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion” in eastern Congo.

Speaking on behalf of the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo refuted claims that the RDF was responsible for the attack, blaming instead rebels backed by the Congolese military.

“The RDF, a professional army, would never attack an IDP (displaced persons). Look to the lawless FDLR and Wazalendo supported by the FARDC (Congolese military) for this kind of atrocity,” she said in a post on X.

Wazalendo is a Christian sect, while the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a Hutu organization that was founded by Hutu officials who left Rwanda after planning the 1994 genocide.

Thousands of people from the surrounding areas have fled to Goma in eastern Congo as a result of the M23 rebels’ two-year offensive, which has advanced toward the city in recent months.

Politics

Liberia: President Boakai signs order to create war crimes court

Published

11 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

To provide long-overdue justice to those who suffered grave injustices during the two civil wars that raged in Liberia, President Joseph Boakai has signed an executive order to establish a war crimes court. Boakai granted his final approval and congratulated the lawmakers for their effort in the legislation.

Many atrocities, such as rape, massacres, and the use of child soldiers, occurred during the wars that lasted from 1989 to 2003. A special court was eventually ordered to be established to try those who were deemed to be at fault by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee.

President Boakai proposed a resolution to create a special court, which was later backed by Liberia’s lower house and senate.

“The conviction that brings us here today is that, for peace and harmony to have a chance to prevail, justice and healing must perfect the groundwork,” Boakai said in a special address.

Activists and civil society organizations that have demanded greater justice for crimes committed during the conflicts that claimed the lives of almost 250,000 people have praised the initiative.

With support from global organizations like the UN, the court would function in Liberia under international norms once it was operational. Economic offences will also be handled by it.

Meanwhile, some in Liberia are against its development, arguing that it could weaken the amnesty law that was already in place and cause old grievances to resurface. This helped put a stop to the violence.