Sudan security detains anti-election supporters in Sennar

03:55 PM Feb, 13 2015
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February 13 - 2015 SINJA

Woman puts her vote in a ballot box during the elections in 2010 (EU EEAS)

The national security service detained seven members of the National Concensus Forces in Sennar state on Thursday while they were preparing for their campaign to boycott the elections in Sudan.

Agents detained the seven from different places in Sinja, in Sennar, where a symposium was scheduled to take place today (Friday). It was part of the launch of the anti-election 'Leave!' campaign by opposition figures who signed the Sudan call on 3 December 2014.

Sarah Nugdallah, Secretary-General of the National Umma Party (NUP), said in Dabanga’s Sudanese Files programme this week that coordination committees had been formed to organise seminars in Sennar and other states in Sudan. However, four organisers were detained in El Gezira state on 5 February, and yesterday, seven committee members were detained in Sinja.

The detained members as of yesterday are El Mahi Suleiman from the Sudanese Congress Party of the Sennar branch, student Shommo Hamid Zakaria, member of the Independent Student Congress at the University of Sennar, Marwan Abdel Moneim and Mohamed Nugdullah of the National Umma Party, Yousif Awad and Omar El Nur from the Democratic Front, and Abul Gader El Yas from the Sudanese Communist Party.

A statement by the National Consensus Forces (a coalition of Sudanese opposition parties) described the arrest as 'aiming to suppress the forces of the Sudan Call from democratically and peacefully expressing the Leave! Campaign'. The statement called on the security service to immediately release the detainees.

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February 12 - 2015 NEW YORK

Darfuri child with bullets (Albert González Farran/Unamid)

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution, renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Sudan Sanctions Committee for an additional 13 months, until 12 March 2016.

Russia and the USA have been negotiating details of the resolution, and made some adjustments. The new resolution strengthens the language regarding restrictions against the transport of weapons and ammunition into Darfur by the Sudanese authorities and government-affiliated armed groups.

It recalls that Sudan is obliged under resolution 1591 to request approval from the Sanctions Committee, in advance of transporting military equipment and supplies into Darfur.

The Experts’ Panel has to share any evidence of potential non-compliance with the assets freeze and travel ban.

Additionally, the resolution condemns the use of camps for Darfuri displaced by armed groups in ways that benefit them, and pose risks to civilians. This also represents a departure from last year’s resolution.

Russia argued that the initially circulated draft version tended to be too critical of the Sudanese government, without sufficiently acknowledging the role of the rebel groups in the violent conflict.

The chairman of the Sudan Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Rafael Ramírez (Venezuela) told the Security Council that the Committee was concerned about attacks on civilians and UN personnel, while noting that several Committee members pointed to continued violations of the arms embargo.

(Source: UN, AP)