Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Khalil Charles
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Turkiye: intelligence chief’s visit to Sudan fuels speculation about secret deals
Two weeks after Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamal visited Sudan, the unannounced visit by his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, brought a flurry of speculation about secret deals and the purpose of yet another spy chief visiting Khartoum. Fidan’s visit was a rare occurrence for Khartoum given Turkiye’s “watch and...
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Egypt questionable motives for intervening in Sudan's politics
Egypt’s late appearance in Sudanese politics has baffled observers and activists alike. Sixteen months after the Sudan Army staged a widely condemned coup d’état on 25 October 2021, which removed the transitional Prime Minister, Abdullah Hamdok, from power, Sudan’s northern neighbour, Egypt has proposed an initiative to reach a...
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Sudan new political agreement remains out of step with Sudanese public opinion
Ten days after Sudan moved into its 67th year of independence, the divide between the Sudanese and the political groups who signed an agreement with the Sudanese government has deepened. As the country also enters its fifth year since the removal of the 30-year leadership of Omar Al-Bashir, the...
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Violence in Darfur, Blue Nile adds to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sudan
The outbreak of violence in the Blue Nile leading to the death of at least 60 people this weekend and the injury of over 100 was sadly not unexpected. Tension was building for many months and now represents a wave of violence sweeping across eastern, western and central parts...
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Sudan’s revolution falters as new Islamic movement takes hold, and Al-Burhan strengthens grip on power
The decision to dissolve the Sovereignty Council has angered the revolutionary forces but has come as no surprise to observers who have witnessed the slow decline of the institution and the steady re-appointment of members of Sudan’s Islamic movement to positions of power. Despite this, Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan has...
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Sudan is trying to revive the economy with help from Russia and the UAE
As the death toll continues to rise in the protests against Sudan’s military rulers, the local currency has plummeted after the Central Bank’s flotation exacerbated the country’s deepening economic and political crisis. At least 84 people have been killed since the protests began on 25 October last year, when...
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Sudan: the prime minister’s resignation leaves a dangerous political vacuum
The decision by Sudan’s Prime Minister, Abdulla Hamdok, to resign just six weeks after he was reinstalled in the job leaves a dangerous political vacuum that looks like it will be extremely difficult to fill. Even if a successor is found quickly, the people of Sudan are unlikely to...
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The Sudanese Army’s attempts to renegotiate a deal with civil society is unlikely to succeed
Seventeen days after the Sudanese Army, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, denied that it had staged a coup, the country is still no closer to restoring civilian rule and re-establishing democratic institutions. Whilst most of the international community and the Sudanese people fully expect Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok...
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Civilian and military rule may not resolve Sudan’s deep political crisis and mistrust
The universal condemnation of the coup d’état led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fatah Al-Burhan in Sudan on 25th October was little comfort to the bitterly disappointed and outraged Sudanese who lived through yet another takeover by the army. This is the sixth military coup in Sudan’s 63 years of...
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Controversial new council in Sudan signals the death of the far left
The pressure for Sudan’s far left to be isolated from the country’s politics reached its climax this week with the formation of a new council from which its representatives will be excluded. The President of Sudan and leader of the ruling Sovereign Transitional Council (STC), Abdel Fatah Al-Burhan, has...
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The threat to peace has forced Sudan to normalise with Israel
It cannot have escaped the attention of observers that Sudan’s name has not yet officially been removed from America’s list of state sponsors of terrorism even though President Donald Trump has signalled to the US Senate his intention in this regard. It is also noted that normalisation of relations...
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Darfur remains caught uneasily between war and peace
Despite the latest peace agreement signed earlier this month, journeying through Darfur in the heart of a 17-year armed conflict area is an arduous task. There are still major concerns about safety and security. For the people of Darfur, especially those in the camps filled with internally displaced people...
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The trial against Bashir for 1989 coup d’état is against Sudan law
Just how Sudan will be able to convict former President Omar Al-Bashir and 27 defendants for staging the 1989 coup remains a major issue of contention. Not merely in the special court which reconvened yesterday, but also with the concerned general public eager to see justice meted out 30...
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Sudan stumbles into the future with no expectation of real change
The pending cabinet reshuffle, schedule next month, is unlikely to make a huge difference to Sudanese current economic difficulties. Despite the signing of two peace deals ending 17 years of conflict in Darfur and South Kordofan, which in theory should lead to a redistribution of the country’s defence spending,...
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Sudan’s foreign policy is in question following the revelation of secret talks with Israel
The bizarre sacking of the Foreign Ministry spokesman after publicly admitting Sudan was considering normalising relations with Israel, signalled the weakening of Sudan’s negotiating position with the US and the international community. The blunder was not just the admission of ongoing secret talks with the Zionist state, but it...
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Is Sudan’s government transforming it into a secular state?
The abolition of the apostasy laws and the relaxation of rules allowing non-Muslims to drink alcohol is unlikely to have any real impact on the day to day life of most of Sudan’s citizens. The move by the government in Khartoum has been welcomed by many human rights groups,...
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Sudan can’t change its economic conditions overnight
Observers of the situation in Sudan have long doubted that the United States will ever take it off Washington’s list of “countries sponsoring terrorism”. The recent report from Anadolu Agency citing an unnamed source that the US will not remove Sudan’s name until elections are held sent shockwaves across...
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Is Sudan’s neutral stance hindering agreement over Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam?
Sudan’s continued insistence on maintaining a neutral stance in the negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam could be hindering rather than assisting the prospect of finding a resolution to the long running dispute. Despite the clear benefits the damn would bring to Sudan, Khartoum is walking a...
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Sudan’s revolution anniversary marred by demonstrations and controversy
The role of the former intelligence chief, Salah Abdullah, in bringing down Sudan’s former President, Omar Al-Bashir, has become the most talked about controversy in Sudan. The admission that leaders from the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) movement met and agreed with Abdullah, known as Gosh, to stage...
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In Sudan the death of the defence minister amid the coronavirus pandemic increases social and political tensions
The death of Sudan’s defence secretary in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic was not only a shock for Sudanese people, but it placed unprecedented pressure on the country’s traditions and customs. The death highlighted Sudan’s precarious economic conditions and its inability to date to find a breakthrough in...
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Sudan’s coronavirus state of emergency brings mixed blessings
The Sudanese government is to be commended for its swift response to the coronavirus pandemic, there being just one death to date, and 19 cases of infection. Schools and universities have been closed since Monday and the transitional government has suspended international flights to and from the capital as...
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Sudanese believe the attempted assassination of their PM was an orchestrated hoax
The shocking news of the attempted assassination of Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok is an indication of the political turmoil that threatens to derail the democratic aspirations of the country. No immediate claims of responsibility have come forward, although the finger of blame points at agents of the former...
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Are the normalisation terms already agreed by Sudan and Israel?
Since Sudan’s transitional head of state Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 3 February, an unverified list of demands reflecting agreed points has emerged. This list outlines the conditions that Sudan must fulfil in order to be removed from the US list of state sponsors...
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The ‘Sudan First’ policy ignores the Palestinians to normalise relations with Israel
Details of the meeting between Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudan’s transitional head of state General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan suggest that the normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two countries is closer than ever before. Speaking to the media, Al-Burhan described his meeting with Netanyahu as “comfortable”, held...