Omar al-Bashir - The African Mirror

Oct

2020

ICC delegation to visit Sudan to discuss case against Bashir

AN International Criminal Court delegation is to visit Sudan to discuss the cases of ousted president Omar al-Bashir and other former officials, the government has announced. The delegation, led by prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, will discuss "cooperation" with Sudan over the wanted men, the government said in a statement. The court said Bensouda and a delegation would be in Khartoum for a few days, for the court's first visit since Bashir was ousted. Bashir, who has been in jail in Khartoum since he was toppled after mass protests last year, has been indicted by the ICC for war crimes, genocide and…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan declares state of economic emergency due to fall of currency

BUSINESS

SUDAN has declared an economic state of emergency after its currency fell sharply in recent weeks due to "systematic vandalism," officials said. The transitional government, in charge of the country since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir last year, will set up special courts in the next days to fight smuggling and other illicit activities undermining the economy, officials told a televised news conference. The pound had fluctuated drastically in recent days, prompting major food suppliers to halt distribution of their products and pushing prices of food up between 50% and 100% at supermarkets and retailers, a Reuters witness said. It…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan’s Bashir appears at trial over 1989 coup

NEWS

OUSTED Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir appeared in court on Tuesday at the start of a trial over the military coup in which he took power in 1989. Giving his profession as “former president of the republic”, Bashir seemed in good physical condition as he appeared in a metal courtroom cage wearing white prison-issue clothes and a medical face mask that he lowered to identify himself. In footage carried by Sudanese state TV he said he was resident in Khartoum’s Kober prison, 76 years old, and had two wives. Some of Bashir’s former associates appeared alongside him at the trial, which…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan ready to cooperate with ICC over Darfur

NEWS

SUDAN’S prime minister has announced that the country is ready to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) so those accused of war crimes in Darfur appear before the tribunal, a list that includes ousted President Omar al-Bashir. Bashir, who has been in jail in Khartoum since he was toppled after mass protests last year, is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur in a conflict that killed an estimated 300,000 people. The government reached a deal with rebel groups in February that all five Sudanese ICC suspects should appear before the…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan finds mass grave believed to have bodies of officers executed by Bashir

NEWS

KHALID ABDELAZIZ SUDAN has found a mass grave that most likely contains remains of 28 army officers executed in 1990 for plotting an attempted coup against the former President Omar al-Bashir, according to the public prosecutor office. The officers were executed in mysterious circumstances after a quick military trial one year after Bashir himself took the power in a military coup in 1989. Their burial site was not disclosed for decades. "The public prosecution managed to find a mass grave that data indicates that it is most likely the graveyard where the bodies of the officers who were killed and…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan adjourns trial against Bashir and allies

NEWS

KHALED ABDELAZIZ OUSTED Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and some of his former allies went on trial on Tuesday on charges of leading a military coup that brought the autocrat to power in 1989. A Sudanese court had already handed Bashir a two-year sentence in December on corruption charges. He also faces trials and investigations over the killing of protesters. State TV broadcast the judge opening the hearing at a court in Khartoum without showing footage of Bashir, who has been jailed since he was toppled in April last year following mass protests against his 30-year rule. In December, his lawyer…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Sudan’s army launches legal action against ‘insulting’ activists

NEWS

SUDAN's army has started legal action against activists and journalists who have "insulted" the military, it said in a statement. The army ruled Sudan for a few months after removing veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, before signing a fragile three-year power-sharing deal with civilians under pressure from protesters. In a statement, the army said that legal action would be taken against activists, journalists and others both inside and outside Sudan. No further information was given, but the army said it would release more details in due course. "The armed forces took this step after systematic insults and accusations…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Great first step’ as Sudan lifts death penalty and flogging for gay sex

NEWS

BAN BARKAWI and RACHEL SAVAGE SUDAN's decision to lift the death penalty and flogging as punishment for gay sex was hailed by LGBT+ activists on Thursday as a promising sign after almost four decades of Islamist rule, with calls for prison sentences to be abolished as well. Others criticised the relaxation of the law in conservative Sudan, where a transitional government has promised to lead the country to democracy after the toppling last year of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power since 1989. "These amendments are still not enough but they're a great first step for the transitional…