This is our third Weekly News Digest of August, it is a selected compilation of recent stories we publish each Saturday during Summertime. Today: Bashir’s nomination for a third term; Doctors threaten to strike in Sudan; Rainy season in Sudan; The Sentry reports on kleptocrats in DRC; United Nations supports Nabeel Rajab; Haitian Book Day in Montreal. En français : Commission des libertés individuelles et de l’égalité en Tunisie.
What next for Sudan after Bashir’s nomination for a third term? – Al Jazeera
It seems Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has no intention of leaving the presidency in the near future – and his insistence on holding on to power will likely have grave consequences for his country. On August 9, Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) announced that it would back Bashir as its candidate in the 2020 presidential election. The party’s advisory council said it has endorsed the president for a third term after long consultations among the party’s leadership, even though the party charter – and the country’s constitution – allows only two five-year terms.
Doctors threaten to strike, patients complain about shortages – Radio Dabanga
Doctors in El Gedaref have threatened to start a strike against the inability of the state Ministry of Health to respond to their demands regarding working environment and payment of dues. The doctors also demanded an improvement of the subsistence and meals they receive at work, in addition to the improvement of work shifts. They have given the ministry three days to respond, otherwise they will enter into a strike. Meanwhile patients have renewed their complaints about the shortages of diabetes medicine, asthma sprays, and treatment of thyroid, as well as psychiatric, neurological and epilepsy medicines.
https://twitter.com/MagkaSama/status/1029737475630092288
Safety at School Becoming A Concern in Sudan – 7D News
Every year, the rainy season is Sudan’s surprise and disaster. There is no preparation until the damage is already done, and the rainwater fills the streets for days, causing health issues and blocking traffic. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In many areas, floods kill and displace a significant number of citizens. The Associated Press reported on July 30th that a woman was killed and many houses destroyed by floods in River Nile State in the north. Those living in the capital are not immune from similar tragedies. Earlier this month Khartoum was shaken by the collapse of a classroom wall on 11 pupils in the Alsidig primary school on the outskirts of Omdurman, a suburb on the west side of the Nile. Three of these girls died, while eight were injured and hospitalised.
A Window for Kleptocrats – The Sentry
An analysis by The Sentry has found that the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) efforts to counter money laundering and terrorist financing are inadequate. What is known as the AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism) regime lags behind international standards, providing a window for kleptocrats and terrorists to utilize the DRC’s banking system to profit from corruption and launder the proceeds of that corruption. Left unresolved, these deficiencies potentially empower criminals, corrupt officials, and terrorists, and threaten the integrity of the international financial system.
New @TheSentry_Org Alert: DR Congo’s efforts to counter money laundering and terrorist financing found inadequate. Read "A Window for Kleptocrats" here: https://t.co/fxL5V20jpp pic.twitter.com/DnvThpBvH1
— Enough Project (@EnoughProject) August 14, 2018
UN Declares Nabeel Rajab’s Imprisonment Unlawful, Warns Arbitrary Detention in Bahrain may Amount to “Crimes Against Humanity” – BIRD
The United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued a formal decision declaring Bahrain’s imprisonment of human rights defender Nabeel Rajab unlawful. Rajab – who was arrested on 13 June 2016 and later sentenced to a total of seven years in prison for tweets and media appearances – is arbitrarily detained under eight articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seven articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, according to the Working Group.
UN Declares Nabeel Rajab’s Imprisonment Unlawful, Warns Arbitrary Detention in #Bahrain may Amount to “Crimes Against Humanity”
Read the formal decision here: https://t.co/5LdG0tXn4u pic.twitter.com/p8AcSuF0bS
— Nabeel Rajab (@NABEELRAJAB) August 16, 2018
Haiti – Diaspora : 11th Edition of the Haitian Book Day – Haïti Libre
On August 18, starting at 11:00 am, discover the Haitian Book Day programming at the NA Rive Center located at 6.971 Saint-Denis Street (Montreal), which will put Haiti in the spotlight this year, its history and its female voices. For the event, more than 30 authors and more than 20 publishing houses are opening the doors of Haiti. This year, to answer your questions, the NA Rive Center offers you a feminine and inter-generation duo with the young author Martine Fidèle, Director of the collective “Écorchés vivantes” (Edition Mémoire d’encrier) …
Rapport de la Colibe: Un enjeu historique – Huffpost Mahgreb
Le 08 juin dernier, la Commission des libertés individuelles et de l’égalité (COLIBE) a rendu public son rapport. Cette commission a été formée suite à une initiative du président de la République en août 2017. Elle avait pour mission de rédiger un ensemble de propositions qui permettraient de promouvoir les libertés individuelles et l’égalité entre les citoyens dans les textes de lois. Le rapport publié il y a deux mois comporte plusieurs recommandations: abolition de la peine de mort, égalité dans l’héritage entre l’homme et la femme, dépénalisation de l’homosexualité, etc. Le débat public autour de ce rapport a commencé et plusieurs voix s’élèvent pour s’y opposer.
