This is our fourth Weekly News Digest of August, it is a selected compilation of recent stories we publish each Saturday during Summertime. Today: Students and doctor died in Sudan; UK deporting people; The Sudan Call coalition of opposition parties; South Sudan’s forests; Former Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Laureate Kofi Annan has died. En français : L’Aquarius, le bateau affrété par l’ONG SOS Méditerranée; Journée nationale de la femme en Tunisie.
23 Students Drown in Nile River on Way to School – 7D News
Twenty-three school students and doctor died on Wednesday August 15 when their boat capsized in the River Nile. The accident happened in the Albuhaira lake area of the river, near the Merowe high dam in northern Sudan. Witnesses told 7Dnews that the boat taking the students to school broke down in the middle of the lake and that high waves caused panic, which capsized the boat. Residents have joined ongoing attempts to retrieve the bodies of children. Alhassan Al Kleis, the uncle of one of the children drowned told 7Dnews: “We are overwhelmed, our village has lost the young, they all left us in one moment.”
UK is deporting people to Twilight Zone of Khartoum – ICN
There is an unwritten rule that politicians and journalists should avoid comparisons with either the Holocaust or apartheid. However, the daily prejudice suffered by black African Christians living in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, comes close to being apartheid in all but name. Denied schooling, employment or health care, many use chemicals to try to lighten their skin colour. Their churches are bulldozed, while the churches of Christians who are non-black Africans remain standing. They are harassed by the security services, repeatedly arrested and beaten, accused of belonging to rebel groups.
https://twitter.com/WagingPeaceUK/status/1032219602095431680
Sudan Call coalition affirms faith in ICC – Radio Dabanga
The Sudan Call coalition of opposition parties and armed movements has confirmed its commitment to the statue of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a mechanism to support the people against the abuses of the ruling regime, at the end of its meeting in Paris on Sunday. The meeting, under the chairmanship of National Umma Party leader El Sadig El Mahdi, confirmed “commitment to non-impunity and criminal justice at transitional political and social dimension” against the crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Call for citizen scientists to help unravel the mysteries of South Sudan’s forests – Phys.org
Conservationists from Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Bucknell University biology researchers have teamed up with government and conservation authorities to capture more than 425,000 images through a camera wildlife survey in South Sudan. The Bucknell team has launched a website where volunteers can view the images to identify and verify animal species. The website will be housed on Zooniverse, the world’s largest platform for online citizen science; a collaboration between the University of Oxford, Chicago’s Adler Planetarium, and the broader Citizen Science Alliance. It is home to some of the internet’s largest, most popular and most successful citizen science projects.
UN mourns death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, ‘a guiding force for good’ – UN
Mr. Annan was the seventh man to take the helm of the global organization and the first Secretary-General to emerge from the ranks of its staff. The current UN chief, Antonio Guterres hailed him as “a guiding force for good” and a “proud son of Africa who became a global champion for peace and all humanity.” “Like so many, I was proud to call Kofi Annan a good friend and mentor. I was deeply honoured by his trust in selecting me to serve as UN High Commissioner for Refugees under his leadership. He remained someone I could always turn to for counsel and wisdom — and I know I was not alone,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement.
We remember our former Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Laureate @KofiAnnan — a "proud son of Africa who became a global champion for peace and all humanity," says @AntonioGuterres. https://t.co/J5Gp4xragl pic.twitter.com/KOQICqWGfM
— United Nations (@UN) August 18, 2018
It is with immense sadness that the Annan family and the Kofi Annan Foundation announce that Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and Nobel Peace Laureate, passed away peacefully on Saturday 18th August after a short illness… pic.twitter.com/42nGOxmcPZ
— Kofi Annan (@KofiAnnan) August 18, 2018
“Kofi Annan embodied the principles of the @UN. He was a mentor, role model and inspiration to many. His legacy lives on in the millions whose lives he touched.” — @Atayeshe
See our Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem’s statement on @KofiAnnan’s passing: https://t.co/TN7nY2bh4h pic.twitter.com/VU8pBrzzqM
— UNFPA (@UNFPA) August 18, 2018
We are shocked and deeply saddened at the passing of our dear friend, colleague and Chair, Kofi Annan. Statement: https://t.co/jldgJ40AnM pic.twitter.com/iuUXfVbpMj
— The Elders (@TheElders) August 18, 2018
Nous avons perdu un leader & homme de paix exceptionnel ce matin @KofiAnnan, l'ancien SG #ONU. Que son ame repose en paix eternel @OnuSenegal pic.twitter.com/yNA4Q6HmOz
— pgajraj (@pgajraj1) August 18, 2018
L’“Aquarius” est le symbole du naufrage de l’Europe politique – Le Monde
L’Aquarius, le bateau affrété par l’ONG SOS Méditerranée a occupé une partie de l’actualité tout au long de l’été qui s’achève. Sans chercher à vouloir jouer la mouche du coche, le navire et son équipage nous ont rappelé avec constance que les flux de migrants ne connaissent pas de trêve estivale : au contraire, c’est la « haute saison » pour les différents passeurs ; ils profitent d’une mer provoquant momentanément moins d’épouvante pour convaincre les candidats au périlleux voyage de tenter une traversée, présentée comme moins risquée.
« L’“#Aquarius” est le symbole du naufrage de l’Europe politique » : tribune de Pierre Micheletti, vice-président d’@ACF_France https://t.co/5kCEmikf7b pic.twitter.com/jnwn6TPpUI
— MSF France (@MSF_france) August 23, 2018
Le Système des Nations Unies en Tunisie salue les avancées de la femme tunisienne vers l’égalité – Marsad
Le 13 août 2018, la Tunisie a célébré sa journée nationale de la femme, instituée en commémoration du Code du statut personnel (CSP) de 1956, texte reconnu comme une avancée majeure pour le pays et dans la région. Le Système des Nations Unies en Tunisie saisit cette occasion pour saluer le rôle crucial de la femme tunisienne dans le développement du pays ; un rôle qui a été facilité par les diverses dispositions législatives adoptées par le pays depuis son indépendance. Le Système des Nations Unies salue l’annonce faite par Son Excellence Monsieur Béji Caïd Essebsi, Président de la République, d’une initiative législative à venir en matière d’héritage, basée sur les principes fondamentaux des droits humains que sont la non-discrimination et l’égalité.
