Publications

(August-September 2010) The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies is dedicating this issue of the Sudan Human Rights Monitor to our dear friend and colleague, Abdelsalam Hassan Abdelsalam, who was tragically killed in London on 13 March 2010. A memorial celebrating Abdelsalam’s life was hosted by Redress Trust, where …

The clock is ticking fast towards what might be the most important date in modern sudanese history – two referenda in sudan that are likely to result in the breakup of africa’s largest state. With six months remaining until 9 January 2011, the scheduled date of the referenda, the run-up to, and outcome of, the vote must be managed with extreme care. the Guarantors to the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA), who invested considerable effort in obtaining the CPA on 9 January 2005, have both a responsibility and an ability to help sudan implement the CPA and prevent further conflict. It is imperative that the Guarantors urgently redouble their efforts to ensure adequate preparations for the referenda, and help secure agreements on sensitive issues such as border demarcation and oil sharing.

SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR JUNE – JULY 2010 Feature: Humanitarian Blockade of Kalma Camp Renews Fears of Forced Expulsion In late July, tension in Darfur’s Kalma and Almahidia internally displaced persons (IDP) camps turned deadly as clashes broke out between political rivals and amidst longstanding disputes over IDPs’ political representation …

From 11 – 15 April, Sudan held its first multiparty elections in 24 years. Elections were an essential benchmark of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which brought the 22-year civil war to a close, and was signed by the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM). The CPA provides a framework for legal and constitutional changes to take place over a six year interim period, ending with the 2011 referenda for self determination in the South of Sudan and Abyei, and popular consultations in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile. Elections had been included in the CPA as a mechanism for both addressing the key cause of the conflict – namely the exclusion of Sudanese citizens from political participation – and also to lend popular support to the 2011 referenda and to ensure that the process of separation would be overseen by a democratically elected government. Elections provided a critical opportunity to address both the challenges of the CPA and to advance political openness in Sudan. In some respects, the elections represented a significant step forward. A generation of Sudanese who had never before exercised their right to vote had the opportunity to do so. Political campaigning offered a unique opportunity to engage in political issues critical to the nation.

On 1 November 2009, registration for national elections slated to be held in April 2010 began throughout Sudan. Originally intended to end on 30 November, the process was extended one week until 7 December as many election stakeholders requested the National Elections Commission (NEC) to extend the registration period. The registration – a critical first step in the electoral process – occurred against the backdrop of a contentious political environment marked by political obstruction of peaceful political activities and human rights abuses, and an overall tightening of restrictions on civil and political freedoms. According to the NEC, at least 75.8% of eligible Sudanese were registered, which was quite close to the national target of 80%. This aggregate figure represents a 71% rate of registration of the eligible electorate in the North, and 98% in the South, respectively.1 The accuracy of these statistics, however, is thrown into doubt by dispute over the results of the 2008 census, which forms the basis of the estimation of potential voters. In South Sudan, there was particular pressure to register as a means of compensating for, or disputing, census figures which were felt to grossly underestimate the population of the South. Some of the states in the South have exceeded in registering over 100 % of eligible voters, according to the census.

SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR DECEMBER 2009 – MAY 2010 Feature: Post-Election Repression Unchecked On 26 April, the National Elections Commission (NEC) announced that the incumbent President Omar al-Bashir had been re-elected by a 68.24 majority. In the North, National Congress Party (NCP) candidates at local and parliamentary levels were elected …

(October 2009) On 27 September 2009, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir announced that the government would cease the onerous pre-publication censorship regulations which had been placed on journalists in Sudan. The president’s statement, however, was immediately followed by indications that the move was not intended to create an open environment for …

SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2009 Overview The two months of this reporting period saw considerable movement at the political level. The release of the Mbeki Panel report can be seen as the culmination of months of AU engagement – and the findings represent a new opportunity to build international …

SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2009 Law Reform in Sudan Overview Under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the Sudanese interim constitution, law reform is seen as a critical element of the planned    political    transformation. Under the agreement, all national laws were to be reviewed and amended in such a …

SUDAN HUMAN RIGHTS MONITOR JUNE-JULY 2009 Feature The arrest of Lubna Hussein, a journalist and a public information officer at the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) has thrust Sudan’s public order legislation into the spotlight Ms. Hussien was arrested on 3 July 2009 along with 12 other girls and charged …