TEHRAN (Iran News) Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has condemned the continued attacks on  civilian positions in Sudan.

Baqaei expressed concern about the continued attacks on civilian urban facilities such as power plants, hospitals, water treatment plants, and civilian airports, and called for an end to attacks on civilians.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson condemned Sunday’s drone attack on the airport and civilian facilities in the city of Port Sudan.

Baqaei called on the international community and international organizations and institutions to fulfill their duty to stop the conflicts and send humanitarian aid to the people of Suda

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Violent clashes erupted in Khartoum and other areas due to the RSF’s attempt to control strategic locations in the country. Indeed, those bothered by the reconciliation between the Saudis and the Iranians and the openness on Syria have upper hands in igniting the war against Sudan!

This conflict was not surprising at all, a few days after the expiration of the constitutional deadline for integrating the RSF into the Sudanese army, in preparation for the establishment of a civilian authority that would lead to elections that would produce a civilian government.

In light of the preoccupation of the major powers in their own wars, analysts do not expect that the events in Sudan will end soon, and therefore the results of this conflict cannot be predicted.

It has become clear that the violent clashes will remain amid the absence of political stability, resulting from the direct and indirect military intervention in Sudan’s affairs since the independence of this country in 1956. Sudan is one of the countries rich in agricultural, mineral and oil resources, in addition to its ports on the Red Sea.

Although the balance of military power tends in favour of the army, this does not mean that the army will be able of dismantling Hemedti’s RSF, or “Janjaweed,” a militia of uneducated camel herders that emerged in 2000 with the aim of putting down a rebellion against former President Omar al-Bashir.

Hemedti established the Janjaweed before a decision was issued to include this militia in the official military forces as a kind of presidential guard for Bashir. He gained the nickname “Lieutenant General” despite not having undergone military training. In parallel, his commercial interests in gold mining and livestock grew. Besides, his participation in the war against Yemen has earned him a close relation with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Sudan owns agricultural lands that can achieve food security for all Arab countries. For its part, Saudi Arabia has bought lands from it with the aim of securing its food security, while the UAE acquires 58% of the agricultural investments of the (P)GCC in Sudan. A 2019 report by Global Witness reveals that the RSF controls the Jabal Amer mine, in addition to three other mines in separate parts of the country, and this made Hemedti and his forces a major party in the gold trade. From Sudan’s exports to the UAE (during 2010-2014, no less than 96,885 tons of Sudanese gold was smuggled to the UAE).

After the coup against Al-Bashir in 2019, Hemedti assumed the position of Vice President of the Transitional Military Council. As a diplomat, he has strengthened his relationship with Moscow too. In February 2022, days before the Russian military operation in Ukraine, he visited the Kremlin to hold talks with Putin regarding the continued export of gold to Russia, the purchase of Russian weapons and the construction of a new military port on the Red Sea.

After the fall of the Bashir regime, Hemedti stood with al-Burhan against holding elections and establishing a civilian government. Together, they led the coup against the government of Abdullah Hamdok on October 25, 2021. They placed him under house arrest, dismissed all civilian officials in the military council, dissolved the government, and declared emergency provisions. However, the international community turned against them. Al-Burhan was forced to reinstate Abdullah Hamdok, who resigned on January 22, 2022 due to sharp divisions in Sudan.

Meanwhile, a transitional military government formed of the army and the RSF, in addition to civilian forces, agreed to join. By the end of 2022, they agreed on the “framework agreement,” which was signed by both sides in addition to 40 parties. Many other parties opposed it.

The international community and regional parties welcomed the agreement. Among its provisions were establishing a full civilian authority without the participation of military forces; organizing inclusive elections at the end of the transitional period; limiting the transitional period to 24 months from the date of appointment of a civilian president to head a transitional government; dismantling the Bashir regime in all state institutions; recover funds and assets obtained illegally; establishing a unified national army that requires the unification of the RSF and other militias (which is the point that brought the dispute into a climax).

The framework agreement was supposed to end on April 11, with the selection of a prime minister who would lead a civilian government that would lead the transitional period for a period of 24 months. Since the transitional period lasted two years, the army’s position was to stop recruitment into the RSF. However, Hemedti refused and tried to gain more power and influence, demanding a longer period for the merger to take place, exceeding 10 years, which was completely rejected by the army and other political forces.

As for Egypt, which considers Sudan its strategic depth, it seems that Cairo is distancing itself although the kidnapping of its soldiers at Marawi airport was a call for it to intervene in this conflict. It is noteworthy that Egypt trained al-Burhan militarily and has influence within the Sudanese army, in addition to an extensive intelligence presence in Khartoum. In addition, Egypt relies on 97% of the Nile waters, and without Sudan as a political partner, it will not be able to obtain its rights from Ethiopia in the river’s water.

As for Ethiopia, the conflict on the border dates back to more than a hundred years, and the clashes between the two countries are repeated despite the Ethiopian recognition of Sudan’s right in the disputed part. However, there is an overlap in the economic and social interests in the border region, which makes Ethiopia claim economic and social damage resulting from its withdrawal from this region.

For its part, Moscow has a significant influence through its “Flamingo” military base project in Port Sudan. Besides, there are agriculture, mining, manufacturing and official oil projects between the two countries. Hemedti has also hired the “Wagner forces,” which extract gold, protect the mines, and export it to the Emirates in return for training the militias.

As for China, Beijing’s foreign policy has always been based on non-interference. It maintained relations with al-Bashir and after him with the current military rulers. Even at a time when Western countries imposed sanctions and withheld aid, China continued its investments as the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation owns oil assets in Sudan. China too has rehabilitated the Sudanese railway network at a value of $640 million.

The temporary Zionist regime has influence on separatist movements that have managed to penetrate southern Sudan since the 1950s. The enemy also seeks to put pressure on Egypt, as the lack of security in Sudan will create a hotbed of tension on Egypt’s southern borders.

In addition, the enemy seeks to blackmail Egypt with its water rights in the Nile by establishing a network of dams in Ethiopia and pitting the upstream countries located on Lake Victoria against Egypt.

Observers remember the close cooperation between Khartoum and the Tel Aviv regime in military and intelligence fields, which the Zionist entity exploits in its hegemonic schemes for the Arab North Africa and Africa in general, especially due to Sudan’s strategic location overlooking the Red Sea.

In the aftermath of the 2021 coup against al-Bashir, Israel’s foreign intelligence service Mossad secretly met Hemedti. What affirms the growing influence of the Zionist enemy is when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged the Zionist Minister of Offense, Benny Gantz, to use its influence to restore civilian leadership.

Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the United States explicitly asked “Israel” to intervene to stop the conflict between the Sudanese parties, which means that Washington is aware of its influence in Sudan. AXIOS revealed too that Hemedti sought to establish an independent relationship with the Israelis in order to advance his local political agenda in Sudan earlier during Hamdok’s presidency of the Transitional Council.

With regard to Washington, relations between the two parties reached their nadir in the early 1990s when Khartoum hosted Al Qaeda. Then al-Bashir sought to rebuild the relationship, offering to expand intelligence cooperation in Washington’s alleged war “against terrorism.” Washington agreed in late 2019, but did not send an ambassador. Foreign Policy says the United States has enough influence to thwart its allies’ ambitions in Sudan. For instance, days after al-Bashir’s surprise visit to Damascus in December 2018, as the first Arab president to visit Syria since March 2011, he was overthrown on April 11, 2019. In the immediate aftermath, Washington and Western capitals canceled sanctions against Sudan, and lifted it from its alleged “black list.”

Overall, observers know well that the enemies of the region will not rest until countries are destroyed in favor of the Zionist entity. Nothing is known yet about who will manage the negotiations between all these parties, how long it will take, and what role the Zionist entity will play in this conflict, especially in light of the recent Saudi-Iranian reconciliation and the Arab openness to Damascus.

Here it is necessary to recall the Zionists’ annoyance and its endeavor to prevent the path of détente, militarily, politically & economically in the region. The latest example of this is its relentless efforts to incite Azerbaijan against Iran under the pretext of ethnic and sectarian justifications. The usurper entity made a lot of gains from its relations with Baku, which allowed the Zionist entity to establish military and intelligence bases near the borders with Iran. Baku also provides the oil needs of the Zionist entity, through pipeline that passes through Turkey, which the occupation wants to be a party to any tension between Iran and Azerbaijan. Turkey has national, sectarian and strategic calculations in the Caucasus region near the Black Sea, as it is its gateway to Central Asia, where Islamic countries of Turkish origin are located.

Here it is necessary to recall the great interest that Erdogan attaches to al-Burhan, as he received him in Ankara twice, although Al-Burhan overthrew Al-Bashir (Erdogan’s close friend). We must also recall the efforts of its ally, Qatar, to obstruct opening up to Syria. In all cases, and whatever the possible results of the events in Sudan, observers know that the enemies were, are, and will remain against the peoples of the region, and hope that the Iranian-Saudi reconciliation will not realize its goals, the most important of which is the achievement of stability in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and now in Sudan, because of the strategic importance of the country.

The two parties – Hemedti and Al-Burhan – are conspirators against the Islamic nation and their history is black in bloodshed, looting of wealth and collaboration with the Zionists. The alleged international courts that pursued and demonized Al-Bashir did not pursue them. What is going on in Sudan is dispute over the spoils. There is no civil war in Sudan, but a war of militia. The evacuation of foreign communities is evidence that this violence is not in vain, but rather fabricated and deliberate. If the responsible authorities do not act, Arab water security will be in danger, and Sudan, which was originally divided, will be even more divided.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Medics say three more demonstrators have been killed after Sudanese security forces fired live rounds and teargas in further protests against the country’s military rulers.

The latest in a series of demonstrations saw tens of thousands of protesters pouring their anger on the streets in cities across the country.

Ever since the military took power on October 25 ending a partnership with civilian political parties after the removal of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir as Sudan’s ruler in 2019, the protests, along with barricades throughout the capital have been ongoing. Last week also saw a general strike in the country.

According to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, which has aligned itself with the protest movement, the latest deaths mean around 76 protesters have been killed and more than 2,000 others injured in a large-scale deadly crackdown by the military, mainly by gunshots and teargas canisters.

The doctors’ group said, “our people are protesting peacefully and using all forms of nonviolent resistance towards a free, democratic, and just country, only to be confronted by the military with the worst crimes”.

According to the group, two protesters were killed at a demonstration in the capital Khartoum, one shot in the chest and the other in the head.

It says other protesters were injured in Khartoum and the city of Omdurman.

Witnesses saw security forces using teargas and stun grenades as protesters stood around 1.2 km from the presidential palace.

In the cities of Bahri and Omdurman, witnesses saw a heavy security presence and teargas being fired on the main road.

The protests were called by neighborhood resistance committees, which advocate a stance of “no legitimacy, no negotiation, no partnership” towards the military rulership.

One committee reported the arrest of at least four members. Another said its headquarters were raided.

Large protests were held in the city of Madani, where witnesses say protesters marched towards the house of a protester killed on Friday before heading to the state government building.

The third protester was killed there, with gunshots to the head and shoulder, the doctors’ committee said.

Protesters are still coming out every day despite being shot down by the military forces, the Sudanese people have also been subjected to internet disconnections, while activists have been targeted and arrested in pre-emptive strikes.

Social media users have shared images of other protests in the cities of El Fasher, Shendi, and Elobeid.

The Sudanese military has also raided media stations and warned them to stop covering the mass protest movement in the country.

The military authorities are widely believed to be strongly aligned with the United States along with the Israeli regime.

Experts say western countries continue to supply financial recourses, weapons, and diplomatic cover to the so-called transitional military council headed by General Abdul Fatah al-Burhan, especially the United States, despite publicly stating otherwise.

As well as promoting the military and being supportive of the ousted and now resigned interim Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok; they have also been facilitating closer ties between Sudan and the Israeli regime.

With the backing of foreign powers who are supplying weapons to the Sudanese military, the army arrested women’s rights activists over the weekend as well as detaining people from the resistance committees that are operating in the neighborhoods of the capital and other cities.

The struggle is not just limited to the military but it has become obvious the people’s movement is also against imperialism and foreign hands interfering in Sudan’s sovereignty.

This is while foreign allies of the military are afraid of losing their grip on the country.

Sudan is a very important geostrategic country that is a gateway to North Africa and Central Africa.

It’s an oil-rich state and it’s also a state that has historically supported anti-imperialist struggles including the Palestinian struggle for the liberation of their land from the occupying Israeli regime.

Over the last few years, that has changed, the country under the military leadership was forced to accept the so-called Abraham accords under the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump that normalized relations between Sudan and the Israeli regime in return for $1 billion in annual financing.

General al-Burhan said that “Sudan’s relationship with Israel may eventually take a natural form.” In a previous interview with Saudi Arabian state media, al-Burhan claimed that normalization with Israel was “necessary to return Sudan to the international community.”

The civilian political parties begged to differ and opposed any form of deal with officials saying they will unite in their opposition against the agreement.

Those parties have in essence been taken out of the picture. But it remains another demand of the protesters, that Khartoum scraps any normalization of ties with the Israeli regime.

Nevertheless, behind the scenes, there have been delegations heading to the occupying Israeli regime and there have been Israeli delegations arriving in Sudan.

The Israeli regime, backed by the United States, is behind the campaign to turn as many countries as possible in Africa and West Asia against their solidarity and support for the state of Palestine and the Palestinian cause.

This is the undercurrent of the so-called Abraham accords and other campaigns being carried out in Africa and West Asia, to try and split the African, Arab and non-Arab communities so they support the Israeli regime.

There is also a movement to infiltrate the African Union to achieve the same goal. This is the objective and Sudan is key to this strategy.

Despite the military gunning down protesters on a regular basis, It’s a very critical struggle by the people of Sudan for the entire region of North Africa, the Horn of Africa. What happens in Sudan has ripple effects on the security of Ethiopia as well as Egypt vis-à-vis its relationship with the United States and the Israeli regime.

In 2019, after months of protests, Omar al-Bashir was disposed but was replaced not by the people’s choice and popular power but by a so-called military transitional council.

That did not satisfy the protesters and the military-installed a civilian Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok; only to later detain him and then release and reinstall him again.

However, Hamdok resigned as protesters are demanding a civilian rule with no military interference. Many of the protesters also accused Hamdok of colluding with the military.

The sheer resilience of the people and the masses on the streets means the battle against the military will not be abating anytime soon. The people want civilian rule and democracy and they want it now.

It’s up to military forces and their U.S. backers to create the conditions for the emergence of a civilian government which is the core demand of the protesters.

The military must now return to their barracks and allow the civilian population to discuss and openly debate what political future they want.

It’s up to the people to decide their future leadership and as things stand they are displaying their anger with the military on a regular basis and they are showing their anger at the foreign hands interfering in their country.

That anger does not appear to be subsiding until the army officers’ rule is toppled. It’s a very brave struggle as the civilian protesters are being met with the full force of the military.

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As is the case with almost all military coups in the Arab world, the state-run Television of Sudan suddenly cut off regular programming on Monday morning and started airing national songs before airing a televised statement read by General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan who has been a key player in Sudanese politics ever since the overthrow of former dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.

The influential general announced the dissolution of the transition cabinet of ministers led by Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok. He also dissolved a ruling body known as the Sovereign Council and declared a state of emergency that entails curfews.

In the meantime, the ministers and the prime minister himself were arrested or forced to stay at home in what appeared to be house arrest.

In a sign that Hamdok was barred from any movement, the office of the prime minister issued a statement calling on the people to take to the streets and protect the revolution from the “thieves.”

“We call on the Sudanese people to protest using all peaceful means possible … to take back their revolution from the thieves,” Hamdok’s office said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

Frictions between military and civilian parts of the government increased over the last few weeks, with the civilians accusing the military of playing a role in last month’s attempted coup to remove them from power and undermine the previously agreed to the power-sharing system between the military and the civilian groups.

The government of Sudan has been more or less equally shared between the military and the civilians since 2015 according to an agreement between the two sides on the requirements of the transitions period which was supposed to last until 2023 when the transitional government would be replaced with an elected government.

Based on this agreement, the Sovereign Council was established with members from both sides. Al-Burhan was the chairman of the council. He has been accused by members of the Hamdok government of trying to disrupt the democratic transition.

In his Monday statement, the general offered assurances that the military will continue the transition process. “The army will continue the democratic transition until the handover of power to an elected civilian government,” he said, noting that “there is a need for the army to protect the security and safety of the country as stipulated in the constitutional declaration.”

But the statement failed to convince the ousted government whose ministers are now in custody. The Sudanese Ministry of Information announced that “what happened in Sudan today is a full-fledged military coup,” calling on the masses to “cut off the road to military action until the coup attempt is overthrown.”

Al-Burhan said the constitutional framework that allowed for power-sharing turned into a source of struggle and that the military needed to step in to save the country. But this kind of messaging is unlikely to convince his rivals given his close connection with foreign parties who sought to beef up al-Burhan at the expense of the Hamdok government.

Many in Sudan and beyond considered the general as an ally of the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. Al-Burhan himself did nothing to debunk these allegations. Instead, he even exacerbated them by secretly meeting with then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda last year.

During the meeting, al-Burhan and Netanyahu agreed to cooperate toward normalization between Sudan and Israel, a move that sparked widespread uproar in Sudan and the entire region given the history of enmity between Israel and Sudan. This is a cause for concern for many Sudanese who harbor fears over a growing Israeli influence in their country if al-Burhan succeeds in consolidating power.

Moreover, some Sudanese could even raise questions over the close relationship between al-Burhan and the Americans. The coup took place hours after Jeffrey Feltman, the U.S. special envoy for the Horn of Africa, met with al-Burhan in Khartoum. During the meeting, Feltman presented proposals to enhance the “spirit of partnership” and seek to get the country out of its current crisis. A Sudanese statement stated, “The American envoy, Feltman, presented several proposals that would enhance the spirit of partnership and hard work for the safe exit of the country from its current crisis.”

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“An explosion hit as Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s car was driving by but thank God no one was hurt,” said Ali Bakhit, his office director, in a Facebook post, AFP reported.

The convoy was targeted on the way to his office in the Kober district of northeast Khartoum.

Sudan’s official news agency SUNA said Hamdok was in “good health and a safe place” after the attack, without giving further details.

Details of the attack were still unclear but it was staged at “around 9 am at the entrance to Kober bridge… at the time when Hamdok usually heads to his office”, SANA said.

Hamdok himself later wrote on his official Twitter account that he was unharmed.

“I assure the Sudanese people that I am well and completely healthy,” he said. “What happened will not stop the march toward change.”

Images on state television showed at least two damaged vehicles at the blast site, which was quickly cordoned off by police.

State-run radio Omdurman reported that automatic weapons were also fired in the attack and that Hamdok was taken to hospital.

Hamdok, a seasoned economist, was named premier last August to head Sudan’s government during a transitional period of three years following the ouster of longtime President Omar al-Bashir.

He had built a solid career in continental and international organizations, including as deputy executive secretary of the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa.

His appointment followed a power-sharing deal between military leaders, who ousted Bashir in April, and the protest movement which led mass street demonstrations against the strongman since December 2018.

Hamdok has since vowed to tackle social and economic difficulties and been attempting to forge peace with rebel groups across the country.

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Top Sudanese officials said Tuesday that the country’s new rulers had agreed with rebel groups to send Bashir and three former aides to The Hague-based court for their role in the conflict in the western Darfur region.

“The Sudanese authorities should translate these words into action and immediately transfer al-Bashir and other individuals (facing ICC arrest warrants) to The Hague,” Amnesty International acting secretary-general Julie Verhaar said.

“Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC over the murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape of hundreds of thousands of people during the conflict in Darfur.

“A decision to hand him over to the court would be a welcome step towards justice for victims and their families.”

The conflict in Darfur, a region the size of France, erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir’s government, accusing it of economic and political marginalization.

The ICC has charged Bashir with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the conflict.

Bashir, who is detained in Sudan after being convicted of corruption, denies the allegations and evaded arrest for more than a decade, traveling overseas in open defiance of the ICC.

The court has also indicted three of his former aides, Ahmed Haroon, Abdulrahim Mohamed Hussain and Ali Kushied.

Bashir and the three others wanted by the ICC “have to go there,” Mohamed Hassan Al-Taishay, a member of Sudan’s new ruling sovereign council, said on Tuesday.

“We agreed that we fully supported the ICC and we agreed… that the four criminals have to be handed over,” Taishay said in the South Sudanese capital Juba where a government delegation was meeting rebel groups from Darfur.

He did not specify when they would be transferred to The Hague.

Rights groups alleged widespread abuses have taken place in Darfur, where the United Nations says about 300,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict began.

“Sudanese security forces’ widespread attacks on civilians under Bashir’s campaign of terror, including pervasive sexual violence as a weapon of war, have had devastating impacts on the lives and livelihoods of their victims,” US-based NGO Physicians for Human Rights said in a statement.

“It is beyond time that his victims and their families receive justice.”

Taishay said that the Juba talks, still ongoing, focused on justice and reconciliation in Darfur.

He said they had agreed several mechanisms for achieving peace, including the establishment of a special court to investigate crimes in the region.

Sudanese government spokesman Faisal Mohamed Salih also said that the four accused would face the ICC.

“Bashir and others will be presented to the ICC court. This is a government decision,” Salih told AFP.

Bashir was ousted by the army in a palace coup last April after months of protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule.

He was arrested and later sentenced to two years in a detention centre on corruption charges.

Anti-Bashir protesters, residents of Darfur and rebel groups from the region have consistently demanded that the former ruler be handed over to the ICC.

Years of conflict in Darfur and other regions and the secession of South Sudan in 2011 left the country’s economy in a shambles — the key factor for nationwide protests against Bashir last year.

Ten months after his ouster, acute shortages of bread, fuel and foreign currency continue to hamper Sudan’s economic revival.

“It’s been more than an hour I’m standing in a queue for bread,” said government employee Mahasien Ahmed, one of dozens waiting outside a bakery in north Khartoum.

Long queues of vehicles were also seen outside fuel stations across Khartoum.

“Every family is divided these days in a way,” said Hassan Ahmed, a private sector employee waiting to fill his car at a fuel station.

“Some members are standing in a queue for bread, some for fuel and others for cooking gas. We are suffering a lot.”

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