Weekly Press Columns Digest
27 December, 2020
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) — The most-noted three local issues of the foregoing week that have been reviewed by press columnists include the recently-ratified US Congress’s resolution restoring Sudan’s sovereign immunity against future litigation for terrorism-based damages; the ongoing border clashes between Sudanese and Ethiopian troops; and the huge popular demonstrations staged on the second anniversary of December popular uprising.
Under the title “Defective Immunity”, columnist Zuhair Alsarraj, of ‘Eljareeda’ newspaper, commented on the recently-ratified US Congress resolution restoring Sudan’s immunity against future terrorism-based claims for damages. Journalist Zuhair stated that he had expected the Sudanese ministry of justice to act more cautiously in welcoming the news; and rather explain more transparently to the Sudanese people that this resolution excludes future claims made by the families of 9/11 victims. Accordingly, Mr. Alsarraj considers the huge welcome by the Sudanese justice officials to be inappropriate and misleading.
To clarify his point, Alsarraj refers specifically to paragraph 2 of the statement made by Sudan’s ministry of foreign affairs, which clearly indicates the possibility of future litigation against Sudan for 9/11 damages. Paragraph 2 of the MOFA’s statement reads: “The Government of Sudan hereby indicates that the initial draft version of the resolution as submitted to the US Congress provided for the abolishing of all claims against Sudan under the Terrorism Act, and the transfer of all cases against Sudan in relation to 9/11 – as of 2003 – to be litigated under the Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), where under this Act any country, even if not listed as state-sponsor of terrorism, may be sued for damages. However, this proposal met with ferocious opposition by two congress members presumably acting on lobbyist views by lawyers of 9/11 victim families. Therefore, the recently-ratified Congress Act has provided that 9/11 cases should continue under the old Terrorism Act and not under JASTA.”
Columnist Zuhair also refers to the contradicting wording of the MOFA’s statement, where in its final paragraph the statement concludes that “the legal status of Sudan as of this Congress Act effective date will be that of a full sovereign state against any future litigation claims”. Zuhair considers this concluding paragraph of the MOFA’s statement to be inaccurate and misleading, since it contradicts the second paragraph of the same statement where the ministry has clearly explained that Sudan is still subject to litigation under the old terrorism act, in consequence to the ferocious opposition by two congress members.
Therefore, columnist Alsarraj marks as defective and shortcoming the sovereign status awarded to Sudan against future terrorism-based litigation claims under the recently-rarified US Congress Act, and openly expects this loophole to be a source of extra suffering to Sudan in the future.
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In an article in “Elrakooba” e-newspaper, Mr. Ismail Abdalla, wrote about the armed conflicts in the region on the backdrop of natural resource disputes. He indicates that middle-east governments that have achieved significant economic abundance have been leading diplomatic and intelligence interference campaigns in the affairs of less fortunate countries in the region, such as Sudan. He clearly attributes the recent military skirmishes on Sudan’s eastern border with Ethiopia to such regional interferences.
The writer blames the consecutive Sudanese national governments for forsaking Sudan’s interest and status as independent state by playing active military role in internal and other armed conflicts in the region, ever since the mid-nineties. He quoted examples of such interfering military roles as the Sinai war, to the benefit of Egypt, the Iraq-Iran war, and the on-going war in Yemen. The end result of such pragmatic interferences has been the loss of Sudan’s best international and regional partners, as well as the distancing of Sudan from its African and moderate Arab incubators.
Now, with the revolutionary transitional government opening up a new battle front on the eastern border with Ethiopia, the writer warns that this battle will not be an entertaining picnic, as some might think. He states that the Ethiopians are well known for their tactful soft diplomacy, but when they sting they do hurt. The writer openly explains that the war on Sudan’s eastern border is a proxy war waged by Sudan on behalf of Sudan’s northern neighbor, Egypt.
In conclusion, the writer stresses the point that the Sudanese-Ethiopian border communities deserve to co-exist and flourish in peace away from politics of conflicting interests and regional interferences. Therefore, he calls upon the transitional government to postpone deciding into life-and-death matters, such as declaring war, until a legitimate legislative council, representing all people of Sudan, is nominated.
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Editor-in-Chief of “Aldemocrati” newspaper, Asmaa Jumaa, wrote about the huge popular demonstrations marking the second anniversary of December revolution. Ms. Asmaa refers to the diversified age groups taking part in the demonstrations, replicating the whole population of Sudan, and comments that those demonstrations, with such intensity and diversity, are clear indication that Sudan will never go back to those dark ages of totalitarian rule.
Ms. Asmaa counted the variable slogans, as raised and voiced out by demonstrators, including the highlighting of the urgent need for completing the transitional government structures and forming of a legislative council. She also equally highlighted other anti-transitional government slogans raised by supporters of the defunct regime who were enjoying a freedom of expression that they have, all through, denied their adversaries the right to enjoy. Ironically, she noticed that some of the slogans raised by defunct regime supporters demanded the toppling of the same transitional government that allowed them the freedom of expression and secured them a space to demonstrate and voice out demands on the anniversary of the revolution that had uprooted their regime.
The writer happily recounted the fact that despite the huge gatherings, no serious acts of violence had been reported, which allocates almost 80% success rate to the exercise of democracy on Sudan’s streets, stated the writer.
The writer also attributes the lack of acts of violence, on one hand, to the withdrawal of some losing opponents who have become aware of their real size on the ground, and, on the other hand, to the increasing awareness among revolutionaries who have quickly developed into more experienced, pragmatically mature and open-minded revolutionary activists.
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