Day: January 3, 2022

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned Sunday after mass protests against a deal he made with the military following the October coup. Political analysts say Hamdok’s resignation is a blow to the country’s political stability and hopes for a return to a civilian-led government.

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said he was resigning to make way for another person to lead and called on comprehensive dialogue to end the political crisis that has engulfed the nation for two years.

Hafez Kabir is a Sudanese political commentator. He says Hamdok’s resignation leaves the country in a difficult situation.

“Sudan will witness a new crisis because there are many military groups, there are many political groups and their opinion is not the same. The military threatened Sudan’s unity. There are many problems on the economic side, social side, so we want a new initiative, comprehensive solution that can save the situation in Sudan,” he said.

Kizito Sabala, an expert in diplomacy and international relations, says Hamdok’s resignation proves that it’s difficult to block the military from the country’s politics.

“The transition in Sudan is very difficult.The military structure Bashir left means that structure is very strong and therefore for Sudan to move forward, a lot of work must be done to ensure that they de-link politics from the military, which is a long process that will take so many years. It also implies that any support that the military has been having through the good international standing of Hamdok is going to fizzle out,” he said.

In October, army officers pushed out Hamdok’s civilian-led government. Military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan defended the military action, saying it was to prevent the outbreak of civil war.

Hamdok signed an agreement with the military rulers in November, but the Sudanese population questioned the prime minister’s power after he was reinstated.

Shakur Nyaketo, a journalist and activist, says new blood is needed to lead the civilian side of the government.

“The political parties are still in an argument. They are not together. Now thinking of reforming their political parties, they want to come up with one national front so that they can clean their image with the communities and the public. But they do not trust the [other] political parties. The public right now are asking for a civilian government that should be formed from technocrats, not from political parties,” he said.

Sudanese youth continue to march in the streets against the military, and the protests are consistently suppressed through force.

On Sunday, thousands marched, demanding that the military get out of politics. According to Sudan’s Central Doctors Committee, two people were killed. The military has been cited as saying it will permit peaceful protests and hold those responsible for violence accountable.

So far, 57 people have been killed since the military seized power in October.

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs issued a statement on its Twitter page after Hamdok resigned, urging Sudanese leaders to “set aside differences, find consensus, and ensure continued civilian rule.”

The United Nations’ Sudan representative, Volker Perthes, issued a tweet Monday, saying he regrets Hamdok’s decision but respects it.

Sabala says Sudan is at a crossroads, and international pressure is required for the military to ease its grip on power and accept the country’s need to move to a democratic phase.

Source: Voice of America

South African investigators say a fire that destroyed significant parts of Cape Town’s historic parliamentary precinct Sunday may have been caused by arson. Police say they have arrested a suspect who was found with stolen goods.

Brigadier Nomthandazo Mbombo, from the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Cape Town also known as The Hawks, listed the charges against the suspect.

“A 49-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with house-breaking and theft, arson and will also be charged under the National Key Points Act. The suspect was allegedly caught with suspected stolen property after he gained entry to the parliament precinct unauthorized. He was spotted by members of the protection and security services when they noticed the building was on fire,” he said.

The National Key Points Act deals with safeguarding certain installations against sabotage or other hostile acts.

Natasha Mazzone, the chief whip of the main opposition Democratic Alliance party, spoke outside the parliament gates.

“We now know that the water sprinkler system was turned off so clearly it was designed for destruction of our parliament, as I look up, I could cry…And what gives me hope is that the statue of Madiba stands strong and was untouched by the fire. And he’s looking on as we rebuild and rebuild we will. And we will be a better parliament than we were before,” said Mazzone.

By Madiba, she was referring to the late South African President Nelson Mandela.

Officials, including Cape Town’s mayor, offered potential meeting sites for parliament.

“Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has offered his city council chambers as well as the City Hall which seats over a thousand. We also have the virtual platform which we’ve all become very used to but sit we will and hold the government to account we certainly will,” said Mazzone.

Public Works Minister Patricia De Lille addressed the media at a briefing at parliament Monday afternoon.

“The temperature inside the building is still plus/minus a hundred degrees Celsius, down from what it was yesterday at over 400 degrees Celsius but what they’ve done in the meantime is to use a drone that they are putting inside the building to assess the structure of the building until the temperatures can cool down,” she said.

She said a team of engineers has been brought on board and will focus on the repairs that need to be done, the cost and the time it will take for completion. De Lille said they’ve also brought in a fire expert who will determine exactly where the blaze started, together with a fire forensic team.

“We are being informed by the professional teams that we can expect a preliminary report by Friday morning about their preliminary findings and that report will then be shared also with Madam Speaker and the presiding officers, and we will then decide together what to do, once we’ve seen the full extent of the cost,” she said.

The suspect is due to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

Source: Voice of America

A fire that severely damaged South Africa’s 130-year-old parliament building complex, including the parliament chamber, Sunday in Cape Town has reignited Monday, officials say.

Police say a man has been charged with setting the fire, which started early in the morning local time on Sunday.

The fire reportedly began in an older part of the complex that was wood-paneled. Some of the country’s most noted artifacts were reportedly on display in the building.

Most firefighters had left the scene but were rushed back once the fire began burning again.

“The wind has been getting steadily stronger and ignited the smoldering wood inside the roof void space, parts of which are not accessible for dousing or dampening,” the Fire and Rescue Service Department said on WhatsApp.

Despite the devastation, no one was reported killed or injured in the blaze.

The suspect, reported to be a 49-year-old man, was set to appear in court Tuesday charged with “housebreaking and arson.”

A full investigation into the fire will be conducted by the Hawks, an elite police unit that investigates major crimes. An initial report is expected on Friday.

“This is an incredibly sad day if you are a normal human being, to stand in front of this building and realize what we’ve lost,” said lawmaker Natasha Mazzone.

Source: Voice of America