KHARTOUM: Sudanese anti-coup activists called for mass protests on Sunday, as hundreds held demonstrations denouncing the deadly crackdown which left 40 people killed since last month’s military takeover.
Both the United States and African Union have condemned the deadly crackdown on protesters and called on Sudan’s leaders to refrain from the “excessive use of force.”
Sudan’s top general Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on October 25 declared a state of emergency, ousted the government and detained the civilian leadership.
The military takeover upended a two-year transition to civilian rule, drew wide international condemnation and punitive measures, as well as provoking people to take to the streets.
Protests on Wednesday provoked the deadliest day so far, with the death toll standing at 16 after a teenager who had been shot died, medics said.
The independent Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said the 16-year-old had been shot “by live rounds to the head and the leg.”
Most of those killed on Wednesday were in North Khartoum, which lies across the Nile river from the capital, medics said.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters rallied against the military in North Khartoum, building street barricades and setting tires on fire, an AFP correspondent said.
They chanted “no, no to military rule” and called for “civilian rule.”
During the unrest, a police station was set on fire, the correspondent said, adding that there were no police agents in the vicinity. It was not immediately clear who torched it.
The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) have urged protesters to keep up their campaign.
On Saturday, pro-democracy activists made online calls for mass anti-coup protests with a “million-strong march on November 21.”
The SPA is an umbrella of unions which were instrumental in the months-long demonstrations that led to the ousting of president Omar Al-Bashir in April 2019.
Dozens of protesters also rallied Saturday to mourn the latest deaths in North Khartoum, demanding “retribution” and a transition to civilian rule.
Police officials deny using any live ammunition and insist they have used “minimum force” to disperse the protests. They have recorded only one death, among demonstrators in North Khartoum.
On Friday, small groups of protesters rallied in several neighborhoods after prayers against the military coup.
In North Khartoum, they built barricades across roads as police forces sporadically fired tear gas until late at night to disperse them, witnesses said.
An AFP correspondent said police forces also frisked passers-by and carried out identification checks.
The SPA said security forces had also “stormed homes and mosques” there on Friday.
The US and African Union denounced the deadly crackdown.
“We call for those responsible for human rights abuses and violations, including the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, to be held accountable,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
“In advance of upcoming protests, we call on Sudanese authorities to use restraint and allow peaceful demonstrations,” he added.
The African Union, which suspended Sudan after the coup, also condemned “in the strongest terms” Wednesday’s violence.
AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat called on Sudan’s authorities “to restore constitutional order and the democratic transition” in line with a 2019 power-sharing deal between the military and the now-deposed civilian figures.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has called for the release of reporters detained while covering anti-coup protests including Ali Farsab who it said was beaten, shot, and detained by security forces on Wednesday.
“Sudanese security forces’ shooting and beating of journalist Ali Farsab make a mockery of the coup government’s alleged commitment to a democratic transitional phase in the country,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s MENA program coordinator.
Sudan has a long history of military coups, enjoying only rare interludes of democratic rule since independence in 1956.
Burhan, the top general, insists the military’s move “was not a coup” but a step “to rectify the transition” as factional infighting and splits deepened between civilians and the military under the now-deposed government.
He has since announced a new ruling council in which he kept his position as head, along with a powerful paramilitary commander, three senior military figures, three ex-rebel leaders and one civilian.
But the other four civilian members were replaced with lesser known figures.
Sudanese call for anti-coup protests as death toll rises to 40
https://arab.news/vgfxn
Sudanese call for anti-coup protests as death toll rises to 40
- Both the United States and African Union have condemned the deadly crackdown on protesters
- On Saturday, hundreds of protesters rallied against the military in North Khartoum
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft violate Lebanese airspace over Beirut
- Lebanese army seeking those responsible for the firing of rockets toward Israel on Friday
- ‘We have entered a new phase in our nation’s history, and there is no turning back,’ says Aoun
BEIRUT: President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday that Lebanon has entered a “new phase” in its history “after decades of violence, wars, economic and financial crises, and the deterioration of the state’s structure.”
In his address to the Lebanese people to mark Eid Al-Fitr, Aoun added: “For those who think our resolve will weaken or our determination will waver; there is no turning back.”
Aoun, who returned from Paris on Friday evening after holding talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and officials from Cyprus and Greece, continued: “What distinguishes Lebanon is its adherence to the values of unity, solidarity, and rising above selfishness and personal interests. There is no salvation for Lebanon unless we live by these values, which, alongside the implementation of laws and the realization of justice, form the only path to combating corruption, achieving structural reforms in our national institutions, and advancing Lebanon to keep pace with global progress and modernity.”
Also on Saturday, the Lebanese army continued its investigations to determine who was responsible for the rockets fired from southern Lebanon toward Israel on Friday, an event that led to an escalation of Israeli aggression unprecedented since a ceasefire agreement came into effect four months ago.
A military source said: “Night raids were conducted by army intelligence in the south and the western Bekaa aimed at finding suspects involved in launching rockets from the south.”
An Israeli airstrike on the Hadath area in the southern suburbs of Beirut resulted in the complete destruction of two buildings and damage to numerous neighboring structures, including two schools in the area. Students from those schools organized a protest on Saturday to “denounce the Israeli assaults,” and asking for clarification on “the fate of the academic year in light of the damages that hinder an immediate return to the two schools.”
Morgan Ortagus, US deputy special envoy to the Middle East, said in an interview with a local Lebanese station on Friday night that the United States “supports the Lebanese Army,” adding: “The launching of rockets from Lebanon into Israel constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two parties, and this escalation raises significant international concern.”
Ortagus also stated that the Lebanese government is “responsible for disarming Hezbollah,” but noted “the government is unable to control everything, which contributes to the deterioration of the security situation in the country.”
The US envoy continued: “It cannot be claimed that Israel is violating the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon,” and urged Lebanese authorities to “take responsibility instead of blaming Israel.”
Ortagus reaffirmed the US administration’s stance, urging “the full disarmament of Hezbollah, as it threatens stability in Lebanon and the region.” She also accused Iran and Hezbollah of “destroying the south and dragging Lebanon into a war that could have been avoided were it not for Iran’s interference and Hezbollah’s involvement. The US is committed to using all available measures to prevent the arming of Hezbollah, as it poses a significant threat to regional security.
“The US does not seek a larger conflict between Lebanon and Israel, but instead aims to maintain the ceasefire agreement between the two sides. As a gesture of goodwill, Israel released Lebanese prisoners, signaling its willingness to pursue a diplomatic solution. In addition, the Lebanese president supports diplomatic negotiations, making it a critical time to activate diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon,” Ortagus added.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to violate Lebanon’s sovereignty. Low-altitude reconnaissance aircraft have been regularly spotted over Beirut and its southern suburbs, including the towns of Bechamoun, Aramoun, Khaldeh and Choueifat in Mount Lebanon.
In the south, an Israeli warplane dropped two stun grenades near a crowd of residents in the town square of Yaroun in Bint Jbeil.
The municipalities of Beirut’s southern suburbs have called on the residents to refrain from using firecrackers or engaging in celebratory gunfire during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, stating that violators will be “referred to the appropriate judicial authorities.”
The municipalities have also banned merchants from selling firecrackers, “under the threat of having their shops shut down.”
Tunisian startup turns olive waste into clean energy
- For generations, rural households in Tunisia have burned olive waste for cooking and heating, or used it as animal feed
- The International Olive Council estimated Tunisia will be the world’s third-largest olive oil producer in 2024-2025, with an expected yield of 340,000 tons
SANHAJA, Tunisia: In a northern Tunisian olive grove, Yassine Khelifi’s small workshop hums as a large machine turns olive waste into a valuable energy source in a country heavily reliant on imported fuel.
Holding a handful of compacted olive residue — a thick paste left over from oil extraction — Khelifi said: “This is what we need today. How can we turn something worthless into wealth?“
For generations, rural households in Tunisia have burned olive waste for cooking and heating, or used it as animal feed.
The International Olive Council estimated Tunisia will be the world’s third-largest olive oil producer in 2024-2025, with an expected yield of 340,000 tons.
The waste generated by the oil extraction is staggering.
Khelifi, an engineer who grew up in a family of farmers, founded Bioheat in 2022 to tackle the issue. He recalled watching workers in olive mills use the olive residue as fuel.
“I always wondered how this material could burn for so long without going out,” he said. “That’s when I asked myself: ‘Why not turn it into energy?’“
Beyond profit, Khelifi hopes his startup helps “reducing the use of firewood as the country faces deforestation and climate change.”
At his workshop, employees transport truckloads of olive waste, stacking it high before feeding it into the processing machines.
The material is then compacted into cylindrical briquettes and left to dry for a month under the sun and in greenhouses before its packaging and sale.
Khelifi began developing his idea in 2018 after he traveled across Europe searching for a machine to turn the olive paste into long-burning fuel.
Unable to find the right technology, he returned to Tunisia and spent four years experimenting with various motors and mechanical parts.
By 2021, he had developed a machine that produced briquettes with just eight-percent moisture.
He said this amount significantly reduces carbon emissions compared to firewood, which requires months of drying and often retains more than double the amount of moisture.
Bioheat found a market among Tunisian restaurants, guesthouses, and schools in underdeveloped regions, where winter temperatures at times drop below freezing.
But the majority of its production — about 60 percent — is set for exports to France and Canada, Khelifi said.
The company now employs 10 people and is targeting production of 600 tons of briquettes in 2025, he added.
Selim Sahli, 40, who runs a guesthouse, said he replaced traditional firewood with Khelifi’s briquettes for heating and cooking.
“It’s an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative,” he said. “It’s clean, easy to use, and has reduced my heating costs by a third.”
Mohamed Harrar, the owner of a pizza shop on the outskirts of Tunis, praised the briquettes for reducing smoke emissions, which he said previously irritated his neighbors.
“Besides, this waste carries the soul of Tunisian olives and gives the pizza a special flavour,” he added.
Given Tunisia’s significant olive oil production, waste byproducts pose both a challenge and an opportunity.
Noureddine Nasr, an agricultural and rural development expert, said around 600,000 tons of olive waste is produced annually.
“Harnessing this waste can protect the environment, create jobs, and generate wealth,” he said.
Nasr believes repurposing olive waste could also help alleviate Tunisia’s heavy dependence on imported fuel.
The country imports more than 60 percent of its energy needs, a reliance that widens its trade deficit and strains government subsidies, according to a 2023 World Bank report.
Fuel and gas shortages are common during winter, particularly in Tunisia’s northwestern provinces, where households struggle to keep warm.
Redirecting agricultural waste into alternative energy sources could ease this burden.
Yet for entrepreneurs like Khelifi, launching a startup in Tunisia is fraught with challenges.
“The biggest hurdle was funding,” he said, lamenting high-interest bank loans. “It felt like walking on a road full of potholes.”
But now his goal is “to leave my mark as a key player in Tunisia’s transition to clean energy,” he added. “And hopefully, the world’s, too.”
Iraq agrees to supply Lebanon with fuel for six months
- Iraq provides Lebanon with the fuel in exchange for health care to Iraqi citizens
BEIRUT: Iraq has agreed to supply Lebanon with fuel for six more months, the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said in a statement on Saturday, renewing a deal meant to alleviate Lebanon’s acute power shortage.
Under the heavy fuel oil deal, first agreed in July 2021, Iraq provides the Lebanese government with the fuel in exchange for services including health care for Iraqi citizens.
Lebanon then swaps the heavy fuel oil for gas oil that it can use at its power stations.
These have operated for decades at partial capacity, but electricity provision deteriorated further during a financial crisis that has hit the state’s ability to buy fuel.
Sudan’s army takes major market as it extends control over capital
- The statement comes days after the Sudanese army declared victory over the RSF in Khartoum
- The army said in a statement that its forces were now in control of the market in western Omdurman, Souq Libya, having seized weapons and equipment left behind by the RSF
CAIRO: The Sudanese army said on Saturday it had taken control of a major market in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, which had previously been used by their Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rivals to launch attacks during a devastating two-year-old war.
The statement comes days after the Sudanese army declared victory over the RSF in Khartoum, claiming control of most parts of the capital.
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence, created what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and plunged several areas into famine.
The army said in a statement that its forces were now in control of the market in western Omdurman, Souq Libya, having seized weapons and equipment left behind by the RSF when they fled.
Souq Libya is one of the largest and most important commercial hubs in Sudan.
The army already controlled most of Omdurman, home to two big military bases. It appears intent on securing control over the entire capital area, which is made up of the three cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, divided by branches of the River Nile.
The RSF has not commented on the army’s advance in Omdurman, where the paramilitary forces still hold some territory.
The war erupted amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes, and left about half of the 50 million population suffering acute hunger.
Overall deaths are hard to estimate, but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.
The war has added to instability in the region, with Sudan’s neighbors Libya, Chad, Central African Republic and South Sudan each weathering internal bouts of conflict over recent years.
Turkiye opposition calls mass rally in Istanbul
- Imamoglu’s detention on March 19 has prompted a repressive government response that has been sharply condemned by rights groups and drawn criticism from abroad.
- The protests over his arrest quickly spread across Turkiye, with vast crowds joining mass nightly rallies outside Istanbul City Hall
Istanbul: Protesters were to join a mass rally in Istanbul Saturday at the call of Turkiye’s main opposition CHP over the jailing of the city’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a top figure in the party whose arrest has sparked 10 days of the country’s biggest street demonstrations in a decade.
Imamoglu’s detention on March 19 has also prompted a repressive government response that has been sharply condemned by rights groups and drawn criticism from abroad.
The rally, which begins at 0900 GMT in Maltepe on the Asian side of Istanbul, is the first such CHP-led gathering since Tuesday and comes on the eve of the Eid Al-Fitr celebration marking the end of Ramadan, which starts Sunday.
Widely seen as the only Turkish politician capable of challenging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the ballot box, Imamoglu was elected as the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential race on the day he was jailed.
“Imamoglu’s candidacy for president is the beginning of a journey that will guarantee justice and the nation’s sovereignty. Let’s go to Maltepe.. and start our march to power together!” CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said on X.
The protests over his arrest quickly spread across Turkiye, with vast crowds joining mass nightly rallies outside Istanbul City Hall called by the CHP, that often degenerated into running battles with riot police.
Although the last such rally was Tuesday, student groups have kept up their own protests, most of them masked despite a police crackdown that has seen nearly 2,000 people arrested.
Among them were 20 minors who were arrested between March 22-25, of whom seven remained in custody, the Istanbul Bar Association said Friday.
In Istanbul, at least 511 students were detained, many in predawn raids, of whom 275 were jailed, lawyer Ferhat Guzel told AFP, while admitting that the number was “probably much higher.”
The authorities have also cracked down on media coverage, arresting 13 Turkish journalists in five days, deporting a BBC correspondent and arresting a Swedish reporter who flew into Istanbul to cover the unrest.
Although 11 journalists were freed Thursday, among them AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, two more were detained on Friday as was Imamoglu’s lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan, who was later granted conditional release.
Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who flew into Turkiye on Thursday to cover the demonstrations, was jailed on Friday, his employer Dagens ETC told AFP, saying it was not immediately clear what the charges were.
’Accusations 100 percent false’
Unconfirmed reports in the Turkish media said Medin was being held for “insulting the president” and belonging to a “terror organization.”
“I know that these accusations are false, 100 percent false,” Dagens ETC’s editor-in-chief Andreas Gustavsson wrote on X account.
In a post on social media, Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said Stockholm was taking his arrest “seriously.”
Turkish authorities held BBC journalist Mark Lowen for 17 hours on Wednesday before deporting him on the grounds he posed “a threat to public order,” the broadcaster said.
Turkiye’s communications directorate put his deportation down to “a lack of accreditation.”
Baris Altintas, co-director of MLSA, the legal NGO helping many of the detainees, told AFP the authorities “seem to be very determined on limiting coverage of the protests.
“As such, we fear that the crackdown on the press will not only continue but also increase.”
