Khartoum Tightens Security ahead of June 30 Protests

Demonstrators wave their national flag as they attend a protest demanding President Omar Al-Bashir to step down, outside Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 10, 2019. (Reuters)
Demonstrators wave their national flag as they attend a protest demanding President Omar Al-Bashir to step down, outside Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 10, 2019. (Reuters)
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Khartoum Tightens Security ahead of June 30 Protests

Demonstrators wave their national flag as they attend a protest demanding President Omar Al-Bashir to step down, outside Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 10, 2019. (Reuters)
Demonstrators wave their national flag as they attend a protest demanding President Omar Al-Bashir to step down, outside Defense Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 10, 2019. (Reuters)

Sudanese authorities have imposed strict security measures in preparation for protests planned by followers of the former regime and Islamists to commemorate the 1989 coup as the revolutionary forces are also planning a rally on the same day.

The Khartoum State Security Committee, chaired by the state’s designated governor, Youssef Adam al-Dai, announced the development of a tight security plan, and tightened coordination between all security and regular agencies to deal decisively with any violence.

For June 29 and 30, bridges and highways will be closed across the country’s provinces without exception.

“We have had information about the plans of the saboteurs and the intruders, who are planning to drag the celebrations into chaos,” al-Dai said in a statement.

Al-Dai said that the State Security Committee will not allow the eruption of violence, calling on everyone to cooperate with the competent authorities to ensure the success of the security plan.

Emergency security measures also include the closure of markets, commercial and service shops, to protect them from saboteurs, according to al-Dai’s statement.

Meanwhile, authorities announced the tightening of the health ban designed to curb the spread of the coronavirus and accordingly issued a decision to freeze the issuance of new permits until further notice.

Al-Dai said that authorities will freeze the issuance of new passes until further notice, while they have begun issuing permits for doctors, merchants and journalists to enable them to roam freely in light of the health restriction imposed to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

He stressed that the government intends to strictly implement the health ban and fully comply with the health requirements for coronavirus prevention.

Al-Dai’s statement appealed to protesters and citizens to cooperate with security services in maintaining the peacefulness of the protests, not to encroach on government buildings and citizens’ properties and to stay away from military sites and areas.



UN: 6 Million Women in Yemen Face Increased Risks of Violence

About 5 million women of reproductive age face challenges in accessing reproductive health services in Yemen. (UN)
About 5 million women of reproductive age face challenges in accessing reproductive health services in Yemen. (UN)
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UN: 6 Million Women in Yemen Face Increased Risks of Violence

About 5 million women of reproductive age face challenges in accessing reproductive health services in Yemen. (UN)
About 5 million women of reproductive age face challenges in accessing reproductive health services in Yemen. (UN)

A lack of funding in Yemen is putting more than 6 million women and girls at risk of violence and exploitation, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in a report released this week.

“More than 6 million women and girls face increased risks of various types of violence, including harmful practices due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country,” it said.

It said that those women need life-saving assistance and that humanitarian assistance plays an important role in ensuring the health, safety and development of Yemeni women and girls.

The agency noted that women's access to reproductive health services is “necessary and cannot be delayed.”

Moreover, UNFPA said about 5 million women of reproductive age face challenges in accessing reproductive health services in Yemen.

It stressed its support of their rights, equality and empowerment, because investing in women and girls is critical to eliminating discrimination and violence against them.

UN data shows that UNFPA's response to protection, reproductive health care (maternal and child health) and emergency relief services, reached 7.2 million women and girls in all governorates of Yemen in 2024.