Sudan Army Says to Prosecute Journalists, Activists over 'Insults'

Sudanese troops. Reuters file photo
Sudanese troops. Reuters file photo
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Sudan Army Says to Prosecute Journalists, Activists over 'Insults'

Sudanese troops. Reuters file photo
Sudanese troops. Reuters file photo

The Sudanese army announced Saturday that it will take legal action against any journalists or activists who "insult" the institution.

"Legal action will be available against activists, journalists and others, both inside and outside the country," it said in a statement, adding that an officer specialized in cyber crime has been named.

Agence France Presse quoted the military as saying that its "patience is at an end in the face of insults and accusations" aimed at "damaging the army and (Sudan's) security system".

Sudan has since August been led by a civilian-majority administration presiding over a three-year transitional period, following the ouster in April 2019 of president Omar al-Bashir after months-long mass protests against his 30-year rule.

Activists regularly accuse the army of having failed to protect demonstrators during the protest movement.

Fresh protests have been held demanding justice for demonstrators killed in clashes with security forces last year.

At least 246 people were killed and hundreds wounded during the 2018-2019 anti-government demonstrations, according to doctors linked to the protest movement.



Israel’s Defense Minister Says Troops Will Remain in Syrian Buffer Zone Indefinitely

Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)
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Israel’s Defense Minister Says Troops Will Remain in Syrian Buffer Zone Indefinitely

Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol the top of Mount Hermon near the border with Lebanon in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights on 20 November 2023. (AFP)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz visited the Syrian summit of Mount Hermon, currently occupied by Israeli forces, on Tuesday and said Israel will remain there and in the buffer zone for an “unlimited time.”

Katz said Israel must stay in the zone to ensure “hostile forces” will not gain a foothold on the Israeli border nor anywhere within 50 kilometers (30 miles) beyond the zone, citing security for Israeli residents in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

For decades, the Syrian-Israeli border remained largely quiet under a 1974 agreement that established a UN-patrolled demilitarized buffer zone after the 1973 Mideast war.

But after Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ouster in December, Israeli forces entered the 400-square-kilometer (155-square mile) buffer zone, calling it a temporary move to block hostile forces.

However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said Israel will stay in the zone until another arrangement is in place “that ensures Israel’s security.” That drew criticism from residents of the zone and Arab countries.