Human rights situation in northern Sudan is deteriorating

In June of 2011, the human rights situation in northern Sudan is getting worse as there are further restrictions to the freedom of the press. As the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) announced in Göttingen on Tuesday, 15 peace activists were arrested in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Sunday. They had protested against the escalating war in the Nuba Mountains (Southern Kordofan). In the last few weeks, the authorities have also initiated an investigation against at least ten Sudanese journalists who reported on violations of human rights. Although they had military support, a team of Al Jazeera – the Arabic news channel – got beaten by soldiers in South Kordofan who tried to interfere with their independent report on the escalating conflict. "The Bashir Regime seized an opportunity: While the world is watching southern Sudan, where a new state is to be founded in July, every measure seems to be legitimate to secure Khartoum's power in the North", says the STP's expert on questions regarding Africa, Ulrich Delius. 

The peace activists had tried to hand in a petition to the United Nations demanding an end of the war in Southern Kordofan and better protection of civilians in the Nuba Mountains. Members of the group "Youth for Peace" were arrested and questioned for several hours. After four hours they were released, but there are still investigations against them for "participating in an unauthorized demonstration" and "disturbing public order".

Also, there are investigations against the ten Sudanese journalists, because they had dared to report that the woman's rights activist Safia Ishag had been raped in custody by Sudanese security forces in February 2011. "With these methods of intimidation, critical journalists are silenced and forced into self-censorship", criticized Delius. Even respected journalists like Faisal Mohamed Salih of the Arabic daily newspaper "Al Akbar" and Saadeldin Ibrahim, editor of the daily newspaper "Al Jarida", are affected.

"Physical violence against journalists – as in the case of the Al-Jazeera team – is supposed to keep away independent media representatives from the Nuba Mountains", says Delius. "The same methods were used in Darfur when the genocide was committed." Eyewitness-reports about the conflict in South Kordofan already sound very alarming. They accuse regular military troops of ethnic cleansing in the Nuba-Mountain area, which is inhabited by black Africans. Local human rights groups also accuse Sudanese soldiers of methodically aiming at young men in particular. The victims were suspected of supporting the Southern Sudanese liberation movement PLA.