According to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, the director of the Sudan and South Sudan office spoke before the Tom Lantos Committee for Human Rights in Congress, in a session that was the first of its kind since the events in Sudan.
AlTaghyeer: Agencies
The director of the Sudan and South Sudan office at the US State Department, Brian Hunt, called for the release of all 25th October detainees in Sudan.
Hunt explained that the number of detainees released so far was not enough.
He indicated that the political agreement reached between the Prime Minister of the putschist government in Sudan, Abdallah Hamdok, and the army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is a first, albeit “incomplete”, step.
He stressed the need to take more important steps to “reverse” the democratic deterioration and human rights violations that have taken place since October 25th.
“Despite the disadvantages of the November 21 agreement, the return of Prime Minister Hamdok to his position is a better solution than the continuation of military rule. Especially in light of the brutal repression by the security forces of peaceful demonstrators, and the agreement was the result of demonstrations by the people.”
Hunt said that US President Joe Biden is considering appointing a candidate for the post of ambassador to Sudan as soon as possible, adding that “the White House is committed to appointing a candidate for the post of ambassador to Sudan, and we will send the appointment to the Senate for approval when a decision is made.”
Joint Statement
The newspaper stated that the members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the session, which was entitled “The Military Coup in Sudan and Its Repercussions on Human Rights,” issued a statement criticizing the Sudanese army.
“On October 25, the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, took control of the Sudanese government through a military coup, thus obstructing the path of the internationally supported democratic transition, which adhered to the constitutional document of 2019 and the Juba Agreement for the year 2020,” the statement said.
The statement indicated that the coup faced immediate international condemnation, which included the suspension of Sudan’s membership from the African Union, as well as widespread demonstrations.
Committee members, Democrats and Republicans, added that the military sought to suppress popular resistance against the coup via force and large-scale arbitrary arrests.
These measures taken by the military caused the death of at least 39 people, according to a priority toll as of November 18.
The statement indicated that the detainees included ministers, members of political parties, lawyers, civil society activists, human rights defenders, and leaders of demonstrations.
It also discussed the suppression of all forms of communication during the internet blackout, as well as the targeting of journalists.
