Sudan Court Orders Vote Re-run After YouTube “Fraud” Film

The security situation in Darfur remains tense following reports on Friday 14 May of fighting in Jebel Moon, West Darfur, between the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese Armed Forces, which claim to have killed over a hundred JEM fighters.

In addition, JEM forces have withdrawn from Shangil Tobaya, North Darfur. UNAMID patrols to the area have resumed and the Mission is planning a series of assessment missions to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps near Shangil Tobaya to verify the number of people who settled there after leaving New Shangil Tobaya camp last week.

Meanwhile, Sudanese security agents have arrested the opposition Popular Congress Party leader Hassan al-Turabi and closed down his party’s newspaper Al Rai Al Shab.

Armed officers detained Turabi in his Khartoum home late on Saturday and took him to Khartoum’s Kober prison. SRS spoke to Al-Turabi’s wife, Wisal Al-Mahdi, on Sunday who described what happened.

Reportedly, a security source told Reuters Turabi’s detention may have been related to his alleged links to the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Turabi denies any link.

Also, in other news, Reuters reported that Sudan’s Supreme Court ordered a re-run of a state assembly election in Red Sea state after an opposition group sent in a video that appeared to show officials stuffing ballot boxes, the National Elections Commission said on Sunday.

“The video was submitted to the court. They cancelled the elections and said they had to be repeated,” said commission spokesman Abu Bakr Waziri. The video was originally posted on online video site YouTube.

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