Sudan’s gov’t cancels dissolution of groups allied to Bashir

KHARTOUM – The Sudanese military-led government Sunday reinstated pro-former regime voluntary groups dissolved by the suspended Empowerment Removal Committee (ERC) which was tasked with the dismantlement of the former regime entities.

The Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Najm Musa, issued a decision, seen by Sudan Tribune providing to revive “22 non-profit organizations and associations based on the recommendation of the Appeals Committee headed by former Sovereign Council member Raja Nicola.”

Many reinstated groups were found by the Removal Committee as tools for the dignitaries of the former regime and partisans to benefit from customs and tax exemptions and divert money for the banned formerly ruling National Congress Party’s activities.

After the dissolution of the civilian-led government on October 25, the coup leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan suspended the ERC, which is tasked with the dismantlement of the former regime.

On November 10, al-Burhan formed a committee headed by the then-Member of the Sovereign Council, Raja Nicola, to review the decisions of the suspended committee.

This Appeal Committee literally cancelled all the decisions of the ERC, including the reinstatement of all the civil servants who had been sacked for appointment by nepotism.

Orwa al-Sadiq, a member of the suspended dismantlement committee, told Sudan Tribune that the revived groups and entities are hidden façades of the banned NCP and the Islamic Movement.

Some of which violated the humanitarian assistance law due to their NCP-linked activities, according to the findings of investigations carried out by the ERC subcommittees, al-Sadiq said.

“The most dangerous is that these organizations were used as façades for mobilizing and recruiting the poor and needy people in the party’s forums,” he further stressed.

The former official regretted that the current minister of social affairs and commissioner for humanitarian aid, who are from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) cooperate fully with the military regime and implement the agenda of the former regime.

“They know that these entities are hidden façades for the dissolved party and movement,” he said.

JEM and its leader Gibril Ibrahim are among Darfur armed groups that supported the overthrow of the civilian government and allied with the military coup.

Ibrahim had severely criticized the ERC’s activities, which were controlled by the FFC groups.