Sudanese police: 130 injured in Monday's demonstrations in Khartoum

Khartoum: The Sudanese police announced, on Tuesday, that 130 people were injured in Monday's demonstrations in the capital, Khartoum , including 96 of its members and 34 demonstrators.

In a statement, the police said that its forces had "taken all necessary measures to secure the demonstrations, and dealt with them with reasonable legal force."

The statement accused "some of the demonstrators of assaulting the police forces," noting that "they dispersed them with tear gas, and that the demonstrations resulted in the injury of 96 of its members and 34 citizens who were taken to hospital."

He continued, "A police vehicle and 8 vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Finance were destroyed, and 77 protesters were arrested."

The statement indicated that "a person's death was recorded in mysterious circumstances outside the demonstrations in the city of Omdurman, west of the capital, and all measures were taken to find out the cause of death."

And on Monday, the Central Sudanese Doctors Committee announced that two people were killed in the “February 28” demonstrations in the capital, Khartoum, with live bullets.

On Monday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters after they reached the southern gate of the presidential palace, according to Anadolu Agency and eyewitnesses.

During their demonstrations in the three Sudanese capital cities, "Khartoum and Bahri (North) and Omdurman (West), and in other cities in the country, the demonstrators demanded civilian rule.

Since last October 25, Sudan has witnessed protests in response to exceptional measures, most notably the imposition of the state of emergency and the dissolution of the Sovereignty Councils and the transitional ministers, which political forces consider a "military coup", in exchange for the army's denial.(Anatolia)

Self-censorship, intimidation and repression, A French website talks about the bitter life of journalists in Algeria

Paris - Under the title: “Self-censorship, intimidation and repression… the bitter daily life of journalists in Algeria,” the French investigative website Mediapart said that since February 2019, the “popular movement” has set fire to Algeria, The country’s authoritarian drift has pushed it down to 146th place in Reporters Without Borders’ annual press freedom rankings. Some journalists are imprisoned, while others are on trial.

The website noted the countless number of times the editor-in-chief of the Algerian regional daily La provancial, Mustapha Ben Jameh, has been arrested in the past three years. Maybe 20 or 30. Often, he is arrested a few minutes before the demonstrations start and released a few hours after they end.

Mediapart clarified that Mustapha Ben Jameh's experience is not unique, and reflects a broader trend of intimidation of journalists in Algeria. Reporters Without Borders ranks Algeria 146 out of 180 in its annual press freedom ranking - Algeria has fallen 27 places since 2015 - a drop that reflects the country's alarming authoritarian drift.

The site considered that the intimidation of journalists had largely paid off, as the Algerian press in general moved away from its coverage with the escalation of the protests. Censorship also allowed the emergence of new media, with many Algerians turning to digital sources of information, which in turn led to increased repression.

In addition to economic pressure, judicial harassment is one of the most common tools used to suppress press freedom. Week after week, journalists are called to court to respond to various fabricated allegations, according to several press freedom advocates. The latter have repeatedly denounced these practices.

In the spring of 2021, in the weeks leading up to the elections, Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrests of several journalists.

The Algerian state has promised reforms for some time, including a cabinet reshuffle and the release of some political prisoners. At the same time, a law was adopted in April 2020 criminalizing the dissemination of “false news,” and the broad interpretation of the text allowed the arrest of journalists and censorship of some media outlets, as Mediapart notes.

Chad: a collision between 2 buses kills at least 30

Thirty people were killed and fifty injured in the collision of two buses overnight from Sunday to Monday in central Chad, according to a press release from the Ministry of Transport published on Monday.

"It is a collision of two passenger transport buses, one from N'Djamena and the other from Abéché" , the third city of the country, according to the press release signed by the Minister of Transport and Road Safety, Fatima Goukouni Weddeye .

"A public road accident occurred between Oum Hadjer and Mangalmé" , about 630 km east of the capital N'Djamena, "causing about thirty deaths and fifty injuries as well as material damage" .

The collision left 33 dead and 54 injured, Abdelaziz Hisseine, secretary general of the West Batha department, told AFP , adding that "all the injured were transferred to Abéché" . The minister "instructed her services in order to investigate this tragedy" , continues the press release.

"The road continues to kill in our country because of irresponsible behavior and other shortcomings on the public highway. The ministry in charge of transport must take full responsibility in this regard to enforce the traffic rules that save people" , wrote on his Facebook page the president of the ruling junta, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno , who "presented his condolences to the bereaved families" .

Traffic accidents are relatively frequent and deadly in Chad. In July, at least eight people were notably killed in the accident of a truck in the south of the country.