2020 in Sudan explained

The following lists events that happened during 2020 in Sudan.

Incumbents

• Chairman of the Sovereignty Council: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan
• Prime Minister: Abdalla Hamdok
• Deputy Chairman of the Sovereignty Council: Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo

Ongoing

• War in Darfur

Events

February

• February 9 – Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.^[1] Former deputy Prime Minister Mubarak al Fadil al Mahdi of Sudan said it would be good to normalize relations with Israel.^[2]
• February 11 – The Government of Sudan agreed that former president Omar al-Bashir will face war crime charges before the International Criminal Court, where he is accused of 300,000 deaths in Darfur.^[3]
• February 13 – Sudan said it has reached a settlement in the USS Cole bombing, a first step in being removed from the designation as a state supporter of terrorism.^[4]

March

• March 13
  • The country reports its first COVID-19 case in Khartoum, a man who died on 12 March 2020 and had visited the United Arab Emirates in the first week of March.^[5]
  • Sudan stopped issuing visas for, and flights to, eight countries, including Italy and neighbouring Egypt, over fears of the coronavirus outbreak.^[6]

April

• April 22 – Sudan reports 13 deaths and 140 confirmed cases of COVID-19, but there are fears that the actual number is much higher as people only go to the hospital when they are very sick. The government has increased its health budget by 200%, but $120 million to fight the new virus and $150 million to cover medicines until June is still needed. Importing equipment and medicine is difficult as suppliers prioritize their own countries.^[7]
• April 29 – Representatives from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) visit Sudan to rally support and recruit fighters for Libya's Khalifa Haftar.^[8]
• April 30 – Sudan criminalizes female genital mutilation.^[9]

May

• May 6 – Fighting between Arabs and non-Arabs in South Darfur, Sudan, leaves thirty dead and a dozen wounded.^[10]
• May 12 – Sudan pushes Ethiopia to resume discussion related to the $4.6 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River that officials say will start filling in July.^[11]
• May 13 – In the third incident of armed violence this month, 24 people, including paratroopers are killed in Kaduqli, Sudan.^[12]
• May 23 – Sudan announces the formation of a special police force to prevent attacks on health workers. The country has reported at least 63 deaths from COVID-19 among around 3,380 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. There have been two dozen attacks on health workers over the past two months.^[13]

June

• June 2 – Sudan appoints Maj. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim Yassin as its new Defense Minister.^[14]
• June 9 – Sudanese militia leader Ali Kushayb, is arrested and charged with 50 crimes against humanity and war crimes in the War in Darfur.^[15]
• June 26 – Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia agree to delay filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).^[16]

July

• July 11 – Sudan institutes reforms allowing non-Muslims to drink alcohol in private and outlawing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).^[17]
• July 13 – Sudanese security forces violently break up a protest camp in North Darfur, killing at least protester and wounding a dozen others, including four children, activists.^[18]
• July 24
  • Mass graves likely tied to a 1990 coup attempt against former President Omar al-Bashir in Sudan are discovered.^[19]
  • 2020 Darfur attacks - An attack on Aboudos in South Darfur left at least 20 people dead and another 22 were injured.^{[20] [21]}
• July – Gold hunters used heavy machinery to excavate the two millennia-old Jabal Maragha archaeological site in the Bayuda Desert, destroying it. The gold diggers were arrested and their equipment seized, but they were later released without charges in July 2020.^{[22] [23]}

August

• August 22 – Prime Minister Abdallá Hamdok announces that Sudan is willing to turn former dictator Omar al-Bashir over to the International Criminal Court.^[24]
• August 30 – Ninety people die and hundreds of homes are destroyed in torrential rains.^[25]
• August 31 – The transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front initial a peace agreement in South Sudan.^[26]

September

• September 4 – Record water levels of 17.57m (57.64feet) on the Blue Nile kill 94 and destroy 60,000 homes. Rain is expected to continue throughout the month. Some experts, such as International Rivers, expect climate change to cause periodic bouts of drought and flooding in the future.^[27] Authorities declare a three-month long state of emergency.
• September 8 – Flooding threatens the Pyramids of Meroë.^[28]
• September 17 – Filmmaker Hajooj Kuka is among the five Sudanaese artists convicted on charges of public disturbance and violating public safety measures in Khartoum in a demonstration against dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Six others are awaiting similar charges.^[29]

October

• October 2 – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports flooding has claimed more than 120 lives and left 860,000 people homeless.^[30]
• October 3 – The government of Sudan and ten rebel groups sign a peace agreement, ending 17 years of war.^[31]
• October 23 – Israel–Sudan normalization agreement

November

• November 13 – The government declares amnesty for those who fought in the civil war, except for individuals charged with war crimes.^[32]

December

• December 8 – Russia signs an agreement to use Port Sudan as a navy base on the Red Sea for 25 years.^[33]
• December 9 – General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says the transitional council has failed in its mission to bring about civilian rule.^[34]
• December 15 – Sudan says that "Ethiopian forces and militias" ambushed Sudanese army forces near Jabal Abutiour, Sudan. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok visited Ethiopia briefly on December 13 to discuss the security situation.^[35]
• December 23 – War in Darfur: The United Nations says it will withdraw its forces from Darfur on December 31, 2020. A peace agreement was signed in October of this year, but some groups, including Amnesty International, have called for an extension of the UNAMID mission.^[36]
• December 27 – The government sends troops to South Darfur after ethnic fighting ends with 15 deaths in a dispute over water rights.^[37]

Deaths

• February 9 – Abdel Aziz El Mubarak, 69, singer; pneumonia.^[38]
• March 25 – Jamal Aldin Omar, 60, Defence Minister.^[39]
• September 8 –, 58, actress and singer.^[40]
• November 26 – Sadiq al-Mahdi, 84, politician and religious leader, Prime Minister (1966–1967, 1986–1989); COVID-19.^[41]
• December 21 – Bahaa el-Din Nouri, 45, electrician from Darfur; tortured to death.^[42]
• December 27 – Abdel-Rahman Nour-el-Daem al-Tom, Sudanese politician, Governor of Blue Nile state, traffic collision.^[43]

See also

• 2020 in North Africa
• COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
• Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
• 2020 Sudan floods

Notes and References

1. https://www.timesofisrael.com/sudanese-leader-says-he-felt-comfortable-with-netanyahu-during-meeting/ Sudanese leader says he 'felt comfortable' with Netanyahu during meeting
2. https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2122551/mubarak-al-mahdi-asharq-al-awsat-normalizing-ties-israel-acquits-sudan Mubarak al-Mahdi to Asharq Al-Awsat: Normalizing Ties with Israel Acquits Sudan of Terrorism
3. News: Omar al-Bashir: Sudan agrees ex-president must face ICC. BBC News. 11 February 2020.
4. https://apnews.com/9f09ace93fa5291ef1b0848797b72e84 Sudan seeks to end terror designation in USS Cole settlement
5. Web site: Sudan reports first coronavirus case. 2020-06-19. The East African. en.
6. News: 2020-03-12. Sudan stops visas and flights for eight countries including Egypt over coronavirus: statement. en. Reuters. 2020-06-19.
7. Web site: Few ventilators, little cash: Sudan braces for coronavirus test . Reuters . April 23, 2020 . en . 23 April 2020.
8. Web site: UAE officials 'visit Sudan' to rally support for Libya's Haftar . www.aljazeera.com . Apr 30, 2020.
9. Web site: Sudan criminalises FGM, makes it punishable by 3 years in prison . www.aljazeera.com . Apr 30, 2020.
10. Web site: Clashes between Arabs, non-Arabs in Sudan province kill 30 . ABC News . May 6, 2020 . en.
11. Web site: Sudan pushes Ethiopia to resume stalled talks over Nile dam . ABC News . May 13, 2020 . en.
12. Web site: Sudan clashes kill 26, including paramilitary forces . ABC News . May 13, 2020 . en.
13. Web site: Sudan to establish police force to protect health workers . ABC News . May 24, 2020 . en.
14. Web site: Sudan appoints new defense chief amid tensions with Ethiopia . news.yahoo.com . June 2, 2020.
15. Web site: Sudan militia leader in custody on Darfur war crimes charges . ABC News . June 9, 2020 . en.
16. Web site: Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agree to delay filling dam . news.yahoo.com . June 27, 2020.
17. Web site: Sudan to allow drinking alcohol for non-Muslims, ban FGM . ca.news.yahoo.com . July 12, 2020 . en-CA.
18. Web site: Sudanese forces break up protest camp in Darfur, killing 1 . ABC News . July 13, 2020 . en.
19. Web site: Sudan finds mass grave likely linked to foiled 1990 coup . AP NEWS . July 25, 2020 . 24 July 2020.
20. News: 25 July 2020. Gunmen kill at least 22 villagers in South Darfur, locals say. 11 September 2020. Reuters.
21. News: 25 July 2020. Attackers kill at least 20 in Sudan's Darfur, says tribal chief. Al Jazeera. 11 September 2020.
22. Web site: Ketz . Sammy . Gold-hunting diggers destroy Sudan's priceless past . news.yahoo.com . AFP . August 24, 2020 . en . August 22, 2020.
23. Web site: Illegal gold diggers destroy ancient Sudanese site . BBC News . 24 August 2020 . 25 August 2020.
24. Web site: Hamdok: Sudán está dispuesto a cooperar con la CPI para la entrega de Bashir . msn noticias . EFE . August 22, 2020 . es . August 22, 2020.
25. Web site: Fuertes tormentas en Sudán causan la muerte de 90 personas . www.msn.com . La Jornada . August 30, 2020.
26. Web site: Sudan government agrees to peace deal with five rebel groups . The Guardian . 31 August 2020 . August 31, 2020.
27. Web site: Ketz . Sammy . Highest Nile waters for a century swamp Sudan . news.yahoo.com . AFP . September 4, 2020.
28. Web site: Sudan floods: Nile water level threatens ancient pyramids . news.yahoo.com . BBC . September 8, 2020.
29. News: MAGDY . SAMY . Verdict against young artists in Sudan stirs controversy . Sep 20, 2020 . news.yahoo.com . AP . September 20, 2020.
30. Web site: 2020-10-02. Sudan alert: Flooding and surging inflation threaten humanitarian assistance. 2021-02-24. UN News. en.
31. Web site: Sudanese Interim Government, Regional Factions Sign Peace Agreement | Voice of America - English.
32. News: Sudan declares amnesty except for war crime suspects . November 16, 2020 . msn.com . AFP . November 13, 2020.
33. News: ISACHENKOV . VLADIMIR . Russia to establish navy base in Sudan for at least 25 years . December 8, 2020 . AP NEWS . AP . 8 December 2020.
34. News: Sudan army chief slams transitional council . December 9, 2020 . news.yahoo.com.
35. News: Sudan says officers ambushed by Ethiopian 'forces and militias' during patrol . December 16, 2020 . news.yahoo.com. Yahoo News.
36. News: UN agrees to end Darfur peacekeeping mission . December 23, 2020 . msn.com . AFP . December 23, 2020.
37. News: Sudan deploys troops in South Darfur after tribal violence - report . December 28, 2020 . news.yahoo.com . Reuters . Yahoo News . December 27, 2020.
38. https://www.elbalad.news/4167825 بعد صراع مع المرض.. وفاة الفنان السودانى عبد العزيز المبارك داخل مستشفى بالقاهرة
39. News: Sudan defence minister dies of heart attack at Juba peace talks . 26 March 2020 . Middle East Eye . 25 March 2020.
40. https://www.skynewsarabia.com/varieties/1374606-وفاة-الفنانة-السودانية-ستونة-صاحبة-أغنية-شوكولاته وفاة الفنانة السودانية ستونة.. صاحبة أغنية "شوكولاته"
41. https://in.reuters.com/article/us-sudan-politics/sudans-former-pm-sadiq-al-mahdi-dies-of-coronavirus-in-uae-sources-idUSKBN2853EB Sudan's former PM Sadiq al-Mahdi dies of coronavirus in UAE: sources
42. News: MAGDY . Samy . Sudanese bury man apparently tortured during detention . December 30, 2020 . news.yahoo.com . AP . Yahoo News . December 30, 2020.
43. https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2706756/sudan-blue-nile-governor-killed-car-crash Sudan: Blue Nile Governor Killed in Car Crash