Sudan lifts emergency law, except in Darfur, east

By Opheera McDoom

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s new presidency on Sunday
lifted the state of emergency in Sudan, except in the
conflict-torn regions of Darfur and the east, a statement from
the presidential palace said.

One day after former southern rebel leader John Garang was
sworn in as first vice president to head a new government as
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s deputy, emergency law giving
authorities wide powers to detain without charge and to crack
down on opposition forces was canceled.

The statement said Bashir had lifted the state of
emergency, in force in Sudan since 1999, except in five states.
They are the three states of Darfur and two states bordering
Eritrea in the east, where a low intensity conflict escalated
in recent months.

“The president of the republic today issued a decree
cancelling the state of emergency in all the states of Sudan
except North Darfur, South Darfur, West Darfur, Kassala and the
Red Sea states, according to the interim constitution and with
the agreement of the first vice president,” the statement said.

Garang joined the government following a peace deal in
January which ended Africa’s longest civil war. Emergency law
was expected to be lifted after the new presidency was sworn in
and a new constitution adopted on Saturday.

But the southern peace deal does not cover a separate
conflict in the remote western Darfur region, where rebels took
up arms in early 2003 accusing the central government of
neglect and of giving Arab tribes preferential treatment.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 2 million
forced from their homes in the violence, which the United
States calls genocide.

Garang and Bashir were expected to keep the state of
emergency in Darfur, where faltering peace talks are ongoing
but are far from reaching a settlement.

In Sudan’s east, one of the main Darfur rebel groups began
joint operations with eastern rebels earlier this year, a move
which has led to an intensification in the conflict with the
central government and caused concern in the international
community.