Sudan bans protest planned for Annan, Powell visit

KHARTOUM, June 29 (AFP) — Sudanese security services have banned a demonstration planned to coincide with visits by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN chief Kofi Annan, a government newspaper reported Tuesday.

“The security authorities have decided to ban any protest or political gathering, popular or trade union, during the visits,” said Al-Anbaa, quoting a spokesman for the intelligence and security services.

“This decision is taken under the framework of security measures taken for the visits” by Powell, who was due in Khartoum later Tuesday, and Annan, who was scheduled to fly in Wednesday.

The demonstration was to be staged primarily to protest alleged “US and UN double standards” around the world, particularly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq, organisers had said Sunday.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail told reporters that the authorities had reviewed security arrangements for the visits by Powell and Annan, but the government could not ban Wednesday’s demonstration.

“The government cannot silence the people nor can it ban press freedom. But we hope that the marches would be civilised ones that reflect the culture and values of the Sudanese people,” he said.

More than 10,000 people have died in Darfur and more than a million been driven from their homes since the rebellion against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum broke out among indigenous ethnic minorities in February 2003.

Of those, some 120,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad, sparking fears that the conflict might spill over Sudan’s borders.

Washington has threatened Khartoum with sanctions over the 16-month-old conflict, which the United Nations has labelled as the world’s worst current humanitarian crisis.