The top U.S. diplomat to Africa said there must be an "independent and credible" investigation into the Sudanese military's violent dispersal of a protest camp in the capital earlier this month, and the ruling military council said it would announce the findings of its own investigation on Saturday.
Sudan's security forces violently swept away a camp in Khartoum on June 3 where demonstrators had been holding a sit-in, with over 100 people killed and hundreds wounded since then, according protest organizers. Authorities have offered a lower death toll: 61, including three security forces.
The violent beak-up marked a turn in the standoff between the protesters and the military, which removed autocratic President Omar al-Bashir from power in April after a months-long popular uprising against his 30-year rule.
Tibor Nagy, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa, said the deadly break-up of the sit-in outside the military's headquarters "constituted a 180 degree turn in the way events were going with murder, rape, pillaging, by members of the Security Forces.
"Events were moving forward in such a favorable direction after 35 years of tragedy for Sudan. And then without any expectation, on June 3rd, the world changed," he said.
Sudan's chief prosecutor Saturday rejected the idea of any outside investigation.
The U.S. diplomat spoke late Friday upon his arrival in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa after a two-day visit to Sudan where he met with the ruling generals, protesters and victims of the crackdown, whose accounts were "harrowing and very persuasive."
Protest organizers called for an internationally backed probe into the crackdown. But the ruling military council, which acknowledged that security forces committed violations, strongly rejected the idea. It said it had set up its own investigation and it would announce its findings on Saturday, vowing to hold those responsible accountable.
Nagy said the head of the military council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, "was adamant that there will be accountability" and that "we certainly hope that there will be such an investigation."
Nagy said the U.S. has been supporting mediation efforts by the African Union and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to resume negations between the military council and protesters, who are represented by the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of political groups.
"Both of the mediators are eminently qualified. ... We continue to believe very strongly in this mediation and we are absolutely supportive both," Nagy said.
The U.S. diplomat declined to outline possible measures Washington might take if the situation worsens. But he warned of negative scenarios as both the military council and protest leaders "absolutely distrust each other."
"We could end up with the type of chaos that exists in Libya or Somalia and the last thing Egypt wants is another Libya on its southern border. The last thing Ethiopia wants is another Somalia on its northwestern border," he said.
In the wake of the sit-in dispersal, negotiations between the military and protesters were called off and the FDFC held a three-day general strike and a campaign of civil disobedience. They also announced a package of conditions to be met before resuming talks, which included the formation of an international commission to investigate the killings of protesters, restored internet services, adherence to previous deals struck before the breakdown in talks and the return of paramilitary troops to their barracks.
The protesters ended their strike amid mediation efforts by the Ethiopian leader, who declared earlier this week that talks would be resumed "soon."
Also on Saturday, Sudan's chief prosecutor rejected the idea of an international investigation into the crackdown but sought to distance his office from the deadly break-up of the sit-in. Al-Waleed Mahmoud's comments came two days after military council spokesman Gen. Shams Eddin Kabashi said the council had discussed dispersing the protesters with top judicial officials.
Mahmoud said he did not discuss dispersing the protesters in the meeting.
"We did not discuss the sit-in break-up. We just discussed arranging the Colombia area," he said in a press conference in Khartoum, referring to a problematic area near the sit-in.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud said former president al-Bashir would face trial on corruption accusations next week.
In May, al-Bashir was charged with involvement in killing protesters and incitement to kill protesters during the uprising that started in December, initially over economic shortages but which later turned into calls for his ouster. The military toppled him on April 11.
The ousted president also is wanted by the International Criminal Court over charges of war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s, but the military has said it would not extradite him to The Hague.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The body of a Mississippi man who was found dead after vanishing under mysterious circumstances will not be released to family members until law enforcement agencies finish investigating the case, a state judge said Tuesday.
At a hearing in Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas did not make an official ruling from the bench. He instead told attorneys the body of Dau Mabil would be preserved at the state crime lab while investigators try to shed light on what happened to the man. Mabil, who lived in Jackson with his wife, Karissa Bowley, went missing in broad daylight on March 25 after going for a walk.
Mabil escaped a bloody civil war in Sudan as a child and built a new life in America. His disappearance prompted an outcry from civil rights organizations and is alleged to have sparked discord between local law enforcement agencies. Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, whose district includes Jackson, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a Justice Department investigation.
Tuesday's hearing had been set to settle a legal dispute between Bowley and Dau Mabil's brother, Bul Mabil, regarding the standards for a future independent autopsy. But Thomas also allowed attorneys to ask questions about Bowley's marriage to Dau Mabil.
Bowley took the witness stand and was peppered with questions by Bul Mabil's attorney, Lisa Ross. In a tense exchange, Ross asked Bowley to read text messages detailing arguments between the couple over several issues, including Dau Mabil’s alcohol consumption and Bowley’s penchant for “feminist podcasts.”
Bowley's attorney, Paloma Wu, said the hearing had become a “forum for freewheeling defamation” of Bowley, but Thomas overruled her objections.
Police have never said Bowley is a suspect in Dau Mabil's disappearance. The legal conflict between her and Bul Mabil began after fishermen spotted a body April 13 in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Jackson. Days later, officials confirmed the remains were those of Dau Mabil.
A sheriff said an initial state autopsy did not uncover signs of foul play, but Bul Mabil has disputed those findings. Bul Mabil filed an emergency request that an independent medical examiner examine Dau Mabil’s body before releasing the remains to Bowley and her family.
In a subsequent filing, Bowley’s attorney said her client did not oppose additional autopsy by a qualified examiner. But she asked the court to ensure the second autopsy takes place only after law enforcement finishes investigating to preserve the integrity of the evidence on her late husband’s body.
On Tuesday, Thomas said he agreed that police should finish their investigation before releasing Dau Mabil's body and that a second, independent autopsy would likely be permitted.
“I do not draw conclusions about anybody or what’s happened to this man other than that it’s unfortunate. I hope ... there was nothing nefarious done to him,” Thomas said. “But I want to find out. And I want the state to find out. I think they’re going to do that.”
Medical examiners do not typically store a body for the entirety of a police investigation, however long it takes. But, authorities would make an exception due to the “extraordinary nature of this case,” said Eric Brown, an attorney for the state medical examiner's office.
Thomas said he would issue a formal order later in the week to deal with the specific requests made by Bul Mabil and Bowley over setting the rules for a future autopsy conducted by an independent medical examiner.
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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.
Karissa Bowley, widow of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, is hugged by her father James E. Bowley, following a hearing on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, left, gives Paloma Wu, attorney for Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, a set of her client's texts during a hearing on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, left, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, questions Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, during a hearing, on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Hinds County Chancery Judge Dewayne Thomas, right, cautions Karissa Bowley, wife of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, to not interrupt attorneys' questioning during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A tearful Karissa Bowley, widow of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, is comforted by family members following a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, stares at his brother's widow, Karissa Bowley, during a recess at a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, right, attorney for Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, confer during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bul Mabil, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, waits for questioning to resume during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Karissa Bowley, wife of the late Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, waits for questioning to resume during a hearing, Tuesday, April 30, 2024 in Jackson, Miss. The hearing is on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lisa Ross, right, attorney for Bul Mabil, seated center, brother of Dau Mabil, a 33-year-old Jackson, Miss., resident who went missing on March 25 and whose body was found in April floating in the Pearl River in Lawrence County, listens to his question, while Karissa Bowley, wife of the deceased, awaits a renewed spate of questions during a hearing, on whether a judge should dissolve or modify his injunction preventing the release of Mabil's remains until an independent autopsy could be conducted, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
