SUDAN: President won’t seek office again.
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, who has been in power for more than 20 years and faces international charges of genocide, will not run for office again after his current term ends in four years, a Sudan- ese government spokesman said Monday.
Al-Bashir seized power in 1989 in a military coup and has ruled with an iron fist since. But now, government spokesman Rabie A. Atti said, al-Bashir “has no will to be a president again.”
Atti said the decision — and timing — had “nothing, nothing at all” to do with the popular revolts against long-standing autocrats across the Arab world.
BAHRAIN: Supporters of government hold rally.
Tens of thousands of Bahrainis rallied in support of their beleaguered government Monday, dwarfing the opposition’s movement and raising new questions about whether the calls for major reforms will lead instead to more sectarianism for a key American strategic ally.
What began a week ago as a call by Shiite Muslims for a constitutional monarchy has instead opened a rift between the majority Shiites and Sunni Muslims in a nation that up until now enjoyed some of the best relations between the sects in the region.
CHINA: Leaders call for new ways to defuse unrest.
With a wary eye on popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, Chinese leaders are calling for new ways to defuse social unrest in what appears to be an ominous harbinger of tighter controls to come on the Internet and elsewhere.
Splashed across the front page of Monday’s People’s Daily were highlights of a speech given by President Hu Jintao calling on the nation to “enhance and complete management of information on the Internet” and to “establish a system of public opinion guidance on the Internet,” according to excerpts. The speech also called for danwei, the work units to which Chinese traditionally belonged, to enhance their roles in “social management,” for a database that would keep track of the movements of migrant populations and to make clear the “social responsibilities” of private companies.
EGYPT: Prosecutor wants help in seizing Mubarak’s assets.
Egypt’s top prosecutor Monday asked the Foreign Ministry to seek help from foreign governments to seize ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s assets, Egyptian state media reported. Public prosecutor Abdel Magid Mahmud said the request will also cover assets in the name of Mubarak’s wife, Suzanne, and sons Alaa and Gamal and their wives.
The prosecutor’s request came as British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Cairo on Monday to meet with the country’s interim leaders. The United States also dispatched a senior diplomat to Cairo, Undersecretary for Political Affairs William J. Burns.
TUNISIA: Third interim foreign minister in month named.
The country has named its third interim foreign minister in a month following the ouster of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Mouldi Kefi, a career diplomat, has taken the post, according to Tunisia’s official news agency, TAP.
Tunisia’s government has asked Saudi Arabia whether its exiled former president is dead and demanded his extradition if he is still alive, as thousands of people protested in the capital demanding that the caretaker government resign.
MOROCCO: Five charred bodies found in bank.
Five charred bodies were found in a bank set aflame on the sidelines of one of many nationwide protests pushing for more democracy in the kingdom.
Morocco’s interior minister, Taeib Cherqaoui, said at least 128 people — mostly security forces — were injured in unrest linked to protests a day earlier that drew at least 37,000 demonstrators in dozens of towns and cities.
YEMEN: Leader rejects demands that he quit.
Yemen’s embattled leader rejected demands that he step down, calling demonstrations against his regime unacceptable acts of provocation, and offered to begin a dialogue with protesters.
But protests seeking President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster didn’t let up, as tens of thousands rallied in four cities, including the capital of Sana.
At least 11 people have been killed, including a youth shot Monday, since anti-government protests erupted earlier this month. In an attempt to defuse anger over the violence, Saleh said he has ordered troops not to fire at anti-government protesters, except in self-defense.
Denver Post wire services
