Eastern revolt will complicate Sudan’s transition

Significance On the same day, a dissident faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) -- the umbrella group of protest leaders, political parties and armed opposition groups behind the civilian cabinet -- made the same demand. These calls reflect intensifying rifts within government, amplified by a recent failed coup and protests in eastern Sudan. Impacts An anti-corruption body may assume some functions of the ‘Empowerment Removal Commission’, which has faced accusations of politicisation. Fears that Sudan’s ports will remain vulnerable to future stoppages will further deter foreign investment. The military may continue to deepen ties with native leaders to offset the influence of its rivals in government.

Reservoir Sediment Management Practices in Sudan: A Case Study of Khashm El-Girba Dam

The sedimentation problem is a hot issue currently affecting the operations of reservoirs and irrigation networks in Sudan. Most of the rivers that cross Sudanese borders come from the Eastern African Plateau, which acts as a sediment source for the Nile River and its tributaries. Khashm el-Girba Dam (KEGD), which crosses the Atbara River in Eastern Sudan, is a multipurpose dam that was constructed in 1964. The Atbara River is a branch of the Nile River system, and the river carries a large amount of sediment during the flood period. Seven years after construction, in 1970, the dam faced a critical problem that could have led to a disaster; it was discovered that, due to sediment deposition, the water storage was not enough to satisfy the downstream requirements. This study discusses the sediment management practices used in KEGD and their impacts on maintaining the reservoir capacity. Practices including operation policy (OP), trap efficiency (TE), sluicing, sediment sluicing, and flushing operation (FO) were discussed. The adopted management practices succeeded in removing a considerable amount of silt and maintaining the lifetime of the reservoir.

Epidemiology and molecular characterization of re-emerged virulent strains of Peste des Petits Ruminants virus among sheep in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan

Background Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a severe contagious viral disease, which mainly affects small ruminants. PPR is caused by a Morbillivirus that belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae. In this study 12 suspected PPR outbreaks among sheep and goats were investigated in four localities in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan, during 2015—2017. The causative agent was confirmed by a Sandwich Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (sELISA), and a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) targeting a partial sequence of nucleocapsid protein gene (N- gene) and a partial sequence of fusion protein gene (F- gene). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were carried out on six N- gene based RT-PCR products selected from two outbreaks occurred on border and inner localities of Kassala State to determine the circulating lineages of PPRV strains. Identity percentages were determined between isolates in this study and previous Sudanese, and other (African and Asian) isolates which clustered along with them. Results Out of 30 samples, 22 (73.3%) were positive using sandwich ELISA. From 22 s ELISA positive samples, 17 (77.3%) were positive by Ngene based RT-PCR and only 7(43.8%) out of 16 positive samples by N gene based RT-PCR were positive using Fgene based RT-PCR. The sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed involvement of the lineage IV of PPRV in outbreaks among small ruminants in Kassala State and high identity percentage between our isolates and previous Sudanese and other (African and Asian) isolates. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that genetic relationship between PPRV strains circulating in sheep in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan, and PPRV strains characterized as lineage IV in neighboring African countries such as Eretria,Ethiopia, Egypt, and other Asian countries

Creating the funerary landscape of Eastern Sudan

Funerary landscapes are eminent results of the relationship between environments and superstructural human behavior, spanning over wide territories and growing over centuries. The comprehension of such cultural palimpsests needs substantial research efforts in the field of human ecology. The funerary landscape of the semi-arid region of Kassala (Eastern Sudan) represents a solid example. Therein, geoarchaeological surveys and the creation of a desk-based dataset of thousands of diachronic funerary monuments (from early tumuli up to modern Beja people islamic tombs) were achieved by means of fieldwork and remote sensing over an area of ∼4100 km2. The wealth of generated information was employed to decipher the spatial arrangement of sites and monuments using Point Pattern Analysis. The enormous number of monuments and their spatial distribution are here successfully explained using, for the first time in archaeology, the Neyman-Scott Cluster Process, hitherto designed for cosmology. Our study highlights the existence of a built funerary landscape with galaxy-like aggregations of monuments driven by multiple layers of societal behavior. We suggest that the distribution of monuments was controlled by a synthesis of opportunistic geological constraints and cultural superstructure, conditioned by the social memory of the Beja people who have inhabited the region for two thousand years and still cherish the ancient tombs as their own kin’s.

Prevalence of depression and associated factors among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in eastern Sudan

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a global health threat and burden. It is associated with medical and psychological complications, especially depression. Depression among patients with DM may affect the general prognosis. Hence, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Gadarif, eastern Sudan to evaluate the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among patients with type 2 DM (T2DM). Methods We performed a cross-sectional study. Data on anthropometric parameters, demographic characteristics and blood glucose levels were collected via questionnaire. Depression was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results Three hundred and fifty patients with T2DM were enrolled in the study and 205 (58.6%) were women. The median (interquartile range) age and duration of diabetes were 56.0 (14.0) years and 8 (8) years, respectively. The prevalence of depression in patients with T2DM was 35.6%. Logistic regression analysis showed significant associations between depression and rural residence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20–3.72), non-employee (AOR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.34–4.00), co-morbidity (AOR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.43–3.86) and obesity AOR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.48–4.18). Conclusion The prevalence of depression is high among Sudanese patients with T2DM. Rural residence, unemployment, co-morbidity and obesity are significant risk factors for developing depression among patients with T2DM.

Study of some biological aspects of the Nile Carp, Labeo niloticus (Pisces, Cyprinidae) from Khashm El-Girba Reservoir and Atbara River; Eastern Sudan: II, length-weight relationship, condition factor and age structure

This study was undertaken to assess the length-weight relationship, condition factor and age structure, of the Nile carp, Labeo niloticus, in Khashm El-Girba reservoir and Atbara River, Sudan, from December 2015 to November 2016. Samples of fish were collected bi-monthly from three locations, namely; Um Aswad (Atbara River), El-Remila and El-Monaba (Khashm El-Girba reservoir), using beach seine nets of 1.2, 4.0 and 7.0 cm stretched mesh. Out of a total number of 1,190 specimens of L. niloticus collected from the three sampling sites, 189 specimens were randomly selected to determine age. The relationship between length and weight indicated negative allometric growth pattern in all three locations, where the slope (b) of the (LWR) was highly significant (p<0.001) and ranged from 2.178 to 2.885. The mean condition factor (K) varied monthly in the three locations with values ranging from 1.671 in Um Aswad (Atbara River) to 2.548 in El-Monaba (reservoir). Although the age of L. niloticus ranged from 0+ and 3+ years, yet, most of the studied fish are between age 0 + and 1+.

Sero-epidemiological survey of bluetongue disease in one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius) in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan

Background Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne viral disease of ruminant and camelid species which is transmitted by Culicoides spp. The causative agent of BT is bluetongue virus (BTV) that belongs to genus Orbivirus of the family Reoviridae. The clinical disease is seen mainly in sheep but mostly sub-clinical infections of BT are seen in cattle, goats and camelids. The clinical reaction of camels to infection is usually not apparent. The disease is notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), causing great economic losses due to decreased trade and high mortality and morbidity rates associated with bluetongue outbreaks. The objective of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of BTV in camels in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan and to identify the potential risk factors associated with the infection. A cross sectional study using a structured questionnaire survey was conducted during 2015–2016. A total of 210 serum samples were collected randomly from camels from 8 localities of Kassala State. The serum samples were screened for the presence of BTV specific immunoglobulin (IgG) antibodies using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Results Seropositivity to BTV IgG was detected in 165 of 210 camels’ sera accounting for a prevalence of 78.6%. Potential risk factors to BTV infection were associated with sex (OR = 0.061, p-value = 0.001) and seasonal river as water source for drinking (OR = 32.257, p-value = 0.0108). Conclusions Sex and seasonal river as water source for drinking were considered as potential risk factors for seropositivity to BTV in camels. The high prevalence of BTV in camels in Kassala State, Eastern Sudan, necessitates further epidemiological studies of BTV infection in camels and other ruminant species to better be able to control BT disease in this region.