Darfur governor calls for Darfuris to take up arms

Report from BBC Live Reporting
Published on Friday 21 July 2023 at 8:48 BST - here is a full copy:

Sudan governor renews call for Darfuris to take up arms

BBC Monitoring

The world through its media

 

Reuters

Copyright: Reuters

Image caption: Tens of thousands of people have fled the conflict in Darfur to neighbouring Chad

Darfur governor and former rebel leader Minni Arko Minnawi renewed his call for civilians in the region to take up arms to defend themselves, saying the “current situation necessitates that”, Al Arabiya reported.

He said this administration was leading efforts to stop the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army, particularly in Darfur. The conflict is now in its fourth month.

Mr Minnawi has made similar remarks in the past, raising fears that Darfur, which is divided into five states, could descend into an all-out civil war amid growing ethnic tensions.

Elsewhere in the country, fierce fighting was reported between the army and the RSF in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up Sudan’s capital.

Eyewitnesses in Khartoum said the army carried out the "heaviest" airstrikes so far against RSF positions in several areas. The army said it killed 18 RSF fighters in clashes in Omdurman and Khartoum.

Renewed clashes were also reported in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, after a lull in fighting.

The fighting has persisted despite continuing indirect talks between the army and RSF representatives in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Read more on Darfur:

'I saw bodies dumped in Darfur mass grave'

West Darfur governor killed after genocide claim

Click here to view original. 

[Ends]

Sudan: 'Mainly girls' targeted in Khartoum sexual attacks. Doctors shaken by rape in Bahri & Khartoum

NOTE, writers aren't careful enough with words. This report uses "war" to describe the conflict in Sudan. Sudan's crisis and fighting is not a war. Yet. 

Also, sexual violence is reported as mainly females targeted. Males are too. To be fair, help and support for male victims should be included in news reports. It would help people to understand the horrors of sexual violence.

___________________________

Report at BBC News Live Reporting Sudan

Published Thursday 22 June 2023, 18:14 - here is a full copy:

'Mainly girls' targeted in Khartoum sexual attacks

The head of a unit combating sexual violence against women in Sudan has told the BBC's Sudan Lifeline radio that it is estimated that only 2% of cases are being recorded.

Soulima Ishaq said her team had registered 36 cases in the capital, Khartoum, since the conflict began in April.

“In Khartoum, different ages are targeted, ranging from 12 to 18. There are many stories that are too painful to be told. What hurts me most is the narratives related of the little girls - and of the mothers who suffer from sexual violence in front of their children,” she said.

The devastation of the war, being fought between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is hard for people in Khartoum to understand.

City resident Abul-kareem Zakariah told the BBC his house had been demolished last week and his family now live in a tent in a make-shift camp set up on a street in eastern Khartoum.

“My house was hit by a Sudanese army-affiliated drone. I do not know the reason of the airstrike as I do not belong to the RSF and members of the RSF do not dwell in my house," he said.

“We are now homeless, completely outdoors. My children do not have the simplest elements of life. This is unfair.”

More on Sudan's conflict:

Doctors shaken by rape in Bahri and Khartoum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65845830

[Ends]

Sudan: Army outnumbered on Khartoum's streets

Report at BBC News World Africa

Published Saturday 24 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan conflict: Army outnumbered on Khartoum's streets

IMAGE SOURCE, 

GETTY IMAGES

The Sudanese army's infantry battalions have hardly been present on the streets of Khartoum during the two months-long conflict that has raged in the country, leaving much of the capital under the control of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

This is despite the fact that the army is made up of about 200,000 soldiers, roughly twice the size of the RSF.

Yet the army is heavily outnumbered on the streets of Khartoum, as well as the two cities across the River Nile - Bahri and Omdurman.

RSF fighters were initially moving the three cities in their armed pick-up vehicles, but they now mostly do so in ordinary cars. 

Huge numbers of people have complained on social media about the RSF stealing their cars from their homes. The suspicion is that the RSF is using them to avoid being hit by air strikes.

With its airpower being its greatest strength, the military has been constantly carrying out strikes to weaken the RSF. Although they are believed to have killed hundreds of civilians, they have not prevented the paramilitaries from advancing in Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman.

In a serious blow to the army, RSF fighters carried out an assault earlier this month on al-Yarmouk, one of Sudan's biggest military complexes, where arms were manufactured and stored.

While a fire raged at the complex for days, the RSF declared that it had seized control of it, which was confirmed by local residents. The military, however, has not confirmed the loss of the complex. 

It launched a counter-offensive, but could only manage in briefly wresting control of a vitally important bridge that linked RSF fighters in Omdurman to those in Khartoum and Bahri.

The RSF is also in control of other key sites in and around the three cities, including:

• the main oil terminal, which the paramilitaries have turned into their base
• the state media's headquarters, giving the RSF control of its radio airwaves, although the army has managed to retain control of the TV station by broadcasting from elsewhere
• a large part of the presidential complex
• much of the international airport, which has been shut since the conflict started.

The headquarters of the spy agency was also said to have been occupied by the RSF early in the conflict, but it is unclear who is currently in control of it. 

The military is known to have held on to a few key places - the most important of which are its headquarters and the airbase in Wadi Saeedna, from where its fighter jets fly to hit the RSF.

Troops have dug long and deep trenches to prevent the paramilitaries from overrunning the two locations.

"Their attempt to attack us does not have any effect now. The shells they fire fall on trees, or are cold by the time they land on our side," an officer said.

History of racism

About two million residents, out of around 10 million, have fled the once-peaceful cities, abandoning their homes, shops and offices. Some of them have been shelled and bombed, others have been occupied and ransacked, with air-conditioners and furniture among the items carted away by the RSF.

For some, the failure of the infantry battalions to make significant battlefield gains is not surprising, as Sudan is not a democratic state with a well-trained professional army.

The army - like many other sectors of society - is still bedevilled by Sudan's history of racism, slavery and colonialism.

It dates back more than two centuries when Ottoman and Egyptian conquerors established an army of slaves.

Recruitment from mostly poor black African communities continued under British rule, and has remained so throughout the post-independence era. Some of the soldiers are, in fact, descendants of slaves.

Under the three decades-long rule of ex-President Omar al-Bashir, black Africans were rarely accepted in Sudan's military college, with applicants required to mention their ethnic groups.

As a result, only a few have risen to senior ranks, with the army largely under the control of generals from the Arab and Nubian elites bordering Egypt.

IMAGE SOURCE, 

GETTY IMAGES

Image caption, 

Both residential and commercial areas have been devastated by the fighting

Soldiers earn a mere $11 (£8.5) to $16 a month, in contrast with the generals who have enriched themselves by setting up companies and factories that have given them control of 80% of the economy, according to Sudan's short-lived civilian Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

Because of their low pay, some soldiers even joined the RSF to fight - at one point, as part of the Saudi-Emirati coalition in Yemen, in exchange for vast sums of cash.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo became a big gold trader when his forces took over Sudan's most lucrative gold mines in 2017, and control of the border with Chad and Libya.

Sudan's army chief of staff did not like it - he wanted the money from the gold trade to go to strengthening the regular forces, but Bashir had confidence in the RSF, giving Hemedti the nickname "Himayti", meaning "My Protector".

Training camps were set up near Khartoum. Hundreds of Land Cruiser pick-up trucks were imported and fitted with machine guns.

With an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 men and more than 10,000 armed pick-up trucks, the RSF became Sudan's de facto infantry.

Arabs from Darfur form the backbone of the RSF. They appear to believe that it is now their turn to rule - especially after their pivotal role in helping the military fight the Darfuri rebels in the 2000s. 

One of the RSF's greatest strength lies in the fact that many of its "battalions" are made up of members of the same family or ethnic group, so they fight ferociously to protect each other.

In contrast, the defence minister has been forced to call for the mobilisation of retired officers and soldiers to beat back the RSF.

His appeal was met with derision by many Sudanese, who saw it as further proof of the army's weaknesses.

The reality is that Sudan's army, rather than fighting wars on its own, has long relied on militias. This is something it did in the decades-long civil war, which ended with South Sudan gaining independence in 2011, and more recently in Darfur, where Arab militias were accused of committing a genocide.

Now those militias - heavily armed by the military - have come back to haunt it, plunging Sudan into its latest crisis. 

Related Topics

Sudan

More on this story

Why an accountant has taken up arms in Darfur
Published 17 May 2023

What is going on in Sudan? A simple guide
Published 24 April 2023

How unsung heroes are keeping Sudanese alive
Published 21 April 2023

The two generals fighting over Sudan's future
Published 17 April 2023

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65962771

[Ends]

Sudan crisis: Actress Asia Abdelmajid one of Sudan's first theatre stars killed in Khartoum cross-fire

Report at BBC News
By Zeinab Mohammed Salih 
Dated 4 May 2023 - full copy:

Sudan crisis: Actress Asia Abdelmajid killed in Khartoum cross-fire

IMAGE SOURCE, ALFAITORY FAMILY

Image caption, Asia Abdelmajid was one of Sudan's first theatre stars

The death of a well-known actress, killed in cross-fire in the north of Khartoum, has shocked residents of Sudan's capital. But she is just one of many civilians still in the city who are paying with their lives as the fighting continues to rage despite the latest ceasefire.

Zeinab Mohammed Salih is a journalist living in Omdurman, next to the Sudanese capital - she describes daily life for people caught up in the conflict.

__________________________

Asia Abdelmajid, who was born in 1943, was famous for her theatre performances - first coming to prominence in a production of the play Pamseeka 58 years ago.

It was put on at the national theatre in Omdurman to mark the anniversary of Sudan's first revolution against a coup leader. She was considered a pioneer of the stage - and the country's first professional stage actress, later retiring to become a teacher.

Her family say she was buried within hours of her shooting on Wednesday morning in the grounds of a kindergarten where she had been most recently working. It was too dangerous to take her to a cemetery.

It is not clear who fired the shot that killed her in the clashes in the northern suburb of Bahri. But paramilitary fighters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are ensconced in their bases in residential areas across the city, continue to battle the army, which tends to attack from the air.

The RSF says the military tried to deploy members of the police's special force unit on Wednesday - but the group alleges it rebuffed their ground offensive.

The UN's top aid official has warned that the "will to end the fight still was not there" after speaking to Sudan's rival military leaders.

With a military jet flying overhead as I write and WhatsApp messages arriving with more bad news of my friends caught up in the fighting, it feels like neither side is serious about ending their deadly confrontation.

"I was sitting with my brother in the sitting room when we heard the loud noise of the shell and the dust coming from the kitchen - we thought the whole wall had just collapsed," my friend Mohamed el-Fatih, a fellow journalist, told me.

His apartment in Burri, east of the army's headquarters in central Khartoum, was bombed on Monday night.

"My neighbours upstairs and downstairs were terrified and screaming, we had to evacuate immediately to another area."

His suburb is completely occupied by the RSF and rockets are often fired from the military headquarters where it is believed Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief, and his aides are staying.

My friend Hiba el-Rayeh has also just been in contact in great distress after her mother Sohair Abdallah el-Basher, a respected lawyer, and two uncles were killed last Thursday by a shell that came from a bridge over the River Nile directed towards the Presidential Palace. They were living close by.

Her uncles had actually come to help them escape during one of last week's so-called humanitarian ceasefires.

In another suburb called Khartoum 2, to the west of the military headquarters, estate agent Omer Belal has decided to stay and guard his home.

The 46-year-old has sent his family to a safer district while he and a few other men in the neighbourhood seek to protect their properties from the looting and armed robbery that is occurring across the city.

People's houses, banks, factories, supermarkets and clothing shops are all being ransacked.

Another friend, who asked not to be named, spent five days in a restaurant in Khartoum 2 when the battles first broke out on 15 April.

He managed to escape during the first shaky ceasefire. First he went to the north of the city then decided to go overland to Ethiopia, a trip that took five days.

Now in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, he messaged to say he had seen piles of bodies as he left Khartoum 2.

Basil Omer, a medic and volunteer, described fleeing his flat when it was shelled in al-Manshiya, east of the army headquarters.

"We spent three days only sleeping on the ground. In the end it was impossible to stay there, I sent my children and their mother to el-Gezira state with my in-laws and I went to stay with my parents in Khartoum North," he said.

I live in Omdurman, regarded as one of the safest places in town - though bullets are constantly flying through people's windows.

A couple of days ago my neighbour was hit by a bullet in her leg while she slept following an airstrike, which have been happening about two times every hour. Although there were fewer strikes on Wednesday.

The Sudanese factions have agreed to a new seven-day truce starting on Thursday, but given that they are currently meant to be observing a humanitarian ceasefire and previous ones have broken down - none of us are holding our breath.

Each day we grow more despondent. Most residents of Khartoum feel abandoned and at a loss that the international community seems unable to exert their influence to bring the generals to heel, given they managed to get them to agree to share power with civilians in 2019 after long-time leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted.

IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS

Image caption, Central Khartoum has been devastated by almost three weeks of fighting

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65467934

Condolences. God bless. Rest in Peace. + + +

How volunteers in Sudan are burying unknown victims of the conflict

Report from The Observers observers.france24.com

By Fatma Ben Hamad

Dated Wednesday 17 May 2023; 16:04; 16:10 - full copy:

How volunteers in Sudan are burying unknown victims of the conflict

Volunteers dig graves for civilian victims of fighting in Khartoum. © Hasbou Hadli

A month after clashes began between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces, air strikes continue to pummel Sudan’s major cities while on the ground street battles rage. Bodies of both soldiers and civilians are piling up in the streets of the capital Khartoum, many of them remaining unclaimed due to the unstable security situation. Sudanese volunteers have launched an initiative to bury civilian victims of the civil war and locate the missing, dead or alive. 

People living in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, are finding themselves with no access to basic goods or medical care as street battles between the army and paramilitary groups continue to rage. Across the country, only 28 percent of hospitals are in operation. In the capital, the number drops to just 16 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

In mid-April, when clashes began between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, our team received a number of images showing the bodies of both civilians and soldiers piling up in the streets of the capital. In many cases, the ongoing air raids and gunfire have meant that family, friends and medical teams have been unable to gather and bury the bodies of the dead. 

Since the second week of fighting, a group of volunteers working under the supervision of the Sudanese Red Cross and Red Crescent have been out in the streets of Khartoum, gathering the dead and burying them. 

These volunteers have posted contact numbers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook so that people living in Khartoum – as well as the adjoining cities of Omdurman and Bahri, which, together, make up “greater Khartoum” – can call the team if they see a body. 

Volunteers have shared this post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that reads, in Arabic, "If you see a body in any area [in Khartoum], call us. This is a purely volunteer service, with no remuneration."

'I’ve had to collect heads that had been separated from their bodies, it's horrific'

Mohammad Moussa is a volunteer, based in Khartoum.  

“There aren’t a lot of us volunteers and we only have two cars – we use one to transport the volunteers and the other we are now using as a mortuary vehicle. It is not enough to cover the entire range of greater Khartoum, so we do one area at a time. The Red Crescent supports our initiative, without being able to participate because when there are humanitarian teams on the ground, they also have to assure their safety [Editor’s note: which is complicated by the many infractions of the ceasefire by the two parties in the conflict]. They do provide us with protective clothing and equipment so that we can pick up and conserve the bodies safely.”

VIDEO In this video, published by our team on April 19, you can see bodies in the streets of the Sudanese capital.

“It’s really hard because some bodies have already been outside for days – we are sometimes picking up bodies that are already in an advanced state of decomposition. Some have even been eaten by animals. I’ve had to collect heads that have been separated from their bodies, it’s horrific. Right off the bat, we faced administrative challenges, because none of the representatives of the local administration were in Khartoum in order to give us the necessary authorization to bury so many bodies”.

'The morgues of the few hospitals still in operation in Khartoum are overflowing'

“We therefore had to go get an authorisation in Jabel Aulia [39 km away] south of the city. The procedures also took a lot of time, due to the fragile security situation. As soon as we identify a body, either with personal documents or by fitting a description given by their family, the next step is to bury it. For others that we can't identify, in theory, we are supposed to store them in a morgue. But the morgues of the few hospitals still in operation in Khartoum are overflowing. Once, we had to leave a body in a vehicle all night until the graves were dug, since there was no space in the morgue at Jebel Aulia”.

أبوبكر عبدالمنعم محمد علي
مفقود من يوم الاحد 14 مايو الساعة 6 مساء آخر اتصال معاهو كان في السوق المركزي متجه على شارع الستين، تاني اتصلنا عليه ردو ناس الدعم السريع قالو اعتقلوهو ودايرين يحققو معاو وبعداك التلفون اتقفل
يرتدي جلابية بيجية
0912234350
0128828600#مفقودين_السودان pic.twitter.com/uhyfoqoy85

— ماربيلا (@MaarbellaO) May 16, 2023

This social media user is seeking information about a young man who disappeared on May 14 after being arrested at a checkpoint by the Rapid Security Forces.

“To a lesser degree, we are also trying to help to identify and find missing people. We find out about these people because their friends and family have posted about them online, seeking any information about their whereabouts. If we find a body that fits a description or has an identifying feature, then the teams will reach out to the family in question. We really work through word of mouth because some areas are completely cut off from internet and phone lines. Sometimes a missing person is, in reality, just holed up somewhere without access to a telephone and stuck because of the fighting. If that is the case, we’ll pass the information from city to city through our network of volunteers so that someone can give the family the news that their missing relative is still alive”.

“Tragically, this isn’t the first time that the streets of Khartoum have been covered with unknown victims of fighting. In 2022, several thousand victims of police brutality during pro-democracy protests were discovered in an advanced state of decomposition in the morgues of Khartoum and Omdurman, which were both overflowing with unidentified bodies”. 

Haitham Ibrahim is the press officer at the Sudanese Red Crescent. 

“We have currently deployed two teams of volunteers: one in central Khartoum, the other in Bahri [Editor’s note: Often known as "Khartoum Bahri", this town is located to the east of the town centre]. After the Jebel Aoulia operation, we were able to bury seven bodies there. Then, we were able to bury 11 more people in Afraa, north of Khartoum. Eventually, we were able to find space for more victims in Ash Shuqaylah. We are trying to communicate and coordinate with the two sides of the conflict in order to protect our volunteers.

Here, volunteers bury someone in a private garden because of the insecurity in the streets.

"We haven’t been able to advance more than that in Bahri and in the centre of Khartoum, because the fighting has intensified. But as soon as a ceasefire is put in place and respected, as soon as we get the greenlight to move around safely in the areas most affected, we’ll start working across a larger zone".

Since the start of the fighting in Sudan, at least 600 people, including civilians, have been killed and more than 5,100 have been seriously injured, the World Health Organization reported on May 16.

>> Read more on The Observers: In Khartoum, corpses litter the streets: ‘The fighting keeps residents from burying them’

View original: https://observers.france24.com/en/africa/20230517-khartoum-sudan-volunteers-bury-victims-of-conflict-bodies

+ + +

Sudan fighting continues despite ceasefire. 200 killed. Residents trapped at home, low on food, water, meds

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Yellow highlighting in these reports is mine. Also, a report I have added below shows the United Kingdom is the penholder on Sudan; The US is the penholder on South Sudan, Sudan/South Sudan, Sudan sanctions and South Sudan Sanctions (Source here and here).

Here is a general summary of the BBC's live reporting on Sudan today:

Witnesses say ceasefire broken within minutes

Soldiers loot homes in Sudan capital, say witnesses

Aid workers attacked and sexually abused, says UN

Sudan health system at risk of collapse - aid group

Humanitarians are trapped by fighting - MSF

US speaks to Sudan's rival generals

State-owned radio still off air in Sudan

US diplomatic convoy attacked in Sudan - Blinken

Here is a photo taken in Sudan of people leaving the capital in search of safety. 

Read the above reports here: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-64393826

Here is a full copy of one of the reports:

10:46

State-owned radio still off air in Sudan

BBC Monitoring

The world through its media

The state-owned Sudan Radio - also known as Radio Omdurman - has remained silent since Saturday.

It is unclear why, as this station broadcasts and operates from the same premises as the state TV channel, which resumed broadcasts on Monday morning having been off air for more than 20 hours.

Reels of patriotic music and footage of the army's victories have been played on TV, and in a statement on Facebook the Sudanese army said it had retaken control of the TV premises from the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

State TV also aired a statement by the RSF's spokesman, Naj al-Din Ismael, saying he had defected from the paramilitary group and joined the national army.

Journalists in Sudan have told the BBC as fighting continues there is also a propaganda war between the rival factions of the military, which is largely being fought on social media.

View original here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-64393826?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=643e5e44457ab20a78fe5ff2%26State-owned%20radio%20still%20off%20air%20in%20Sudan%262023-04-18T09%3A46%3A29%2B00%3A00&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:a665c275-b32b-407a-b0ed-510f5df0ab8d&pinned_post_asset_id=643e5e44457ab20a78fe5ff2&pinned_post_type=share

_________________________________________________________

Here is a full copy of a report from BBC News online

By Mohamed Osman & Cecilia Macaulay

BBC News, In Khartoum & London

Published Tuesday 18 April 2023 19:24 GMT BST UK

Sudan fighting continues despite ceasefire

Combat around the army HQ goes on as residents hoped for a 24-hour respite to get food and water. 

A fourth day of fighting raged as residents remained trapped in their homes

Fighting is continuing in areas of Sudan's capital, Khartoum, despite a ceasefire due to start at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

In particular the battle has not stopped around the army headquarters, which is in the city centre and is surrounded by residential areas.

Two rival generals at the heart of the conflict had agreed to a 24-hour humanitarian pause to allow civilians to get medical help and supplies.

Residents are low on food and water.

Earlier on Tuesday, a woman living in Khartoum told the BBC that she has no more drinking water left in her home: "This morning we ran out."

Duaa Tariq said only one bottle remained, which was exclusively for her two-year-old child, as her family crammed into a "tiny corridor" to avoid gunfire.

"Most of the people [that] died, died in their houses with random bullets and missiles, so it's better to avoid exposed places in the house" like windows, Ms Tariq said.

• BBC Africa Live: Updates from the continent

Nearly 200 people have been killed in the fighting so far.

Half an hour before the ceasefire was due to start, Khartoum residents were shocked to hear that three children - brothers living in the east of the city - had been killed in a bombardment.

Residents broke their Muslim Ramadan fast just after 18:00 local time to the sound of gunfire, with eyewitnesses in Bahri, in the north of the city, saying aircraft were flying overhead.

Another woman in Khartoum told the BBC that heavy weapons fire continued well after the ceasefire was due to come into effect. She described how earlier in the day she had escaped with her one-year-old child from her home as it was being struck by missiles.

Even if the fighting does die down in the next 24 hours, it is unlikely to be enough time for civilians to seek help, with the Red Cross saying the health system is on the verge of collapse.

The aid group said it has been receiving multiple calls for help from people trapped in their homes in a city that has an estimated population of 10 million residents, with most struggling to cope without electricity.

Fighting has also been taking place elsewhere in Sudan, including in Darfur to the west.

The UN aid chief has warned of reports that say humanitarian workers are being attacked and sexually assaulted.

"This is unacceptable and must stop," Mr Griffith's tweeted, after the time the ceasefire was expected to have been implemented.

The fighting is between army units loyal to the de facto leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, a notorious paramilitary force commanded by Sudan's deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

View original including BBC's map showing fighting at key locations in Khartoum city centre and update at 22:19 re-titled 'Hopes crumble for a pause in fighting in Sudan'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65317693

[Ends]

__________________________________________

Here is a full copy of a report from What's In Blue 

Insights on the work of the UN Security Council

Published Monday 17 April 2023. 

Sudan: Meeting under “Any Other Business”

Today (17 April), following the closed consultations on Yemen, Security Council members will discuss the situation in Sudan under “any other business”, at the request of the UK (the penholder on the file). Special Representative and head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) Volker Perthes is expected to brief.

Perthes is expected to update Council members on the latest developments in Sudan after fighting erupted in the morning of 15 April in and around Khartoum between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), headed by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader and Chairperson of the Transitional Sovereign Council, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council. According to local media reports, fighting initially erupted in the Soba suburb, south of Khartoum, and then spread to several strategic areas in the capital, including Sudan’s presidential palace, the headquarters of the state television, Khartoum International Airport, and the military’s headquarters.

Multiple media outlets have reported that fighting has continued for the third day today (17 April) between the SAF and RSF in Khartoum and other parts of the country. At the time of writing, the hostilities had reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 74 civilians and more than 600 injuries. Three World Food Programme (WFP) humanitarian aid workers also lost their lives as a result of the fighting.

The fighting follows months of rising tensions between the SAF and RSF. The two factions had formerly cooperated closely; the RSF participated in the 2019 coup d’état that ousted former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. After the 2019 coup, Dagalo became the deputy of the Transitional Military Council, which then transferred its powers to the Transitional Sovereign Council. The RSF then also participated in the October 2021 coup, following which the Transitional Sovereign Council seized power.

The tensions between al-Burhan and Dagalo came to a head several weeks ago, owing to disagreements over the final agreement on a political transition, including on key security and military reforms. On 5 December 2022, a broad grouping of Sudan’s civilian political actors and its military leadership signed the Sudan Political Framework Agreement, which is aimed at paving the way for a two-year, civilian-led transition ahead of elections. On 8 January, its signatories launched the final phase of talks aimed at reaching a “final and just” political settlement under the facilitation of the Trilateral Mechanism—comprised of the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and UNITAMS. (For background, see our 19 March What’s in Blue story.) The sides were initially expected to sign the final agreement on 1 April, but this was postponed to 6 April.

Afterwards, the signing was postponed indefinitely because of disagreement between Dagalo and al-Burhan over the reintegration of the RSF into the armed forces and their command and control, according to local media reports. In an 8 April statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said that Sudan remains at a “decisive juncture” and that “all efforts must now go to get the political transition back on the right path”. He urged all parties to overcome obstacles on security sector reform and avoid any delays in the signing of the political agreement.

Last week, the SAF began deploying troops inside Khartoum and Merowe town in Northern State. In a 13 April statement, SAF Spokesperson Nabil Abdallah said that the deployment of RSF forces had been done without the approval or coordination of the armed forces and may lead to the collapse of security in the country.

On 15 April, Security Council members issued a press statement expressing deep concern over the clashes between the SAF and RSF and the resulting deaths and injuries. They urged the parties to cease hostilities, to restore calm, and to pursue dialogue in order to resolve the ongoing crisis in the country. Council members stressed the importance of maintaining humanitarian access and ensuring the safety of UN personnel. The statement reaffirmed Council members’ commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Sudan.

On 15 April, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a statement that strongly condemned the outbreak of fighting between the SAF and RSF in Sudan. He called on SAF and RSF leaders to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm, and initiate a dialogue to resolve the current crisis in the country. The statement further noted that Guterres is engaging with leaders in the region and called on regional countries to support efforts to restore order and return to the path of transition.

On 16 April, the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) met to consider the situation in Sudan. In a communiqué adopted following the meeting, the AUPSC strongly condemned the ongoing armed confrontation between the SAF and RSF throughout Sudan. The AUPSC called on both sides to commit to an immediate ceasefire without conditions, to protect civilians, and to provide humanitarian support to civilians. It urged regional countries and other stakeholders to support ongoing efforts to return the country to the transition process aimed at restoring constitutional order. The AUPSC further decided that it will undertake a “field mission” to Sudan to engage with all Sudanese stakeholders on the situation in the country. It requested the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, to continue using his good offices to engage with the parties to facilitate dialogue and a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Sudan.

On 16 April, the IGAD Summit of Heads of State and Government convened for an extraordinary emergency session to discuss the situation in Sudan. During the meeting, IGAD decided to send South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh, and Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to Sudan “at the earliest possible time” to “reconcile the conflicting groups”.

On 16 April, the SAF and RSF agreed to a proposal, advanced by Perthes and the Trilateral Mechanism, to commit to a three-hour temporary pause in fighting on humanitarian grounds, ending mid-day on 16 April. Media outlets reported that despite the agreement on a pause, heavy fire was heard in central Khartoum.

In a 16 April statement, Guterres condemned the deaths and injuries of civilians and called for those responsible to be held accountable. The statement further noted that the UN and other humanitarian premises had been hit by projectiles and looted in several locations in Darfur. Following the deaths of the WFP workers, WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain issued a statement demanding immediate steps to guarantee the safety of  humanitarian workers in the country. She noted that, in a separate incident, one WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) aircraft was significantly damaged at Khartoum International Airport during an exchange of gunfire on 15 April. She said that the WFP was halting all its operations in Sudan while the security situation is being reviewed.

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About What's In Blue When the Security Council approaches the final stage of negotiation of a draft resolution the text is printed in blue. What's In Blue is a series of insights produced by Security Council Report on evolving Security Council actions. These insights supplement the SCR Monthly Forecasts and other reports and are designed to help interested UN readers keep up with what might soon be “in blue.” Learn more.

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