Sudan: Malik Agar visits Russia to discuss Sudan crisis

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: Further to the previous post at Sudan Watch (Mon 03 Jul 2023 - 'Sudan: Thousands of Sudanese citizens flee to Ethiopia as security deteriorates in Blue Nile') here is a thread of 7 tweets posted in Arabic Thu 29 Jun 2023 at the Twitter account of Malik Agar @MalikAgar1 “the official account of the President of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Vice President the Sudanese Sovereignty Council”.

This copy has been translated from Arabic using Google translate.

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Today morning, June 29, I visited the Federal Republic of Russia, accompanied by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and others. During the visit, I and my accompanying delegation, which also included the Sudanese Ambassador to Russia, held a session of talks in the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Mr. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister.

11:10 PM · Jun 29, 2023 24.5K Views

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In addition to the Russian President's envoy to Africa and the Middle East, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and a number of officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry, we discussed during the session developments in Sudan, where I provided a detailed explanation of the events in Sudan since the outbreak of the Rapid Support Forces rebellion on April 15.

11:11 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,954 Views

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And its developments in field and humanitarian aspects, and its repercussions on Sudan and neighboring countries. During the session, the regional and international initiatives and efforts made to find solutions to the crisis and the position of the Government of Sudan on it were touched upon. We clarified Sudan's position on the UN mission and its head, and Sudan's adherence to its sovereign rights.

11:12 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,192 Views

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And his duty is to defend its territorial integrity, security and stability, and the Russian side has understood Sudan's position towards the United Nations and its decision regarding the head of the UNTAMS mission.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, expressed the solidarity of the Government of the Russian Federation with the government and people of Sudan and its existing legitimate institutions.

11:14 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,436 Views

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Stressing his follow-up to the developments of the situation in Sudan since its inception, he added that the crisis in Sudan is an internal matter and its solution is in the hands of the Sudanese themselves. Lavrov indicated the Russian government's readiness to support the Sudanese people whenever they are asked to do so.

11:15 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,366 Views

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We also agreed with the Russian side to continue and strengthen bilateral relations in all fields and to activate this through the agreed upon bilateral mechanisms. We also renewed our commitment to coordination in international and regional forums. We also touched on developments in the Sudanese neighborhood and the regional situation.

11:17 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,963 Views

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They stressed the importance of coordination and consultation between the two countries. During the talks, the Russian side expressed its aspiration for the President of the Sovereignty Council to participate in the Russian-African Summit, which will be held at the end of next July in St. Petersburg, Russia.

11:18 PM · Jun 29, 2023 1,797 Views

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View original*: https://twitter.com/MalikAgar1/status/1674540887651635200

*Only viewable to those with a registered account at Twitter.com

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Sudan: Thousands of Sudanese citizens flee to Ethiopia as security deteriorates in Blue Nile

"Thousands of Sudanese citizens flee to Ethiopia as security deteriorates in Blue Nile Region. The regional government of Blue Nile is headed by the SPLM/N faction under the command of Gen. Malik Agar. Mr. Agar was appointed as a member of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council (STSC) and later appointed as the Vice President of the council following the dismissal of Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Himite."  More. 

Map illustrating the paths of the White and Blue Nile. Credit: The Guardian

Article at African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)
Published Saturday 01 July 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan: Thousands of Sudanese citizens flee into the neighboring Ethiopia as security deteriorates in Blue Nile Region

Photo Credit: Yusri Elshazali

(01 July 2023) - African Center for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) would like to express concern about the deteriorating security situation in Blue Nile Region (BNR). In this release ACJPS documents a series of events that has caused thousands of Sudanese citizens to flee the region.  The reporting period is between 15 April to 30 June 2023.

The regional government of Blue Nile is headed by the SPLM/N faction under the command of Gen. Malik Agar. Mr. Agar was appointed as a member of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council (STSC) and later appointed as the Vice President of the council following the dismissal of Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Himite, the RSF High command by Gen. Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan the chairperson of STSC on 19 May 2023. It is because of this connection and affiliation that the Blue Nile government sided with Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Furthermore, the BN regional government went ahead and integrated their troops with SAF.

Although the Blue Nile government declared that they had sided with SAF, some tribal leaders like Mr. Alobid Mohamed Suleiman Abu Shotal, the clan head of Hamag under Fong group and the former member of Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) joined the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

On 26 June 2023, another faction of SPLM/N led by Gen. Abdul Aziz Adam Al-hillu attacked a SAF base located Alkurmuk. This led to approximately 4,000 people fleeing to the neighboring Ethiopia. Alkurmuk is often cut off from other parts of the region during rainy seasons and this coupled with the insecurity has scared the locals from participating in farming which is their livelihood.

Additionally, the residents of Alkurmuk had previously fled the area in 2011 during the war between the Sudanese government and SPLM/N.  Several locals returned in 2020 after the signing of the Sudanese Peace Agreement, 2020 since the 2011 war between the government and SPLM/N. The recent incidents of conflict have taken the area a thousand steps backwards.

On 26 June 2023, the SPLM/N-Abdul Aziz launched an attack targeting another SAF military base in Blue Nile Region. The attack came shortly after SPLM/N troops moved from their base in Yabos which is located approximately 80 kilometers from Alkurmuk. SPLM/N successfully managed to take over small SAF bases in Abu Alnzir Nogo while on their way to Alkurmuk. Prior to the takeover, SPLM/N received heavy resistance from SAF soldiers at the base. This incident led to the displacement of thousands of residents to the neighboring Ethiopia.

On 18 June 2023, Gen. Ahmed Alomda Badi, the Governor of Blue Nile Region issued decree no.  53/2023 authorizing the creation of a committee mandated to approve and permit residents to travel out of the region. The committee was formed and it comprises of representatives from the Sudanese Police Forces, National Security and SAF Military Intelligence. The committee operated from Al-damazin Popular Market where the buses are stationed. The governor derived his power from the Sudanese Constitutional Bill, 2019 that placed a restriction on movement which is a clear violation of citizens’ freedom of movement. It was also vivid in the decree that the Blue Nile regional government sided with SAF in the ongoing armed conflict with RSF.

Gen. Alomda, the Blue Nile governor later established another committee to follow up and investigate the incidents that happened at the Ethiopian Refugees Camp located in Wad Almahi locality in Blue Nile. Unfortunately, because of the armed conflict, the World Food Program (WFP) was unable to provide the humanitarian assistance to the camp during the month May 2023 which led to death of several female refugees. The absence of humanitarian aid led the BNR government to contemplate closing the camp but later WFP resumed its mandate. The committee then reached out to the refugees who had left and requested them to return to the camp. 1,205 refugees, mostly from Tegrai expressed their willingness to return to camp and at least 5,000 others, majority who were from Bani Shangol immediately returned. It is worth mentioning that majority of the 5,000 refugees are affiliated to Bani Shangol opposition movement which is enjoying certain privileges in Blue Nile because of their relationship and alliance with SAF. Members of the committee including Commissioner Mahjoob Elshekh, Mr. Abdul Gani Degis, the commissioner attached to BNR, Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Mr. Ramadan Yassin and Mr. Aljaili Elshareef the refugee’s commissioner committed to respect the choices and decisions of the refugees.

On 20 May 2023, the BNR Ministry of Finance announced a salary reduction for public servants for a period of three months in order to support SAF during the ongoing armed conflict. 1,000 Sudanese Pounds was deducted from public servants earning 3,000 Sudanese Pounds and 10,000 Sudanese Pounds from regional ministers and commissioners. The announcement was made shortly before the salaries for the month of April was paid. By so doing, the regional government forcefully involved the public servants to participate in the war through financial contribution.

On 20 May 2023, Gen. Ahmed Al-Omda Badi, the Blue Nile Governor chaired a meeting attended by a number of prominent members from various professions and sectors in the region. Mr. Mirghani Makki Mirghani, the Secretary General of the regional government told SUNA News that the meeting was aimed at mobilizing support to extend to SAF.

In a separate incident, Gen. Agar made a statement that “RSF may have won in clashes but SAF will definitely win the War”.

Shortly after Gen. Agar was appointed the Vice President of the STSC, his historical opponent Mr. Alobid Mohamed Suleiman Abu Shotal, the community leader of Hamag clan of the Fong group and former leader of SPLM and SPLM/N announced that he was joining RSF. Prior to joining RSF, Mr. Abu Shotal was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

On 15 April 2023, SAF captured the RSF training Center in Blue Nile, arrested at least 800 RSF recruits under training and later released them. Although RSF was training the new recruits, they had a military background as they were members of Kobaje militia who called themselves the “Blue Nile Lions”. The Kobaje Militia was established in 2011 by SAF to fight against the SPLM/N in 2011. Majority of them were retired SAF soldiers from Fazogli, Bron and Hamag clans of the Fong Group and some members from Bani Shangol. Shortly after capturing and releasing the group, SAF called upon the Kobaje Militia to join them. The group was flown to Khartoum through Al-damazin airport to Wade Sideena Military air base in Omdurman. At least 700 troops were deployed in Omdurman, Karari locality, Althuras and Alwaha neighborhoods. On 26 May 2023, the group was also accused of looting properties of the residents and raping female civilians in Omdurman.  The troops later returned to Blue Nile.

On 21 June 2023, the SAF unit of BNR held a ceremony to appreciate the militia for their participation in the ongoing conflict.

 

On 20 June 2023, Gen. Ahmed Alomda the governor of BNR announced the emergency status of the region for a period of one month since the outbreak of conflict between some Fong clans and the Hawsa tribe. He also ordered for the release of prisoners.

In second week of June 2023, a short video circulated on social media platforms showing Mr. Abu Shotal wearing an RSF uniform standing in front of an RSF military vehicle in the company of five RSF soldiers while in Khartoum. On 27 June 2023, in another video clip, Mr. Abu Shotal is seen wearing an RSF uniform while at the headquarters of Central Reserve Police (CRP) in Khartoum, confirming that they (RSF) had captured the premises. In the video, Mr. Abu Shotal also stated that they are reforming the state as the marginalized groups are not enjoying the services and what he called “historical benefits”.

Background

The Blue Nile Region is located in the south-eastern part of Sudan bordering Ethiopia and South Sudan. In 2017, the SPLM/N split into two factions due to disagreements between Gen. Malik Agar and Gen. Abdul Aziz Al Hillu with each General controlling different territories. However, the political situation in the region changed drastically following the establishment of the Transitional government in 2019 and the Juba Peace Agreement, 2020 of which SPLM/N under the command of Gen. Agar is a signatory. It is for this very reason that Gen. Agar continues leading Blue Nile government.

View original: http://www.acjps.org/sudan-thousands-of-sudanese-citizens-flee-into-the-neighboring-ethiopia-as-security-deteriorates-in-blue-nile-region/

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Sudan: Darfur rebel areas S. Kordofan, Blue Nile, W. Jebels face food shortage due to large numbers of returnees from Sudan & South Sudan

South Kordofan/Blue Nile Coordination Unit | January 2020 report. These historically marginalized areas of Sudan are still suffering the effects of the al-Bashir regime humanitarian embargo, imposed summer 2011. Full text in PDF (English and Arabic) at:https://t.co/vQ4p3860ey pic.twitter.com/NTSVKgQQUU

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) February 19, 2020

Darfur rebel areas South Kordofan, Blue Nile, West Jebels, facing food shortage and large numbers of returnees from Sudan and South Sudan 

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: According to SKBN (South Kordofan, Blue Nile) Coordination Unit Humanitarian Update January 2020 (see above tweet by Eric Reeves dated 19 Feb 2020) populations will need food support by the end of March because limited available food stocks are being shared with large numbers of returnees both from Sudan and S. Sudan, creating a huge food gap. Click on tweet to read more.

Sudan: Hemeti signs peace agreement on behalf of govt and says "Time of war is over for ever"

NOTE from Sudan Watch editor: Hemedti signed the initial agreement on behalf of the government. He is the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias. It makes one wonder if it is worth the paper it is written on. This feels like dejavu from 15 yrs ago.

Sad to say I agree with a comment posted at the following AP report dated 11 Sep 2019. The comment puts, what I am thinkings, in a nutshell: "Hudna. Arabic for calm, but also means ceasefire. Given the amount of competing forces involved and the web of committees in this government, it won't last long".

News report by The Associated Press (AP)

Dated 11 September 2019

Sudan's government, rebels agree on roadmap for peace

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan's newly appointed government and rebel leaders agreed Wednesday on a roadmap aimed at ending war in the country by year end, following the military's ouster of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April.

The two sides signed an initial deal after three days of negotiations in Juba, capital of neighboring South Sudan.

Sudan has been convulsed by rebellions in its far-flung provinces for decades, resulting in tens of thousands of people being killed.

Fighting in the western Darfur province has largely died down in recent years, but rebels and bandits are still active there as well as in the southern provinces of Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

The country's main rebel groups have observed a cease-fire since al-Bashir's overthrow in solidarity with the protest movement that mounted weeks of mass demonstrations before his ouster.

The power-sharing agreement between the military and the pro-democracy movement calls for the new government to make peace with rebel groups within six months.

Talks are supposed to begin Oct. 14, with the goal of reaching a final peace deal within two months, according to the initial agreement, a copy of which obtained by The Associated Press.

"Time of war is over for ever," Gen. Mohammed Hamadan Dagalo, a member of the joint military-civilian sovereign council, said Wednesday.

Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, signed the initial agreement on behalf of the government. He is the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias.

The two sides agreed on trust building measures, including the release of all war prisoners. The military council that assumed power after al-Bashir's ouster has released dozens of war prisoners in the past weeks.

The makeup of a new legislative body and the appointment of regional governors would also be delayed until a deal is reached, the initial agreement said.

The rebels include the Sudan Revolutionary Front, which is an alliance of Darfur rebel groups. It is part of the pro-democracy movement.

Another rebel group is the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, which is active in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The government says achieving peace with the armed groups is key to its program to overhaul the Sudan's battered economy, contending that would allow a reduction in military spending, which takes up to 80% of the budget.

View original: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sudans-government-rebels-agree-roadmap-194632813.html

Sudan: 19 cases of cholera in Blue Nile state

Article from Radio Dabanga.org

Dated Friday 06 September 2019 - EL ROSEIRES

More cases of cholera in Blue Nile state

The Blue Nile Doctors' Committee reported that the number of cases in El Roseires Hospital suspected to have cholera has risen to 19, including three patients who were transferred from Ed Damazin Hospital.

In a field report published on Wednesday evening, the committee pointed out that the general conditions of patients are stable, and that no deaths have been recorded, except for the two patients that died at the beginning of the outbreak of the disease.

No new cases of cholera have been reported in other hospitals and in rural health centres.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/more-cases-of-cholera-in-blue-nile-state

More RSF than ever in Darfur Sudan - To live in any area controlled by the RSF is to live in constant fear

Article from 3Ayin.com

Dated Wednesday, 07 August 2019

Silence and fear: Life under the RSF in a Darfur town

Amna Daoud Morsal has worked in Nyala’s main market for decades. At 55, she has developed a well-established market stall in Sudan’s third largest city – a city whose name means the “place of chatting” in the local Daju language. But few have time to chat when the sun starts to set, despite a challenging economy [ https://3ayin.com/sudanese-pay-a-price-for-revolution-as-cost-of-living-soars/ ] where Amna struggles with less and less customers, she must pack her wares hurriedly and rush home. “Ten years ago, you could walk around Nyala till morning time and nobody would ask you anything, there was no danger, no one to steal your things –the situation was safe but now, when the sun is setting, you cannot set foot inside Nyala,” Amna Daoud told Ayin. 

Nyala, like most of the towns and villages in Darfur, have struggled with the presence of pro-government militias for decades, but the heaviest presence to date has been the Rapid Support Force. “To live in any area controlled by the RSF (Rapid Support Forces), Nyala included, is to live in a constant state of fear,” says Nyala resident Abu Al-Bashir Adam. Anything could happen while working in the market, Daoud says, “Even daytime is dangerous, they [RSF] start fights with people, steal money and mobile phones, and if you try to say this is wrong they can shoot you.”

More RSF than ever

Nyala residents have grown accustomed to the heavy presence of the RSF militia –but now even more have trickled in since the revolution started last December calling for civilian rule. Nyala residents believe the additional RSF forces came in an effort to consolidate power and ensure authority during this political transition period. 

The deputy head of the military council, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (aka “Himmedti”) leads the RSF which until recently took direct orders from former president Omar al-Bashir, terrorizing citizenry and rebels alike in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. 

“Himmedti and his gang [the RSF] have always had a presence in Nyala,” said Ahmed Abdallah* a recent university graduate living in Nyala. “But once the revolution started and people called for civilian rule –they started to be deployed in all public areas across the state.” As one of the main recruiting areas, Nyala hosts ten RSF training camps alone. But it’s not only Nyala. “It’s true that the RSF increased dramatically recently, with the idea to show power and control,” a UN worker based in West Darfur State’s capital city, El Geneina, told Ayin. “Now they drive around here at high speeds, if you don’t get out of their way, you’ll be beaten. As a woman, after 7 pm, there is no way I can walk the streets.”

The RSF have always had a heavy, deadly presence in Darfur to date. According to the 2017 UN Panel of Experts report [ https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/N1740048.pdf ] the RSF militia are the main perpetrators of abuses against civilians in Darfur including looting, rapes and torching of homes. An Amnesty International June report [ https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/06/sudan-fresh-evidence-of-government-sponsored-crimes-in-darfur-shows-drawdown-of-peacekeepers-premature-and-reckless/ ] says they have satellite imagery and testimonials that show the RSF and other government forces continue to commit war crimes and human rights violations in Darfur –including the partial or complete destruction of 45 villages, unlawful killings, and sexual violence. “In Darfur, as in Khartoum, we’ve witnessed the Rapid Support Forces’ despicable brutality against Sudanese civilians – the only difference being, in Darfur they have committed atrocities with impunity for years,” stated Amnesty Secretary General Kumi Naidoo. 

A convenient black hole

The RSF have enjoyed total impunity for years in Darfur partly due to the ousting [ https://africanarguments.org/2009/03/24/ingos-expelled-from-darfur-time-to-acknowledge-the-smoking-and-loaded-gun/ ] of international NGOs and local and foreign journalists 
[ https://nubareports.org/a-q-a-with-award-winning-photographer-adriane-ohanesian/ ] effectively banned [ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/05/captured-in-darfur-south-sudan ] from the region. Phil Cox, a photojournalist and filmmaker, is possibly one of the last foreigners to venture into Darfur in December 2016 when RSF forces kidnapped [ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/05/captured-in-darfur-south-sudan ], tortured and jailed Cox and his colleague Daoud Hari for 70 days. At the time, the Sudanese government issued a massive bounty for their capture, indicative of their deep determination to keep the world’s eyes away from Darfur and what future investigations might reveal, Cox told Ayin. “Darfur has gone from being the focus of global attention and international condemnation that mobilized activists, celebrities and world leaders alike, to a forgotten conflict smothered by an information black hole,” Cox said. “No media team or investigators have had independent access there for years –yet rumours of atrocities and ethnic cleansing have persisted.” 

Darfur Bar Association lawyer, Abdel-Basset Al-Hajj, says the RSF enjoy “official immunity” and no accountability for their actions. “The RSF have no legal justifications to carry out law enforcement, arrest, imprisonment –they enjoy being the police, prosecutor and judge all in one,” Al-Hajj told Ayin. While they enjoy these powers, Al-Hajj said, they carry out these duties with no recourse to the law or training. “They don’t know how to investigate a crime, they simply rely on torture and somehow think this is the rule of law.” 

In July 2017, the RSF raided [ https://nubareports.org/south-darfur-residents-fear-insecurity-with-militia-control-of-police-station/ ] Nyala’s second largest police station in the Al-Masan’i neighbourhood with four heavily armed Land Cruisers, threatening the police officer in charge of the station to leave within 48 hours, according to a police officer from the station preferring anonymity for his security. The RSF order to evacuate the station was made on the pretext that Himmedti purchased the land where the police station was based. A lawyer working for the local land registry who also requested anonymity for security reasons, said the land allegedly purchased by the RSF leader was government-owned property. Lt.-Gen. Mohamed Hamden Daglo did not present any documents regarding the purchase, the lawyer said, and suspect the RSF leader seized the land by force. 

Nyala-based Police Officer Ali Osman* remembers the raid well. “Of course it was not legal but nobody from the local government can talk to them, they may shoot you,” the officer said. Well-equipped and paid salaries five times that of a regular Nyala police officer, Officer Osman told Ayin he is powerless to stop them whenever they steal from the public. “I can’t do anything –those people are outside the law and can kill me.” 

“They have made the security situation more precarious here,” lawyer and El-Geneina resident Ibrahim Shamou said, “crime, murder and theft have increased –[it’s] a state of terror and chaos.”

El Geneina, Daein

Since the revolution started, the RSF also increased their presence in other Darfur capitals cities such as El Geneina and Daein in West and East Darfur, respectfully -targeting and terrorising civilians with the same impunity. There are roughly 200 RSF armed four-wheel drive vehicles (commonly referred to as ‘technicals’) patrolling West Darfur State, lawyer and El-Geneina resident Ibrahim Shamou told Ayin. “They have made the security situation more precarious here,” Shamou said, “crime, murder and theft have increased –[it’s] a state of terror and chaos.” Even farmers outside the city are not safe from the RSF, the lawyer said. With no one to protect them while working in the fields, RSF have been looting farmers of livestock and money since June. 

RSF have arrested local government members in Daein during the state of emergency imposed by the former president back in February with no real recourse to the law, according to Daein resident Maala Awad al-Karim. RSF have also imprisoned a large number of citizens arbitrarily, al-Karim adds, some of which still remain there since February. Many people have ran away from Daein and have attempted to eke out a living in outside villages to avoid the RSF, according to Daein resident and lawyer Mohamed Abdallah. “These militias don’t follow any rule of law,” Abdallah added, “even the courts look at them like people who took the authority of the court without any permission.”

According to Officer Osman*, RSF are already recruiting from outside Sudan, particularly via Chad and receive Sudanese identity cards in Nyala … more on RSF’s regional dynamics: http://bit.ly/2KwT3nw

RSF as a regional force

While the RSF have increased their presence in the Darfur region, there are signs the militia could become more of a regional force. According to Officer Osman, RSF are already recruiting from outside Sudan, particularly via Chad and receive Sudanese identity cards in Nyala. Osman said he could identify them as foreigners from their features and the fact they do not speak Arabic. “We must remember RSF is a tribal militia and Himmedti has influence with his ethnic extensions in bordering countries like Chad where they are coming from,” Osman said. Well funded by exploiting Darfur gold reserves independently of the state and as a parallel budget, the RSF are well placed to become regional mercenaries in East and Central Africa, Nyala lawyer Al-Hajj told Ayin. The RSF can “carry out criminal acts internally and externally,” Al-Hajj said, “and will provide those with interests with all the necessary components to continue and control the reins of the state.”

Future of RSF, future of Sudan

The question still remains if the RSF will continue to control large swathes of the country and whether this influence will expand further both nationally and cross borders during the transitional period. The Transitional Military Council’s deputy leader Himmedti will, after all, likely be part of the ruling sovereign council during this stage. A constitutional declaration agreed upon by the Military Council and opposition on Sunday [4 AUG 2019] also ensures the sovereign council to be lead by a military general for the first 21 months of the transitional period. Nevertheless, the parties also agreed that sovereign council members would not be immune to prosecution for war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the recently penned constitutional declaration, the RSF are meant to be under the command of the Sudanese army and stipulated that citizen’s rights are to be free from arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment. There are signs of more accountability within the RSF ranks –military authorities allegedly detained [ https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/africa/Sudan-detains-nine-soldiers-after-el-obeid-killings/4552902-5220132-rs45nn/index.html ] and dismissed nine RSF soldiers last week, implicated in the killing of six protestors in El Obeid. But the fact that security forces killed 
[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/protesters-killed-live-ammunition-sudan-omdurman-190801190332665.html ] four more protestors in Omdurman just a day prior to the prosecution of the RSF soldiers hardly imbibes confidence for reform within Sudan’s security sector and the RSF militia in particular.

While much-needed RSF reforms may not emerge from the political negotiation process-taking place in Khartoum, the people of Nyala may induce change themselves. Despite the daily intimidation by RSF forces, Nyala residents conducted three separate demonstrations [ https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/protests-unabated-across-sudan%20 ] last month to condemn the ongoing detention of Nyala citizens, the attack on protestors in El Obeid, in solidarity with rape survivors across the country and to call for the revival of independent trade unions. “We don’t know what will happen in Khartoum,” said one Nyala activist, “but we will continue to struggle here no matter the outcome.”

* Names changed to protect their security

The law = RSF

“The RSF have no legal justifications to carry out law enforcement, arrest, imprisonment –they enjoy being

the police, prosecutor and judge all in one,” Al-Hajj told Ayin

View original article here: https://3ayin.com/rsf-in-darfur/

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Kidnapped, tortured and thrown in jail: my 70 days in Sudan

A photograph taken by Cox while being held hostage in Sudan on Christmas Day 2016. Photograph: Phil Cox/Native Voice Films

Phil Cox and Daoud Hari on the Chad-Sudan border in December 2016. Photograph: Native Voice Films

Read full story here: http://trib.al/inI80TQ

Sudan's TMC Hemeti, AFC FFC, SPLM/A North (Al-Helou), Sudan Call, attend meetings in Juba S. Sudan

Article from Radio Tamazuj.org

Date: Saturday, 27 July 2019 - Juba, South Sudan

Sudan's deputy head of military council visits Juba

Photo: General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo speaking to reporters in Juba on Saturday, 27 July, 2019 (Radio Tamazuj)

The deputy head of Sudan's ruling military council arrived Saturday [27 July] in Juba, where he is to meet President Salva Kiir and Sudan rebels.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known by his nickname Hemeti, is on his first trip to South Sudan since his appointment as deputy head of Sudan's military council following the April ouster of Omar al-Bashir after months of protests.

His visit comes after members of Sudan's opposition coalition reached what they call a "political deal" in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Hemeti, who also commands a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces, told reporters that he visited Juba to meet with President Kiir and Sudanese rebel groups.

“We have come to Juba to brief the president on the situation in Sudan. Also, we want to meet with our brother Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu and leaders of armed movements,” Hemeti said.

“I hope that we will find solutions as soon as possible,” he added.

Hemeti was a close ally of Omar al-Bashir, but as anti-government protests escalated in December 2018, his loyalty soon wavered.

Hemeti is the one at the forefront of peace talks with opposition groups.

SOURCE: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/sudan-s-deputy-head-of-military-council-visits-juba

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Copy of 27 July 2019 by Eric Reeves

(yellow highlighting is his)

#SudanUprising: Although not widely reported, this upcoming meeting in Juba between the #TMC junta, the #FFC, and the SPLM/A-North (al-Hilu) will be one of the most important in determining whether peace at long last comes to Sudan. Al-Hilu deserves strong international support: pic.twitter.com/S7Fu4N1Fi3

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) 27 July 2019

To visit above tweet, click here: 

https://twitter.com/sudanreeves/status/1155054415163875330

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Article from Middle East Monitor.com

Date: 28 June 2019 at 4:11 pm

Sudan’s Alliance for Freedom and Change to visits Juba

The Sudanese opposition alliance Sudan Call announced yesterday [27 June] that a delegation from the Alliance for Freedom and Change will travel to South Sudan to meet with the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Abdel Aziz Al-Helou tomorrow.

A spokesman for Sudan Call Khaled Bahr told the Anadolu Agency that the Alliance for Freedom and Change met to arrange the delegation’s visit to Juba.

He pointed out that Sudan Call also met to select its representatives to the delegation that will travel to Juba.

Since June 2011, SPLM has been fighting the Sudanese government in the states of South Kordofan and the Blue Nile.

SOURCE: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190628-sudans-alliance-for-freedom-and-change-to-visits-juba/

FULL TEXT: South Sudan's President Kiir issues decrees sacking his cabinet and deputy Riek Machar

• South Sudan's President Salva Kiir sacks cabinet, including his deputy Riek Machar [1]

• South Sudan's ousted cabinet barred from entering ministries [2]

• UK Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds urges restraint after dismissal of south Sudanese Government [3]

• UN mission closely monitoring situation in South Sudan amid political changes [4]

• FULL TEXT Documents: Decrees issued by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir [5]

• UN Security Council Resolution 2109 (2013) Adopted by the Security Council at its 6998th meeting on 11 July 2013 [6]

• Darfur, Western Sudan:  UN Chief: ‘Situation in Darfur continues to regress’ - UN peacekeeping chief visits Sudan [7]

• North Kordofan, Central Sudan:  Sudanese army repulses SRF rebels' attack in North Kordofan - Sudan army, rebels clash ahead of oil deadline [8a & 8b]

• Seven Tanzanian UNAMID peacekeepers killed and 17 others injured in ambush in Darfur on 12 July 2013 - Tanzania bids farewell to its departed heroes [9a, 9b & 9c]

• Sudan files complaint to African Union against Uganda's support for rebels [10]

• DR Congo:  Heavy fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in the Mutaho-Kibati area, near Goma, in N. Kivu Province [11]

• DR Congo:  Over 30,000 Congolese flee rebel attacks to Uganda: UN [12]

• CAR:  Communiqué of AU PSC on situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) [13]

NOTE from the Editor of Sudan Watch:  Here below are details relating to each of the sixteen news reports listed above, in numerical order.  Yellow highlighting is mine.  Also for my own ease of reference, I have selected the reports (after trawling through hundreds) and listed them in this single blog post simply to give myself a snapshot of what is going on (a sickening nightmare) at this time in and around the two Sudans.  In my view, as stated many times before, the "rebels" are criminal gangs and ought to be treated as such.  What is Interpol doing, I wonder.  This'll go on for decades.  Only the poor will suffer.  Poverty will never be eradicated.  Life is too short, cruel and unfair.

[1]  Report by AFP published at www.france24.com on Wednesday, 24 July 2013.  Full copy:

South Sudan's Salva Kiir sacks cabinet

South Sudan's President, Salva Kiir, on Wednesday sacked his entire cabinet, including his main political rival Riek Machar. The move raises fears of political instability in a country riven by ethnic  rivalries and still reeling from decades of war.

Heavily armed South Sudanese security forces guarded key government institutions in the capital Juba Wednesday as radio broadcasts called for calm after the president suspended his cabinet and his main political rival.

Those removed by President Salva Kiir include two of the country's most influential leaders - his rival vice-president Riek Machar Machar and Pagan Amum, the secretary-general of the ruling party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The sackings have sparked concern over potential instability in the fledgling nation, which is awash with guns, riven by ethnic rivalries and still reeling from decades of war.

"We are asking our citizens, please do your duty and go to work," said Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who until his suspension late Tuesday was the information minister and government spokesman.

All 29 ministers were suspended as well as their deputies, in addition to 17 police brigadiers.

"Give the president a chance to form his government... he has already empowered the technocrats to see the day-to-day running of the administration," Benjamin said in a broadcast on the UN-supported Radio Miraya.

Troops and armed police blocked several key roads in Juba, with a heavy deployment at the government ministry complex, but the city was reported calm, army spokesman Philip Aguer said.

"This is routine work, they are being deployed to protect the ministries," Aguer told AFP.

Many of the ministers were key figures in the rebel SPLM or its armed wing that fought a brutal 1983-2005 war against the government in Khartoum, which led to a 2011 referendum in which South Sudan voted overwhelmingly to split from the north.

Machar, from the Dok Nuer people from the key oil producing Unity state, is a controversial figure for many, but commands loyalty among many branches of the Nuer, which form an integral part of the footsoldiers of the new nation's ex-rebel army.

He has made no secret of his desire to challenge Kiir for the presidency in elections due in 2015.

However, he fought on both sides of the civil war, leading a splinter SPLM faction that sided with Khartoum, battling troops commanded by Kiir, who comes from the Dinka people.

Machar's troops are accused of a brutal massacre in the ethnic Dinka town of Bor in 1991.

"This latest move is part of an ongoing struggle in the highest levels of South Sudan's political leadership," said Akshaya Kumar of the US-based Enough Project, which campaigns for peace in the Sudans.

Last month, Machar led talks with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir to ease tensions after Khartoum threatened to halt oil flows worth billions of dollars to both impoverished neighbours.

Amum was the top negotiator with arch-foe Sudan at long-running African Union-mediated talks over a raft of issues left unresolved at independence, including border demarcation and oil exports, currently under threat of suspension again, this time by Khartoum.

The suspended party leader is to be also investigated for alleged "mismanagement of the party" by a parliamentary committee, the presidential orders broadcast on state radio said.

However, Khartoum said the suspensions would not impact oil and security pacts reached between them.

"These are agreements between two countries" not individuals, said Abubakr Al-Siddiq, spokesman for Sudan's foreign ministry.

Sudan has issued an August 7 deadline to shut down oil production -- accusing Juba of backing rebels in the north, claims Juba denies -- in the  latest in a string of threatened cuts.

South Sudan's oil minister Stephen Dhieu Dau, speaking Tuesday ahead of his suspension, said Juba will end its production by July 31, which would be the second major shutdown since independence two years ago.

No replacements have been announced, and it was not clear if any of those suspended would return, or if new blood would be brought in to the cabinet.

While Juba has been rife with rumours in recent weeks about a potential reshuffle by Kiir -- especially concerning tense relations with Machar -- the move still caught many by surprise.

"It is possible that this move could lead to increased political tension or disturbances in Juba and other parts of the country," Britain's Foreign Office warned.

The political reshuffle comes as civilians reel from heavy clashes in the troubled eastern state of Jonglei, where fierce fighting between rival ethnic groups have left hundreds of people wounded, and raised fears many others have been killed.

Source:  AFP report reprinted at http://www.france24.com/en/20130724-south-sudan-salva-kiir-sacking-security-forces-president-
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[2]  Report from Radio Tamazuj.org dated Wednesday, 24 July 2013.  Full copy:

South Sudan’s ousted cabinet barred from entering ministries

JUBA, South Sudan - The national ministers who were relieved of duty yesterday are barred from entering their former offices except under escort.

The entire cabinet of 28 ministers as well as all the deputy ministers were removed by decree of President Salva Kiir and have yet to be replaced.

Undersecretaries are now responsible for discharging the functions of their respective ministries and are to report directly to an official in the presidency, Secretary-General of the Government Abdoun Agaw.

Agaw met today with the undersecretaries, state radio in Juba announced this evening. He was quoted as saying that former ministers and deputy ministers will only be allowed into the ministries to remove their personal belongings in the presence of security personnel.

According to a witness who spent the day at one of the ministries at the main ministries complex, very few government employees reported to work today. Some entrances to the complex were unguarded but at least one entrance was manned by soldiers armed with heavy machine guns.

Source:  http://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/south-sudan%E2%80%99s-ousted-cabinet-barred-entering-ministries
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[3]  Report from African Press Organization (APO) dated Thursday, 25 July 2013.  Full copy:

UK Minister for Africa urges restraint after dismissal of south Sudanese Government                                                                                                                      

LONDON, United-Kingdom - FCO urge peaceful response to dismissal of South Sudan government and rapid appointment of new ministers reflecting country's diversity

FCO Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said:

“I have been concerned by the growing political divisions in South Sudan over the past months, culminating in the decision of President Salva Kiir Mayardit to dismiss his Vice President and all Ministers from the Government of South Sudan on 23 July.

“At a time when South Sudan faces many challenges internally and in its relations with Sudan, it needs strong united leadership, committed to responding to the needs of its people, and resolving its internal conflicts and disputes with Sudan.

“I therefore encourage President Kiir to act quickly to appoint a new government, in accordance with the Interim Constitution, that reflects the diverse groups in South Sudanese society.

“I strongly urge all groups and individuals to respond in a measured and peaceful manner, and to work together to maintain security and the rule of law. We will look to them to engage constructively in the democratic process, for the benefit of South Sudan's peaceful development.”

Source:  APO report reprinted at http://www.icilome.com/nouvelles/news.asp?id=2&idnews=759052
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[4]  Report from Xinhua (Agencies) dated Thursday, 25 July 2013; 08:58.  Full copy:

UN mission closely monitoring situation in South Sudan amid political changes       

UN mission in South Sudan is closely monitoring the situation in the country after its president fired the vice president and dismissed the lead negotiator in talks with Sudan, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) noted that Vice President Riek Machar has publicly stated that he recognizes the President's right to dissolve the government and that he is willing to launch opposition through the electoral process, UN deputy spokesperson Eduardo del Buey told reporters at a daily news briefing.

"The Mission also notes that no actor has challenged the constitutionality of the steps taken by the President," del Buey said, adding that UNMISS is very closely monitoring the situation.

South Sudanese President Salva Kiir on Tuesday sacked his deputy Riek Machar, dissolved the government, and suspended the top negotiator of the world's newest nation with Sudan.

Source:  Reprinted by http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/ID/798929/UN-mission-closely-monitoring-situation-in-South-Sudan-amid-political-changes.aspx
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[5]  Report by Radio Tamazuj.org dated Wednesday, 24 July 2013.   Full copy:

Documents: decrees issued by South Sudan's President 

JUBA, South Sudan - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir announced on Tuesday [23 July 2013] over the state radio in Juba [South Sudan] he was relieving several members of his government in a series of decrees.

Among those relieved are Vice President Riek Machar, every national minister and deputy ministers, 17 brigadiers in the police service and SPLM Secretary Pa’gan Amum.

Amum will be investigated by a committee chaired by Speaker of the Assembly James Wani Igga. The SPLM Secretary is accused of ‘administrative mismanagement’ within the party, and the investigation will report back within 30 days to the president, who is also chairman of the party.

See below the following Orders issued by President Salva Kiir:

RSS/RO/J/14/2013 – Reduction and Restructuring of the Ministries of the National Government of the Republic of South Sudan

SPLM/CPO/J/01/2013 – Suspension and the Formation of the Committee to Investigate the SPLM Secretary General

RSS/RD/J/49/2013 – Relief of the Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan

RSS/RD/J/50/2013 – Relief of National Ministers of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan

RSS/RD/J/51/2013 – Relief of National Deputy Ministers of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan

Restructuring of the ministries.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Restructuring of the ministries.pdf
Suspension of Pagan Amum.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Suspension of Pagan Amum_0.pdf
Relief of VP.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Relief of VP.pdf
Relief of National ministers.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Relief of National ministers.pdf
Relieve of National Deputy ministers.pdf
http://radiotamazuj.org/sites/default/files/Relieve of National Deputy ministers.pdf 

Source:  http://radiotamazuj.org/en/article/documents-decrees-issued-south-sudans-president
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[6]  UN Security Council Resolution 2109 (2013) Adopted by the Security Council at its 6998th meeting on 11 July 2013

Excerpt re:  UN Peacekeeping operation in South Sudan:  "Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, 1.Decides to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as set out in paragraph 3 of resolution 1996 (2011) through 15 July 2014;"

Read full document at:  http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/2109%282013%29 
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OTHER NEWS

[7a]  Report by Radio Dabanga published Monday, 22 July 2013.  Full copy: 

UN Chief: ‘Situation in Darfur continues to regress’

NEW YORK - In his latest update to the UN Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has lamented the continued deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur.

“The situation continues to deteriorate, the implementation of the peace agreement signed two years ago in Doha is at an unacceptably slow pace, while most of it has not even commenced. The government and allied militias have imposed increased restrictions for Unamid peacekeepers to investigate insecurity. Only 25 per cent (11 out of 44 units) of the UN military and police units with armoured cars are usable for the minimum required threshold service level.”

These are Ban’s main conclusions in his latest update, signed July 13, 2013, to the Security Council concerning the Unamid peacekeeping operation in Sudan's Darfur.

The Secretary General has a different view than that of members of the Implementation Follow-Up Commission (IFC) for the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) with regard to the 12 May killing of breakaway JEM leader, Mohamed Bashar (see related coverage below).

Mohamed Bashar, leader of a breakaway faction of JEM, his deputy, Suleiman Arko, and other colleagues were killed on 12 May during an attack near the Chad-Sudanese border. Conflicting reports surrounding the circumstances of the attack were issued by JEM-Ibrahim who are accused of carrying out the deadly attack, and the JEM-Bashar faction.

The IFC members condemned the killing of Bashar; reports were conflicting at the time, but they assumed the clash took place in Chad. Members include: Qatar, Chad, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Russian Federation, Sudan, United Kingdom, United States of America, UNAMID, African Union, United Nations, European Union, League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Liberation and Justice Movement, and Justice and Equality Movement-Bashar.

According to Ban, Bashar was killed by another rebel group (JEM-Ibrahim) he had broken away from in order to sign a peace agreement with Khartoum. In his latest update to the UN Security Council, Ban confirms that Bashar was killed inside Darfur while returning from Chad supplied with heavy arms.

Apparently several of the people killed held Chadian nationality. According to Article 399 of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (less formally referred to as the Doha peace agreement), the government should disarm the militias before implementation of the peace agreement can start.

In the 4 June declaration, IFC members did not condemn the killing of a Nigerian peacekeeper by a pro-government militia. Neither did they mention the fact that several civilians were killed in government attacks and bombardments within sight of the Unamid team sites in Labado and Muhajeriya.

According the July report by Ban, an estimated 17,100 civilians took refuge around the two Unamid bases in the first two weeks of April. Widespread movement restrictions imposed by government forces and armed movements prevented the peacekeepers form assessing the situation and to help the casualties.

Radio Dabanga had reported that people were dying in front of the team sites, with no aid provided. The UN Secretary General says in his update: “I condemn, in the strongest terms, the attack on the Unamid base in Muhajeriya which resulted in the death of one peacekeeper.

“Such acts are reprehensible and a violation of international law. I call upon the Government to bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to justice.”

The UN chief also reiterated that that he is deeply disturbed by the killing of Mohamed Bashar and several other members of his faction. Amongst the slain pro-government militia was its leader Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus. A case against him was scheduled at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Jerbo and Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain were the main suspects in the killing of 12 African peacekeepers from Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Botswana in Haskanita in 2007. They were charged for war crimes including pillaging, murder and attacking peacekeepers.

Banda is now one of the main implementing officials of the peace agreement on behalf of the government. The UN does not mention the ICC, but refers instead to the Sudan government’s Special Prosecutor saying that “no further details on the types of crimes or the status of their prosecution were provided”.

Doha peace agreement

The UN chief is concerned about the scant implementation of the Doha peace agreement. Two years after the signing of the DDPD, the ceasefire and security arrangements are still pending, as is the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. The reconciliation process is delayed, a micro-finance system for income-generating activities as well as a compensation fund for victims remain outstanding. He quantified the progress as “an unacceptably slow pace”.

In the past three months Unamid was denied access and freedom of movement by the authorities to investigate insecurity 181 times, against 102 times in the previous months. In the reporting period, more than 300,000 people were displaced, as many as the total for all the previous years together.

The report said that paramilitary government forces, specifically the Central Reserve Police (Abu Tira), the Popular Defence Forces (an Islamist militia) and the border guards previously known as Janjaweed were often identified by survivors.

The UN chief hails the results of the Darfur donor conference in April 2013. A pledge of $3.6 billion was made against the $7.2 billion identified as funding needs, the main part coming from Sudan itself ($2,6 billion) and from Qatar.

The secretary general concludes that potential donors have indicated a reluctance to commit funds given the little progress in the implementation of the Doha peace agreement.

File photo: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (Mark Garten/UN Photo)

Source:  http://www.radiodabanga.org/node/53714
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[7b] A deterioration in the security situation in Darfur,  Sudan - UN peacekeeping chief visits Sudan

HERE are some extracts from a Press Release by UNAMID (the UN-AU Mission in Darfur) dated 05 July 2013 entitled "UN peacekeeping chief visits Sudan":

• 300,000 displaced since the beginning of this year

• On 03 July 2013 three peacekeepers were injured in an ambush on a UNAMID convoy near Labado, East Darfur, Sudan

• On 03 July 2013 the head of UN peacekeeping Hervé Ladsous visited East Darfur, Sudan

• On 04 July 2013 Hervé Ladsous met with Sudan's President Bashir and other senior officials of the Government of Sudan

On 05 July 2013, Hervé Ladsous, accompanied by the Joint Special Representative and head of the African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, wrapped up a visit to Sudan.

During the visit, which began on 03 July, Mr. Ladsous travelled to El Daein, East Darfur State, where he met with the Wali (Governor) and other members of local government, leaders of Native Administration and civil society, as well as internally displaced people at Neem camp. He also had extensive discussions with UNAMID personnel. In Khartoum, Mr. Ladsous met with President Omar Al-Bashir and other senior officials of the Government of Sudan.

Speaking to the press in Khartoum on 04 July, the USG expressed concern over the recent intensification of conflict in Darfur and its impact on the civilian population. “We have witnessed a deterioration in the security situation. More people have been displaced—over 300,000 since the beginning of this year—due mostly to tribal clashes,” the head of UN peacekeeping said.

Mr. Ladsous called on all parties to cease hostilities and praised the efforts of UNAMID peacekeepers, who serve in very difficult circumstances, to protect civilians, secure the delivery of aid and support the peace process.

Speaking to the press in Khartoum, Sudan on 04 July 2013, Hervé Ladsous stated that on 03 July, three peacekeepers were injured in an ambush on a UNAMID convoy near Labado, East Darfur. “Attacks on peacekeepers are a crime,” he said, adding that in violation of international humanitarian law a UNAMID ambulance was fired upon by the unidentified armed group that had mounted the ambush. Condemning the incident and noting the peacekeepers’ robust response to the attack, the USG stressed that the perpetrators must be apprehended and prosecuted.

Source:  UNAMID Press Release at:  http://unamid.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=11027&ctl=Details&mid=14214&ItemID=22527&language=en-US
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[8a]  Report by Xinhua English.news.cn published Wednesday, 24 July 2013;  22:32:57.  Full copy:

Sudanese army repulses rebel attack in North Kordofan [Central Sudan]   

KHARTOUM, Sudan - The Sudanese army on Wednesday said it had repulsed an attack by the rebel Revolutionary Front in Al-Sidra area in North Kordofan state, official SUNA news agency reported.

"The remnants of the so-called Revolutionary Front this morning launched a heinous attack against Al-Sidra village in North Kordofan state with the aim to rob citizens of their money," the agency quoted Al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad, the Sudanese army spokesman, as saying.

He further said that the Sudanese armed forces repulsed the remnants of the rebels, inflicted on them huge casualties and equipment losses and forced them to flee the attack scene.

He said the area was now under the full control of the Sudanese armed forces, noting that five soldiers were killed during the clashes with the rebels.

South Kordofan state has been witnessing armed clashes since 2011 between the Sudanese army and the People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector, which has formed the Revolutionary Front with a number of Darfur armed movements.

Last April, the rebel alliance, which brought together the SPLM/ northern sector, Darfur's Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the Sudan Liberation Army's Abdul-Wahid Mohamed Nur faction and the Minni Minawi faction, attacked Um Rawaba and Abu Karshula areas in North and South Kordofan states.

Khartoum accuses South Sudan of supporting the SPLM/northern sector, while Juba denies the allegation.  (Editor: yan)

Source:  http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-07/24/c_132571074.htm
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[8b]  Report from AFP by Ian Timberlake dated Wednesday, 24 July 2013.  Full copy:

Sudan army, rebels clash ahead of oil deadline

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudanese rebels clashed with troops in North Kordofan Wednesday, both sides said, days before a Khartoum deadline to halt South Sudan's oil exports over allegations it is backing the insurgents. 

The Justice and Equality Movement, a Darfur-based group which is part of a wider rebel alliance, said it attacked a military convoy and captured the garrison at Sidrah, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of El Rahad town.

The attack ended weeks of relative calm in the area.

"Fighting is still going on," JEM spokesman Gibril Adam Bilal told AFP early Wednesday.

The army later confirmed an attack against Sidrah but said it forced the rebels to flee, leaving government forces in control of the area.

"The aim of their attack was to loot the civilian population," the official SUNA news agency quoted army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad as saying.

A Rahad resident told AFP: "We hear shooting and explosions.

"Authorities closed the schools and asked students to go home," the resident added, asking to remain anonymous because of the situation.

The JEM and two factions of the Sudan Liberation Army in Darfur belong to the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance with insurgents fighting in South Kordofan state south of Sidrah, and in Blue Nile.

The SRF staged its first joint operation in April, sweeping through a previously peaceful part of North Kordofan near Sidrah as part of coordinated attacks in the region.

Analysts said those rebel strikes humiliated the authorities, who took a month to retake one of the seized areas, Abu Kershola.

In June, Khartoum gave oil companies 60 days to stop transporting crude from South Sudan through a Sudanese export pipeline after President Omar al-Bashir accused the Juba government of backing the rebels in the north.

There has been confusion, however, about whether the 60 days is merely a warning period, with a shutdown possible after that deadline, which expires around August 7.

A source close to the oil industry said on Wednesday that full preparations to close the pipeline had not begun and crude was still flowing.

"Yes it's flowing," the source said.

An oil analyst earlier told AFP that 45 days would be required to complete a shutdown without damaging the infrastructure.

Juba denies supporting the insurgents and in turn says Khartoum assists rebels on southern soil.

Observers say that, in reality, both governments have aided each other's rebels.

On Monday, the African Union and east African bloc, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, inaugurated a panel to probe allegations of rebel support by each side.

Regional nations also began determining the centreline of a demilitarised buffer zone that is to straddle the 2,000-kilometre (1,250-mile) undemarcated border between the two countries.

The buffer zone is designed to cut cross-border rebel support.

While this process and the investigation of alleged rebel support take place, the AU and IGAD called on both states "to refrain from any unilateral action", an AU statement said on Monday.

South Sudan separated two years ago with most of the formerly united country's oil production but the pipelines and the Red Sea export terminal remained in the north.

After a fee dispute and intermittent border clashes, South Sudan in April resumed pumping its oil, which began slowly moving towards the Port Sudan terminal.

The South's export revenues, and the fees due Khartoum for use of the infrastructure, are potentially worth billions of dollars to both impoverished nations.

"The Sudanese government's priority is the insurgency; there are unlikely to be any positive developments in negotiations with South Sudan... if it continues," the Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based independent research project, said in a briefing paper this month.

Earlier in July, Khartoum transferred Ahmed Haroun, the governor of South Kordofan, to take over the running of his native region North Kordofan.

Haroun is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court on 22 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed in Darfur.

Photo:  Sudanese army soldiers pictured in Abu Kershola in South Kordofan after capturing the town from Sudan Revolutionary Front rebels, May 28, 2013. Sudanese rebels clashed with troops in North Kordofan Wednesday, both sides said, days before a Khartoum deadline to halt South Sudan's oil exports over allegations it is backing the insurgents. (AFP/File)

Source:   AFP report reprinted at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/24/sudan-army-rebels-clash-ahead-oil-deadline/#ixzz2ZyywOBmz
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[9a]  Seven Tanzanian UNAMID peacekeepers killed and 17 others injured in ambush in Darfur on 12 July 2013

Report from UN MultiMedia dated 18 July 2013 can be found at:
http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2013/07/seven-tanzanian-unamid-peacekeepers-killed-and-17-others-injured-in-ambush-in-darfur-sudan/
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[9b]  UNAMID peacekeepers killed, injured in South Darfur ambush

UNAMID Press Release from El Fasher, Darfur, western Sudan 13 July 2013.  Excerpt:

On 13 July, a joint patrol of the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was ambushed in South Darfur.

The incident, which began at 9:00 hours, occurred approximately 25 kilometers west of the Mission's Khor Abeche team site.

The UNAMID team came under heavy fire from a large unidentified group. Following an extended firefight, the patrol was extracted by UNAMID reinforcements that arrived from the Mission's Khor Abeche and Manawashi team sites. Seven UNAMID military peacekeepers were killed and 17 military and Police personnel, among them two female Police Advisers, were wounded.

"The Mission condemns in the strongest possible terms those responsible for this heinous attack on our peacekeepers," said UNAMID Joint Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas. "The perpetrators should be on notice that they will be pursued for this crime and gross violation of international humanitarian law."

Photo:  UNAMID peacekeepers, based in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, drive in one of the Armored Personnel Carriers that was damaged during the attack.  Photo by Albert González Farran, UNAMID.

Source:  http://unamid.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid=11027&ctl=Details&mid=14214&ItemID=22537&language=en-US
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[9c]  Tanzania bids farewell to its departed heroes

Report from The National Citizen entitled "Tanzania bids farewell to its departed heroes", written by Katare Mbashiru (email the author) published Monday, 22 July 2013;  19:17.  Excerpts: 

[Tanzanian] President Kikwete, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, led senior government officials and top army officers in bidding farewell to Sergeant Shaibu Othman, Corporal Oswald Chaula, Corporal Mohammed Juma Ali, Corporal Mohammed Chokizo, Private Rodney Ndunguru, Private Fortunatus Msofe and Private Peter Muhiri Werema. [...]

The soldiers were killed when gunmen ambushed a convoy of African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid) peacekeepers in southern Darfur on July 13. Seventeen others were wounded in the worst attack in Unamid’s five-year history. 

Full story at:  http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/News/Tanzania-bids-farewell-to-its-departed-heroes/-/1840392/1923262/-/xjlmq7z/-/index.html
+ + + R.I.P. + + +

[10]  Report by Xinhua dated Saturday, 20 July 2013:   

Sudan files complaint to African Union against Uganda's support for rebels

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan has filed a complaint to the African Union (AU) against Uganda over its support for rebel insurgency against Khartoum, Almeghar Alsyasi daily reported Saturday.  The paper quoted Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Rahamtalla Mohamed Osman as saying that the Sudanese government "is waiting for the AU's response to its complaint."

Full story at this blog's sister site Uganda Watch, Sunday 21 July 2013:
http://ugandawatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/sudan-files-complaint-to-au-against.html
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[11]  DR Congo:  Heavy fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group in the Mutaho-Kibati area, near Goma, in N. Kivu Province, DRC

Excerpt from Monday, 22 July 2013 Daily Press Briefing by the UN's Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General:

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [MONUSCO] reports that heavy fighting has resumed between the Congolese army and the M23 [23 March Movement] armed group in the Mutaho-Kibati area, near Goma, in North Kivu Province.

The Mission, MONUSCO, adds that after exchanging intermittent fire over the weekend, both sides are now using small arms, mortars and rockets.  The Mission reiterates its call for restraint and its peacekeepers in the area remain on high alert.

Source:  http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2013/db130722.doc.htm
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[12]  DR Congo:  Over 30,000 Congolese flee rebel attacks to Uganda: UN

Report from KAMPALA, Uganda by AFP dated 13 July 2013.  Excerpt:

More than 30,000 refugees from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fleeing a rebel attack on the town of Kamango have arrived in neighbouring Uganda, UN officials said on Saturday...

Full story at this blog's sister site Congo Watch, Monday 22 July 2013:
http://congowatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/dr-congo-over-30000-congolese-flee.html
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[13]  CAR:  Communiqué of AU PSC on situation in the Central African Republic (CAR)

From the Communiqué of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 386th meeting on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) [Last Updated on Friday, 19 July 2013]: 

"The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 386th meeting held on 19 July 2013, adopted the following decision on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR)...[...]   6. Decides, on the basis of the concept of operations, annexed to the report of the Chairperson of the Commission, to authorize the deployment, for an initial period of six months, of AFISM-CAR, which will have a total strength of 3 652, including 3 500 uniformed personnel (2,475 for the military component and 1,025 for the police component) and 152 civilians, the nucleus of which will be constituted by the contingents currently serving in MICOPAX, in order to contribute to: (i) the protection of civilians and the restoration of security and public order, through the implementation of appropriate measures; (ii) the stabilization of the country and the restoration of the authority of the central Government; (iii) the reform and restructuring of the defense and security sector; and (iv) the creation of conditions conducive for the provision of humanitarian assistance to population in need;"

Full story published at this blog's sister site Congo Watch, Friday, 19 July 2013:
http://congowatch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/car-communique-of-au-psc-on-situation.html
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