Campaigns by civilians and SAF to designate Sudan’s RSF janjaweed militia as a terrorist organisation

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Today, I signed the below mentioned petition calling for Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to be designated a terrorist organisation. I signed it hoping to help eradicate poverty, extreme poverty and suffering in Sudan, South Sudan and neighbouring countries. 

In Sudan, the RSF are trapping civilians in villages in RSF controlled areas by surrounding them and cutting off access to food and medicines, forcing them to drink water from the Nile, using them as human shields to protect themselves and deter bombings by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

It must be noted that the SAF are responsible for many atrocities since the start of the Darfur rebellion in 2003. SAF chief Gen. Burhan’s dereliction of duty caused 120 peaceful protestors to be slain on the streets of Khartoum. 

*The "killing of at least 120 pro-democracy protesters in 2019 were a flashpoint between activists and the military. Sudanese pro-democracy protesters demanded the Transitional Military Council hand over power to civilians, but they were attacked by the military on June 3, 2019.

The killings, carried out by military forces in an effort to disperse a sit-in calling for civilian rule and democracy, marked a pivotal moment for Sudan after the April 2019 overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir.”

*Read full story at Al Jazeera, 3 June 2024, here:

What was the ‘Khartoum Massacre’ marked by Sudan’s activists?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/3/what-was-the-khartoum-massacre-marked-by-sudans-activists

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Related Report

From Middle East Monitor

By Mohamed Suliman

Dated 06 November 2024 - excerpt:

There is a strong case for designating Sudan’s RSF militia as a terrorist organisation

A view of streets as clashes continue between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) despite the agreement on cease fire in Khartoum, Sudan on April 30, 2023 

[Ömer Erdem/Anadolu Agency]

Recently, there have been several social media campaigns and online petitions that call for the RSF’s designation. Individuals who are participating in these campaigns are sharing examples of incidents that expose how the RSF Janjaweed militia is attacking and harassing them. All of these grassroots initiatives demonstrate the public support for a terrorist designation of the militia”. 

Such a move will send a strong signal that the world rejects it and that the RSF can’t be part of Sudan’s political future. Moreover, it will have a practical impact on limiting the arms supply and funding from countries that back the militia, such as the UAE, which will be legally obliged to abstain from this destructive role.

Read more (and see its pale green share this icon to see dozens of ways to repost the article containing news of the campaigns and online petitions) here: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241106-there-is-a-strong-case-for-designating-sudans-rsf-militia-as-a-terrorist-organisation/

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POSTSCRIPT from Sudan Watch Editor

Here is a comment by Musaab Yousif posted at above article 25 days ago. It tells a story almost identical to the one I've heard from someone in Sudan with family trapped inside a village surrounded by RSF and cut off from essential supplies and medicines, drinking polluted water from the Nile.

"The people of Hilaliya village in aljazeera state more than 3000 civilians including womens, children's, elders and peoples with chronic sickness are being held in three mosques a few meters away from their homes by RSF militia and are completely forbidden from reaching them. They are being ravaged by cholera, watery diarrhea, hunger and thirst... no medicine or food in a complete war crime by the RSF militia, in addition to the crimes of murder, looting and other violations committed by the militia against defenseless civilians to any one trying to get out .

#Save_Hilaliya_from_Janjaweed

#Rapid_Support_is_a_terrorist_organization"

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Weekly Sudan Updates

From journalist Abdallah Hussain posted at LinkedIn on 1 Dec 2024: 

🔴 Former Political Advisor to RSF Commander, Youssef Ezzat [pictured above]: The Islamic Movement is managing political and civil affairs in all areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces with full authorization from the leadership.

🔴 Sovereign Council Chairman Al-Burhan denies rumors of political settlements, emphasizing no agreement with any entity. 

🔴 Health crisis deepens in Khartoum, with 73 out of 80 private hospitals out of service, according to the Sudanese Doctors Network.

🔴 Gunmen hijack a UNICEF truck in eastern Nile Khartoum carrying medicines and medical supplies.

🔴 Heavy artillery shelling shakes Omdurman’s Thawrat neighborhoods as early morning attacks continue. 

🔴 5 civilians injured following militia shelling in Karrari, Omdurman, as health authorities report more unregistered cases.

🔴 The Nile River State Security Committee denies reports of launching drones from residential areas near Atbara, labeling them as misinformation. 

🔴 Minister of Culture and Information Khalid Al-Ayser discusses plans to reform Sudanese media institutions and improve public messaging.

🔴 Broadcasting Authority reports $16 billion in losses due to militia attacks, with Minister Khalid Al-Ayser calling for international condemnation.

🔴 The Sudanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) for its recent allegations:

“We condemn the unfounded accusations and extreme bias against the government and the armed forces by the NRC.”

“The NRC Secretary-General unjustly implicated the armed forces in using starvation as a weapon and blocking humanitarian aid — a crime solely committed by the RSF militias.”

“The Secretary-General failed to name those responsible for destroying villages, employing scorched-earth policies, committing mass rapes, and other atrocities, which are well-documented crimes of the RSF militias.”

“The NRC’s Country Director in Sudan claimed before the UK’s House of Commons that humanitarian work regulations in Sudan are designed to obstruct aid delivery to those in need.”

“This aggressive stance by the NRC represents the worst example of politicizing humanitarian work and an attempt to tarnish the Sudanese government’s image internationally.”

🔴 The Federal Ministry of Health reported a rise in HIV/AIDS cases in Sudan, with 48,000 infections recorded. Of these, 19,549 individuals are aware of their condition, but only 8,607 are receiving treatment. The disease has caused 2,300 deaths. Minister Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim warned that the numbers could increase further due to violations by the RSF, including sexual assaults.

Source: Abdallah Hussain, LinkedIn

Bilingual Journalist | News Anchor | TV Host | News Correspondent | Content Creator

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Sudanese actor Warrag Omar selling pastries in Addis

HERE is an inspiring story. Even the photo of Sudanese comedian Warrag Omar gives off a warm and friendly vibe. In my experience, this quote from the story can apply to almost everyone, not just the Sudanese: “Of course, if you tell Sudanese that you plan to do something, they will immediately take your idea and implement it. That’s why I didn’t talk to anyone about my pastries project, I didn’t even talk to myself, but just started it.” Read more.

From Radio Dabanga website
Dated 13 February 2024 13:47 ADDIS ABABA

Sudanese actor now selling pastries in Addis Ababa

Sudanese comedian Warrag Omar selling pastries in Addis Ababa, 

February 9 (Photo: Ashraf Abdelaziz / RD)

Sudanese comedian Warrag Omar, who arrived in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa after fleeing his home in Khartoum, refused to sit idle and successfully began selling pastries in the city. His small restaurant has become a meeting place for both Sudanese refugees and Ethiopian artists.

Warrag Omar, famous among the Sudanese for the characters of Wad El Shorba (the soup boy) and Hasan Ta’reefa (Hasan penny) he embodied during his performances in Khartoum, last year fled Burri in north-east Khartoum when “the bullets at the beginning of this absurd war had punctured all the windows of the neighbourhood”.

Via East Nile in Khartoum North, Merowe in Northern State, he “finally reached Addis Ababa,” Omar told Radio Dabanga correspondent Ashraf Abdelaziz in an interview on Friday.

“When the war broke out on April 15, I was in Omdurman and managed to reach my family in Khartoum the same day. As we were living in Burri Imtidad Nasir, we were close to the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), where the clashes were very severe from the first day. We thought that the matter would calm down after two or three days, but it continued for months. When the situation became really tight, with prolonged lack of water and food, power outages, and most of our money spent, I decided we’d move to the north, to Merowe.”

Customers buying pastries at the Jeddah restaurant in Addis Ababa, where Sudanese comedian Warrag Omar is now selling pastries, February 9 (Photo: Ashraf Abdelaziz / RD)

‘Basta’

Asked about ways of supporting his family in Merowe, he said that “we still did not imagine that the fighting would last much longer. I thought we would spend a week or so. When we discovered that we were facing a fait accompli, that the war would continue for a long time, I thought about ways of livelihood, because we were almost out of money.

“Of course, if you tell Sudanese that you plan to do something, they will immediately take your idea and implement it. That’s why I didn’t talk to anyone about my pastries project, I didn’t even talk to myself, but just started it.”

The actor definitely benefited from the advertisements he posted on his Facebook page about “super comfortable pastries” and “affectionate pastries which take care of your complete well-being”.

The people started coming, he said. “They didn’t come for the sweets, but for the entertainment, pictures, and stories. You know of course, when a famous man arrives at a village and sits with the villagers, they say ‘Let’s go, let’s join”.

Omar did not have any experience in making pastries, called basta in Sudan. “I only knew how to eat basta. I used to buy it from a factory and sell it. Only recently I learned to make basbousa myself.”

The Jeddah restaurant in Addis Ababa, where Sudanese comedy actor Warrag Omar sells his pastries, February 9 (Photo: Ashraf Abdelaziz / RD)

Addis Ababa

The actor began to lose his customers in Merowe when the purchasing power of the people further decreased. “A friend of mine living in Addis advised me to come and continue selling pastries there. I doubted at first, because I know that Ethiopians do not like sweets as much as we do, but thank God I went, posted advertisements, and things went well.

“I started in a small shop with seven chairs. People used to come in large numbers and could not find a place to sit. Later, I moved to the Jeddah Restaurant.”

With his livelihood “kind of secured”, Warrag Omar has set up a charity fund.

“One time at a very cold night, I found a Sudanese man sleeping in the street. It really upset me, and I rented a hotel room for him. From that time, I decided to act on the problems of the Sudanese, and created a fund called Yad be-Yad (hand in hand) in order to solve such simple problems. I really appreciate the help of many young Sudanese concerning this project.”

Meeting place

“Our shop is not only tea and pastries. It has become an extensive meeting place for Sudanese refugees here in the city,” Omar added. “In addition, many Ethiopian artists join us here, especially since the Ethiopian culture is close to ours.”

Before he left Sudan, Omar made awareness-raising sketches on the subject of the war. “I have no connection to any party, I am just someone who loves art, drama, and safety.”

The comedian is now thinking about working together with Ethiopian actors and present sketches or a performance on the necessity of stopping the war in his home country.

“If respected producers are available, we will be able to perform beautiful art. The artist’s mission is to spread peace and love,” he said. “Artists are stronger than politicians, than anything. The artist is the mirror of society, he mirrors the problems of the people, including the politicians themselves.”

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudanese-actor-now-selling-pastries-in-addis-ababa

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SAF strikes RSF in Khartoum and North Kordofan

Report from Sudan Tribune - sudantribune.com
Published on Thursday 20 July 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudanese army strikes RSF troops in Khartoum and North Kordofan

July 20, 2023 (EL-OBEID, KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army launched air strikes on Thursday against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and North Kordofan states as ground troops continue to engage with paramilitary fighters.

Since the eruption of the conflict, the Sudanese air forces have targeted the RSF positions in Khartoum and have reduced the arrival of their reinforcements from reaching the capital. However, recently, they operate also in strategic North Kordofan.

On Thursday, aerial bombardments were concentrated near Sports City in the south of Khartoum and in Ombada, west of Omdurman, as well as in North Khartoum and East Nile cities of Khartoum state.

Eyewitnesses reported that the airstrikes persisted into Thursday evening, with additional bombings in Omdurman’s Libya’s Market and the Al-Jeraif East and Southern Belt areas.

The escalating military attacks unfolded in parallel with renewed mediation efforts by U.S. and Saudi officials in Jeddah, seeking a ceasefire agreement to pave the way for political negotiations between the conflicting parties.

The army also accused the RSF of shelling residential areas south of Khartoum with mortar shells and spreading false videos to deceive the public.

The Sudanese army accused the RSF of seeking to use the bombs that inadvertently hit some houses during the attacks on the position of the paramilitary position in residential neighbourhoods.

Combing and special operations in central Khartoum were declared ongoing, with the regular forces successfully clearing RSF positions in southern Omdurman and eliminating their vehicles. Clashes in the Abu Saad area in Omdurman and Jabra in Khartoum killed 18 militiamen.

Combing operations in central Khartoum continue as planned, said the military spokesman adding that the regular forces reclaimed positions in southern Omdurman and eliminated RSF vehicles. Clashes in Omdurman and Khartoum resulted in the death of 18 militiamen, he added.

El-Obeid-based journalist Qureshi Awad reported heavy bombardment by the Sudanese army’s warplanes on RSF forces in the southern and western outskirts of the North Kordofan capital.

In response to the airstrikes, the RSF deployed anti-aircraft guns.

Awad added that the RSF bombings caused extensive damage to homes in the southern and western neighbourhoods of the city. (ST)

Image: Sudanese army chopper attacks RSF positions in Khartoum on April 22, 2023

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article275306/

[Ends]

VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT: Declaration of Commitment made to allow humanitarian access to Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I made this transcript of the video below.



Transcript of a video posted at YouTube 13 May 2023:

Declaration of Commitment made to allow humanitarian access to Sudan

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
Caption: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia
In the absence of a ceasefire the United Nations has been pressing parties to agree to a set of humanitarian principles that would allow for sid to flow to the millions living on the edge even before the latest fighting erupted.

VOICE Stéphane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson:
The Secretary-General welcomes the signing by the parties to the conflict in Sudan of the Declaration of Commitment to protect civilians and guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian aid in the country while humanitarian workers most notably are local Sudanese partners have continued to deliver in very very difficult circumstances. The Secretary General hopes that this declaration will ensure that the relief operations can scale up swiftly and safely to meet the needs of millions of people in Sudan. He reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire and expanded discussions to achieve the permanent cessation of hostilities. The U.N will spare no efforts to assist in the declaration's implementation and will continue to deliver humanitarian aid, ceasefire or not.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT
- respect for international law
- refrain from civilian harm
- allow for unimpeded humanitarian passage
- observing regular humanitarian pauses

The detailed Declaration of Commitment includes pledges from both sides to respect International humanitarian and human rights law including distinguishing between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military targets to allow and facilitate an impeded passage of humanitarian relief and personnel and observing the implementation of regular humanitarian pauses as needed among other parameters Hoping to arrest violations by both military factions.

VOICE Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
I strongly condemn this wonton violence in which both sides have trampled International humanitarian law notably the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. The Sudanese military has launched attacks intensely occupied civilian areas including airstrikes.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
Last week one airstrike reportedly hit the vicinity of a hospital in the East Nile area of Khartoum killing several civilians. The RSF meanwhile has allegedly taken over numerous buildings in Khartoum to use as operational bases, evicting residents and launching attacks from densely inhabited urban areas.
More than 730,000 people have been internally displaced since the fighting between Sudan's armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces began almost a month ago while the UN has warned that in the absence of a truce more than 800,000 could flee the country.

VOICE Volker Perthes, UN Secretary-General Special Representative: Sudan:
This is the first time that we have a mutual, a mutual declaration on something which is not a ceasefire but a mutual signed declaration of the two warring parties on respecting International humanitarian law and international human rights law and some more concrete provisions like vacating hospitals and medical facilities which is good. And of course the aim is to have a ceasefire which is also mutually agreed which I hope would give more stability and more respect to a ceasefire than when it is only based on unilateral declarations.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
The United States which is co-hosting the talks in Saudi Arabia says they will now focus on reaching an agreement on an effective ceasefire of up to approximately 10 days to facilitate the humanitarian agreement. Referring to a step-by-step approach agreed by the parties, subsequent discussions will be focused on a permanent cessation of hostilities that has today been out of reach for the belligerents. The UN has been clear that any notion of a military victory for either side would be a miscalculation. -Sherwin Bryce-Pease, SABC News, New York.

View original at YouTube: https://youtu.be/fEkg9BsfzX0

[Ends]

Sudan: Renewed air strikes in Khartoum. SAF & RSF fighting in Darfur. Killings, lootings, arson in Geneina

Report from TheAfricaReport.com

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

Dated Thursday, 27 April 2023 12:13

END OF TRUCE

Sudan: Renewed air strikes in Khartoum, violence in Darfur

In this image grab taken from handout video footage released by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 23, 2023, fighters ride in the back of a technical vehicle (pickup truck mounted with a turret) in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum. (Photo by - / Rapid Support Forces (RSF) / AFP)

The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur as the conflict entered a 13th day despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Late Wednesday, the army said it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending the three-day truce which expires on Friday “at the initiative of IGAD”, the East African regional bloc.

There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on 15 April between Sudan’s regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo ‘Hemeti’. All have failed.

The fighting has continued depite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on Tuesday, with warplanes patrolling the skies over the capital’s northern suburbs as fighters on the ground have exchanged artillery and heavy machine gun fire, witnesses said.

Burhan agreed on Wednesday to the IGAD proposal for talks on extending the truce by a further 72 hours, the army added.

The RSF’s response to the proposal remains unclear.

At least 512 people have been killed and 4,193 wounded in the fighting, according to health ministry figures, although the real death toll is likely to be much higher.

Violence beyond Khartoum

Beyond the capital, fighting has flared in the provinces, particularly in the war-torn western region of Darfur.

Clashes between the army and the RSF raged for a second straight day in the West Darfur capital Geneina, witnesses said, adding that civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad.

An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutrition support disrupted due to the fighting.

On Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian agency had reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina.

“An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutrition support disrupted due to the fighting,” it added in a statement.

The heavy fighting has trapped many civilians in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. Communications have been sporadically disrupted.

The UN has warned that as many as 270,000 people could flee into Sudan’s poorer neighbours South Sudan and Chad.

Other Sudanese have sought refuge in Egypt to the north and Ethiopia to the east, but both entail long and potentially dangerous journeys overland.

The UN said it had “received reports of tens of thousands of people arriving in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan”.

Cambridge University academic Sharath Srinivasan warned that the mass movement of people across Sudan’s borders threatened to destabilise already fragile regimes in neighbouring countries.

“If the armed confrontation between these two forces protracts — or worse, if it draws in other armed rebel groups across the country — this could quickly become one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region and risk spilling over,” he told US news outlet Politico.

Foreign governments have taken advantage of the fragile truce to organise road convoys, aircraft and ships to get thousands of their citizens out but some have warned their evacuation efforts are dependent on the lull in fighting holding.

China deployed warships on Thursday to evacuate its citizens, the defence ministry said.

War crimes suspect escapes

As lawlessness has gripped Sudan, there have been several jailbreaks, including from the high security Kober prison where top aides of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir were held.

Among those who have escaped is Ahmed Haroun, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the Darfur conflict that erupted two decades ago.

Haroun’s escape sparked fears of the involvement of Bashir loyalists in the ongoing fighting.

The army said the ousted dictator was not among those who escaped but had been moved to a military hospital before the fighting erupted.

Hemeti’s RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, accused of carrying out atrocities against civilians during Bashir’s brutal suppression of ethnic minority rebels in Darfur in the mid-2000s.

Bashir was toppled by the military in a palace coup in April 2019 following civilian mass protests that raised hopes for a transition to democracy.

The two generals had together seized power in a 2021 coup, but later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.

View original: https://www.theafricareport.com/304231/sudan-renewed-air-strikes-in-khartoum-violence-in-darfur/

[Ends]

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Sudan Watch UPDATE Thu 27 Apr 2023 at 13:51 BST UK:

Report from BBC News Live Reporting

Dated Thu 27 Apr 2023; 12:46 BST UK - full copy

Air strikes reported in Khartoum

Sudan's military has been carrying out air strikes against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum, despite a ceasefire being in force, the AFP news agency is reporting.

Warplanes have been seen over the city's northern suburbs, while fighters on the ground have been exchanging artillery and heavy machine-gun fire, it quotes witnesses as saying.

Meanwhile, Sudan News has tweeted that three civilians were injured when a projectile hit a residential block in Khartoum.

It did not say who was behind the attack. 

View original here.

[Ends]