United Kingdom is on a "war footing". New UK Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa and Red Sea appointed

On April 24, 2024 the BBC reported that many of the front pages declare that the UK is on a "war footing" after Rishi Sunak's announcement of an extra £75bn for defence over the next six years. 

The Telegraph says there will be a focus on hypersonic missiles, lasers, anti-tank rockets and artillery shells. Writing in the paper, the chief of the defence staff - Admiral Sir Tony Radakin - said the investment was a sign that Britain had lost none of her famous resolve.

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New UK Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa and Red Sea appointed

Alison Blackburne is the UK’s Special Envoy for the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, starting in this role in May 2024. Alison was the British Ambassador to South Sudan from April 2017 to May 2019, and before that British High Commissioner to Uganda from August 2012 to November 2016.

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HERE is a full copy of Africa Press Release

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Government of UK
Dated Thursday, 9 May 2024 

New United Kingdom Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa and Red Sea appointed: Alison Blackburne

Alison Blackburne has been appointed UK Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa and Red Sea. She takes up the role with experience in a wide range of diplomatic roles in the UK and overseas, including previously serving as the British High Commissioner to Uganda and British Ambassador to South Sudan. 

The UK Envoy’s role is to lead the UK response to international activity in the Horn of Africa region, engaging with key actors.

Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell said: The UK is committed to building our long-term partnerships in the Horn of Africa, wider East Africa and across the Gulf. Our relationship tackles a range of issues, from humanitarian crises to trade, investment, and regional security.  

It’s been a critical year for the region, from a devastating conflict in Sudan, to attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and building our trade links in the Gulf. 

Alison will bring invaluable knowledge and experience to the role, and I am confident she will grow our diplomatic relationships in the coming years.

UK Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa and Red Sea Alison Blackburne said: The Horn of Africa is a dynamic region, and the UK remains focussed on working with partners to bring peace, stability, and prosperity for its people.

We are committed to tackling the key issues which affect communities across the region.  These include conflict and instability, humanitarian crises, climate change and food insecurity, as well as the challenges and opportunities of regional economic cooperation and trade and investment. 

 It is a privilege to accept this position, and I look forward to working with our international partners at such a crucial time.

View original:  https://www.zawya.com/en/press-release/africa-press-releases/new-united-kingdom-special-envoy-to-the-horn-of-africa-and-red-sea-appointed-alison-blackburne-s3nghnzc

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Kenya closes embassy in Sudan

Report at The EastAfrican - https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke
By Aggrey Mutambo
Dated Tuesday June 06 2023 - full copy:

Kenya closes embassy in Khartoum as violence worsens

Kenya’s Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua. Photo | Lucy Wanjiru | NMG

Kenya says it has shut down its embassy in Khartoum to protect staff, in what could close the door on any further evacuation for civilians and signal bad days ahead in the Sudan war.

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei said on Monday that Nairobi’s diplomats in Khartoum were facing safety risks, forcing the government to close the embassy, and upending Kenya’s initial policy of staying around to help pursue peace.

“We continue to receive disturbing news of the targeting of diplomatic officials by armed groups in Khartoum, Sudan,” he wrote on Twitter.

“[The] Kenya Mission in Khartoum which had remained open to facilitate evacuation of any Kenyans still in the country is now closed,” he added.

After war broke out on April 15, Kenya said it had helped rescue as many as 900 nationals plus those of other countries trapped in Khartoum. But officials said they would not close down the embassy as part of efforts to stay in contact with warring parties; the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

At a press briefing with his host Antony Blinken in Washington, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua had said Kenya’s embassy would remain open as part of regional efforts to have parties descalate.

“As an African continent and the AU and intergovernmental organisation called IGAD, we are trying to find solutions for Sudan.  I know you’ve pulled your teams out.  Kenya is not pulling its diplomatic offices.  We’re not shutting them down because we want to have a presence as we negotiate,” Mutua had said on April 24.

This move may both reflect the escalating violence in Khartoum and the failure to have parties, at least respect a ceasefire. There have been six ceasefire deals between the SAF led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his nemesis Mohamed Daglo Hemedti. In all occasions, fighting continued. 

By Monday, UN agencies estimated that more than 1000 people had been killed and over 800,000 displaced, either internally or forced to neighbouring countries for refuge.

Last week, a mediation project pursued by Saudi Arabia and the US, and known as the Jeddah Talks, was suspended after the US labelled the parties unserious to end the war.

On Monday, however, mediators in Jeddah said they were still engaging parties to see how to resume.

Despite the formal pause on June 3 of the five-day ceasefire agreement, a statement from Jeddah said, “facilitators continue to engage them daily.”

“Those discussions are focused on facilitating humanitarian assistance and reaching agreement on near-term steps the parties must take before the Jeddah talks resume.

“Facilitators stand ready to resume formal talks and remind the parties that they must implement their obligations under the May 11 Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.”

Saudi Arabia’s influence on the warring parties in Sudan was always seen as a crucial tool to help end the war. But the fact that fighting continued even after ceasefire has illustrated a possible breakdown in command structures.

Back in April, Dr Mutua blamed unnamed Middle East countries for taking sides, and fueling the war.

“We have been quite concerned by some of our friends in the Middle East as (inaudible) Russia and others who for a long time have been friendly to either one or the other side.  And we are just saying that at this particular time, it is not a time to take sides in a war,” he said on April 24.

“We care about Sudan.  As part of the African Union, we want to silence the guns in Sudan, want to find an African solution to African problems with the support of our friends.  But we can’t effectively do that if we are talking to groups that are being strengthened every day by the parties who believe that all they need to do is to fight to the end.”

Last week, the African Union launched its ‘roadmap’ to attempt peace in Sudan by involving more political and civilian movements. It is yet to gain traction.

View original: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/kenya-shuts-down-embassy-in-khartoum-as-violence-worsens-4259588

[Ends]

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Cartoon 

By Omar Dafallah

Published at Radio Dabanga - dabangasudan.org

Dated June 2019

Saudi Arabia want El Burhan (the military) in power in Sudan

Credit: June 2019 cartoon by Omar Dafallah published by Radio Dabanga

[Ends]

Irish army to help evacuate citizens from Sudan

Report from BBC News

Sunday 23 April 2023, 8:24 PM GMT+1 - excerpts:

Irish army personnel to help evacuate citizens from Sudan

The conflict unfolding in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and other regions has led to evacuations

Personnel from the Irish Defence Forces will be deployed to help evacuate citizens from Sudan.

The measure was approved by the government on Sunday amid a worsening security situation in the African country.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said it is in contact with more than 150 Irish citizens in Sudan.

Twelve armed forces personnel will initially be deployed to Djibouti, on the east African coast. [...]

The Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) will provide consular and other assistance to Irish citizens and their dependents being evacuated.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar [pictured] said the situation in Sudan's capital Khartoum had "got worse in the last few days, and violence is being reported across the city".

"The situation on the ground in Sudan remains extremely volatile and I wish the ECAT and Defence Forces team every success in this mission," he added.

The US and UK announced on Sunday that they had flown diplomats out of the country.

British diplomats and their families were evacuated from Sudan in a "complex and rapid" operation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed.

Mr Sunak said work was continuing to ensure the safety of British nationals who remain in Sudan.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said there were "specific threats and violence directed towards diplomats" which led to the decision to evacuate staff.

He said that by relocating the embassy to a nearby country, diplomats could provide more assistance to those in Sudan.

But he said the government's ability to evacuate other British nationals was "severely limited" until fighting between warring parties stopped.

UK citizens in Sudan are being urged to tell the Foreign Office where they are in case more help becomes available, and a hotline has been set up for those who need urgent help.

Italy, Belgium, Turkey, Japan and the Netherlands said they were also organising evacuations, starting on Sunday.

On Saturday, more than 150 people, mostly citizens of Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Pakistan and Canada were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.

The World Health Organization says the fighting has killed more than 400 people and injured thousands. However, the death toll is believed to be much higher as people are struggling to get healthcare, as most of Khartoum's hospitals have been forced to close by the fighting.

View original: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/irish-army-personnel-help-evacuate-155748352.html

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Limited evacuation of foreigners begins. UK has hotline and urges Britons in Sudan to contact FO

Report from BBC News

Sunday 23 April 2023 c 01:50 GMT UK

Sudan fighting: Limited evacuation of foreigners begins

Those evacuated to Saudi Arabia on Saturday were welcomed at Jeddah Sea Port with sweets and roses

The UK government is considering ways to evacuate its embassy staff from Sudan, as fighting between rival armies continues in the capital Khartoum.

More than 150 people were evacuated by sea to the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah on Saturday - mostly nationals of Gulf countries.

Khartoum airport has been repeatedly targeted and Canada's government says no flights are possible yet.

It has told Canadians in Sudan to "shelter in a safe place".

Describing the security situation as "highly volatile", the Canadian government travel advice tells citizens to keep their phones charged, their doors and windows locked and "consider leaving the country if there's a safe means to do so".

"With the airports and airspace closed, no air evacuations from Sudan are possible at this time," it says.

Meanwhile the UK has set up a hotline for those who need urgent help, and has urged its citizens in Sudan to tell the Foreign Office online or by phone where they are.

Any UK evacuation is expected to be very limited and focus on diplomatic staff - not comparable to the mass evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021.

Saturday's evacuation to Jeddah - the first since violence in Khartoum erupted last week - saw citizens, diplomats and international officials travel by sea. As well as Gulf nations, there were also citizens from Egypt, Pakistan and Canada.

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65363586

US backs Sudan transition deal fearing state collapse

SUDAN's sovereign council of soldiers and civilians will lead Sudan for 3 years. Sudan situation is still fragile, there are still spoilers out there. The fact that Hemeti remains in power is problematic. Money from Saudi Arabia that used to go to the RSF would now back the transition. RSF forces have fought as ground troops for the Saudi-led coalition in their war against the Houthis in Yemen. US backs Sudan transition deal for fear of state collapse. Full story here below.

From The Financial Times

By ADRIENNE KLASA in London 

Published: Thursday 11 July 2019 

Title: Sovereign council of soldiers and civilians will lead country for 3 years

Photo: Sudan's Rapid Support Forces are feared by demonstrators © AP

The US has thrown its weight behind the power-sharing deal struck between Sudan’s military leaders and civilian groups, fearing that the alternative was a descent into state failure and violence.

“The situation is still fragile; there are still spoilers out there,” Tibor Nagy, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said in London. The deal was “absolutely a step forward” he added. 

“Out of all the scenarios out there some of the outcomes could have been extremely negative. We could have had the Somalia [or] Libya model, which is the absolute last thing that either Egypt or Ethiopia needed,” he added.

Mr Nagy had just returned from Sudan, where he met the political and military factions that unseated Omar al-Bashir in April after months of protest. Mr Bashir had been in power for three decades. Sudanese officials and activists credit US pressure, along with Gulf countries and regional negotiators, with bringing the two sides to an agreement.

While the US supported the political transition, Mr Nagy said it would not become involved in the details of any agreement between the ruling transitional military council and civilian groups. “Our goal is to achieve this transition that is acceptable to the Sudanese people, [but] it’s not for us to get into the sausage making,” he said.

The power-sharing deal, which is expected to be signed this week, grants five of the 11 seats on a “sovereign council” to civilians. Another five seats will go to the military. The final seat will go to a consensus appointment. The council, which will rule Sudan during a three-year transition period, will be led at first by a military representative before switching to a civilian.

The deal is a muted victory for protesters who had been campaigning for an immediate transition to democratic civilian rule.

Their hopes though of a bloodless revolution were shattered when Rapid Support Force (RSF) troops raided encampments and hospitals on the night of June 3, killing more than 100 people, according to protesters.

The US has called for an independent investigation into the killings but is separating that from any political settlement. That approach, however, has been criticised because the commander of the RSF, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan, known as Hemeti, remains an important figure in the ruling military council.

“The fact that Hemeti remains in power is problematic. As commander of the RSF for all these years he’s implicated in serious crimes, not only in Khartoum but in Darfur” and elsewhere in the country, says Jehanne Henry, associate director in the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. “Until there’s accountability, the peace will not hold.”

Mr Nagy said the crackdown was “a separate issue. It’s very important for us not to get into [accusing] this person, that person. We have to focus on the outcome because that’s the most important thing for Sudan”.

Gulf allies, who have provided funding and support to Lt Gen Hamdan and the RSF, have also backed the deal, Mr Nagy said, while money from Saudi Arabia that used to go to the RSF would now back the transition. RSF forces have fought as ground troops for the Saudi-led coalition in their war against the Houthis in Yemen.

But Mr Nagy admitted the deal could still fall apart. He said there were fears that supporters of Mr Bashir could try to restore the old regime to power or that an unstable Sudan could allow radical groups to flourish. The return of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist organisation with links across the Arab world that briefly held power in Egypt is 2012, was “definitely is a concern”, he said.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019. All rights reserved.

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