Sudan: University of Nyala, South Darfur looted - Al-Qandul Initiative to remove books from the library

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: This copy of a Feb 3 post at X microblogging platform says (translated from Arabic by Google): "University of Nyala... The Tatars of the era (the Janjaweed) were here... they wreaked havoc... searching for democracy in the corridors of libraries and classrooms... they looted everything and left the books on the ground". 

A reply says (translated from Arabic by Google): "A scene that tears the heart. Compensating homes and notables is one thing, but compensating legacies and sciences is another matter. What is even more painful is that there is an upcoming generation that has lost the path of the sound educational ladder related to age and stage. How many children lost years of their lives between Hemedti, Hamdok, and Burhan..10:42 AM · Feb 3, 2024".

A sample of comments are noted here below along with photos from the post and a Jan 25 report published nine days before the Feb 3 post at X containing undated news. They are documented here as an example of misleading news on social media. The widely shared post has attracted thousands of responses across the world. At first glance it is not easy to tell whether or not the post is propaganda designed to sow seeds of disharmony.

Note that the report says "Nyala University faced looting and vandalism by unknown assailants at the onset of the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April last year" and that "Nyala University holds significance as one of the largest libraries in the Darfur region".

Also, Nyala youths are "to join the Al-Qandul Initiative in voluntary work to contribute to the restoration of institutions in Nyala impacted by war, emphasizing the collective effort required ... Samira Suleiman, another member of the initiative, called on the university authorities to relocate the salvaged books to a safer location than their current one".

Media studies ought to be taught in all schools worldwide. Right now, one hopes the university authorities will work in the best interest of the people of Darfur and investigate who is behind the Al-Qandul Initiative to remove the books and restore the institutions of Nyala, South Darfur. It is important to ensure that Darfur's educational materials are not interfered with and disappeared in plain sight. Curiously, Darfur's important library and its books were not torched. The books must be kept safe in the right hands.

جامعة نيالا.. تتار العصر (الجنجويد) كانوا هنا.. عاثوا فيها فسادا.. يبحثون عن الديمقراطية في اروقة المكتباتوقاعات الدراسة.. نهبوا كل شيء وتركوا الكتب على الأرض#السودان #sudan pic.twitter.com/d7TKCA5I4D

— Ataf Mohamed عطاف محمد (@atafmohamed3) February 3, 2024

“Ok, what is their interest in entering the library?

To plunder it” 

عبودي ماكس @Abdoalraashdy

“Because they are actually mercenary thieves” 

Abdelrahim0409 @abdelrahim0409

"Ignorance is a disaster"

9:07 AM · Feb 3, 2024

“Maybe they don't know what a library means and what a book means” 

Mohieldin @mohimg

“Boko Haram”

6:45 AM · Feb 3, 2024

"The University of Nyala was looted by citizens living near the university, specifically the Musiyah neighbourhood. A committee was formed from the youth of the Musiyah neighbourhood, and they informed the people in the mosques that anyone who removed anything from the university should return it. The attempt failed, and they tried again for the second time, searching almost all the houses adjacent to the university. They were able to return 50 percent."

8:24 AM · Feb 3, 2024

"That's horrible, I'm so sorry." 

Larky McRory @LMcRory

_________________________

Report at Radio Tamazuj
Dated 25 January 2024 - here is a copy in full:

Youth initiative restores Nyala University library

(SOUTH DARFUR) - In Nyala town, South Darfur state, a group of young individuals has launched an initiative to restore the Nyala University library, which fell victim to vandalism during the ongoing war in Sudan.

Members of the Al-Qandul Initiative, led by Mohammed Al-Tahir Mohammed, are actively collecting and organizing books and references in the central library of Nyala University, located in the Musiya suburb.

Nyala University faced looting and vandalism by unknown assailants at the onset of the conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April last year.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Al-Tahir described the extensive destruction suffered by the university and highlighted the significant efforts made by the youth in the Qandul Initiative.

He stated, “Through the collective endeavours of our youth, we’ve successfully gathered and arranged books and references from the university library. However, there is still substantial work ahead to restore it to its former state.”

Al-Tahir urged the youth of Nyala to join the Al-Qandul Initiative in voluntary work to contribute to the restoration of institutions in Nyala impacted by war, emphasizing the collective effort required for this endeavour.

Samira Suleiman, another member of the initiative, called on the university authorities to relocate the salvaged books to a safer location than their current one.

Nyala University, situated in the Musiya suburb southeast of Nyala, approximately ten kilometers from downtown, holds significance as one of the largest libraries in the Darfur region.

Khalid Mursal emphasized the library's status as a knowledge treasure trove and stated, “Enhancing its appearance signifies progress on the path to recovery.” The restoration efforts are seen as crucial for the revival of this educational institution.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/youth-initiative-restores-nyala-university-library

END

Sudan: An oud of prominent musician Mohammed Wardi has been stolen from his home in Khartoum

REMEMBER this distinctive instrument and spread the word it is stolen.

From LinkedIn post
By Hassan Ahmed Berkia

News Editor, Internews 
Dated Wednesday, 17 January 2024 - here is a full copy:

A member of the Rapid Support Forces has stolen the oud of Mohammad Wardi, one of Sudan & East Africa’s most prominent musician. The invaluable instrument was stolen from the late musician’s home in Khartoum, according to his son Abdel Wahhab.

ENDS

Sudan: UN officials say about 25 million persons across Sudan will need humanitarian aid in 2024

More than 500,000 people have fled fighting in and around the state capital, Wad Medani, long a place of refuge for those uprooted by clashes elsewhere. Ongoing mass displacement could also fuel the rapid spread of a cholera outbreak in the state, with more than 1,800 suspected cases reported there so far.

Nearly 25 million people across Sudan will need humanitarian assistance in 2024, “the bleak reality is that intensifying hostilities are putting most of them beyond our reach,” he [UN's Griffiths] said Thursday. Deliveries across conflict lines have ground to a halt. Read more.

From Asharq Al-Awsat English
By Ali Barada Washington
Dated Saturday, 06 January 2024; 1445 AH - here is a copy in full:

UN Relief Coordinator Calls for Immediate Action to Stop War in Sudan

People displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sudan between the army and paramilitaries, queue to receive aid from a charity organisation in Gedaref on December 30, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths has called on the international community, especially those whom he said have “influence” on the parties to the conflict in Sudan, to take “decisive and immediate” action to stop the fighting and safeguard humanitarian operations.

Last April, clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by Abdulfattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces headed by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo following weeks of tension.

Griffiths said in a statement published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Action (OCHA) that nearly nine months of war have tipped Sudan into a downward spiral that only grows more ruinous by the day.

He noted that as the “conflict spreads, human suffering is deepening, humanitarian access is shrinking, and hope is dwindling.”

Nearly 25 million people across Sudan will need humanitarian assistance in 2024, “the bleak reality is that intensifying hostilities are putting most of them beyond our reach,” he said Thursday.

- Serious threat 

He said that hostilities reached the “country’s breadbasket” in al-Jazirah State, putting more of the population “at stake.”

More than 500,000 people have fled fighting in and around the state capital, Wad Medani, long a place of refuge for those uprooted by clashes elsewhere.

Ongoing mass displacement could also fuel the rapid spread of a cholera outbreak in the state, with more than 1,800 suspected cases reported there so far.

“The same horrific abuses that have defined this war in other hotspots – Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan – are now being reported in Wad Medani.”

Accounts of widespread human rights violations, including sexual violence, “remind us that the parties to this conflict are still failing to uphold their commitments to protect civilians.”

Given Wad Medani’s significance as a hub for relief operations, the fighting there – and looting of humanitarian warehouses and supplies – “is a body blow to our efforts to deliver food, water, health care, and other critical aid,” Griffiths pointed out.

- Regional stability

Top UN officials reported that about 25 million persons across Sudan will need humanitarian aid in 2024. However, the intensified hostilities make it more difficult for them to reach the aid.

Deliveries across conflict lines have ground to a halt. The cross-border aid operation from Chad continues to serve as a lifeline for people in Darfur, and efforts to deliver elsewhere are increasingly under threat.

Griffiths also warned that the escalating violence in Sudan is also imperiling regional stability.

The war has unleashed the world’s largest displacement crisis, uprooting the lives of more than 7 million people, some 1.4 million of whom have crossed into neighboring countries that already host large refugee populations.

View original: 

https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/4772561-un-relief-coordinator-calls-immediate-action-stop-war-sudan

ENDS

OCHA SUDAN: Humanitarian Update (2 Nov 2023)

ANALYSIS from OCHA
Sudan Humanitarian Update (2 November 2023)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS

• An estimated 5.8 million people have been displaced within and outside Sudan since mid-April 2023.
 

• A least 85,800 people fled Sudan over the past month seeking safety and protection in neighbouring countries.
 

• At least 17 people were killed and 17,500 people displaced due to renewed clashes between SAF and RSF in Nyala Town, South Darfur.
 

• Over 140 people were reportedly killed due to inter-communal fighting in As Sunta and Buram localities in South Darfur.
 

• Conflict has severely affected agriculture in many parts of the country raising concerns on food security in the coming months.
 

• The revised 2023 Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan appeal is only 33.6 per cent funded as of 2 November.

For previous humanitarian updates:

• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 26 October 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 19 October 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 13 October 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 7 October 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 28 September 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 22 September 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 14 September 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 7 September 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 31 August 2023
• Sudan Humanitarian Update, 23 August 2023

View full analysis and map: 

https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/sudan/card/1TLaNU0UWB

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Sudan: Humanitarian Key Messages (November 2023):

News and Press Release 

Source OCHA 

Posted 2 Nov 2023 

Originally published 2 Nov 2023

Download Report (PDF | 153.62 KB)

View original: https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-key-messages-november-2023

[Ends]

OCHA Sudan: Humanitarian Access Situation Report

TWENTY aid workers have been killed in Sudan this year. Violence against humanitarians and assets continues, including looting of aid trucks, offices and drivers that curtail the capacity of humanitarian organisations. More than 200 visas were pending for international staff in Aug and Sep. More:

Sudan Humanitarian Access Situation Report (August - September 2023)
Source OCHA via ReliefWeb
Dated Monday, 30 October 2023 - here is a copy of the report summary:

This report is produced by OCHA Sudan in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 1 August to 30 September 2023. The next report will be issued in November 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Since fighting erupted on 15 April, Sudan is experiencing a large-scale humanitarian crisis, with half the population – 24.7 million people in need of humanitarian aid and protection. Around 5.3 million people have been displaced within Sudan and to neighbouring countries.

• Millions of people particularly in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan lack access to basic services, such as food, water, shelter, health, and education.

• Reaching those in need in partially accessible and hard-to-reach areas, remains extremely difficult due to ongoing insecurity, and lack of commitment by the parties to the conflict to provide safe passage.

• Relief operations through cross-border and across Sudan are scaling up.

• Access and civil-military negotiations have led to a number of successful interventions, resulting in the delivery of 62,546 MT (1,381 trucks) of relief items in August and an additional 36,988 MT (840 trucks) in September targeting displaced communities. The planned movement of 786 MT (21 trucks) to Kordofan and Darfur states has been cancelled due to insecurity.

• The cross-border response from Chad complements the in-country response in Sudan by providing additional assistance to people in need in Darfur. At the end of September, the movement of 47 trucks carrying a total of 1,217 metric tons of critical humanitarian supplies had been successfully facilitated.

• However, a number of operational obstacles remain that impede a rapid scale-up of aid from reaching those in need, including: operating in Sudan poses a high risk, as seen through the 20 aid workers killed this year. Violence against humanitarian personnel and assets continues, including looting of aid trucks, offices and drivers that curtail the capacity of the humanitarian organizations.

• Bureaucratic and administrative impediments (BAIs) prevent the UN and INGOs from delivering aid effectively to the affected population. BAIs impact hiring of international staff, deployment of technical teams, and delivering supplies into and across Sudan. More than 200 visas were pending for international staff in August and September.

• Lack of funding is another impediment to the response. A total of US$2.6 billion is required to deliver lifesaving assistance and protection services to 18.1 million people this year. The Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is 31.7 per cent funded. Additional funds are urgently needed, including for the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF), which supports national NGOs on the frontline of the response

Download Report
(PDF | 1.3 MB)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.

View full report: https://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-humanitarian-access-situation-report-august-september-2023

[Ends]