NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: See launch information in the previous post here at Sudan Watch (Sat 10 June 2023 - 'Public Launch of Sudan Conflict Observatory Monitoring Platform Sudan.ConflictObservatory.org')
The following press release ends with satellite imagery showing extensive fire-based damage observed at the SAMIL Plumpy'Nut® Production Facility in Khartoum, plus findings and a link to the first report Fri 9 June 2023 published at Conflict Observatory's website.
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Press Release at Conflict Observatory.org
Dated Friday 9 June 2023 - full copy:
Sudan Conflict Observatory
CONFLICT OBSERVATORY
A remote monitoring platform to provide independent, expert reporting on conflict activity in Sudan.
Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with their aligned paramilitaries have allegedly committed widespread violations of the Jeddah Declaration, the 20 May Ceasefire Declaration, and gross human rights abuses violating International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law (IHL and IHRL). The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab and PlanetScape Ai, members of the Sudan Conflict Observatory, find widespread and targeted humanitarian and human security impacts due to the conflict in Sudan.
Yale HRL has documented significant impacts to human security in Khartoum, North Kordofan, South Darfur, West Darfur, and North Darfur states. Open source reporting shows that communication is declining across Sudan, including Khartoum state and South Darfur. This corresponds with a known attack on Sudatel towers in Nyala. Incidents that damage information communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure, either intentionally or unintentionally, prevent civilians from being able to access humanitarian aid; limit humanitarian organizations ability to assess and respond to needs; and may prevent gross human rights abuses from being documented.
PlanetScape Ai has recorded numerous attacks following the 20th May Ceasefire Declaration. These attacks have been documented using moderate resolution satellite imagery with high resolution imagery and earth-orbiting thermal sensors, in some cases. This evidence includes several damaged buildings and fire incidents in Khartoum from May 23rd to 28th. In El-Geneina, substantial damage to civilian infrastructure from May 14th to 24th has been documented. Several attacks on towns and villages in West and South Darfur from May 18th to 29th have also been recorded in Darfur.
Moreover, PlanetScape Ai has further recorded a considerable shift in Sudan’s population distribution since the onset of the conflict. The population of Khartoum has consistently decreased, while cities in the east like Atbara and Port Sudan have seen a rise in their population. More recently, a significant drop in population has been observed in El Fasher and Nyala following the surge in violence. These population shifts are likely indicative of regional mobility constraints and the migration of residents seeking to escape the violence.
Extensive fire-based damage observed in satellite imagery at the SAMIL Plumpy'Nut® Production Facility in Khartoum
FINDINGS
Widespread and targeted bombardment and destruction of critical infrastructure including water and sanitation facilities, power, and ICT;
Eight (8) confirmed, targeted, and systematic arson attacks reportedly by the RSF across Darfur’s rural villages and urban centers;
Parties to the conflict have engaged in widespread, systematic, and targeted attacks on humanitarian facilities that include the looting of supplies across Sudan;
Widespread and targeted destruction of facilities that constitute protected civilian infrastructure, including marketplaces, civilian neighborhoods, schools, and food production facilities; and
The deployment of roadblocks and checkpoints by both parties to the conflict, impeding freedom of movement of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The latest three-day ceasefire is due to expire at midnight Sunday (2200 GMT). It was agreed Thursday after mediation led by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the United Nations.
More than 500 people have been killed since battles erupted
In West Darfur state, at least 96 people were reported to have been killed in the city of El Geneina this week, the UN said
“What’s happening in Darfur is terrible, the society is falling apart, we see tribes that now try to arm themselves," said UN chief Guterres
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said there were reports of widespread looting, destruction, and burning of property, including at camps for displaced people
MSF said the fighting has forced the agency to stop almost all its activities in West Darfur
The UN said Friday its last international staff had been evacuated from Darfur
UN chief says Sudan is collapsing
He threw his support behind African-led mediation efforts
“My appeal is for everything to be done to support an African-led initiative for peace in Sudan," he told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya
Sudan Fighting Enters Third Week as UN Says Country Collapsing
Warplanes on bombing raids drew heavy anti-aircraft fire over Khartoum on Saturday as fierce fighting between Sudan’s army and paramilitaries entered a third week, violating a renewed truce.
More than 500 people have been killed since battles erupted on April 15 between the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“There is no right to go on fighting for power when the country is falling apart," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Al Arabiya television.
Burhan and Daglo have agreed to multiple truces since the war began, but none has effectively taken hold as the number of dead civilians continues to rise, thousands flee the country and those without the means to escape face an increasing struggle to survive.
The latest three-day ceasefire is due to expire at midnight Sunday (2200 GMT). It was agreed Thursday after mediation led by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the United Nations.
Dozens more have died over the past week since the United States announced that the warring sides had agreed to an initial truce, on April 24.
“We woke up once again to the sound of fighter jets and anti-aircraft weapons blasting all over our neighbourhood," a witness in southern Khartoum told AFP.
Another witness said fighting had continued since the early morning, especially around the state broadcaster’s headquarters in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman.
Residents across Khartoum — home to five million people — have largely sheltered at home despite supplies of food and water dwindling to dangerously low levels, and a lack of electricity.
Some managed to sneak out only during brief lulls in fighting to buy desperately needed supplies.
- Trading blame -
As battles raged on the ground, the two rival generals — who seized power in a 2021 coup — took aim at each other in the media, with Burhan branding the RSF a militia that aims “to destroy Sudan", in an interview with US-based TV channel Alhurra.
Daglo denounced the army chief in an interview with the BBC, saying he was “not trustworthy" and a “traitor".
Guterres threw his support behind African-led mediation efforts.
“My appeal is for everything to be done to support an African-led initiative for peace in Sudan," he told Saudi-owned Al Arabiya.
The violence has so far killed at least 512 people and wounded 4,193, according to the health ministry, but the death toll is feared to be much higher.
About 75,000 have been displaced by the fighting in Khartoum and the states of Blue Nile, North Kordofan, as well as the western region of Darfur, the UN said.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese have fled into neighbouring countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan, while foreign countries have carried out mass evacuations of their nationals.
On Saturday a ferry with around 1,900 evacuees arrived at King Faisal Naval base in Jeddah after crossing the Red Sea from Port Sudan, in the latest sea evacuation to the kingdom.
Britain said it would end its evacuation flights on Saturday, after airlifting more than 1,500 people this week.
The UN said Friday its last international staff had been evacuated from Darfur.
The World Food Programme has said the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people — one-third of the population — already need aid to stave off famine.
About 70 percent of hospitals in areas near the fighting have been rendered out of service and many have been shelled, said the doctors’ union.
- ‘Alarming’ conditions in Darfur -
In West Darfur state, at least 96 people were reported to have been killed in the city of El Geneina this week, the UN said.
“What’s happening in Darfur is terrible, the society is falling apart, we see tribes that now try to arm themselves," said Guterres.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said there were reports of widespread looting, destruction, and burning of property, including at camps for displaced people.
Sylvain Perron, MSF’s deputy operations manager for Sudan, said the fighting has forced the agency to stop almost all its activities in West Darfur.
“We are incredibly worried about the impact this violence is having on people who have already lived through waves of violence in the previous years."
Darfur is still reeling from a war that began in 2003 when then hardline president Omar al-Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militia, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes, to crush ethnic minority rebels.
The scorched-earth campaign left at least 300,000 people dead and close to 2.5 million displaced, according to UN figures, and saw Bashir charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide by the International Criminal Court.
The Janjaweed later evolved into the RSF, which was formally created in 2013.
Burhan and Daglo’s coup in 2021 derailed Sudan’s transition to democracy established after Bashir was ousted following mass protests in 2019.
But the two generals later fell out, most recently over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
SADLY, the UN's World Health Organisation says past 7 days of Sudan's fighting has left413 deadand 3,551 injured. An American is one of the dead. AUN stafferhas been killed in crossfire. Condolences. Rest in Peace + + +
Here are some reports posted at BBC World Service Africa Live page today.
Each report is timestamped GMT UK. Click on timestamp to read report.
Some links in the morning are not working well, afternoon ones are working.
Troops are seen patrolling in Khartoum amid sporadic fighting in defiance of a truce call. Outside pressure mounts for Eid ceasefire in Sudan.
Summary
07:22 Sudan leader keeps mum on ceasefire despite his unity call
07:33 No Ethiopia clashes with Sudan forces - PM Abiy Ahmed
09:14 South Koreans 'expected to be evacuated from Sudan'
09:56 Sporadic fighting continues in Sudan capital
10:37 How unsung heroes are keeping Sudanese alive
Sudan's army has said it will continue operations against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RFS) in the capital, Khartoum, despite a 72-hour ceasefire call from the rival forces, according to an military statement reported by several news site, including Saudi-owned Al Arabiya.
The army said it had launched "intensive strikes" on Friday against RFS, noting that the operations would continue across Khartoum, Sudanese news outlet al-Mashhad al-Sudani reports.
It said thousands of soldiers have been deployed to undertake the "combing operations" in the capital.
The medical charity’s Cyrus Paye said his team in Fasher had repurposed a maternity hospital to receive the wounded as all other hospitals in the city had had to close because of their proximity to the fighting, or the inability of staff to reach them.
The maternity South Hospital has received 279 wounded patients since the clashes began on Saturday.
Quote Message: Tragically, 44 have died. The situation is catastrophic. The majority of the wounded are civilians who were hit by stray bullets, and many of them are children.
Quote Message: Many need blood transfusions. There are so many patients that they are being treated on the floor in the corridors because there simply aren’t enough beds to accommodate the vast number of wounded." from MSF's Cyrus Paye
MSF's Cyrus Paye
Cyrus Paye gave his account over the phone to MSF colleagues, saying he could hear gunfire from their compound
The hospital was rapidly running out of supplies - as airports were closed as was with the border with Chad, which neighbours Darfur, the MSF project co-ordinator explained.
Quote Message: If the situation doesn’t change and humanitarian access is not granted, there will be even greater loss of life.”
MSFCopyright: MSF
Image caption: The medical team at South Hospital are overwhelmed and have been working round the clock
Image caption: Cyrus Paye gave his account over the phone to MSF colleagues, saying he could hear gunfire from their compound
NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The international community has condemned the escalation of violence in Sudan's capital Khartoum.
The UN has voiced concern over a possible escalation of tensions in Sudan.
The head of the United Nations mission in Sudan called Saturday for an "immediate" end to fighting between the regular army and paramilitaries.
India and United Kingdom on Saturday advised its citizens in Sudan to stay indoors amid heavy firing in Sudan.
Egypt also urged all Sudanese parties to protect the lives of the citizens and prioritise the higher interests of their nation.
Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it is checking up on Jordanians residing in Sudan following the ongoing security developments.
United Arab Emirates has called for restraint.
Saudi Arabia’s airline Saudia has announced suspending all flights to and from Sudan until further notice.
Flydubai has cancelled flights to Sudan due to the current situation in the country.
Sudan situation is ‘fragile’ says the US secretary of state Antony Blinken.
Here is a snapshot of some fast-moving news published online today.
Sudan mounts air strikes as Khartoum clashes escalate
Summary
Gunfire and explosions are heard in the Sudanese capital Khartoum as a power struggle between the country's army and paramilitaries escalates
Tensions have increased between the government and the powerful Rapid Support Forces in recent days
Reports suggest Khartoum's airport is under the control of the RSF and gunfire has been heard in the northern city of Merowe, Reuters reported
Sudanese groups and the ruling military junta failed to reach an agreement last week over transitioning to a civilian-led government
One of the issues holding up a deal is integrating the Rapid Support Forces with the army
A power struggle between Sudan's army and paramilitaries has seen fighting erupt between armed factions in the capital Khartoum and other cities
The RSF claims to be in control of key sites in the capital but the army insists it remains in control
The African Union, leading Arab states and the US have called for an end to the fighting and a resumption of talks aimed at restoring a civilian government
Sudanese groups and the ruling military junta failed to reach an agreement last week on a handover of power
Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
Sudan’s army and rival force clash, wider conflict feared
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Fierce clashes between Sudan’s military and the country’s powerful paramilitary force erupted Saturday in the capital and elsewhere in the African nation, raising fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-stricken country.
In Khartoum, the sound of heavy firing could be heard in a number of areas, including the city center and the neighborhood of Bahri.
In a series of statements, the Rapid Support Forces militia accused the army of attacking its forces at one of its bases in south Khartoum.
They claimed they seized the city’s airport and “completely controlled” Khartoum’s Republican Palace, the seat of the country’s presidency.
The group also said it seized an airport and air base in the northern city of Merowe some 350 kilometers (215 miles) northwest of Khartoum. The Associated Press was unable to verify those claims.
The Sudanese army said fighting broke out after RSF troops tried to attack its forces in the southern part of the capital, accusing the group of trying to take control of strategic locations in Khartoum, including the palace.
The military also declared the RSF a rebel force and described the paramilitary’s statements as “lies.”
A military official told the AP that fighter jets took off from a military base north of Omdurman and attacked the RSF’s positions in and around Khartoum. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The clashes came as tensions between the military and the RSF have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay in the signing of an internationally backed deal with political parties to revive the country’s democratic transition.
Saudi Arabia’s national airline said one of its Airbus A330s was involved in “an accident” after video showed it on fire on the tarmac at Khartoum International Airport amid the fighting.
Saudia said in a statement Saturday that all its flights were suspended after the incident. It did not elaborate on the cause of the “accident” though it appeared the aircraft got caught in the crossfire of the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese soldiers fighting around the airfield.
Another plane also appeared to have caught fire in the attack. Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 identified it as a SkyUp Airlines 737. SkyUp is a Kyiv, Ukraine-based airline. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other commercial aircraft trying to land at the airport began turning around to head back to their originating airport.
Tensions between the army and the paramilitary stem from a disagreement over how the RSF, headed by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process.
The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement.
However, the army-RSF rivalry dates back to the rule of autocratic former president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019.
Under al-Bashir, the paramilitary force grew out of former militias known as janjaweed that carried out a brutal crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur region during the decades of conflict there.
In a rare televised speech Thursday, a top army general warned of potential clashes with paramilitary forces, accusing it of deploying forces in Khartoum and other areas of Sudan without the army’s consent.
The RSF defended the presence of its forces in an earlier statement.
The RSF recently deployed troops near Merowe. Also, videos that circulated on social media Thursday showed what appeared to be RSF-armed vehicles being transported into Khartoum, farther to the south.
According to a statement issued by the Sudan Doctors Committee — a part of the country’s pro-democracy movement — clashes have led to ”varying injuries.”
The military also said the fighting resulted in a number of casualties but provided no further details.
The U.S. Ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, wrote online that he was “currently sheltering in place with the Embassy team, as Sudanese throughout Khartoum and elsewhere are doing.”
“Escalation of tensions within the military component to direct fighting is extremely dangerous,” Godfrey wrote. “I urgently call on senior military leaders to stop the fighting.”
In Saturday’s statement, the RSF said it was contacted by three former rebel leaders who hold government positions in an apparent bid to de-escalate the conflict.
In a joint statement, civilian signatories to December’s framework agreement also called for an immediate de-escalation. “We call on the leadership of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to stop hostilities immediately,” it said.
Sudan has been marred in turmoil since October 2021, when a coup overthrew a Western-back government, dashing Sudanese aspirations for democratic rule after three decades of autocracy and repression under Islamist ruler Omar al-Bashir.
Smoke is seen rising from a neighborhood in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 15, 2023. Fierce clashes between Sudan’s military and the country’s powerful paramilitary erupted in the capital and elsewhere in the African nation after weeks of escalating tensions between the two forces. The fighting raised fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-stricken nation. (AP Photos/Marwan Ali)
Khartoum (AFP) – Air strikes and artillery exchanges rocked the Sudanese capital Saturday as paramilitaries and the regular army traded attacks on each other's bases, days after the army warned the country was at a "dangerous" turning point.
The paramilitaries said they were in control of the presidential place as well as Khartoum airport, claims denied by the army, as civilian leaders called for an immediate ceasefire to prevent the country's "total collapse".
The doctors' union said three civilians had been killed, including at Khartoum airport and in North Kordofan state, and at least nine others wounded.
The eruption of violence came after weeks of deepening tensions between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over the planned integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army.
The army said it had carried out air strikes against RSF bases in Khartoum. "The Sudanese air force destroyed Tiba and Soba camps," it said in a statement.
Military leader Burhan has been at loggerheads with his number two, the RSF commander, over talks to finalise a deal to return the country to civilian rule and end the crisis sparked by their 2021 coup.
The RSF said its forces had taken control of Khartoum airport, after witnesses reported seeing truckloads of fighters entering the airport compound, as well as the presidential palace and other key sites.
Its claims were quickly denied by the army, who said the airport and other bases remain under their "full control", publishing a photograph of black smoke billowing from what it said was the RSF headquarters.
The army also accused the paramilitaries of burning civilian airliners at the airport, and Saudi flag carrier Saudia said it had suspended all flights to and from Sudan until further notice after one of its Airbus A330 planes "was involved in an accident".
RSF chief Daglo vowed no let-up. "We will not stop fighting until we capture all the army bases and the honourable members of the armed forces join us," he told Al Jazeera.
'Sweeping attack'
Created in 2013, the RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia that then president Omar al-Bashir unleashed against non-Arab ethnic minorities in the western Darfur region a decade earlier, drawing accusations of war crimes.
A plan to integrate the RSF into the regular army is one of the key points of contention, analysts have said.
Eleventh-hour haggling between the two men has twice forced postponement of the signing of an agreement with civilian factions setting out a roadmap for the transition.
Witnesses also reported clashes around the state media building in Khartoum's sister city Omdurman, as well near Burhan's residence and in Khartoum North.
Outside the capital, witness Eissa Adam said explosions and gunfire had been heard across the North Darfur state capital of El Fasher, where civilians were hunkered down inside their homes.
The two sides traded blame for starting the fighting.
The RSF said they were "surprised Saturday with a large force from the army entering camps", reporting a "sweeping attack with all kinds of heavy and light weapons".
Army spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah said the paramilitaries launched the fighting, attacking "several army camps in Khartoum and elsewhere around Sudan".
"Clashes are ongoing and the army is carrying out its duty to safeguard the country", he added.
'Slipping into abyss'
The military's civilian interlocutors called on both sides "to immediately cease hostilities and spare the country slipping into the abyss of total collapse."
Their plea was echoed by US ambassador John Godfrey, who tweeted that he "woke up to the deeply disturbing sounds of gunfire and fighting" and was "currently sheltering in place with the embassy team, as Sudanese throughout Khartoum and elsewhere are doing".
"Escalation of tensions within the military component to direct fighting is extremely dangerous. I urgently call on senior military leaders to stop the fighting," he said.
The head of the United Nations mission in Sudan Volker Perthes called for an "immediate" ceasefire.
"Perthes has reached out to both parties asking them for an immediate cessation of fighting to ensure the safety of the Sudanese people and to spare the country from further violence," the UN mission said.
Western governments had been warning of the dangers of all-out fighting between the rival security forces since the army issued its warning to the paramilitaries on Thursday.
In recent months, Daglo has said the 2021 coup was a "mistake" that failed to bring about change in Sudan and reinvigorated remnants of Bashir's regime, which was ousted by the army in 2019 following month of mass protests.
Burhan, a career soldier from northern Sudan who rose the ranks under Bashir's three-decade rule, maintained that the coup was "necessary" to bring more groups into the political process.
The central African country of Chad has closed its 872-mile (1,403 km) eastern border with Sudan "until further notice", Reuters news agency reports.
"Chad appeals to the regional and international community as well as to all friendly countries to prioritise a return to peace," the government said in a statement.
