Sudan: SpaceX to shut off Starlink access for users outside availability areas by 30 April 2024

SPACEX to shut off Starlink access for users outside availability areas by 30 April 2024. Read full story here below followed by a related post at X by Will Carter, Sudan Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Article from pcmag.com
By Michael Kan 
Dated April 16, 2024 - here is a full copy:

SpaceX to Shut Off Starlink Access for Users Outside Availability Areas

The decision is upsetting users based in Africa, where internet speeds are often slow. But SpaceX says it needs to crack down as it waits for regulatory approval in the affected countries.

SpaceX is preparing to shut down Starlink for customers using the satellite internet service in countries outside its official "availability" zones. 

On Tuesday, the company sent an email to users in Africa, where Starlink is still waiting to receive regulatory approval in several countries, including Zimbabwe and South Africa. 

"If you are operating your Starlink Kit in an area other than areas designated as 'Available' on the Starlink Availability Map, we would like to remind you that this is in violation of the Starlink Terms," SpaceX wrote in the email. 

SpaceX is preparing to shut down Starlink for customers using the satellite internet service in countries outside its official "availability" zones. 

On Tuesday, the company sent an email to users in Africa, where Starlink is still waiting to receive regulatory approval in several countries, including Zimbabwe and South Africa. 

"If you are operating your Starlink Kit in an area other than areas designated as 'Available' on the Starlink Availability Map, we would like to remind you that this is in violation of the Starlink Terms," SpaceX wrote in the email. 

“If you have been using a 'Mobile - Regional' plan for more than two months outside of the country in which you ordered Starlink, you must either see Support FAQs to change your account country or return to the country in which your service was ordered. Otherwise, your service will be restricted,” the message says. 

The email goes on to say SpaceX is working as quickly as possible to obtain regulatory approvals from local governments. Still, the decision is upsetting users in Africa, where internet speeds can often be painfully slow, depending on the location. “This is so frustrating,” wrote one Facebook user based in Sudan. 

On Reddit, another added: "This is the worst news ever. My family and friends are in Sudan and there is a total communication blackout. [The] only source of internet is Starlink and now they do this." Meanwhile, others wonder if subscribing to the Starlink Roam international plan will allow them to bypass the coming restriction.

SpaceX’s email also suggests it’ll impose the restrictions on all users who’ve been operating Starlink outside the company’s availability zone. This could include Iran, where activists have been smuggling in Starlink units to help local residents receive access to an unfiltered version of the internet. In response, the Iranian government has been urging international regulators to force SpaceX to crack down. 

SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if the upcoming restriction will expand to other continents. But so far, it appears the company only sent Tuesday's email to users based in Africa.

View full story: https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/151883/spacex-to-shut-off-starlink-access-for-users-outside-availability-areas

__________________________________

HERE is a copy of a post at X by Will Carter, Sudan Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

Dear Mr @elonmusk, 

@SpaceX’s service is a lifeline in warzones like #Sudan. Civilians all over can contact loved ones, emergency responders continue, and facts be told, all with the magic of your machinery. As we face famine, please reconsider. Best, W

https://twitter.com/WillCarter_NRC/status/1781394263541985682

END

Sudan: Tele-health clinic for people in Sudan available daily Khartoum time 10am-6pm, for next 3 months

💡! 🩺⚕️❤️‍🩹
Tele-#health clinic for people in #Sudan available daily Khartoum time 10am - 6pm, for at least the next three months. WhatsApp link in the post below.
Share onwards if you can https://t.co/cL7UJfFaox

— William Carter (@WillCarter_NRC) April 20, 2024

View original post and comments: 

https://twitter.com/WillCarter_NRC/status/1781764343647948894

END 

Sudan: Sennar, where thousands of people fleeing Wad Madani have arrived, is a panicked city says NRC

#Sudan: @AhmedOmer, Communications Coordinator in Sudan describes the current situation in Sennar, where thousands of people fleeing Wad Madani have arrived. pic.twitter.com/yq2oftVm7G

— NRC East Africa and Yemen (@NRC_EAY) December 19, 2023

Transcript of sub-titles taken from the above audio clip:

Ahmed Omer’s voice 

Communications Coordinator at NRC [Norwegian Refugee Council] in Sudan 

"They are hungry, they are panicked, they are ill and the situation in the city is getting difficult. There is no fuel in the city even for the cars. That is why the transportation fees is increasing. There is no fuel. Even in the black market it is difficult to find and when you find it is more than 50,000 SDG per a gallon of petrol.

People here in Sennar, are trying to get in vehicles, whatever vehicle you find, you just jump on to it, particularly trucks, the pickup trucks and the bigger trucks. They jump on it. I saw this on the streets. They just jump. But for the families, for women and children, it’s really difficult. So they are trying to hire buses or to take buses. And buses are limited here. 

So what I’m seeing here right now in front of me are people on the streets, in the streets just carrying their luggages and walking, just people walking. It reminds me of Khartoum and what happened there when we saw people walking. When we saw the pictures of people walking, taking the luggages with them. So it’s a panicked city".

END

Sudan: "300,000 fled in 72 hrs with little to survive on. Most in makeshift shelters with no food. We're giving relief items tomorrow in Sennar & Gedaref. But we've little left. This is catastrophic". -Will Carter, NRC

UN is saying up to 300,000 people have left Gezira state since the RSF advance began on Friday, mostly to states that are already full to capacity.

300,000 people fled in 72 hours.
There's so little for them to survive on; most live in makeshift shelters with no food.
We're finishing needs assessments & starting distributions of relief items tomorrow in Sennar, then Gedaref. But we've little left.

This is catastrophic. https://t.co/CsM2cikhQ9 pic.twitter.com/CR3kRgmEd3

— William Carter (@WillCarter_NRC) December 18, 2023

END

Sudan: Statement by Will Carter, country director of NRC in Sudan, on ongoing attack in Al Jazirah State

THE following post by NRC published today (Sun 17 Dec) at X was reposted at X by Jan Egeland @NRC_Egeland Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) @NRC_Norway @Flyktninghjelp. The post says: 

"Wad Madani has been a place of refuge for those displaced from Khartoum, including for humanitarian and medical evacuation efforts. Now the fighting is approaching, and heavy artillery and gunfire have been heard for three days. “A continuous flow of people, many of them who already ran for their lives just a few months ago, are now rushing towards already fragile neighbouring states. -Will Carter, Country Director, Norwegian Refugee Council in Sudan NRC” -Norwegian Refugee Council (@NRC_Norway) December 17, 2023"

The post attaches another post by NRC published today at X, it says:

"We are deeply concerned about the escalating conflict at the doors of Wad Madani in #Sudan, where 700,000 people live, including many who have sought refuge after fleeing Khartoum. Statement by @WillCarter_NRC"

Wad Madani has been a place of refuge for those displaced from Khartoum, including for humanitarian and medical evacuation efforts. Now the fighting is approaching, and heavy artillery and gunfire have been heard for three days. https://t.co/GFp9nxrXH2 pic.twitter.com/cTvbPqPlbs

— Norwegian Refugee Council (@NRC_Norway) December 17, 2023

Note, the post provides a link to a statement by Will Carter, country director of NRC in Sudan. The statement is copied in full here below.

Also, a post by @WillCarter_NRC today at X, says: 

"Civilians who fled Khartoum’s urban war zone are displaced again—it’s terrifying & traumatising. We’re doing our best to quickly respond to emergency needs: mobilised teams + sent remaining supplies to Sennar & Gedaref; supporting local responders expand the collective shelters. 11:36 AM · Dec 17, 2023"

_________________________

Statement from the website of Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Published Sunday, 17 Dec 2023 - here is a copy in full:

Statement on ongoing attack in Al Jazirah State, Sudan 

Statement by William Carter, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director of NRC in Sudan on ongoing attack in Al Jazirah State. 

“The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is deeply concerned about the escalating conflict at the doors of Wad Madani, the densely populated capital state of Al Jazirah, Sudan, where 700,000 people live, including 84,000 people who have sought refuge after fleeing Khartoum.  

“Wad Madani has been a place of refuge for those displaced from Khartoum, including for humanitarian and medical evacuation efforts. Now the fighting is approaching, and heavy artillery and gunfire have been heard for three days.  

“A continuous flow of people, many of them who already ran for their lives just a few months ago, are now rushing towards already heavily burdened and resource-depleted cities in neighbouring states. We are also extremely worried for highly vulnerable families in Wad Madani who have been crammed into displacement sites in schools for months and have nowhere to hide from violence, no means to escape and nowhere else to flee.  

"This is more than another city being attacked, it is one of Sudan’s few remaining sanctuaries that could be under fire.  

“We urgently call on all parties involved in the conflict to adhere to international humanitarian law, emphasizing that all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid and minimize the loss of civilian life and injuries, as well as damage to civilian objects. We also demand that all parties allow for the safe passage of individuals fleeing the conflict and the urgent delivery of lifesaving assistance.”    

Note to editors:  

 

* There are more than half a million people displaced within in Al Jazirah, including 145,000 people who are crammed in public buildings, such as schools.  

* At the time of writing, an estimated 15,000 people are now fleeing the city towards neighbouring states.  * About 1.9 million people are in crisis (IPC 3) and above levels of food insecurity in Al Jazirah state, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).   

* NRC is present in Wad Madani since June 2023, and supported more than 34,000 people in the city since the war.    

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:  

 

* NRC Sudan Advocacy Manager (currently in Nairobi), Mathilde Vu: mathilde.vu@nrc.no, WhatsApp +249 911 219 775  

* NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329  

Label: Sudan 

View original: https://www.nrc.no/news/2023/december/statement-on-ongoing-attack-in-al-jazirah-state-sudan/ 

END

Sudan: Majority of humanitarian NGO have *not* been issued new sudan visas since conflict began

"The denial of humanitarian assistance as a crime under international law"

A TWEET by William Carter @WillCarter_NRC
Father. Country Director #Sudan @NRC_Norway
Dated Sunday 18 June 2023; 2:50 pm - full copy:

majority of #humanitarian ngo have *not* been issued new #sudan visas in the two months since the #conflict began

about 100 visa applications are still pending from over 30 orgs

we've had a team of 20 on standby for over a month - we could've helped 200k #displaced people by now.  instead its far less, and will take longer - time which nobody can afford

its clear that humanitarian #access is impeded but unclear if its indecision or intention.  its not a capacity bottleneck - visas are issued for non-humanitarian efforts

regardless, ministries and federal authorities can and should easily unblock this

these unnecessary delays have huge, real-life consequence for the humanitarian response, for delivering #aid and services to millions who are suffering

un ga resolution 46/182 outlines that 'states whose populations are in need of humanitarian assistance are called upon to facilitate the work of these organisations in implementing humanitarian assistance' (para. 6), and that the un has a 'central and unique role to play' to 'ensure the prompt and smooth delivery of relief assistance' (para. 13) -- so the un in all its councils, assemblies, members, and agencies all need to fulfil their role too

this hasn't happened yet

i often reflect on this icrc article, which argues that the denial of humanitarian assistance is a crime under international law (https://icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/article/other/57jq32.htm…), and wonder why global, continental, and regional powers so easily tolerate such arbitrary impediments from the icrc's commentary of the geneva conventions, which form the core of international humanitarian #law and regulate the conduct of armed conflict, they outline that its not really up to the discretion of warring parties: 

"if the survival of the population is threatened and a humanitarian organization fulfilling the required conditions of impartiality and non-discrimination is able to remedy this situation, relief actions must take place (...) [a] refusal would be equivalent to a violation of the rule prohibiting the use of starvation as a method of combat"

there are positive signs of support and permission with many state-level authorities, embassy consular staff, and even the federal-level humanitarian aid commission is supportive of ngo visa issuance, but:

-not all high-level decision-makers are facilitating

-few stakeholders are confronting/resolving this

-ngos are operating, but quickly scaling is v difficult

-all sudanese civilians are suffering for it

View original: 

https://twitter.com/WillCarter_NRC/status/1670428651299405825

[Ends]

Sudan food markets burned in North & South Darfur

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Lately, I find myself double checking dates on news reports because the content is so similar to the start of Darfur war. 

At least this time the world can see verifiable and timely satellite imagery and detect truthful news from Darfur. 20 yrs ago it was like from another planet. No maps of Darfur were on the internet. Now we can see evildoings.

Starve Darfuris of food was a tactic used in Darfur war. Force them to flee from fire so they're traumatised and controlled by chaos, fear and anxiety. 

Report from dnyuz.com

By New York Times

Friday 21 April 2023

Large Food Market Burned in Darfur Camp, Satellite Images Show

A large market for food and other supplies serving a camp for displaced people was partly damaged during a fire on Wednesday, reflecting the dangerous toll recent fighting has taken on Sudan’s most vulnerable citizens. The extent of the destruction was evident in satellite imagery and social media videos analyzed by The New York Times, which found that the blaze destroyed or damaged approximately 18 acres of the market.

Over the past week, Sudan has been engulfed in violence as the Army and a paramilitary group, Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), vie for control of the country. Already, the Abu Shouk camp, located in El Fasher, the regional capital of North Darfur, was experiencing supply shortages.

According to Thomas Okedi, the area manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, the camp hadn’t received any aid in the week before the fire started. He blamed the current fighting and turmoil for the blaze, saying it started because of a stray bullet or looters igniting one of the shops, and then spread quickly through some of the makeshift structures.

A satellite image from Wednesday afternoon shows the fires still burning, with small shops on the eastern side of the market reduced to ash, and flames consuming other structures.

A video shared on social media shows the blaze, with a man taking the video saying: “May God help us. This market is completely destroyed.” Another video, taken a few hours later, shows the charred, smoking remains of shops and equipment.

“As of right now, Abu Shouk market is operating at very limited capacity,” Mr. Okedi said. “With the reduction of food supplies and the stopping of humanitarian aid, the situation is getting more dire.”

Many humanitarian groups have halted their operations because of the fighting, and there are growing concerns about how people will get access to food and water.

Fighting has been reported in El Fasher by Doctors Without Borders, which said that it had treated almost 300 wounded civilians, 44 of whom died from their injuries, in the city this week.

Nearly 900,000 internally displaced people lived in North Darfur before the current escalation of violence. The Abu Shouk camp alone is home to more than 100,000 people, according to Mr. Okedi. Some of them were displaced by a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s waged by the Sudanese Army and so-called Janjaweed militias. The R.S.F. grew out of the Janjaweed, and is now fighting its former ally, the Army.

Another food market, 100 miles south of El Fasher in the capital of South Darfur, Nyala, went up in flames on Sunday. Satellite imagery from April 20 shows the aftermath.

A few homes less than a mile from the market also burned down. Additionally, the satellite imagery shows signs of looting at various places in the city, and unidentified security forces, including tanks, positioned in a residential area.

At least 413 people have been killed and 3,551 others around the country have been wounded in the violence, the World Health Organization reported on Friday.

The post Large Food Market Burned in Darfur Camp, Satellite Images Show appeared first on New York Times.

View original: https://dnyuz.com/2023/04/21/large-food-market-burned-in-darfur-camp-satellite-images-show/