Sudan: Hundreds of missing people. Are you looking for a member of your family? Here's how to get help

Everyday terror in Khartoum, the hundreds of notices of missing people are just appalling “M. 14, went out to buy bread on the morning of May 17 and has never been seen since…” #Sudan pic.twitter.com/zEysOMDrvq

— Sarra Majdoub (@SarraMajd) May 27, 2023

Looking for a family member? Here's how to get help, call ICRC:

هل تبحث عن أحد أفراد عائلتك؟ إليكم طريقة الحصول على المساعدة #السودان pic.twitter.com/C5QNF0XXrQ

— ICRC Sudan (@ICRC_Sudan) May 7, 2023

[Ends] 

Gulf states are mapping Khartoum’s future

Article from Chatham House, UK

Written by MOHAMED EL AASSAR

Senior Journalist at BBC Monitoring’s Middle East and North Africa team

Dated 29 July 2019

Gulf states are mapping Khartoum’s future

Fate of power sharing deal in Sudan rests in the hands of wealthy donors

Photo:  Sudanese deputy head of the Transitional Military Council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo

Since Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese leader, was forced to step down in April by pro-democracy street protesters, the governing Transitional Military Council has received strong backing from the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Bashir and Saudi Arabia have a long and tangled history. For many years, the two were sworn enemies. But since 2014, Saudi Arabia has co-opted Bashir to remove him from Iran’s sphere of influence. Money flowed in and Saudi lobbying helped remove United States sanctions on Sudan. Iranian cultural, medical and military facilities were closed and diplomats expelled.

In 2015, Sudanese troops joined the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Similarly, the UAE wanted to ‘turn’ Bashir from his Islamist roots, and thus deprive its long-term enemy the Muslim Brotherhood of a safe haven in Khartoum.

All this changed earlier this year. As the street protests began to threaten Bashir’s grip on power, the Saudis and Emiratis started to look to a post-Bashir world.

Despite the Gulf monarchies’ known aversion to Arab uprisings, Saudi and UAE media were uncharacteristically upbeat in their coverage of Bashir’s overthrow – in many cases even appearing to support the protest movement.

This contrasted with Gulf rival Qatar’s Al Jazeera, which depicted the crisis as a conflict between military and civilian rule, and warned of a ‘coup’ against Bashir.

This didn’t help the Sudanese president, however. A past master at playing Gulf rivals off against each other, this time he had suddenly lost his touch.

After Bashir                                                                             

At the height of the protests he visited his long-time Qatari patron to ask for Doha’s money and backing. He returned empty-handed. For its part, the UAE reportedly refused to extend further support until he purged his administration of Islamists. Something he refused to do.

After the fall of Bashir, Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced a $3 billion aid package to meet Sudan’s most pressing needs. At about the same time, Sudanese media were gripped by the return of Major- General Taha Othman al-Hussein to Khartoum. Once Bashir’s chief of staff, he had fallen out with his former boss and turned up in Riyadh as a Saudi royal adviser.

He returned to Khartoum at the head of an Emirati delegation. It is widely believed that he was the architect of Sudan’s participation in the Yemen conflict, having overseen the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as part of his earlier role at the presidency.

As well as playing a much-feared security enforcement role in Sudan, the RSF also provides the main component of the Sudanese forces fighting in the Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Sudanese are posted at Yemen’s volatile border with Saudi, have fought in battles for control of Yemen’s west coast and provide security in cities in the coalition-controlled south.

The Yemeni rebels call them ‘mercenaries’ and ‘Janjaweed’ – the latter a reference to the RSF’s role in laying waste to Darfur in the early 2000s.

The Sudanese media don’t like them much either. They too refer to the forces as Janjaweed and accuse them of terrorizing civilians and carrying out ‘barbaric and brutal assaults’ against peaceful protesters.

Their leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is also known as Hemeti, is loathed by the opposition. Facebook groups have branded him ‘a devil’ and the RSF the ‘Rapist Savage Forces’.

A former camel trader turned military leader, he was described by the influential pro-opposition website Dabanga as a man who has ‘never entered a military college, even for a single day, never trained or attended any military course, and never achieved any academic or any military awards’.

When Hemeti recently boasted about the large Sudanese contingent in the coalition in Yemen, another opposition website questioned why the lives of 30,000 Sudanese were being put at risk in a war in which Sudan has neither ‘a camel nor a mule at stake’. A column in the privately owned Sudanese newspaper Al-Jaridah said the Sudanese military ‘do not represent us and are not authorized to speak in our name when they say that Sudanese soldiers will remain in Yemen’.

Hemeti’s central role in the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the violent dispersal of protests have not helped improve the military’s popularity. In April, videos circulated on social media depicted the Sudanese army ‘protecting’ the demonstrators outside military headquarters in Khartoum. Now the media make little reference to Sudan’s armed forces.

Saudi changes tack                                                              

As negotiations between the opposition and the military leaders stalled, the Saudis shifted tactics.

Their media prominently featured veteran Sudanese opposition figure Sadiq al-Mahdi, who was calling for compromise between the opposition and the military.

Saudi-owned, Dubai-based Al Arabiya TV tried to present itself as an objective observer. It gave equal air time to opposition and pro-TMC voices and regularly hosted representatives of the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that had spearheaded the protests.

To their credit, Al Arabiya’s Sudanese reporters regularly reframe loaded questions by anchors and question TMC accusations against the protest movement in their live two-ways.

In July, the military and the opposition finally signed an agreement on a joint sovereign council that will rule during a transitional period.

Whether or not this compromise deal holds, Sudan’s future will continue to be heavily influenced by Gulf rivalries – backed by huge amounts of Gulf cash.

AUTHOR: Mohamed El Aassar is a Senior Journalist at BBC Monitoring’s Middle East and North Africa team

SOURCE: https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/twt/gulf-states-are-mapping-khartoum-s-future

Analysis: Sudan's Constitutional Charter (Eric Reeves)

HERE is a copy of a tweet by Sudan researcher Prof Eric Reeves @sudanreeves entitled "The Constitutional Charter and the Future of Sudan” (a preliminary assessment of what has and has not been achieved, and the challenges ahead) dated Wednesday 07 August 2019. The analysis was published in full on the same date by Radio Dabanga online at https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/op-ed-the-constitutional-charter-and-the-future-of-sudan 

"The Constitutional Charter and the Future of Sudan,” Eric Reeves in Radio Dabanga, August 7, 2019 (a preliminary assessment of what has and has not been achieved, and the challenges ahead)https://t.co/C28otGjD55 pic.twitter.com/jziUlGVrvw

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) 7 August 2019

To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/sudanreeves/status/1159206392940650501

Eid in Sudan: 9 killed, several injured after RSF launched assault on Shangal Toubaya, North Darfur

HERE is a copy of a tweet by Samir R. Osman @samir_r_osman timestamped 4:11am and 12:11 11 Aug 2019 saying “Nine killed and several injured, on the first day of Eid-al-adha, after Janjaweed (RSF) launched an assault on ٍShangal Toubaya Village in the state of North Darfur, Western Sudan.”

Nine killed and several injured, on the first day of Eid-al-adha, after Janjaweed (RSF) launched an assault on ٍShangal Toubaya Village in the state of North Darfur, Western Sudan.#SudanUprising https://t.co/zwDmMuzDq5

— Samir R. Osman 🇸🇩 #HandsOffSudan (@samir_r_osman) 11 August 2019

To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/samir_r_osman/status/1160509039996014598

#SudanUprising

Hat tip and thanks to: Yousra Elbagir @YousraElbagir https://twitter.com/YousraElbagir/status/1160521724473106433

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 1 - Sun 11 Aug 2019 14:42 GMT UK

9 killed (some say 12-unconfirmed) & many injured in what some say is an RSF attack, and what others say is conflict between some shepherds and the citizens in Nevasha camp in Shangel Tobai-West Darfur. The camp is now under siege by an armed force.  

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/RamadanSudan/status/1160490028344197122

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 2 - Sun 11 Aug 2019 15:44 GMT UK

Reports coming out of the region are saying "janjaweed" launched the attack.  A name historically given to armed militias, including the rebranded RSF. Sources unable to confirm if the attackers are RSF or armed herders. 

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/YousraElbagir/status/1160552733725876231

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 3 - Sun 11 Aug 2019 19:26 PM GMT UK

The news below was tweeted in Arabic by باهي سطيح @IsSudanNewDubai at 10:34 am on 11 Aug 2019. So, I used Google translator for an English version. The translation gives a picture of what happened. To view the Arabic tweet click here: https://twitter.com/IsSudanNewDubai/status/1160605352846614528 

Facts in the details of this incident:

An armed group of shepherds killed three farmers and wounded another displaced people west of Shangel Toby, North Darfur, 60 km southeast of Al-Fashir.

The shepherds entered their livestock farms in Shangel Tubai, and human rights activist Haitham Silva told Page News, a resident of the area, that the shepherds had been killed.

Three farmers injured, another injured during skirmishes to remove livestock from farms

The rescue tracked down the perpetrators until their logic reached their point and the two sides gathered to fight, but the mayor of the area committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice. The relatives of the dead refused to bury the bodies until the state government and the regular forces were present and separated the two sides. [Ends]

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 4 - Mon 12 Aug 2019 12:55 GMT UK

Article by Radio Dabanga.org online

Dated Monday 12 August 12 2019 - SHANGIL TOBAYA

Herders shoot three farmers dead in North Darfur

Rizeigat camel herders in North Darfur (Albert González Farran/Unamid)

Three farmers were killed and another was wounded in a revenge attack by herdsmen in El Salam locality in North Darfur on Saturday. The farmers had removed the herders’ livestock from their farms.

“When a group of camels trespassed on farms in the neighbourhood of Dolma, 20km north of Shangil Tobaya, on Saturday morning, the farmers took the animals and handed them to the police of Shangil Tobaya,” a relative of one of the victims told Radio Dabanga.

“That evening, about 20 armed herdsmen on camels and four others on motorcycles arrived at the area, and immediately started shooting at the farmers present. Abdelrahman Saleh, Ahmed El Nur, and Ali Yahya died instantly. Adam Abdelshakour was wounded.”

The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) in North Darfur condemned the killing in a statement on Sunday.

The FFC members called on the acting state governor “to fully play your role in protecting unarmed civilians and agricultural land”. They proposed the establishment of a joint team of regular forces tasked with protecting farmers and people living in the area from such attacks. The herders should graze their livestock at pastures defined in the state maps.

The North Darfur activists also proposed the establishment of an independent committee to investigate the crimes committed by militant herders and other gunmen in the state in the past years.

The area of Shangil Tobaya (OCHA map of North Darfur)

View the original article here: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/herders-shoot-three-farmers-dead-in-north-darfur

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 5 - Mon 12 Aug 2019 13:26 GMT UK

Here is a copy of a tweet by Prof Eric Reeves @sudanreeves dated 14:06 11 Aug 2019: “This map indicates where violence in North #Darfur has been most concentrated over much of the past two years (Jan 2017 - March 2019). There has been especially intense violence just north of Shangil Tobaya, but much of North and Central Darfur have seen seen genocidal violence”

This map indicates where violence in North #Darfur has been most concentrated over much of the past two years (Jan 2017 - March 2019). There has been especially intense violence just north of Shangil Tobaya, but much of North and Central Darfur have seen seen genocidal violence: pic.twitter.com/XTbCuGd5u1

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) 11 August 2019

To visit the tweet click here: https://twitter.com/sudanreeves/status/1160538001598046209

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 6 - Mon 12 Aug 2019 13:50 GMT UK

Article from The National.ae

Written by Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Dated Monday 12 August 2019 11:06 AM

Clashes kill 3 civilians in Sudan's Darfur

Violence over grazing land, one of the causes of the war that erupted in 2003, had been rare in Darfur recently

Photo: Sudanese villagers walk in the war-torn town of Golo in the thickly forested mountainous area of Jebel Marra in central Darfur on June 19, 2017. AFP PHOTO/ASHRAF SHAZLY

Clashes over pasture between farmers and herders in Sudan's western region of Darfur killed three civilians on Sunday, a doctors' committee linked to the country's protest movement said.

"Three citizens were killed this morning in Shengel Tobay, in North Darfur state, and another was wounded," the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said.

Violence over grazing land, which was one of the root causes of a deadly war that erupted in 2003, has been relatively rare in Darfur recently.

The latest incident marred the first day of the Eid Al Adha and was Sudan's first since months of protests brought down longtime ruler Omar Al Bashir and created an opportunity for civilian rule.

Ethnic African rebels took up arms against Mr Al Bashir's regime, which they accused of marginalising the remote region, in the war that broke out more than 15 years ago.

Khartoum armed Arab pastoralists to quash the rebellion, leading to massacres that resulted in genocide charges against Mr Al Bashir and others in international courts.

While the fighting has subsided in Darfur, tension over pasture remains and those responsible for the war's darkest hours have not been brought to justice.

"The former regime fuelled the conflict and contributed to deepening the crisis by not helping to provide sustainable solutions, and not holding perpetrators accountable," the doctors committee said.

Mr Al Bashir was removed in April after 29 years in power and a temporary power-sharing agreement was reached a week ago by the country's generals and civilian protest leaders.

But the document that will serve as Sudan's de facto interim constitution does not mention the fate of Mr Al Bashir and others wanted by the International Criminal Court.

View original article here: https://www.thenational.ae/world/africa/clashes-kill-3-civilians-in-sudan-s-darfur-1.897180

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 7 - Mon 12 Aug 2019 14:07 GMT UK

Here is a copy of a tweet by Prof Eric Reeves @sudanreeves “Shangil Tobaya has been one of the most ravaged areas of North Darfur over the past several years (see monograph at https://wp.me/p45rOG-2qm ). It is clear that #Hemeti, the #RSF, and the #TMC have no desire or will to rein in ethnically-targeted murder, rape, and destruction: https://twitter.com/samir_r_osman/status/1160509039996014598 

Shangil Tobaya has been one of the most ravaged areas of North Darfur over the past several years (see monograph at | https://t.co/Wt2Fq7G4mf ). It is clear that #Hemeti, the #RSF, and the #TMC have no desire or will to rein in ethnically-targeted murder, rape, and destruction: https://t.co/y0jLcn7xep

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) 11 August 2019

To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/sudanreeves/status/1160534886501031936

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 8 - Tue 13 Aug 2019 11:39 GMT UK

Here is a copy of a tweet posted by Tariq Haleeb on his Twitter page @TariqHaleeb date stamped 3:10 am 12 Aug 2019:

1. Janjaweed were armed herders & still continue familial ties.

2. A simple armed shepard has enough ammunition for defence only.

3. To launch and sustain an attack needs a lot of ammunition which a simple shepard cannot buy.

1. Janjaweed were armed herders & still continue familial ties.
2. A simple armed shepard has enough ammunition for defence only.
3. To launch and sustain an attack needs a lot of ammunition which a simple shepard cannot buy.@ilovegofraan

— Tariq Haleeb (@TariqHaleeb) 12 August 2019

To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/TariqHaleeb/status/1160856157491257344

SUDAN WATCH UPDATE 9 - Fri 16 Aug 2019 14:02 GMT UK

Here is a copy of a 15 August 2019 tweet by Eric Reeves @sudanreeves

- with a great map (explanation here: http://sudanreeves.org/2019/06/28/unamid-withdrawal-and-international-abandonment-violence-in-darfur-2017-2019-a-statistical-analysis/) - showing violence in North Darfur, January 1, 2017 - March 2019 - saying, “The new TMC-appointed governor of North #Darfur lies just as shamelessly as his political predecessor. There has been no meaningful effort to bring marauding Arab militia forces or #Hemeti’s Rapid Support Forces under control; their ethnically-targeted violence is unrelenting:”

The new TMC-appointed governor of North #Darfur lies just as shamelessly as his political predecessor. There has been no meaningful effort to bring marauding Arab militia forces or #Hemeti’s Rapid Support Forces under control; their ethnically-targeted violence is unrelenting: pic.twitter.com/xeZ8VnVfuu

— Eric Reeves (@sudanreeves) 15 August 2019

To visit the above tweet click here: https://twitter.com/sudanreeves/status/1162040001460350977 

Further Reading

Film: MEET THE JANJAWEED - Hemedti is positioning himself as paramilitary ruler of Darfur (Alex de Waal)

Sudan Watch - Tuesday, August 13, 2019

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2019/08/film-meet-janjaweed-hemedti-is.html

Children of Darfur sing for peace

From Radio Dabanga, December 1, 2009:

(EL GENEINA) - As an expression of happiness, children in El-Geneina (West Darfur) sang for peace and chanted the slogan of Radio Dabanga on the eve of Eid Al Adha. In a mixed feeling interview with radio Dabanga children of Darfur wished that the war is over, that the peace returns to Darfur and that they can return to their homes and loved ones safely.