Irish EU ambassador to Sudan speaks of being attacked. Jordanian embassy in Khartoum ransacked

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The following report tells us Ambassador O'Hara was not the only diplomat to have such an experience as “very few” diplomatic premises were untouched. Also, a news report below says the Jordanian embassy in Khartoum was overrun and and sabotaged today.

Report from The Irish Times

By Vivienne Clarke

Dated Friday 12 May 2023; 15:15 - full copy:

Irish EU ambassador to Sudan speaks of relief at being unhurt after military ‘stormed’ home

Aidan O’Hara, who was interrogated and held at gunpoint, says he was not the only diplomat to have such an experience

Aidan O'Hara, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Sudan. Photograph: Aidan O'Hara/Twitter 

EU ambassador to Sudan Aidan O’Hara, who was assaulted after armed men in military fatigues “stormed” his home in Khartoum last month, has told of his relief that he was unhurt during the incident.

While the assault had been stressful, he told RTÉ Radio’s News at One, it had been more stressful hearing bombs explode and gunfire on the streets close to his home.

The good news, the Irishman added, was that although he had been interrogated and had been held at gunpoint, the incident lasted about 45 minutes. He was not the only diplomat to have such an experience as “very few” diplomatic premises were untouched.

Mr O’Hara was a long-serving diplomat in the Department of Foreign Affairs before he became an EU ambassador.

His experience of getting out of Sudan had been eventful with a bomb being dropped close to the convoy during the transfer by French military to the airbase from which they were evacuated. “This was obviously a consular operation, but it was also a military operation. And I think it had to be conducted in very strict terms.”

Until the outbreak of hostilities, Mr O’Hara had been conducting talks with the military and civilian authorities in an effort to keep the civilian process on track, he said. “And then everything came apart on the morning of April 15th.

“My memory of that morning was not that unusual because there are so many armed groups in Khartoum you sometimes hear volleys of gunfire. But on April 15th, it was a Friday and gunfire was quite close to the house, followed by explosions, followed by a lot of black smoke.

“That was the first time there was quite a clear signal that everything had changed. The important thing for me afterwards is that I’m fine and I was unhurt. And it wasn’t a pleasant experience, obviously. But what I think was it was not the most dreadful thing that happened to me, and it was a week to 10 days during the conflict while I was present, I think like everybody else in Khartoum, and elsewhere and in Sudan, what was more stressful was being at home with bombs falling and gunfire on the streets.

“I think I consider myself very fortunate now to be out of Khartoum and still trying to work on the political process and to get the civilian rhythm back on track. But I’m very relieved that I was unhurt. And if I can just say a very big thank you to so many people who reached out to a variety of means to see whether I was okay and to inquire about my welfare and to give me support. And I think of my colleagues in the External Action Service, my colleagues in the Department of Foreign affairs and the Tánaiste too.

“But so many friends and so many people who I’ve met at some point in the past, even going back to my school days, who somehow managed to find me. And I am very grateful for that. I’ve tried to reply to some people, but there are now so many. It’s been quite overwhelming and I don’t know if I’ll get to reply to everybody in person. So this is a very welcome opportunity to say thank you to people, even though I haven’t been in touch with them”.

Mr O’Hara said he hoped to get back to Khartoum at the earliest opportunity.

View original: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2023/05/12/irish-eu-ambassador-to-sudan-speaks-of-relief-at-being-unhurt-after-military-stormed-home/

_________________________________

Report from The National

Agencies contributed to this report

Dated Monday 15 May 2023 - excerpt:

Jordanian embassy in Khartoum ransacked as Sudan fighting rages

The Jordanian embassy in Khartoum was “overrun and sabotaged” on Monday, the kingdom's foreign ministry said, as the Sudanese army conducted air raids against Rapid Support Forces targets in the capital.

No Jordanian diplomats were harmed as none were there, with Jordan having moved staff to the nearby city of Port Sudan weeks ago.

An official from the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates told state television that the “Jordanian diplomatic mission in Sudan is all right”.

“The embassy's building in Khartoum was overrun and sabotaged,” an official Jordanian statement said, without naming the perpetrators.

“The foreign ministry condemns the assault, and all forms of sabotage and violence, especially those targeting diplomatic missions.”

Read full story: https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/05/15/jordanian-embassy-in-khartoum-ransacked-as-sudan-fighting-rages/

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Sudan: Worshippers hurt in Khartoum church attack

Report from The Barron's Daily

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Dated Sunday 14 May 2023 - full copy:

Worshippers Hurt In Sudan Church Attack, Combatants Say

Christian worshippers were attacked in a Khartoum-area Coptic church during mass on Sunday, both warring sides claimed, blaming each other for the attack.

The Sudanese military, under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said in a statement that paramilitary forces "fired bullets at Christian worshippers" at the Mar Girgis (St George) Church in Omdurman, the capital's twin city.

Burhan's forces have been fighting since April 15 with his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the heavily armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The RSF blamed the army for the attack, which "caused serious injuries among worshippers", it said in a statement which condemned "misleading campaigns targeting our forces".

Fighting has disrupted Sudan's communication links, and Mar Girgis church could not be reached for comment.

The warring generals have traded heavy gunfire, air strikes and anti-aircraft fire in densely-populated Khartoum and other parts of Sudan since they fell out in a power struggle.

Hundreds of people have been killed, thousands wounded and nearly a million displaced by the fighting.

Representatives of both generals, meeting in Saudi Arabia, had pledged on Thursday to honour international humanitarian law.

The agreement brokered by Saudi and US mediators does not amount to a truce but provides for the safe passage of urgent humanitarian aid and commits to the protection of civilians in the fighting.

Sudan's Christians suffered decades of persecution under Islamist general Omar al-Bashir's regime, several high-ranking officials of which returned to power following a coup by Burhan and Daglo in 2021.

Their putsch derailed a transition to democracy after the fall of Bashir in 2019.

Government figures say Christians represent only three percent of Sudan's population, although Christian leaders say the real figure is much higher. bur/it

The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the content above. This story was produced by AFP. For more information go to AFP.com. © Agence France-Presse

View source: https://www.barrons.com/news/worshippers-hurt-in-sudan-church-attack-combatants-say-c8b018ea

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Sudan's govt allocates 3 airports for humanitarian aid

THE Sudanese government announced Friday (12 May] that it had allocated three airports to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid.

The airports in Port Sudan and Wadi Seidna, as well as Khartoum International Airport, will serve as entry points for humanitarian aid after maintenance, said the Council of Ministers, the cabinet, in a statement. 

Read more in report from BigNewsNetwork.com

By Xinhua (China View Daily) 

Dated Saturday 13 May 2023, 18:30 GMT+1 - full copy:

Sudanese gov't allocates 3 airports for humanitarian aid

© Provided by Xinhua

KHARTOUM, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government announced Friday that it had allocated three airports to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid.

The airports in Port Sudan and Wadi Seidna, as well as Khartoum International Airport, will serve as entry points for humanitarian aid after maintenance, said the Council of Ministers, the cabinet, in a statement.

The cabinet called on all national and foreign voluntary organizations and relevant authorities to coordinate with a special committee it formed to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to all affected citizens.

Khartoum International Airport, Sudan's main airport, went out of service after being bombarded during clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The decision to allocate airports is part of efforts to implement a commitment to protect civilians, signed by the Sudanese Army and the RSF in the Saudi port city of Jeddah on Thursday following the start of peace talks on May 6.

In the declaration, the conflicting parties vow to "achieve a short-term ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services."

International organizations and authorities have welcomed the deal to protect civilians.

"While humanitarian workers, most notably local partners, have continued to deliver in very difficult circumstances, the secretary-general hopes this declaration will ensure that the relief operation can scale up swiftly and safely to meet the needs of millions of people in Sudan," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN chief reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and expanded discussions to achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, the spokesman said.

The United Nations would spare no effort to assist in the declaration's implementation and will continue to deliver humanitarian aid, ceasefire or not, he added.

Meanwhile, Libya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the declaration "represents a courageous step by both sides of the crisis to commit to protecting civilians in Sudan."

The ministry reaffirmed Libya's keenness to restore stability in Sudan and to encourage the Sudanese Army and the RSF to abide by their commitments in the declaration.

It also called for reinforcing the agreement between the Sudanese rivals by additional measures, "especially in the path of responding to urgent humanitarian needs."

© Provided by Xinhua

More than 164,000 people have sought refuge across borders since the outbreak of the military conflict in Sudan on April 15, showed the UN Refugee Agency. The International Organization for Migration estimates some 736,000 people have been internally displaced within Sudan since the start of the conflict. Almost 3.8 million people were displaced within Sudan before the outbreak of violence.

According to the United Nations, about 15.8 million Sudanese, or one-third of Sudan's population, will need humanitarian aid in 2023, and the figure is likely to increase.

The deadly clashes have left at least 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded, according to the figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry in early May.

View original: https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/273830211/sudanese-govt-allocates-3-airports-for-humanitarian-aid

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South Sudan: Cabinet approves SSP3.67billion for deployment of unified forces in the country

Report from Radio Tamazuj

Dated Sunday 14 May 2023 - full copy:

Cabinet approves SSP3.67billion for deployment of unified forces

Necessary Unified Forces graduate in Unity State on 14 January 2023. [Photo: Radio Tamazuj]

(JUBA) - South Sudan’s Council of Ministers on Friday approved 3.6 billion South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) for the deployment of the Necessary Unified Forces in the country.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Information Minister Michael Makuei said the Minister for Peacebuilding Stephen Par Kuol presented a budget of SSP3,671,588,100 to the cabinet for buying food and other arrangements for the deployment of the unified forces in Phase One.

Makuei, who is also the government spokesman, said that after listening to the budget presented by the peacebuilding minister, the proposal was referred to the Ministry of Finance for inclusion in the 2023/2024 proposed fiscal year budget.

“So this budget, after a thorough deliberation it, was passed, and the part of the budget which is in phase two was passed to the minister of finance for inclusion in the budget, which is under process, so the cabinet passed a sum of 3,671,588,100 SSP. This is the budget which is allocated for the current forces who were already graduated and are still in the training centres. This is the money that will be used for their deployment and all the other necessary arrangement so that the centres are emptied and phase two of the plan can start,” Makuei explained.

In August 2022, South Sudan graduated its first group of unified armed forces from former rival groups as per the 2018 peace agreement. The goal is to graduate 83,000.

Apart from logistical matters, a disagreement among the peace parties over the middle command structure is also delaying the deployment of the unified forces.

President Salva Kiir, First Vice President Riek Machar and other political leaders have been slowly implementing a peace deal signed in 2018 to end five years of civil war. The parties to the agreement further delayed the transition period leading to the country’s first elections until December 2024.

The first batch of the unified forces graduated without firearms, with the government blaming the arms embargo on South Sudan imposed by the United Nations Security Council. They carried wooden guns instead.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/cabinet-approves-ssp3-67billion-for-deployment-of-unified-forces

[Ends]

Sudan: SAF's Burhan freezes bank accounts of Hemeti's RSF group and sacks central bank governor

Report from Middle East Eye

By MEE staff

Dated Sunday 14 May 2023 20:56 BST - excerpts:

Sudan crisis: Burhan freezes bank accounts of Hemeti's RSF group

As peace talks falter, General Abdel Fattah Burhan issues decision to freeze bank accounts of Hemeti's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary and its affiliated companies

Sudan's military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decision to freeze the bank accounts of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group and its affiliated companies, his office said in a statement on Sunday. […]

 

Meanwhile, General Burhan also sacked central bank governor Hussain Yahia Jankol.

Borai El Siddiq, who is one of Jankol's deputies, has replaced the outgoing governor, Burhan's office said in a statement on Sunday.

The reason for Jankol's sacking was not immediately clear. 

Brokering a ceasefire

Earlier this week, a “declaration of commitment” was signed in Jeddah by Sudan's warring factions, following nearly a week of talks mediated by hosts Saudi Arabia and the United States. 

The declaration, however, was not a ceasefire and the RSF resumed attacks on Khartoum days later, with air strikes and artillery rounds pummelling the capital.

Talks are due to resume in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, with Saudi Arabia and the US working towards brokering a permanent ceasefire, as none of the six humanitarian ceasefires announced by the two mediators during the course of the conflict have held so far. […]

View original: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-crisis-burhan-freezes-bank-accounts-hemetis-rsf-group 

[Ends]

Darfur in need of urgent humanitarian assistance amid Sudan conflict, says human rights monitor

Report from The Irish Times

By Sally Hayden

Dated Sunday 14 May 2023 - 19:14 - full copy:

Darfur in need of urgent humanitarian assistance amid Sudan conflict, says human rights monitor

Region in south and southwest of country has been site of recurrent violence since 2003

People walk among scattered objects in the market of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, as fighting continues in Sudan between the forces of two rival generals, on April 29th. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images

Activists and aid groups are asking for attention to be turned towards Darfur, as fighting continues in Sudan.

Since the conflict between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group began on April 15th, much international focus has been on the situation in capital city Khartoum.

Darfur, a region in south and southwest Sudan, which is home to around 10 million people, has been the site of recurrent violence since 2003. In 2020, a long-running peacekeeping mission ended there.

Ahmed Gouja, a local journalist and human rights monitor, said clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese army have been heavy in every state in Darfur apart from the east. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, he said.

“We have experienced many, many, many terrible situations,” said Mr Gouja, speaking to The Irish Times through WhatsApp messages. “Militias have been taking everything, looting, killing and burning. They have destroyed public service places like the headquarters of the financial ministry as well as universities, many hospitals.”

A ceasefire committee set up by religious leaders had some success stopping violence in certain areas, he said.

But new RSF checkpoints have seen fighters “abusing and violating civilians by punishing them, beating them and investigating them,” he said.

Darfur was already home to camps of people who were already displaced before this conflict, and are getting no humanitarian assistance at the moment, Mr Gouja said. “They have lost everything during the 2003 war. Right now in [internally displaced person] camps there is the biggest need. They have nothing.”

“The most important challenge is for the children,” he added.

The rainy season will exacerbate the problems, Mr Gouja predicted, bringing in the risk of cholera and other diseases. “Right now what we need is humanitarian support. Our health system has been destroyed by the war.” He also said there’s a need for emergency food distributions.

“We are talking about the entire Darfur population ... Food, water, healthcare, these are the basic needs ... If they do not respond soon, a disaster is going to be happening.”

Mohamed Osman, Sudan researcher for Human Rights Watch, said there have been a lot of “vulnerabilities” in Darfur since 2019, including “so-called intercommunal violence”, along with a high level of mobilisation and the targeting of displaced people by armed militias and the RSF.

He said the priority now should be “civilian protection, humanitarian assistance and accountability”.

In a testimony sent to The Irish Times, Fleur Pialoux, the outgoing Médecins Sans Frontières project co-ordinator for El Geneina city in West Darfur, said fighting started there on April 24th. “Armed groups started targeting key locations inside the city. In the following days, fighting broke out in most neighbourhoods. Looting of the market, hospital, pharmacies and cars became the daily norm,” she said.

“From our windows we saw the smoke as sites that had been hosting more than 100,000 displaced people were burnt to the ground. Across the city, people were left without power and water for days. Mobile networks were down. Banks were closed and unable to process payments, leaving many people with no access to money for essentials like food, fuel or medicine. Hundreds of people were wounded or killed, but virtually no health facilities were able to function.”

MSF was supporting a hospital in the city, which shut after the fighting began, and was looted on May 12th.

“Since the current conflict began, patients have been unable to access medical care due to fear of violence both outside and within medical structures. Additionally, patients fear being targeted based on their ethnicity or affiliation,” said Ms Pialoux.

Sally Hayden, a contributor to The Irish Times, reports on Africa

View original: https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2023/05/14/darfur-in-need-of-urgent-humanitarian-assistance-amid-sudan-conflict-says-human-rights-monitor/

[Ends]

ICRC: Qatar sends medical aid from Doha to Sudan

Report from Qatar Tribune

Dated Saturday 13 May 2023 - full copy:

Qatari plane carrying medical aid provided by ICRC arrives in Port Sudan

QNA

A Qatari aircraft carrying 15 tons of medical aid provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived at Port Sudan Airport in the sisterly Republic of the Sudan on Saturday [13 May].

The ICRC thanked Qatar for facilitating the transportation of this shipment as well as for its generous support in completing its humanitarian tasks.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that 271 persons holding Qatari residency were evacuated from the sisterly Republic of the Sudan after a fourth Qatari plane took off from Port Sudan Airport, bringing the total of those evacuated to 579 residents.

Qatar had evacuated earlier Qatari citizens present in Sudan, as well as 308 persons holding Qatari residency.

The ministry reiterated the keenness of Qatar on security and stability in the Republic of the Sudan.

View original: https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/64285/latest-news/qatari-plane-carrying-medical-aid-provided-by-icrc-arrives-in-port-sudan

[Ends]

Sudan extends Sudanese airspace closure to May 23

Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that “humanitarian aid and evacuation flights” would be exempted as long as they obtain a permit from relevant authorities. Read more.

Report from Radio Tamazuj

Dated Saturday 13 May 2023 - full copy:

Sudan extends airspace closure

Sudan has extended the closure of Sudanese airspace until May 23 amid continued fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement that “humanitarian aid and evacuation flights” would be exempted as long as they obtain a permit from relevant authorities.

Sudanese airspace was closed to regular traffic after a military conflict erupted between the country’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April.

Video clips circulating online showed the damage to the Khartoum Airport due to the heavy fighting.

The conflict that broke out a month ago has killed hundreds of people, sent more than 200,000 into neighbouring states, displaced another 700,000 inside the country.

The two sides have battled through previous truces and have shown no sign of being willing to compromise.

Representatives of both generals have been in the Saudi city of Jeddah for a week, for talks intended “to protect Sudan from any escalation that will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.”

Representatives of the warring parties will resume talks on Sunday on how to implement plans to deliver humanitarian aid and remove troops from civilian areas.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/sudan-extends-airspace-closure 

[Ends]

_______________________________________________________

SW UPDATE 1 hour later: this report by Reuters says Sudanese airspace to remain closed until May 31.

Report from Alarabiya.net

By Reuters

Dated: 13 May 2023: 07:37 PM GST; 07:51 PM GST - full copy:

Sudanese airspace to remain closed to all traffic until May 31

Sudanese airspace will remain closed to all traffic until May 31, the country’s civil aviation authority said.

The authority said in a statement that “humanitarian aid and evacuation flights” would be exempted as long as they obtain a permit from relevant authorities.

Sudanese airspace was closed to regular traffic after a military conflict erupted between the country’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April.

In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, on Thursday, April 27, 2023, British Nationals board an RAF aircraft for evacuation of civilians to Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus, at Wadi Seidna military airport, 22 kilometers (14 mi) north of Khartoum, Sudan. (AP)

View source:  https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/05/13/Sudanese-airspace-to-remain-closed-to-all-traffic-until-May-31

[Ends]

VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT: Declaration of Commitment made to allow humanitarian access to Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I made this transcript of the video below.



Transcript of a video posted at YouTube 13 May 2023:

Declaration of Commitment made to allow humanitarian access to Sudan

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
Caption: JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia
In the absence of a ceasefire the United Nations has been pressing parties to agree to a set of humanitarian principles that would allow for sid to flow to the millions living on the edge even before the latest fighting erupted.

VOICE Stéphane Dujarric, UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson:
The Secretary-General welcomes the signing by the parties to the conflict in Sudan of the Declaration of Commitment to protect civilians and guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian aid in the country while humanitarian workers most notably are local Sudanese partners have continued to deliver in very very difficult circumstances. The Secretary General hopes that this declaration will ensure that the relief operations can scale up swiftly and safely to meet the needs of millions of people in Sudan. He reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire and expanded discussions to achieve the permanent cessation of hostilities. The U.N will spare no efforts to assist in the declaration's implementation and will continue to deliver humanitarian aid, ceasefire or not.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT
- respect for international law
- refrain from civilian harm
- allow for unimpeded humanitarian passage
- observing regular humanitarian pauses

The detailed Declaration of Commitment includes pledges from both sides to respect International humanitarian and human rights law including distinguishing between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military targets to allow and facilitate an impeded passage of humanitarian relief and personnel and observing the implementation of regular humanitarian pauses as needed among other parameters Hoping to arrest violations by both military factions.

VOICE Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
I strongly condemn this wonton violence in which both sides have trampled International humanitarian law notably the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. The Sudanese military has launched attacks intensely occupied civilian areas including airstrikes.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
Last week one airstrike reportedly hit the vicinity of a hospital in the East Nile area of Khartoum killing several civilians. The RSF meanwhile has allegedly taken over numerous buildings in Khartoum to use as operational bases, evicting residents and launching attacks from densely inhabited urban areas.
More than 730,000 people have been internally displaced since the fighting between Sudan's armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces began almost a month ago while the UN has warned that in the absence of a truce more than 800,000 could flee the country.

VOICE Volker Perthes, UN Secretary-General Special Representative: Sudan:
This is the first time that we have a mutual, a mutual declaration on something which is not a ceasefire but a mutual signed declaration of the two warring parties on respecting International humanitarian law and international human rights law and some more concrete provisions like vacating hospitals and medical facilities which is good. And of course the aim is to have a ceasefire which is also mutually agreed which I hope would give more stability and more respect to a ceasefire than when it is only based on unilateral declarations.

VOICE SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation):
The United States which is co-hosting the talks in Saudi Arabia says they will now focus on reaching an agreement on an effective ceasefire of up to approximately 10 days to facilitate the humanitarian agreement. Referring to a step-by-step approach agreed by the parties, subsequent discussions will be focused on a permanent cessation of hostilities that has today been out of reach for the belligerents. The UN has been clear that any notion of a military victory for either side would be a miscalculation. -Sherwin Bryce-Pease, SABC News, New York.

View original at YouTube: https://youtu.be/fEkg9BsfzX0

[Ends]

U.S. Statement on the signing of a Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan

We are pleased to announce that representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces signed a Declaration of Commitment recognizing the obligation to facilitate humanitarian action to meet the emergency needs of civilians in Sudan. https://t.co/IocYT7RRr0

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) May 12, 2023

VIDEO: Opening Ceremony of the 15th Ordinary Session of the STC on Defense, Safety and Security

Streamed live by African Union Friday 12 May 2023. 

Description on YouTube:
To consider the draft AU Strategic Framework for Compliance and Accountability in PSOs, and the draft AU, reflect on the outcomes of the workshop on the reconceptualization of the ASF and provide an update on the AMANI Africa III Continental Maritime Exercise.

UN Human Rights Council votes on monitoring of rights abuses in Sudan: 18 Yes; 15 No; 14 Abstain.

🔴BREAKING

The @UN Human Rights Council decided that the mandate of the designated Expert on #Sudan should include detailed monitoring & documentation of all alleged human rights violations & abuses since 25 October 2021 including those arising directly from the current conflict pic.twitter.com/tFh2ezJhto

— UN Human Rights Council (@UN_HRC) May 11, 2023

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I watched this meeting while it was streamed live and was shocked by the poor attitudes and unprofessional behaviour (mainly by women) of most attendees. The audio was so low I could barely hear what some countries were saying. Camera panned in on a woman mindlessly chewing gum, oblivious to her surroundings, head down low while using her mobile phone. Many acted indifferent and bored like they didn't want to be there. The majority seemed too young and immature to appreciate what they were doing there or understand the magnitude of why they were there.

The live streamed audio was left on during breaks in the meeting that was held in tandem with the one on Sudan at the UN Security Council in New York along with an AU meeting on same day. Forgetting themselves and the cameras, groups chatted loudly and laughed like hyenas, women cackled loudly aloud, they all sounded like happy guests at an enjoyable wedding party. It was disgusting to see and hear.

South Africa's speech on why it was abstaining felt like a kick in the teeth and to crown it all not one African country voted for the detailed monitoring of human rights abuses in Sudan.

All attendees from what I saw (except Finland, a woman who gave a professional performance and heartfelt speech) should be sacked and have their expenses unpaid for bad performance. I can't imagine the cost of that meeting. Also, whoever was in charge of conveying audio translations onto the live stream should be investigated because it seemed apparent political games were in play. It felt like the onlookers and taxpayers footing the bill for humanitarian crises were treated as inconsequential fools. The Chairman was excellent, came across loud and clear. A translation of China's speech was whispered so low it was impossible to hear.

Not long after, news emerged of a war of words between the US and South Africa because South Africa is providing military equipment and weapons to Russia to help decimate Ukraine where unspeakable horrors are occurring.

From what I can gather, and I was shocked to learn of this now for the first time: South Africa has supported Russia ever since Russia supported South Africa during apartheid.

Note that some of the first African Union peacekeeping soldiers in Sudan at a most dangerous time in Darfur were from South Africa's excellent SANDF [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_National_Defence_Force ]. Now I'm wondering if that is why, after much arm twisting Sudan's President Bashir allowed peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur at that time.

I'm hopping mad at everything right now.

Photo source: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2023/05/12/goede-vrienden-arresteer-je-niet-toch-a4164533:You don't arrest good friends. Nevertheless? The debate in South Africa If Putin wants to go to the BRICS summit, South Africa must pick him up. But that's just not possible, says Africa editor Jamila Meischke.

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UN Rights Council votes to strengthen monitoring of abuses in Sudan

Report from IBT

By Nina LARSON, AFP

Dated Thursday 11 May 2023 AT 11:51 AM EDT - full copy:

UN Rights Council Votes To Strengthen Monitoring Of Abuses In Sudan

The UN Human Rights Council held a special session on the situation in Sudan AFP

The United Nations top rights body narrowly decided Thursday to beef up monitoring of abuses amid Sudan's spiralling conflict, despite vehement opposition from Khartoum.

The UN Human Rights Council's 47 members voted with 18 in favour, 15 opposed and 14 abstaining for a resolution calling for an end to the violence and strengthening the mandate of a UN expert on Sudan.

The resolution was adopted during a special council session, called following a request by Britain, Germany, Norway and the United States, and with the support of dozens of countries, to urgently address the violence that erupted in Sudan on April 15.

The tight vote came after Arab countries and others, including China, called for countries to oppose the resolution, maintaining it infringed upon Sudan's sovereignty, and African countries urged finding "African solutions to African problems".

But backers of the text insisted it was vital for the council to act swiftly.

"This is a really important day" British ambassador Simon Manley told AFP, hailing the council for its "vote for peace."

Nearly a month into Sudan's bloody conflict, civilians are still trying to flee, boarding evacuation planes with just a few belongings and leaving behind their homes, relatives and lives.

More than 750 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the fighting that began on April 15 between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The fighting has plunged "this much-suffering country into catastrophe", United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said at the start of the one-day session.

Decrying "the wanton violence", he called on "all states with influence in the region to encourage, by all possible means, the resolution of this crisis".

Thursday's council session in Geneva was called to urgently address a situation that everyone present agreed was dire.

But the mandate adopted was not very strong.

It called "for an immediate cessation of violence by all parties, without pre-conditions", but refrained from ordering any new investigation into abuses.

Instead, it ordered the existing Special Rapporteur on the rights situation in Sudan to provide "detailed monitoring and documentation of... all allegations of human rights violations and abuses since the 25 October 2021, including those arising directly from the current conflict", and to report his findings to the council.

Even with such a weak text, it barely squeaked past.

Sudan's ambassador Hassan Hamid Hassan vehemently opposed the special session and the resolution, insisting to the council that "what is happening in Sudan is an internal affair" and cautioning the session could distract from efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire.

Without Sudan's blessing, other African and Arab countries said they would not be able to support the resolution, while some other countries also expressed opposition.

"The international community should respect Sudan's sovereignty and ownership of internal affairs," China's ambassador Chen Xu said.

Critics also charged that there had been no need to rush to hold a special session when the rights council's next regular session is only weeks away.

But US ambassador Michele Taylor insisted that "the devastating human rights and humanitarian conflict in Sudan over the past four weeks is truly heart-wrenching."

"We needed to act with urgency because of the enormous gravity and suffering of the people of Sudan today."

View original: https://www.ibtimes.com/un-rights-council-votes-strenthen-monitoring-abuses-sudan-3692661

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Sudan’s war is on the brink of igniting a regional ring of fire - Preventing it requires the UN (Alex de Waal)

WATCHED LIVE STREAM of a special meeting on Sudan held at the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva today. What an eye opener. Sad to say, after watching it and reading of the one held by the UN Security Council today, I no longer believe the African Union is up to handling the Sudan crisis. The UN will be needed. More on this at a later date. Meanwhile, I couldn't let another minute pass without posting for posterity this urgent masterpiece by Prof Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation. 

Report from ResponsibleStatecraft.org

Written by Alex de Waal

Dated Wednesday 10 May 2023 - full copy:

The conflict in Sudan threatens to devolve into a regional maelstrom

Given the number of potential spoilers and intruders, the US and other peace brokers urgently need to bring in the United Nations

Sudan’s war is on the brink of igniting a regional ring of fire. That can be prevented — but it needs the United Nations to play its role.

At the weekend, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia convened talks in Jeddah on a short-term ceasefire to allow aid in and civilians out. That is a tough ask. But the American and Saudi diplomats face a second, equally difficult challenge: how to insulate the Sudan crisis from becoming ensnared in regional and global antagonisms.

No outside player wanted the war, and none want it to escalate — and that includes Russia and China. External powers, especially in the Middle East, may have their favorites to head the country, but none of them want to see their candidate ruling over ruins. With every passing day, the risk is rising that outside powers become entangled.

Egypt openly favors General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, head of the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF. Turkey and Qatar, both of which have close ties to Sudan’s Islamists, lean that way. The United Arab Emirates has ties to both generals, but has closer political and commercial ties with his rival, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as “Hemedti,” and his Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

The Arab League has followed the Egyptian position, identifying al-Burhan as representing the Sudanese state, implicitly labeling Hemedti as a rebel.

The Wagner Group has a partnership with the RSF, but the Kremlin also has interests in a Red Sea naval base and in SAF-controlled military businesses. China has investments in Sudan, especially in the oil sector, and sees the Red Sea as a strategic link in its Belt and Road Initiative — the waterway is its main maritime trade corridor to Europe.

The conflict poses a national security risk for Sudan’s neighbors. Egypt is struggling to cope with a mass influx of people that already tops 100,000. Privately they expect a million, including many dual Sudanese-Egyptian nationals. Saudi Arabia is receiving evacuees across the Red Sea. The Gulf monarchies all have Sudanese diaspora communities who will be bringing their extended families. They, and countries such as Turkey, have major investments in Sudan’s agriculture that face collapse.

The re-ignition of conflict in Darfur will ensnare Sudan’s western neighbors. One group to watch is the Arab militia of Musa Hilal, the Janjaweed commander defeated by Hemedti when the RSF took control of Darfur’s gold mines. Others are fighters loyal to Minni Minawi’s Sudan Liberation Army and Jibreel Ibrahim’s Justice and Equality Movement, both of which have stayed neutral thus far. But as the SAF tries to close the borders, attack the gold mines, and burn Hemedti’s home base, Darfur is likely to explode, with terrible humanitarian consequences.

Libya is already entangled. Khalifa Haftar, head of the so-called Libyan National Army — and another member of the Wagner group of friends — is already supplying Hemedti with logistics. RSF fighters and others with different allegiances back home have fought on different sides in Libya: some will return to join the fray, others may fight one another in Libya. All these groups are also armed and dangerous in Chad and Central African Republic. Chadian President Mahamat Deby knows that his father, and his father’s predecessor, both took power in invasions from Darfur, and that his opponents will be assessing their chances.

There is upwards of a million South Sudanese in Sudan — refugees, labor migrants, and residents who stayed after the 2011 secession. They have few attractive options as their home country is fragile. South Sudan is in the path of the storm as trade from the north is cut, oil exports through Sudan are imperiled, and militias on both sides of the two country’s common border become emboldened. South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir has offered to mediate, but has made no progress.

Sudan’s war also intersects with Ethiopia’s. In recent weeks, the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has switched horses — he has a new common front with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front against Amhara militias and Eritrea. The war zone is adjacent to Sudan, including the al-Fashaga Triangle — an area disputed between the two countries. There are 80,000 Tigrayan refugees inside Sudan in danger, and battalions of Tigrayan soldiers who had served with the UN and been given asylum there. Meanwhile, Egypt will be wondering if this might be a moment to disrupt the scheduled filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam during this summer’s rainy season, a step it fiercely objects to.

The only neighbor that sees potential benefits is Eritrea. The chaos is a chance for Eritrean security agents to roam freely, rounding up dissidents who will disappear into that country’s gulag and press-ganging refugees to replenish the depleted ranks of its army. And the more Eritrea’s neighbors are in turmoil, the more the Eritrean despot Isseyas Afewerki becomes the region’s military hegemon.

This regional tinderbox risks, first, that every neighbor will be involved, and, second, each will use its leverage to impede its rival’s. Any government that tries to step into the role of mediator will be seen by others as pursuing its interests, at the expense of others.

The U.S., China, and Russia share the basic agenda of stopping state collapse. But if Washington is visibly acting as the powerbroker, the other two will be tempted to play the spoiler.

On Thursday, President Biden issued an executive order authorizing sanctions against “individuals responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan” or who are obstructing the democratic transition or committing serious human rights abuses. This isn’t likely to frighten the Sudanese generals or their foreign backers, who are accomplished sanctions-busters. But it will rile China, Russia, and African states, who are united in their opposition to unilateral U.S. sanctions wherever they are deployed.

The U.S. appears to have given up on the UN. True, it’s weakly led, it abandoned Sudan in its hour of need, and making it work demands careful diplomatic footwork. But if a regional conflagration is to be avoided, all the potential spoilers need to be neutralized, and for that the UN is indispensable.

View original: 

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/05/10/the-conflict-in-sudan-threatens-to-devolve-into-a-regional-maelstrom/

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Alex de Waal [pictured here] is executive director of the World Peace Foundation, Research Professor at the Fletcher School of Global Affairs, Tufts University, and Professorial Fellow at the London School of Economics. He has worked on the Horn of Africa and on humanitarian issues since the 1980s as a researcher and practitioner. He initiated the UN Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa and was director of the AIDS, Security and Conflict Initiative and was a senior advisor to the African Union High Level Panel on Sudan and South Sudan. De Waal’s recent books include: The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, War and the Business of Power (Polity 2015), Mass Starvation: The history and future of famine (Polity 2018), and New Pandemics, Old Politics: 200 years of the war on disease and its alternatives (Polity 2021).