South Sudan: Measles outbreak in Unity State

Health authorities in Unity State have confirmed a measles outbreak in Rotriak payam of #Rubkona County, resulting in two fatalities and the identification of nine new cases. #SouthSudan https://t.co/ZtFe7otTxX pic.twitter.com/gM2yOvuVDN

— Radio Tamazuj (@RadioTamazuj) June 23, 2023

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NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor:

Here is information on measles copied from the website of the UK's National Health Service. Measles can spread to others easily. Stay off nursery, school, or work for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears. Also try to avoid close contact with babies, people who are pregnant and people with weakened immune systems. Measles is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin.

Measles

Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause serious problems in some people. Having the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent it.

Check if you or your child has measles

Measles usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later. Some people may also get small spots in their mouth.

Cold-like symptoms

The first symptoms of measles include:

a high temperature

a runny or blocked nose

sneezing

a cough

red, sore, watery eyes

Spots in the mouth

Credit: DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/259736/view

Small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips a few days later. These spots usually last a few days.

The measles rash

A rash usually appears a few days after the cold-like symptoms.

Credit: DR P. MARAZZI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/259737/view

The rash starts on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.

Credit: Mediscan / Alamy Stock Photo https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-measles-rash-52503125.html

The spots of the measles rash are sometimes raised and join together to form blotchy patches. They're not usually itchy.

Credit: phichet chaiyabin https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/measles-baby-408024505

Information:

The rash looks brown or red on white skin. It may be harder to see on brown and black skin.

If you're not sure it's measles

It's very unlikely to be measles if you've had both doses of the MMR vaccine or you've had measles before.

See other rashes in babies and children

Ask for an urgent medical advice or help if:

you think you or your child may have measles

you've been in close contact with someone who has measles and you've not had measles before or you've not had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine

you've been in close contact with someone who has measles and you're pregnant – measles can be serious in pregnancy

you have a weakened immune system and think you have measles or have been in close contact with someone with measles

Measles can spread to others easily. Call your medical centre before you go in. They may suggest talking over the phone.

How to look after yourself or your child

Measles usually starts to get better in about a week.

After seeing a medical professional, there are things you can do to help ease the symptoms and reduce the risk of spreading the infection.

It can help to:

rest and drink plenty fluids, such as water, to avoid dehydration

take paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve a high temperature – do not give aspirin to children under 16 years

use cotton wool soaked in warm water to gently remove any crusts from your or your child's eyes

Important

Stay off nursery, school, or work for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears.

Also try to avoid close contact with babies, people who are pregnant and people with weakened immune systems.

How to avoid spreading or catching measles

Measles is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. There are things you can do to reduce the risk of spreading or catching it.

Do

wash your hands often with soap and warm water

use tissues when you cough or sneeze

throw used tissues in the bin

Don’t

do not share cutlery, cups, towels, clothes, or bedding

Complications of measles

Measles can lead to serious problems if it spreads to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or brain.

Problems that can be caused by measles include:

• pneumonia
• meningitis
• blindness
• seizures (fits)

These problems are rare, but some people are more at risk. This includes babies and people with weakened immune systems.

Measles in pregnancy

If you get measles when you're pregnant, it could harm your baby.

It can cause:

• miscarriage or stillbirth
• premature birth (before the 37th week of pregnancy)
• your baby having a low birthweight

It's important to get medical advice if you're pregnant and have been in close contact with someone who has measles.

Immediate action required:

Call for medical help if:

You or your child has measles and:

• shortness of breath
• a high temperature that does not come down after taking paracetamol or ibuprofen
• confusion
• seizures (fits)

Get vaccinated against measles

The MMR vaccine can prevent measles. It also protects you from mumps and rubella. The MMR vaccine is offered to all children in the UK. 2 doses can give lifelong protection against measles, mumps, and rubella. Ask a medical professional if you're not sure you or your child have had the vaccine. Find out more about the MMR vaccine

Page last reviewed: 21 February 2022

View original: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/

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Sudan: 'Mainly girls' targeted in Khartoum sexual attacks. Doctors shaken by rape in Bahri & Khartoum

NOTE, writers aren't careful enough with words. This report uses "war" to describe the conflict in Sudan. Sudan's crisis and fighting is not a war. Yet. 

Also, sexual violence is reported as mainly females targeted. Males are too. To be fair, help and support for male victims should be included in news reports. It would help people to understand the horrors of sexual violence.

___________________________

Report at BBC News Live Reporting Sudan

Published Thursday 22 June 2023, 18:14 - here is a full copy:

'Mainly girls' targeted in Khartoum sexual attacks

The head of a unit combating sexual violence against women in Sudan has told the BBC's Sudan Lifeline radio that it is estimated that only 2% of cases are being recorded.

Soulima Ishaq said her team had registered 36 cases in the capital, Khartoum, since the conflict began in April.

“In Khartoum, different ages are targeted, ranging from 12 to 18. There are many stories that are too painful to be told. What hurts me most is the narratives related of the little girls - and of the mothers who suffer from sexual violence in front of their children,” she said.

The devastation of the war, being fought between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is hard for people in Khartoum to understand.

City resident Abul-kareem Zakariah told the BBC his house had been demolished last week and his family now live in a tent in a make-shift camp set up on a street in eastern Khartoum.

“My house was hit by a Sudanese army-affiliated drone. I do not know the reason of the airstrike as I do not belong to the RSF and members of the RSF do not dwell in my house," he said.

“We are now homeless, completely outdoors. My children do not have the simplest elements of life. This is unfair.”

More on Sudan's conflict:

Doctors shaken by rape in Bahri and Khartoum

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65845830

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Sudan: UN OHCHR calls for ‘urgent action’ to end attacks on people fleeing El Geneina, West Darfur

Report at UN News Centre - news.un.org
By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - ohchr.org
Published Saturday 24 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan: OHCHR calls for ‘urgent action’ to end militia attacks on people fleeing El Geneina

©UNHCR/Modesta Ndubi Violence between communities in West Darfur has forced many people to flee their homes around El Geneina town.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Saturday said it was gravely concerned at reports of “wanton killings” by “Arab” militia in Sudan’s West Darfur backed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), primarily targeting men from the Masalit community.

The explosion of ethnic violence in Darfur largely by nomadic “Arab” groups in alliance with the RSF who have been battling national army forces for control of the country since mid-April, has led tens of thousands to flee into neighbouring Chad.

‘Horrifying accounts’

In a statement, OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said interviews with people fleeing the decimated city of El Geneina have revealed “horrifying accounts” of people being killed on foot by the RSF-supported militia.

“All those interviewed also spoke of seeing dead bodies scattered along the road – and the stench of decomposition”, she said. “Several people spoke off seeing dozens of bodies in an area referred to as Shukri, around 10km from the border, where one or more of the Arab militias reportedly has a base.”

She said immediate action to halt the killings was essential.

“The High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on the RSF leadership to immediately, unequivocally condemn and stop the killing of people fleeing El-Geneina, and other violence and hate speech against them on the basis of their ethnicity. Those responsible for the killings and other violence must be held accountable.”

Safe passage

She added that people fleeing El Geneina must be guaranteed safe passage and humanitarian agencies allowed access to the area so they can collect the bodies of the dead.

“Out of 16 people we have so far been able to interview, 14 testified that they witnessed summary executions and the targeting of groups of civilians on the road between El-Geneina and the border – either the shooting at close range of people ordered to lie on the ground or the opening of fire into crowds.”

The civilian exodus from the city intensified following the killing of the state governor on 14 June just hours after he accused the RSF and militias of “genocide” – raising the spectre of the hundreds of thousands killed between 2003-2005 during a Government-orchestrated campaign of violence.

Ms. Shamdasani said the testimonies recounted killings that took place on 15 and 16 June, but also during the past week.

Deadly hate speech

“We understand the killings and other violence are continuing and being accompanied by persistent hate speech against the Masalit community, including calls to kill and expel them from Sudan.”

One 37-year-old told the UN that from his group of 30 people fleeing to the Chad border, only 17 made it across, the Spokesperson recounted.

“Some were killed after coming under fire from vehicles belonging to the RSF and ‘Arab’ militia near the Chad border, while others were summarily executed, he said. Those who survived had their phones and money looted from them by armed men shouting: ‘You are slaves, you are Nuba’”.

A 22-year-old woman gave similar accounts of killings. She told how one badly wounded young man had to be left on the ground: “We had to leave him because we had only one donkey with us".

“El Geneina has become uninhabitable”, said Ms. Shamdasani with essential infrastructure destroyed and movement of humanitarian aid to the city, blocked.

“We urge the immediate establishment of a humanitarian corridor between Chad and El-Geneina, and safe passage for civilians out of areas affected by the hostilities.”

View original: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1138072

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Sudan UN OHCHR: El-Geneina uninhabitable, infrastructure destroyed, aid continues to be blocked

Report at Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - ohchr.org
Published Saturday 24 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Comment by UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, raising alarm on killings of people fleeing El Geneina in West Darfur, Sudan

Interviews with people who have fled El-Geneina, West Darfur, into Adre in Chad have revealed horrifying accounts of armed “Arab” militia backed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killing people fleeing El Geneina on foot. Our UN Human Rights officers have heard multiple, corroborating accounts that “Arab” militia are primarily targeting male adults from the Masalit community. All those interviewed also spoke of seeing dead bodies scattered along the road – and the stench of decomposition. Several people spoke off seeing dozens of  bodies in an area referred to as Shukri, around 10km from the border, where one or more of the Arab militias reportedly has a base.

We are gravely concerned that such wanton killings are ongoing and urge immediate action to halt them. People fleeing El-Geneina must be guaranteed safe passage and humanitarian agencies allowed to access to the area to collect the remains of those killed.

Out of 16 people we have so far been able to interview, 14 testified that they witnessed  summary executions and the targeting of groups of civilians on the road between El-Geneina and the border – either the shooting at close range of people ordered to lie on the ground or the opening of fire into crowds. The testimonies recounted killings that took place on 15 and 16 June, but also in the past week. We understand the killings and other violence are continuing and being accompanied by persistent hate speech against the Masalit community, including calls to kill and expel them from Sudan.

One 37-year-old man said that from his group of 30 people fleeing to the Chad border, only 17 made it across. Some were killed after coming under fire from vehicles belonging to the RSF and “Arab” militia near the Chad border, while others were summarily executed, he said. Those who survived had their phones and money looted from them by armed men shouting: “You are slaves, you are Nuba”.

A 22-year-old woman gave similar accounts of killings. She told how one badly wounded young man had to be left on the ground, as they had no way of carrying him to safety across the border. “We had to leave him because we had only one donkey with us,” she said. It is difficult to estimate how many injured people may have been left to die in such circumstances.

Two interviewees testified separately that they, along with a group of people, were ordered by the RSF to leave El-Geneina. One said she was hit with sticks while being told to “get up and go to Chad – this is not your country.”

The High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on the RSF leadership to immediately, unequivocally condemn and stop the killing of people fleeing El-Geneina, and other violence and hate speech against them on the basis of their ethnicity. Those responsible for the killings and other violence must be held accountable.

El-Geneina has become uninhabitable. Essential infrastructure has been destroyed and movement of humanitarian aid to El-Geneina continues to be blocked. We urge the immediate establishment of a humanitarian corridor between Chad and El-Geneina, and safe passage for civilians out of areas affected by the hostilities. ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In Geneva
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org or
Jeremy Laurence +  +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org or
Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org

In Nairobi
Seif Magango - +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org

Tag and share

Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights

View original: https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/06/comment-un-human-rights-spokesperson-ravina-shamdasani-raising

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DBA urges members leave Geneina, W Darfur Sudan

Report at Darfur24.com
Published Sunday 18 June 2023, 8:08 pm - here is a full copy:

DBA urges its affiliates to leave El-geneina as security situation worsens

 

El-geneina, June 18 (Darfur 24) - The Darfur Bar Association DBA urged its members Sunday to evacuate El-geneina, the provincial capital of west Darfur state .

The Khartoum based association announced Saturday it had received information that its former Chief who resides in El-Geneina had been killed.

In a statement seen by Darfur 24, DBA said its former boss and founder in West Darfur was killed.

The association which advocates and defends human rights in the volatile region of Darfur, referred Sunday to a systematic targeting against community leaders in West Darfur state, mainly, family members and relatives of the Sultan, saying that Prince Badawi Masri, cousin of the Sultan of Masalit was assassinated Saturday as well as the Sultan’s cousin.

Darfur24 correspondent in El-Geneina said 3 mayors a number of doctors, including Dean of the faculty of medicine at El-geneina university were killed as well as three lawyers and many civil service employees in the city of El-geneina.

View original: https://www.darfur24.com/en/2023/06/18/dba-urges-its-affiliates-to-leave-el-geneina-as-security-situation-worsens/

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Job Vacancies at the International Criminal Court

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands: fighting impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression. ICC Twitter page in French: @CourPenaleInt.

Click here for latest job vacancies:

https://www.icc-cpi.int/jobs

Click here to search for career opportunities:

https://career5.successfactors.eu/career 

⚖️ Are you interested in working for justice?
Check the #ICC website for the latest job vacancies and find out how to apply ➡ https://t.co/QF5En8xl0A #WorkingforJustice #MoreJustWorld pic.twitter.com/6IPi1odNzG

— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) June 17, 2023

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Sudan: Corpses left lying around El Geneina, W Darfur

Report at BBC News Topics, Sudan

By BBC Verify

Published Friday 23 June 2023 at 16:33 - here is a full copy:

Evidence of dead bodies left lying around Sudanese city

BBC

Copyright: BBC

One video showed bodies lying in the middle of a street

Image caption: One video showed bodies lying in the middle of a street

The BBC has seen evidence supporting claims of bodies left lying out in the open after serious violence in the Darfur region of Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army. In Darfur, some Arab militia groups have supported the RSF.

We have verified two videos from one location in the city of El Geneina posted on Twitter earlier this month showing bodies lying on a road.

We were able to match buildings and objects in the videos to satellite images of El Geneina.

In one video, there is a mention of the local branch of the Bank of Khartoum, which we were also able to locate.

It’s not possible to say either when the videos were filmed or who did the filming.

But one appeared on Twitter around the same time the West Darfur governor Khamis Abakar was killed on 14 June. In this video, the person filming makes derogatory comments about non-Arabs living there.

The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) said this week that corpses remain on the streets, inside homes and in various public places.

Click here to view original. 

[Ends] 

Sudan: Army outnumbered on Khartoum's streets

Report at BBC News World Africa

Published Saturday 24 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan conflict: Army outnumbered on Khartoum's streets

IMAGE SOURCE, 

GETTY IMAGES

The Sudanese army's infantry battalions have hardly been present on the streets of Khartoum during the two months-long conflict that has raged in the country, leaving much of the capital under the control of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

This is despite the fact that the army is made up of about 200,000 soldiers, roughly twice the size of the RSF.

Yet the army is heavily outnumbered on the streets of Khartoum, as well as the two cities across the River Nile - Bahri and Omdurman.

RSF fighters were initially moving the three cities in their armed pick-up vehicles, but they now mostly do so in ordinary cars. 

Huge numbers of people have complained on social media about the RSF stealing their cars from their homes. The suspicion is that the RSF is using them to avoid being hit by air strikes.

With its airpower being its greatest strength, the military has been constantly carrying out strikes to weaken the RSF. Although they are believed to have killed hundreds of civilians, they have not prevented the paramilitaries from advancing in Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman.

In a serious blow to the army, RSF fighters carried out an assault earlier this month on al-Yarmouk, one of Sudan's biggest military complexes, where arms were manufactured and stored.

While a fire raged at the complex for days, the RSF declared that it had seized control of it, which was confirmed by local residents. The military, however, has not confirmed the loss of the complex. 

It launched a counter-offensive, but could only manage in briefly wresting control of a vitally important bridge that linked RSF fighters in Omdurman to those in Khartoum and Bahri.

The RSF is also in control of other key sites in and around the three cities, including:

• the main oil terminal, which the paramilitaries have turned into their base
• the state media's headquarters, giving the RSF control of its radio airwaves, although the army has managed to retain control of the TV station by broadcasting from elsewhere
• a large part of the presidential complex
• much of the international airport, which has been shut since the conflict started.

The headquarters of the spy agency was also said to have been occupied by the RSF early in the conflict, but it is unclear who is currently in control of it. 

The military is known to have held on to a few key places - the most important of which are its headquarters and the airbase in Wadi Saeedna, from where its fighter jets fly to hit the RSF.

Troops have dug long and deep trenches to prevent the paramilitaries from overrunning the two locations.

"Their attempt to attack us does not have any effect now. The shells they fire fall on trees, or are cold by the time they land on our side," an officer said.

History of racism

About two million residents, out of around 10 million, have fled the once-peaceful cities, abandoning their homes, shops and offices. Some of them have been shelled and bombed, others have been occupied and ransacked, with air-conditioners and furniture among the items carted away by the RSF.

For some, the failure of the infantry battalions to make significant battlefield gains is not surprising, as Sudan is not a democratic state with a well-trained professional army.

The army - like many other sectors of society - is still bedevilled by Sudan's history of racism, slavery and colonialism.

It dates back more than two centuries when Ottoman and Egyptian conquerors established an army of slaves.

Recruitment from mostly poor black African communities continued under British rule, and has remained so throughout the post-independence era. Some of the soldiers are, in fact, descendants of slaves.

Under the three decades-long rule of ex-President Omar al-Bashir, black Africans were rarely accepted in Sudan's military college, with applicants required to mention their ethnic groups.

As a result, only a few have risen to senior ranks, with the army largely under the control of generals from the Arab and Nubian elites bordering Egypt.

IMAGE SOURCE, 

GETTY IMAGES

Image caption, 

Both residential and commercial areas have been devastated by the fighting

Soldiers earn a mere $11 (£8.5) to $16 a month, in contrast with the generals who have enriched themselves by setting up companies and factories that have given them control of 80% of the economy, according to Sudan's short-lived civilian Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok.

Because of their low pay, some soldiers even joined the RSF to fight - at one point, as part of the Saudi-Emirati coalition in Yemen, in exchange for vast sums of cash.

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan "Hemedti" Dagalo became a big gold trader when his forces took over Sudan's most lucrative gold mines in 2017, and control of the border with Chad and Libya.

Sudan's army chief of staff did not like it - he wanted the money from the gold trade to go to strengthening the regular forces, but Bashir had confidence in the RSF, giving Hemedti the nickname "Himayti", meaning "My Protector".

Training camps were set up near Khartoum. Hundreds of Land Cruiser pick-up trucks were imported and fitted with machine guns.

With an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 men and more than 10,000 armed pick-up trucks, the RSF became Sudan's de facto infantry.

Arabs from Darfur form the backbone of the RSF. They appear to believe that it is now their turn to rule - especially after their pivotal role in helping the military fight the Darfuri rebels in the 2000s. 

One of the RSF's greatest strength lies in the fact that many of its "battalions" are made up of members of the same family or ethnic group, so they fight ferociously to protect each other.

In contrast, the defence minister has been forced to call for the mobilisation of retired officers and soldiers to beat back the RSF.

His appeal was met with derision by many Sudanese, who saw it as further proof of the army's weaknesses.

The reality is that Sudan's army, rather than fighting wars on its own, has long relied on militias. This is something it did in the decades-long civil war, which ended with South Sudan gaining independence in 2011, and more recently in Darfur, where Arab militias were accused of committing a genocide.

Now those militias - heavily armed by the military - have come back to haunt it, plunging Sudan into its latest crisis. 

Related Topics

Sudan

More on this story

Why an accountant has taken up arms in Darfur
Published 17 May 2023

What is going on in Sudan? A simple guide
Published 24 April 2023

How unsung heroes are keeping Sudanese alive
Published 21 April 2023

The two generals fighting over Sudan's future
Published 17 April 2023

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65962771

[Ends]

UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan & civilian protection. 85 groups reached 2.8M people

Note, this report describes the fighting in Sudan as war. It is conflict not war.

Report at ABC News - https://abcnews.go.com
By The Associated Press (AP)
Published Saturday 24 June 2023, 12:03 AM - here is a full copy:

UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan and protection of civilians

The U.N. Security Council is calling for a halt to fighting in Sudan and the protection of civilians

Smoke rises over Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, June 23, 2023. Clashes between warring factions resumed in Sudan's capital and a neighboring city after a three-day cease-fire expired (AP Photo) The Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council called Friday for a halt to fighting in Sudan and the protection of civilians.

The brief press statement followed closed consultations by the U.N.’s most powerful body.

The council also called for the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries, support for humanitarian workers, and respect for international humanitarian law.

Sudan descended into conflict in mid-April after months of worsening tensions exploded into open fighting between rival generals seeking to control the African nation. The war pits the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, against the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.

A three-day cease-fire brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia expired Wednesday morning and a protest group and residents said clashes resumed between the army and the paramilitary force in and around the capital, Khartoum.

The conflict has been centered largely in the capital and western Sudan’s Darfur region, which have seen ethnically motivated attacks on non-Arab communities by the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias, according to U.N. officials.

The fighting has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes to safer areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, according the U.N. migration agency.

The U.N. said Thursday that in the two months after the conflict began, some 85 humanitarian groups reached 2.8 million people across Sudan with vital assistance, including food, water, health services, education, sanitation, hygiene, non-food supplies and protection services.

"Partners are delivering medical supplies and providing support to health facilities that are still operating. Between 15 April and 15 June, 19 organizations reached more than 470,000 people," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

View original: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/security-council-calls-halt-fighting-sudan-protection-civilians-100346915

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UN Security Council Darfur Sudan meeting 23 June

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: The UN Security Council members are holding closed consultations on Sudan today. The UK, the penholder on Sudan, requested the meeting. Violence in Darfur will be a key focus of the meeting.

Incidentally, I saw or heard in a report or video former ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo recently saying something like this: 

“The international community is like a unicorn, everyone knows what a unicorn looks like but in reality it doesn’t exist.”

My point is, it would be refreshing to see Africans putting pressure on the African Union to excel and make Africa proud. The West is busy countering Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a very large country in eastern Europe. 

Read more. Beige highlighting is mine for easy future reference.

Report at What's In Blue - securitycouncilreport.org

Published Thursday 22 June 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan: Consultations

Tomorrow afternoon (23 June) Security Council members are expected to hold closed consultations on Sudan. It seems that the inter-communal violence in Darfur will be a key focus of the meeting. The UK, the penholder on Sudan, requested the meeting. Edem Wosornu, the Director of OCHA’s Operations and Advocacy Division, is expected to brief.

Sudan has been grappling with the devastating consequences of fighting that erupted on 15 April between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s military leader and chairperson of the Transitional Sovereign Council, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. 

A 13 June Humanitarian Update estimated that at least 866 people had been killed and 6,000 injured in Darfur since the outbreak of hostilities. However, casualty rates may be much higher at this point, with some reports indicating that 1,100 people have died in the West Darfur capital of El Geneina alone since April. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicates that approximately 1.965 million people have been displaced within Sudan and over 531,566 people have fled the country since 15 April.

The escalating violence in Darfur has been marked by inter-communal fighting, with Arab militias supporting the RSF and targeting non-Arab groups in Darfur. The inter-ethnic component of the fighting has raised alarm among several Council members. Some members appear to be concerned about the potential for inter-communal fighting to spin out of control, recalling the conflict in Darfur in the 2000s that claimed the lives of over 300,000 people.

Since mid-April, the fighting has been particularly severe in West Darfur, leading to high levels of insecurity and grim humanitarian effects. In addition to high casualty rates, more than 280,000 people have been displaced in West Darfur, with roughly 150,000 crossing the border into Chad to escape the violence. Civilians have reportedly been targeted as they make their way to the Chadian border. Media reports have indicated that the SAF has not protected civilians targeted by the RSF and allied militias. OCHA reported in its 13 June update that hospitals and electrical stations are not functional in El Geneina. 

Amidst the spiking inter-communal fighting, West Darfur governor Khamis Abakkar was abducted and killed on 14 June, shortly after accusing the RSF and affiliated militia of atrocities in El Geneina during a television interview.  It has been reported that the RSF was responsible for the assassination, although it has denied the allegation.

Several UN officials have continued to speak out against the violence. On 13 June, Special Representative and head of UNITAMS Volker Perthes released a statement in which he expressed his alarm at the situation in El Geneina, referring to an “emerging pattern of large-scale attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities, allegedly committed by Arab militias and some armed men in Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’s uniform”. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths released a statement on 15 June in which he observed, “Darfur is spiraling into a humanitarian calamity.”  

Remarking on the inter-communal violence in the region, he added that the world could not allow a repeat of “the ethnic tensions that stoked the deadly conflict there 20 years ago”. On 19 June, Secretary-General António Guterres called the situations in Darfur and Khartoum “catastrophic”, underscoring his concern about reports of gender-based and sexual violence and asserting that “[t]argeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities could amount to crimes against humanity”.

In tomorrow’s meeting, Council members are likely to condemn the violence in Sudan and emphasise the need for a ceasefire and for unfettered humanitarian access. Some members may raise concerns about reports of sexual violence in the conflict. 

There may also be questions about command-and-control issues in relation to RSF operations in Darfur; in this regard, members may be interested in knowing the degree to which Arab militias are operating on their own initiative as opposed to fighting in coordination with the RSF.  

Members may also be interested in OCHA’s perspective on allegations that the SAF is failing to protect civilians in Darfur. Another concern that may be raised is the regional implications of the fighting in Sudan; regarding the fighting in West Darfur, members may want to learn more about the humanitarian and security effects of the influx of refugees from West Darfur into Chad.

Some Council members may also express concerns about how the UN can most effectively manage the significant operational challenges facing the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and the difficult relations between the Sudanese government and Special Representative Volker Perthes. When Perthes briefed the Council on 23 May, he announced that “the hostilities compelled us to temporarily relocate many of our staff to Port Sudan and outside Sudan”.  On 8 June, the government of Sudan declared Perthes “persona non grata”, which prompted UN Secretary-General António Guterres to recall, through his spokesman, that “the doctrine of persona non grata is not applicable to or in respect of United Nations personnel and its invocation is contrary to the obligations of states under the Charter of the United Nations”.

While the meeting will focus largely on the humanitarian situation, some members may emphasise the need to exert the leverage on the parties to find a resolution to the conflict.  Various mediation initiatives have failed to gain meaningful traction, including those led by the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and Saudi Arabia and US. The Sudanese military has been critical of both the AU and IGAD processes. In a BBC radio interview on 4 June, Malik Agar, the deputy chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, declared that “Sudan is not part of the African Union’s initiative”, noting its suspension from the AU, which occurred following the October 2021 coup. Regarding the IGAD initiative, the Sudanese government issued a statement on 15 June rejecting the sub-regional body’s decision to appoint Kenya to succeed South Sudan in leading the mediation, accusing Kenya of adopting “the positions of the rebel Rapid Support Forces”.  Although the Saudi-US facilitated talks have resulted in several short-term humanitarian ceasefires, these have by and large failed to hold.

Council members have been following the deteriorating situation in Sudan closely since the outbreak of fighting in mid-April, although difficult dynamics continue to hamper the Council’s approach to Sudan. When the Council renewed the mandate of UNITAMS in early June, it did not include references to the recent developments in the country, as some members—including China, Russia, and the A3 (Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique)—apparently opposed adding new language to the draft resolution concerning the humanitarian, political, or security situations in Sudan. In lieu of including such language in the resolution, Council members issued a press statement that condemned the looting of humanitarian aid and attacks on civilians, while emphasising the need for a permanent ceasefire and a resumption of the process towards democracy in Sudan. While the penholder had originally proposed a presidential statement, it was converted to a press statement—an informal outcome with less political clout—after some members expressed reservations about the format of the outcome.

Tags: Insights on Africa, Sudan, Sudan (Darfur)

Original: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2023/06/sudan-consultations-2.php

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US Attorney General visited the ICC on 19 June 2023

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague relies on international cooperation and lots of money for support.

This footage tweeted by ICC shows US Attorney General Merrick Garland visiting ICC Headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands on Mon 19 Jun 2023.

It shows Mr Garland meeting ICC President Judge Piotr Hofmanski, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan KC and ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler.

The end of the clip shows Mr Garland sitting at a table signing a document.

Maybe the US is signing up to the ICC or just wants to be seen as supporting it by sharing intel evidence to help catch people accused of war crimes etc.

🎥 The Attorney General of the United States, The Honorable Merrick B. Garland, visited the #ICC today@TheJusticeDept #BuildingSupport pic.twitter.com/IvmgAE7YtF

— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) June 19, 2023

Post script by Sudan Watch Editor:

Countries that are part of the ICC

123 countries are States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Out of them 33 are African States, 19 are Asia-Pacific States, 18 are from Eastern Europe, 28 are from Latin American and Caribbean States, and 25 are from Western European and other States.

Read UN Treaty - Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court   

View States Parties - Chronological Lists 

Source: ICC https://asp.icc-cpi.int/states-parties

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Countries that are not part of the ICC

At the time of writing and after a quick search, it seems at least 22 countries of are not part of the ICC, namely: United States, Russia, China, India, Israel, Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Crete, Turkey, Indonesia, North Korea, Burundi, Philippines, Sudan, South Sudan.

Note, in 2020, the largest contributions came from Japan, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Some countries, notably Brazil and Venezuela, have run up millions of dollars in overdue payments.

Washington has backed ICC efforts on several occasions, however. In 2005, the Bush administration allowed the Security Council to refer the Darfur case, and it later offered to assist the court’s investigation, which legal experts saw as a softening of the US stance. In 2011, the Barack Obama administration voted in favour of the Security Council referral for a Libya investigation. It also helped deliver several fugitives to The Hague and offered to pay millions of dollars as rewards for information on individuals accused of atrocities.

Source: CFR https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/role-international-criminal-court

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UPDATED on Sat 24 Jun 2023 15:17 BST

Ref list of countries not part of the ICC: changed number 20 to 22 and added Sudan, South Sudan.

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