Monday, July 24, 2023

Article by Vladimir Putin “Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future“

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor (in England, UK): Here is a manual copy of a tweet posted by Cameron Hudson @_hudsonc today:

Russia cranking up its propaganda in advance of its Russia-Africa summit this week. While it singles out "malign Western influence" and the West's "blackmail machine," RT also clearly warns that "Russia will be there for those countries that stood with in in its hour of need."

This Tweet is unavailable. Learn more.

This Tweet from @ has been withheld in Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Germany, Greece, Romania, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Austria, Luxembourg, Latvia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Cyprus, France, Spain, Belgium in response to a legal demand. https://Learn more.

6:34 PM · Jul 24, 2023 
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View original: https://twitter.com/_hudsonc/status/1683531059709788165
SW Ed Post script: I can only view the full tweet via its embed code posted here. When I click on my link to the tweet it leads to the tweet's intro followed by: This Tweet is unavailable. Learn more. When I click on the RT link within the embed code copy it leads directly to a Twitter page simply saying: This Tweet is unavailable. Learn more - followed by these five tweets:


Jebren جبرين @jebren_

#Thanks_Russia 

#Africa_Russia


Jamel AK-0002829 @ras_jamel 

this is what we need .


Earlyn L Walker @earlyn_l

This is how the people of the world should be, working together for the benefit of everyone and not just a few. For instance, railways in Africa will benefit landlocked countries. Being non-aligned means not giving into outside pressure such as the ICC.


Michael Vaynerchuk @MichaelVaynerc1

It's a Roman empire thinking that drives the EU and nothing else 

Cheap labor and Cheap resources such in their colonial history.... greed and unforfeeling narcissism is very powerful tools.... 


NotBenjamin @BenjaminTitnit

[thumbs up emoji]


Also, the paragraph with country list appears intermittently. It is not showing at the time of this posting. This is Day 1 of Twitter launching its new brand name: X. Note, one time when I clicked on the tweet to read the RT report, it led me directly to the website and article copied here below.
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[From the website of]

President of Russia [http://en.kremlin.ru - here is a full copy, URL search bar displays Not Secure:]


Article by Vladimir Putin “Russia and Africa: Joining Efforts for Peace, Progress and a Successful Future“


July 24, 2023 00:00


On July 27–28, St Petersburg will host the second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. On the eve of these large-scale representative events which will bring together heads of state and government, entrepreneurs, academia and public figures, I would like to share my vision of the development of Russia-Africa relations with the readers of the leading media on the African continent, outlining priority cooperation areas for the coming decades of the 21st century.


The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots and have always been distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill. We have consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. We have provided assistance in developing statehood, strengthening their sovereignty and defence capability. Much has been done to create sustainable foundations for national economies. By the mid-1980s, with the participation of our specialists, over 330 large infrastructure and industrial facilities have been built in Africa, such as power plants, irrigation systems, industrial and agricultural enterprises, which are successfully operating to this day, and continue to make a significant contribution to the continent’s economic development. Tens of thousands of African doctors, technical specialists, engineers, officers and teachers have received education in Russia.


I would like to specifically mention the traditionally close cooperation on the world stage, the firm and consistent advocacy rendered by the USSR and then Russia to African countries at international fora. We have always strictly adhered to the “African solutions to African problems” principle, standing in solidarity with Africans in their struggle for self-determination, justice and their legitimate rights. We have never tried to impose on partners our own ideas about the internal structure, forms and methods of management, development goals and ways to achieve them. Unchanged remains our respect for the sovereignty of African states, their traditions and values, their desire to independently determine their own destiny and freely build relationships with partners.


We highly value the honestly-gained capital of friendship and cooperation, traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia and African countries share. We are brought together by a common desire to shape a system of relations based on the priority of international law, respect for national interests, indivisibility of security, and recognition of the central coordinating role of the United Nations.


Today, the constructive, trustful, forward-looking partnership between Russia and Africa is especially significant and important. Major centres of economic and political power and influence are emerging in the world, which are asserting themselves more and more insistently, demanding that they be reckoned with. We are sure that a new multipolar world order, the contours of which are already seen, will be more just and democratic. And there is no doubt that Africa, along with Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, will take its worthy place in it and finally free itself from the bitter legacy of colonialism and neo-colonialism, rejecting its modern practices.


Russia welcomes the rising international authority of individual states as well as Africa as a whole, their desire to make their voices strongly heard and to take the continent's problems into their own hands. We have always supported the constructive initiatives of our partners. We stand for granting African countries their rightful place in the structures that determine the world’s fate, including the UN Security Council and the G20, as well as for reforming the global financial and trade institutions in a way that meets their interests.


Regrettably, we see that the situation in the world today is far from stable. The long-standing conflicts that exist in nearly every region are deepening, and new threats and challenges are emerging. And Africa feels the burden of global challenges like no other part of the world. In such a challenging environment, we look forward to working with our African partners to shape a non-discriminatory agenda for cooperation. 


The strategic areas of our interaction are set by the decisions of the first Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi in late October 2019. The Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was established for their effective implementation. We have set up bilateral intergovernmental commissions for trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation with many countries of the continent, and the network of Russian embassies and trade missions in Africa will be expanded. Further instruments are being actively developed to better structure economic relations and make them more dynamic.


I would like to note with satisfaction that Russia’s trade turnover with the African countries increased in 2022 and reached almost 18 billion US dollars. However, we are all well aware that the potential of our trade and economic partnership is much higher. Russian companies are interested in working more actively on the continent in the sphere of high technologies and geological exploration, in the fuel and energy complex, including nuclear power, in the chemical industry, mining and transport engineering, agriculture and fishery. The changes taking place in the world require the search for solutions related to the establishment of new transport and logistical chains, the formation of a monetary and financial system, and mechanisms of mutual settlements that are safe and free from unfavourable external impacts.


We understand the importance of uninterrupted food supplies for the socio-economic development and political stability of the African states. On this basis, we have always paid great attention to issues related to the supply of wheat, barley, maize and other crops to African countries. We have done so both on a contractual basis and free of charge as humanitarian aid, including through the United Nations Food Programme. Thus, in 2022, Russia exported 11.5 million tonnes of grain to Africa, and almost 10 million tonnes more were delivered in the first half of 2023 – despite the sanctions imposed on our exports, which severely hamper the supply of Russian food products to developing countries, complicating transport logistics, insurance arrangements and bank payments.


Many have probably heard of the so-called “grain deal,” whose initial purpose was to ensure global food security, reduce the threat of hunger and help the poorest countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America – the reason why Russia undertook the obligation to facilitate its implementation in the first place. This “deal,” however, while it was publicly advertised by the West as a gesture of goodwill that benefited Africa, has in fact been shamelessly used solely for the enrichment of large US and European businesses that exported and resold grain from Ukraine.


Judge for yourselves: in almost a year, a total of 32.8 million tonnes of supplies were exported from Ukraine under the “deal,” with over 70 percent of the exports ending up in high- and upper-middle-income countries, including in the European Union, whereas such countries as Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, as well as Yemen and Afghanistan, received less than 3 percent of the supplies, i.e. less than one million tonnes.


In the meantime, none of the “deal” provisions relating to the exemption from sanctions of Russian grain and fertiliser exports to world markets, were fulfilled. Moreover, barriers have been mounted even to our attempts to supply free of charge mineral fertilisers to the poorest countries in need. Of 262,000 tonnes of goods blocked in European ports, only two shipments were delivered – one of 20,000 tonnes to Malawi and one of 34,000 tonnes to Kenya. The rest is still unscrupulously held by the Europeans. And this is a purely humanitarian initiative we are talking about, which should be exempt from any sanctions as such.


Considering all these facts, there is no longer any use in continuing the “grain deal” as it has failed to serve its original humanitarian purpose. We argued against further extending the “deal,” which terminated as of July 18.


I want to give assurances that our country is capable of replacing the Ukrainian grain both on a commercial and free-of-charge basis, especially as we expect another record harvest this year.


Notwithstanding the sanctions, Russia will continue its energetic efforts to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilisers and other goods to Africa. We highly value and will further develop the full spectrum of economic ties with Africa – with individual states as well as regional integration associations and, naturally, with the African Union. We welcome this organisation's strategic course towards further economic integration and the formation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. We are ready to build pragmatic, mutually beneficial relations, including within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. We are also willing to step up cooperation with other regional integration organisations on the continent.


In keeping with the existing tradition, we intend to continue providing assistance to African states in building their national human resource capacity. There are currently about 35 thousand students from the continent in Russia, more than 6,000 of them receive Russian government scholarships. Each year we increase the number of scholarships, promote paid higher education options and facilitate inter-university ties, which have gained significant momentum in recent times.


Bringing humanitarian, cultural, sports and mass media cooperation to a whole new level would serve our common interests. I would like to seize this opportunity to invite our young African friends to the World Youth Festival, which will take place in Sochi, Russia, in March 2024. This large-scale international forum will bring together more than 20,000 participants from more than 180 countries for an informal, friendly and open dialogue that is free from ideological and political barriers, racial and religious prejudice and would consolidate the young generation around the ideals of lasting and durable peace, prosperity and creative spirit.


In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that we attach great importance to the upcoming second Russia–Africa Summit. We expect that the Summit would adopt a comprehensive Declaration, a number of joint statements and approve the Russia – Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan to 2026. We are working to prepare an impressive package of intergovernmental and inter‑agency agreements and memoranda with individual states as well as regional associations of the continent.


I am looking forward to welcoming the African leaders in St. Petersburg and stand committed to a fruitful constructive dialogue. I firmly believe that the decisions adopted at the Summit and Forum, coupled with continuous diversified joint work will contribute to further development of Russian‑African strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries and peoples.


Other languages (unofficial translations)


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Topics

Foreign policy


Publication status

Published in sections: News, Transcripts

Publication date: July 24, 2023, 00:00

Text version


View original: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/71719


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#NoToWar. Safe drinking water brings Pure JOY!

Tweet by Healing Hands Int. @HHIupdates 5:37 PM · Jul 19, 2023


Pure JOY! Praise God for another clean water well in the Bawku West district of Ghana.


View original: https://twitter.com/HHIupdates/status/1681704730232340480


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Sunday, July 23, 2023

US State Department and Arab League start talking about urgent Middle East issues and Sudan conflict

Report from News Track Live - newstracklive.com
By ANIKET DIXIT
Published on Thursday 20 July 2023 at 03:05 PM - here is a full copy:

US State Department and Arab League start talking about urgent Middle East issues

Riyadh: Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the Arab League, and Antony Blinken, the secretary of state of the United States, met on Wednesday in Washington to discuss the urgent issues surrounding the Middle East.


The US State Department claimed in a statement on its website that the "strategic dialogue" is a "opportunity for us to work even more closely together on the many issues that are affecting the lives of people in all of the countries represented by the Arab League as well as the United States."


The comprehensive conversation, which Aboul Gheit described as the first of its kind at the level of the US state secretary and GCC secretary-general, will "explore further the level of cooperation" and "deepen the relationship."


The statement made no mention of specifics, but some news reports have quoted political analysts as saying that, now that Syria has been readmitted to the 22-member alliance, the US will follow up on its earlier statement for the Arab League to press the Assad regime to address pressing issues.


The northwest regions of Syria, which are controlled by the opposition and home to more than 4 million displaced people, have been requested by the UN for greater access by international aid organizations. The UN Security Council was unable to come to an agreement last week to maintain the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing, which permits aid organizations to enter from Turkey.


During the height of the so-called "Arab Spring" uprisings, Syria's membership in the league was suspended in 2011 due to the Assad regime's deadly crackdown on dissent. The UN estimates that the ensuing armed conflict has resulted in the deaths of 306,887 civilians and the displacement of more than 12 million Syrians, including 5.4 million who as of 2022 were refugees in other countries.


Other urgent regional issues that are anticipated to be covered in the Arab League-US dialogue include the conflict in Sudan, Israel's escalating land aggression against the Palestinians, Yemen's peace initiative, and more.


View original: 

https://english.newstracklive.com/news/us-state-department-and-arab-league-start-talking-about-urgent-middle-east-issues-sc57-nu355-ta355-1286214-1.html


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Saturday, July 22, 2023

South Darfur: 16 civilians killed in SAF & RSF clashes

Report from China View - Xinhuanet english.news.cn
Source: Xinhua. Editor: huaxia. 
Published on Saturday 22 July 2023 at 18:00 - here is a full copy

16 civilians killed in clashes between Sudan's warring parties in South Darfur State: lawyers group


KHARTOUM, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 civilians were killed in exchanged bombardment between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala, the capital of Sudan's South Darfur State on Friday, the Darfur Bar Association announced on Saturday.


The professional lawyers' organization said in a statement that "16 citizens were killed in Nyala, South Darfur, due to the fall of projectiles on citizens' homes during exchanged artillery bombardment between the army and the RSF on Friday."


"The battles in Nyala are taking place on the heads of citizens amid random shootings on streets and houses as well as killings with sniper bullets," according to the statement.


Nyala has been witnessing armed confrontations between the Sudanese army and the RSF over the past three days, the association said, adding that a number of the city's neighborhoods, including Al-Wohda and Karari, south of Nyala, were affected by the fighting on Friday.


The association called on the warring parties to immediately stop the war and avoid targeting the civilians.


Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, resulting in over 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to figures released by the Sudanese Health Ministry.


More than 3 million people have been forced into displacement, inside and outside Sudan, since the conflict broke out in the country, according to UN estimates. 


View original: http://www.chinaview.cn/africa/20230722/4c8fc24cb7bd46dcbc36f4bd14613877/c.html


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Darfur governor calls for Darfuris to take up arms

Report from BBC Live Reporting
Published on Friday 21 July 2023 at 
8:48 BST - here is a full copy:

Sudan governor renews call for Darfuris to take up arms








BBC Monitoring

The world through its media

 














Reuters

Copyright: Reuters

Image caption: Tens of thousands of people have fled the conflict in Darfur to neighbouring Chad


Darfur governor and former rebel leader Minni Arko Minnawi renewed his call for civilians in the region to take up arms to defend themselves, saying the “current situation necessitates that”, Al Arabiya reported.


He said this administration was leading efforts to stop the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army, particularly in Darfur. The conflict is now in its fourth month.


Mr Minnawi has made similar remarks in the past, raising fears that Darfur, which is divided into five states, could descend into an all-out civil war amid growing ethnic tensions.


Elsewhere in the country, fierce fighting was reported between the army and the RSF in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up Sudan’s capital.


Eyewitnesses in Khartoum said the army carried out the "heaviest" airstrikes so far against RSF positions in several areas. The army said it killed 18 RSF fighters in clashes in Omdurman and Khartoum.


Renewed clashes were also reported in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, after a lull in fighting.


The fighting has persisted despite continuing indirect talks between the army and RSF representatives in the Saudi city of Jeddah.


Read more on Darfur:

'I saw bodies dumped in Darfur mass grave'

West Darfur governor killed after genocide claim


Click here to view original. 


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Medics whipped in Khartoum after convoy attacked. Darfur death toll in one city alone estimate is 3K-11K

Report from BBC News -  bbc.co.uk/news

By Muthoni Muchiri

BBC News

Published Friday 21 July 2023 - here is a full copy:

Sudan conflict: Medics whipped in Khartoum after convoy attacked - MSF

IMAGE SOURCE,

MSF/REUTERS

Image caption,

MSF medics are treating war-wounded across Sudan - and over the border in Chad where many from Darfur are fleeing


Medics in Sudan's capital have been beaten and whipped by armed men who attacked their convoy, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says.


A medical team was taking supplies to the Turkish Hospital in the south of Khartoum when it was attacked on Thursday and one their vehicles stolen.


Since the war erupted in mid-April, it is one of only two hospitals still operating in the south of city.


Both are supported by MSF, which says its aid to them is now in jeopardy.


The vicious power struggle over the last three months between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated medical facilities in the city.


'Death threats'


While more than three million people nationwide have fled their homes since April, millions of others are still stuck in Khartoum, struggling to find medicine and medical assistance.


MSF is one of only a few international aid groups still supporting hospitals in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, helping to keep afloat a health system that has been under strain for decades.


It says it has treated more than 1,600 patients in these hospitals since the conflict began.


But the charity warned this might have to stop because of a dramatic deterioration in security with several incidents in which its staff had been targeted.


During the encounter on Thursday, the armed men began arguing with the 18 people in the MSF convoy made up of four trucks carrying medical supplies.


As well as assaulting the team, the armed men threatened the life of one of the drivers before releasing him and making off with one of the vehicles.


"If an incident like this happens again, and if our ability to move supplies continues to be obstructed, then, regrettably, our presence in the Turkish Hospital will soon become untenable," MSF's Christophe Garnier said in a statement.


The confrontation took place not far from the hospital, where hundreds of patients, including those recently wounded in air strikes, are undergoing treatment.


"On a daily basis, this hospital receives around 15 war wounded patients, carries out lifesaving surgery and keeps patients with chronic diseases alive," MSF said.


According to the AFP news agency, the hospital is in an area of the city controlled by the RSF.


Aerial bombardments have intensified in residential areas of Khartoum where the paramilitary fighters have their bases, it says.


Official figures put the number of dead in the conflict at around 3,000, but it is thought to be far higher.


Some estimates from the western region of Darfur, which have seen the worst of the violence, say the death toll in one city alone is 11,000.


View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-66273266


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UN deeply concerned by 50+ attacks on aid workers and health care in Sudan in three months -WHO

Report from China View - Xinhuanet english.news.cn
Source: Xinhua. Editor: huaxia
Published on Saturday 22 July at 05:17 - here is a full copy:

UN humanitarians deeply concerned by ongoing attacks on health care in Sudan


UNITED NATIONS, July 21 (Xinhua) -- UN Humanitarians on Friday expressed deep concern over more than 50 attacks on aid workers and health care in Sudan in three months.


"We are appalled by reports that a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) team was assaulted by armed men in Khartoum yesterday (Thursday)," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.


According to OCHA, MSF reported that a 16-person team in Khartoum was aggressively assaulted by a group of armed men who physically beat and whipped them. The assailants detained one of the MSF drivers and, before his release, threatened to kill him. They also stole a vehicle.


MSF said the incident happened as the team was moving medical supplies from the organization's warehouse to the Turkish Hospital, one of only two hospitals still operating in all of southern Khartoum.


"We underscore that attacks on health care workers and facilities are a violation of international humanitarian law," OCHA said. "They must stop now."


The World Health Organization has verified more than 50 attacks on health care since the conflict began in Sudan on April 15. 


View original: http://www.chinaview.cn/20230722/2f9a1cf70e2344feba9aa2b64c2a1c4f/c.html


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