According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Egypt is home to approximately half a million registered refugees and asylum-seekers from 62 nationalities. As of October 2023, Sudanese nationals have become the largest group, followed by Syrians. Read more.
Report from Big News Network By Xinhua Dated Friday, 01 March 2024, 05:30 GMT+11 - here is a copy in full
Egyptian president, Sudanese army chief discuss efforts to stabilize Sudan
CAIRO, Feb. 29 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and the visiting General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan met on Thursday in the Egyptian capital Cairo to discuss joint efforts aimed at settling the ongoing crisis in Sudan, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Sisi reiterated Egypt's commitment to supporting Sudan's unity, settling its ongoing conflict and alleviating the humanitarian repercussions of the conflict on the Sudanese people.
Al-Burhan, who is also chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, expressed his gratitude to Egypt for its supportive role in addressing the crisis and hosting Sudanese citizens.
Resolving the current crisis is crucial for restoring stability, preserving the sovereignty, unity, and cohesion of the Sudanese state and its institutions, the statement read.
The conflict in Sudan between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted on April 15, 2023. Cairo has been actively engaged in diplomatic efforts to stop the war in Sudan, including hosting a summit of Sudan's neighboring countries in July 2023.
According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Egypt is home to approximately half a million registered refugees and asylum-seekers from 62 nationalities. As of October 2023, Sudanese nationals have become the largest group, followed by Syrians.
Two Sudanese people were killed and six raped in Kumer refugee camp in Ethiopia recently, while others were robbed and kidnapped. Hundreds of refugees have reportedly been struggling to get food, water, and shelter until they are transferred to permanent camps.
A refugee from Kumer camp said that they had not received food aid for six months. The WFP began distributing food 3 months ago, consisting of half a litre of oil, salt, and 10 kilos of unground wheat. “Unfortunately, the quantities are insufficient and unfit for direct use. We need to grind wheat in mills in neighbouring areas, which costs money,” she said.
The lack of drinking water in Kumer camp has also exacerbated peoples’ suffering, forcing people to dig for water which is quickly depleting.
Read more from Radio Dabanga Dated Tuesday, 20 February 2024 13:43 AMHARA - here is a copy in full:
Sudanese killed and raped in Ethiopian refugee camps
Two Sudanese people were killed and six raped in Kumer refugee camp in Ethiopia recently, while others were robbed and kidnapped. Hundreds of refugees have reportedly been struggling to get food, water, and shelter until they are transferred to permanent camps.
Kemur, Matama, and Ulala camps highlighted on UNHCR Ethiopia operational overview published on January 15 (Map: UNHCR)
A refugee from Kumer camp, who declined to be named for security reasons, told Dabanga that various shooting incidents have occurred in the camp recently, killing two refugees. Two girls were raped last week and four others the week before.
Several refugees have been kidnapped and an ambulance belonging to the camp has also been stolen, she said.
“We cannot go more than four kilometres away from the camp due to the dire security situation,” she said. “There have been repeated armed attacks on the camp and things were stolen. There is poor security and no external fence.” She said the authorities had not been able to address the security issue.
Aid services
Following the theft of the ambulance, there is no way to treat critical cases in the camp, especially pregnant women, the refugee told Dabanga. There is a volunteer midwife in the camp, but she does not have basic first aid supplies such as gauze, needles, or thread.
The health unit in the camp only works part-time and is only able to access painkillers and antibiotics, she said, adding that “health interventions have slowed the outbreak of cholera, however, the camp environment is very poor.”
The refugee said that they had not received food aid for six months. The World Food Programme began distributing food three months ago, consisting of half a litre of oil, salt, and 10 kilos of unground wheat. “Unfortunately, the quantities are insufficient and unfit for direct use. We need to grind wheat in mills in neighbouring areas, which costs money,” she said.
The lack of drinking water in Kumer camp has also exacerbated peoples’ suffering, forcing people to dig for water which is quickly depleting.
Refugees in Ethiopia
Kumer camp is 70 kilometres from El Gedaref border in Amhara. It was established on May 30 and hosts about 8,000 refugees, including about 4,000 Sudanese people.
There are 27,000 Sudanese refugees at the Refugee Reception and Transit Centre in Matama in Amhara, which is on the border of El Gedaref. Ethiopia’s Amhara region is witnessing security unrest and armed confrontations between the central government and local militias in the region. Most Ethiopians in the area carry weapons, leading to increased abuses, according to sources of Dabanga.
The Ethiopian authorities also host Sudanese refugees in Ulala border camp in Amhara, east of Kumer camp, where protests were held on August 16 over the lack of food and medicine provided.
An estimated 20,000 Sudanese people live at Assosa refugee camp in Benishangul-Gumuz on the border of Blue Nile region.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan, including about 47,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, since April. These come in addition to some 50,000 Sudanese refugees already in the country. The Sudanese community in Ethiopia estimates that about 60,000 people have entered Ethiopia after the outbreak of the war in Sudan last year.
Ethiopia is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries in Africa, with nearly 1 million refugees in addition to 3.5 million displaced persons. Sudanese crossing into Ethiopia are reportedly forced to pay US$80 in visa fees, after which the Ethiopian authorities oblige them to pay US$80 a month to renew their residency.
ELON MUSK sent a post to X yesterday that says: "This post was made from a normal mobile phone straight to a SpaceX satellite, with no special equipment in between!" The historic post dated 6:33 AM Feb 26, 2024 has 25.4M views as at 21:28 GMT Tue Feb 27, 2024.
This post was made from a normal mobile phone straight to a SpaceX satellite, with no special equipment in between! https://t.co/rjry9vr5zj
Note, SpaceX sent a post to X yesterday (33 minutes earlier than Mr Musk's) saying: "This post was sent through a SpaceX Direct to Cell satellite in space." The historic post dated 6:00 AM GMT Feb 26, 2024 has 27.3M views as at 21:29 GMT Tue Feb 27, 2024.
This post was sent through a SpaceX Direct to Cell satellite in space 🛰️
Warmest congrats to all involved. Now people in Sudan need to know how they can get the exciting new service on their existing mobile phones, how much it costs, and how and where, and to whom, to pay.
Right now, in some areas of Sudan civilians are charged extortionate prices to make calls using a Starlink device set up by rebels at illegal checkpoints.
“I just spoke to someone on WhatsApp who's in an RSF controlled area and she tells me they can access the internet at some of the RSF checkpoints which have a Starlink connection and get access for 1 hour for a fee of 5000 SDG (approx. 4USD).
So apparently, Starlink is becoming a source of supplementary income (besides looting and salary) for soldiers at RSF checkpoints. Doubt they'll want to see the telecoms networks back up and running in areas under their control.”
“Network blackout cuts communications for millions in war-torn Sudan. Of course, RSF are getting around internet cutoffs by using Starlink, procured in Chad and Libya. Im detecting a pattern…”
“The local authorities in El Geneina - West Darfur impose fees on satellite internet devices (Starlink) of 150,000 pounds on everyone who owns a device and uses it for commercial purposes, in addition to service fees of 50,000 pounds annually.
Anyone who violates the provisions of this decision will be subject to a fine of 500,000 pounds, or one month in prison, or both.”
URGENT MESSAGE to Sir Tim Berners-Lee: The internet belongs to everyone including the Sudanese
People in Sudan are suffering after decades of war. Now their internet has been shut for several days. It was hard enough for them to keep going during bombings while managing patchy electricity.
In most parts of Sudan, banks, shops, businesses, churches and infrastructure have been destroyed. The Sudanese depend on the internet to receive money for food, medicine, electricity, calls for news and help.
SpaceX is advertising a position for growth manager of its Starlink Internet service in Sub-Saharan Africa
SpaceX is advertising a job vacancy for a manager to boost Starlink growth in Africa. The role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, from where the growth manager will report to a team at Starlink’s Hawthorne, California headquarters.
STAFF at the UN-run transit centres in Renk, South Sudan, help exhausted people to travel onwards to their final destinations in the hope of avoiding large numbers staying in this extremely remote, poorly resourced region.
There’s hardly any water, food, sanitation, security or shelter. Many of the thousands who have crossed the border from Sudan are vulnerable and traumatised. They fled terrible violence and have spent weeks, in some cases months, trying to cross into South Sudan to reach safety.
Since the outbreak of fighting in Sudan last April, the influx of people fleeing Sudan increased sharply at multiple border points. More than half a million have crossed the South Sudan border, according to UN estimates.
Read more from UN News Dated Friday, 23 February 2024 - here is a copy of the report in full:
Sudan: UN struggles to cope with thousands of daily arrivals in South Sudan transit camps
South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, is dealing with the influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees from its northern neighbour, Sudan, which has been in the grip of a major conflict between the government and the Rapid Support Forces since April of last year.
Since the outbreak of fighting, the influx of people fleeing Sudan has increased sharply at multiple border points, and more than half a million individuals have crossed the South Sudan border, according to UN estimates.
At the UN-run transit centres in Renk, staff are helping exhausted individuals to travel onwards to their final destinations in the hope of avoiding large numbers staying in this extremely remote, poorly resourced part of the country.
Yvonne Ndege, a spokesperson with the UN migration agency, IOM, travelled to Renk to assess the conditions in the camp.
She described the scene to Ben Malor from UN News.
Yvonne Ndege: This isone of the most remote parts of South Sudan. There’s hardly any water, food, sanitation, security or shelter. Many of the thousands of people who have crossed the border from Sudan are vulnerable and traumatized. They fled terrible violence and have spent weeks, in some cases months, trying to cross into South Sudan to reach safety.
UN News: How is the UN helping those arriving in Renk?
Yvonne Ndege: Hundreds of thousands of people have been assisted by the UN migration agency to continue moving to other destinations. This assistance is critical because what IOM and other UN agencies don’t want is for refugee camps to spring up in this location as it is so remote. There is no infrastructure, no medical facilities or resources of any kind for those vulnerable arrivals.
This has involved IOM putting on over 1,200 flights away from Renk to Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state. It has also involved sea transportation, and we have helped over 100,000 to take boats to Malakal, which is a three-day journey overnight on the River Nile.
We have also assisted people with some road transportation to try to reach their communities of origin, but when you look at the volume of people arriving, this assistance is not enough, and the funds to continue to provide this onward transport assistance are dwindling and running out fast.
UN News: What have the displaced people been telling you about their experiences?
Yvonne Ndege: The conditions that they describe are completely horrific. Some say they fled violence and bullets, spending several days in the bush trying to reach the border. Others say they experienced sexual violence along the journey. We spoke to one family, a mother with her two daughters and her own mother, who travelled all the way from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to reach this border and cross into safety. She was very traumatized and upset. We spoke to another man, who said that his whole family, he and his sons, were being forced to actually join the fighting and take part in the violence. They didn’t want to, so they spent weeks trying to get here.
UN News: How serious are the risks of disease or hunger?
Yvonne Ndege: IOM staff have been providing medical checks and vaccinations to those arriving before they are transported to the main town of Renk for further assistance and care, but there are massive concerns about the risk of disease, hunger and further violence. There’s hardly any infrastructure in this remote area, no internet or mobile network of any kind and no food or water supplies. So, the risks are real.
♦ Receive daily updates directly in your inbox - Subscribe hereto a topic.
♦ Download the UN News app for youriOSor Android devices.
DTM (Displacement Tracking Matrix) Sudan Flash Alert - Update Three
Dated Wednesday, 21 February 2024 - here is a copy in full:
Conflict in Ad Du'ayn (Ad Du'ayn Town), East Darfur
On 20 February 2024, clashes renewed between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Ad Du'ayn Town of Ad Du'ayn locality, East Darfur.
SAF reportedly conducted airstrikes targeting RSF positions across At Tadamon neighbourhood.
As a result of the violence, nine individuals were reportedly killed, and four others were injured.
Estimates on the number of displaced individuals are yet to be confirmed; however, the field teams reported that the displaced households sought refuge with host communities and relatives within Ad Du'ayn Town.
Field teams also noted that 20 houses were completely burnt down. The situation remains tense and unpredictable.
DTM will continue to monitor the developments closely and will provide further information on displacement and population mobility across Sudan, on a weekly basis, via its Weekly Displacement Snapshot.
Disclaimer: Due to the current circumstances, the DTM network is relying on remote interviews with key informants and further verification is not possible at this time.
*DTM Sudan Flash Alerts provide an initial estimation of affected population figures gathered from field reports. All information is therefore pending verification through DTM’s Emergency Event Tracking (EET) and/or registration activities and is not to be used as official figures.
Sudan: Fires in Mukjar (Mukjar Town), Central Darfur
Reportedly, the cause of the fire was a household accident resulting in 50 houses burned down. Displaced households sought refuge with host communities and relatives within Mukjar Town.
.jpeg)
