Sudan: UK has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end of hostilities ahead of Ramadan

"THE UK has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate end of hostilities in Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 

The British draft resolution expresses ‘grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation’. 

With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, probably on Friday. 

The latest draft on a Sudan ceasefire was circulated on the same day the head of the UN food agency warned that the Sudan conflict “risks triggering the world’s largest hunger crisis” as global attention is focused on the Israel-Hamas war. 

The proposed UN resolution calls on all parties to remove obstructions and allow “full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access” including across Sudan’s borders and across conflict lines.

The draft also urges strengthened co-ordination of several regional and international efforts “to facilitate an end to the conflict and to restore a lasting inclusive civilian-led democratic transition.” 

The US is negotiating on its own proposed Gaza resolution with the latest draft calling for a “ceasefire of roughly six weeks in Gaza together with the release of all hostages” as soon as Israel and Hamas agree. The draft makes no mention of Ramadan."  Read more.

From The Irish News

By Edith M Lederer, Associated Press

Dated Thursday, March 07, 2024 at 3:36AM GMT

UN resolution calling for end to hostilities in Sudan ahead of Ramadan

The British draft resolution expresses ‘grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation’.

Full story: https://www.irishnews.com/news/world/un-resolution-calling-for-end-to-hostilities-in-sudan-ahead-of-ramadan-4EQJ622VTNJ5ZHTECA4OWM3DF4/

_______________________________

Related 

From Sudan Tribune - undated, here is a copy in full: 

Fikra for Studies and Development urges Security Council to endorse UK draft resolution for ceasefire in Sudan

Fikra for Studies and Development welcomes the UK draft resolution submitted to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. We hope that the Security Council will adopt this resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and that it will include clear and effective enforcement, implementation, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure its application on the ground.

The resolution should emphasize the need to adhere to the principles of the Jeddah Declaration for the Protection of Civilians, signed by the warring parties on May 11, 2023. It should also reaffirm the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) principle adopted by the UN in 2005, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the cessation of violations against Sudanese civilians, especially in Darfur, Khartoum, and Al Gezira states.

If adopted by the Security Council and successfully implemented, this resolution will pave the way for a permanent ceasefire, opening the door for a rational political process to end the civil war that has been ongoing in Sudan since April 15, 2023.

Fikra for Studies and Development calls on the members of the Security Council to vote to pass this resolution. We also call on the African Union, the Arab League, and IGAD to support this resolution by urgently contacting all members of the Security Council and encourage them to vote in favor of this resolution. We further call on the five permanent members of the Security Council not to use their veto power to block the passage of this resolution.

We reiterate our call to the UN and its humanitarian agencies to declare a state of severe famine of phase 5 at the national level in Sudan and to address the humanitarian situation accordingly.

The current situation in Sudan represents the largest humanitarian catastrophe of our time, in terms of the number of displaced and refugee people, the widespread famine, the severe food shortages, and the horrors faced by the Sudanese people due to the ongoing war. The international community must act now effectively to stop this ongoing suffering.

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article282996/

END

AU High-Level Panel on Sudan met dissolved NCP

"In a rare move, the African Union High-Level Panel on Sudan met with representatives of the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP) of the former Islamist regime in Cairo on Wednesday.

Over the past two days, the panel also held meetings in Port Sudan with figures including Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Popular Congress Party (Shura Council’s wing), and others. 

Meanwhile, the Civil Democratic Forces Coordination Mechanism (“Tagadum”) is expected to meet with the panel in Addis Ababa on Thursday." Read more.

From Sudan Tribune

Dated Wednesday, 6 March 2024 - here is a copy in full:

African Union mechanism meets dissolved Sudanese Islamist party in Cairo

AU HLP- Sudan poses with the NCP delegation on March 6, 2024

March 6, 2024 (CAIRO) – In a rare move, the African Union High-Level Panel on Sudan met with representatives of the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP) of the former Islamist regime in Cairo on Wednesday.

This meeting was part of the panel’s ongoing efforts to hold talks with various Sudanese political groups aimed at ending the ongoing conflict.

Sources confirmed to Sudan Tribune that the meeting, held at the Sheraton Hotel, followed similar talks with representatives of the Forces of Freedom and Change – Democratic Bloc.

Over the past two days, the panel also held meetings in Port Sudan with figures including Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Popular Congress Party (Shura Council’s wing), and others. 

Meanwhile, the Civil Democratic Forces Coordination Mechanism (“Tagadum”) is expected to meet with the panel in Addis Ababa on Thursday.

The meeting with the NCP delegation, which included party leading members Amira Al-Fadil and Osama Faisal, focused on the Sudanese crisis and potential solutions to the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023.

However, sources stated that NCP representatives claimed they lacked the mandate to discuss the proposed agenda and advised the panel to meet with the party’s leadership within Sudan.

In August 2023, Yasir Arman, a spokesperson for the Forces for Freedom and Change, criticized potential involvement of the NCP in peace talks, viewing it as rewarding them for past actions.

Tagadum and other pro-democracy forces in Sudan agreed to exclude the National Congress Party (NCP) from the transitional government, as provided in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration. They argue that the NCP, an Islamist group banned after the 2019 revolution, would impede the establishment of a secular state.

The African Union (AU), however, advocates for the NCP’s inclusion, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity in the political process. The AU sees the NCP’s support for the military in its conflict with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a potential entry point for their involvement.

Led by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, the Tagadum delegation is expected to reiterate its firm opposition to the NCP’s participation in the transitional period.

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article282990/

END 

Sudan: Committee to Protect Journalists condemn the murder of Sudanese journalist Mr Khalid Balal

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: At an online networking platform a few days ago, Sudanese journalist Mr Hassan Ahmed Berkia posted this photo and tragic news regarding Sudanese journalist Khalid Balal:

"According to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, journalist Khalid Balal was killed by an armed group inside his home in El Fasher, North Darfur State. The identity of the killers or the group they belong to has not been confirmed."

Photo: Sudanese journalist Mr Khalid Balal

___

In reply to Hassan’s post I wrote and posted this comment:

"Condolences to Khalid's family and friends. Over the past 20 years hundreds of brave peacekeepers and journalists in Sudan and South Sudan have been murdered. 

There’s little hard news coming out of Sudan because journalists and media outlets inside the country have been silenced. There is no freedom of speech. Anyone is free to kill.

In Memory of Khalid Balal and all journalists who have been killed in Sudan and South Sudan I wish we could stay on top of this story to find out what happened on that fateful day in El Fasher, North Darfur and why. People are murdering because they can, and they know they'll get away with it.

There is so much more to this story because Khalid leaves behind a shocked and grieving family and friends traumatised at such loss. 

If anyone finds any shred of news on this story and what happened please share here. Maybe Khalid's family have written an obituary. 

Rest In Peace Khalid Balal + + +"

___

Today, I saw the following report regarding Khalid Balal.

From Sudan Tribune

Dated Wednesday, 6 March 2024 - here is a copy in full:

CPJ condemns killing of Sudanese journalist Khalid Balal

March 6, 2024 (NEW YORK) – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Sudanese authorities to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for killing journalist Khalid Balal in Darfur region.

The body appealed to all parties to the conflict to respect members of the press.

“We are shocked by the brutal killing of journalist Khalid Balal in his own home by armed combatants,” said CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour from Washington, D.C.

He added, “We urge the Sudanese authorities to promptly investigate Balal’s killing and ensure justice for this crime. All parties to the war in Sudan must respect journalists’ safety and cease killing members of the press who are civilians.”

On March 1, armed soldiers in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, shot and killed Balal, media director at the Sudanese government’s Supreme Council for Media and Culture, inside his home, according to news reports and two local journalists, who spoke with CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal.

According to sources, Balal was also a member of the local trade union, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate.

CPJ was unable to determine which armed group was responsible for Balal’s killing.

Sudan plunged into chaos in April when clashes erupted in the capital, Khartoum, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The two local journalists attributed Balal’s death to his long career in journalism.

The journalists did not provide further details to CPJ, which will continue to investigate the circumstances of Balal’s death.

Meanwhile CPJ’s emails to the SAF and the RSF requesting comment on Balal’s death did not receive any replies.

CPJ is a New York-based non-governmental body that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists. Since the late 1980s, the organization has been publishing an annual census of journalist killed or imprisoned for their work. (ST)

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article282977/

______________________________________

POSTSCRIPT from Sudan Watch Editor:

At the same online networking platform a day ago, Hassan posted this photo and disturbing news from Sudanese Journalists Syndicate regarding Sudanese journalist Luay Abdelrahman:

"Journalist Luay Abdelrahman has recently been subjected to a fierce campaign on social media platforms. It has prominently appeared on pages affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces, and the campaign has taken various forms, including defamation, categorization, and character assassination. The campaign against journalist Luay intensified after he exposed the horrific human rights violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces against unarmed civilians in Al-Gazira state.

(Sudanese Journalists Syndicate)"

Photo: Sudanese journalist Mr Luay Abdelrahman 

___

In reply to Hassan’s post I wrote and posted this comment:

"This is awful. I have just sent this message to Committee to Protect Journalists [...]: Dear CPJ, I remember you from many years ago, you once helped me when I was being threatened. Is there any way to intervene online in order to protect this journalist? Maybe threaten them with legal action or whatever tools you have had your disposal. Here is the post in my notifications page [...]. 

Kind regards, Ingrid J. Jones"

___

END

"Unrest on the Nile" Exhibition of Sudanese artists at Casaarabe, Madrid where Spain and Arab world meet

A GREAT exhibition of Sudanese artists was held at 8pm on 7th March, 2024 at @Casaarabe in #Madrid Spain @MAECgob @AECID_es #Sudan

Source: https://twitter.com/EmbEspSudan/status/1765644830317625395  7:45 AM · Mar 7, 2024 

___

From Casa Árabe @Casaarabe 'Where Spain and the Arab world meet'

The opening conference of new exhibition "Unrest on the Nile" on Sudanese artists available on YouTube in Spanish only, no subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/live/brH4y1kxDf0

Source: https://twitter.com/Casaarabe/status/1765808802882818152  6:36 PM · Mar 7, 2024

___

From Casa Árabe @Casaarabe (Translated from Spanish by Google):

This afternoon at 7:00 p.m. we inaugurate the exhibition "Unrest on the Nile: the Sudanese artistic revolution" which will remain on display for the next few months at our headquarters in Madrid. We wait for you!

Source: https://twitter.com/Casaarabe/status/1765685170026185097 10:25 AM · Mar 7, 2024

END

Sudan: Attacks in South Kordofan by SPLM-N Al-Hilu rebels, 5 killed, 18 injured, 446 households displaced

DTM (Displacement Tracking Matrix) Sudan Flash Alert - Update One

Dated Thursday, 07 March 2024 - here is a copy in full:

Conflict in Ar Reif Ash Shargi, South Kordofan

On 5 March 2024, approximately 446 households were displaced from Abu Saififa, Karkaria, Al Bukas, and Karam villages of Ar Reif Ash Shargi locality, South Kordofan in the wake of the reported attacks by the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement - North (Al-Hilu wing) in the affected villages. 

Affected households were displaced to El Koaik village, Ar Reif Ash Shargi locality. As a result of the violence, an estimated five individuals were killed, and 18 others were injured. 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. The latest DTM Sudan report is available here. 

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.

Source: VIEW IN BROWSER

END