SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre – Burst of violence in Darfur triggers Sudan’s highest number of conflict displacements in six years

18/2/2021: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre – Burst of violence in Darfur triggers Sudan’s highest number of conflict displacements in six years

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) found that a surge in inter-communal attacks in West, South and North Darfur in January forced more people to flee their homes in three days than in the whole of 2020 in Sudan, with numbers continuing to rise.

IDMC cite the violence between armed militias from the Massalit and Arab communities between 15-18 January which triggered around 183,000 new displacements, alongside displacements in West Darfur’s al-Geneina, South Darfur’s Gereida and Jebel Marra and North Darfur’s Tawila.

IDMC attribute the violence to “unaddressed” triggers: ethnic disputes between herders and farmers over scarce resources overlap with disasters such as flooding and political instability.

IDMC director Alexandra Bilak said: “the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and government now have a major task to work together towards addressing the causes of inter-communal disputes and prevent further escalations of violence and displacement.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese army retires junior-rank officers

18/2/2020: Sudan Tribune - Sudanese army retires junior-rank officers

 Sudan Tribune reports that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has retired 79 military officers from the medium and junior ranks.

 Three separate “top secret” lists circulated on social media including the names of 15 sub-lieutenants, 29 lieutenant commanders and 35 colonels.

 Among the 15 sub-lieutenants appears the name of Mohamed Siddiq Ibrahim Ahmed, who was the first military officer to join protesters outside the army headquarters during the first week of April before Omar al-Bashir’s ouster.

 Activists have launched calls on the social media for a protest to show their solidarity with the first rebellious army officer who later was joined by others.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Radio Dabanga - Prosecutor denies arrival of ICC delegation in Sudan

18/2/2020: Radio Dabanga - Prosecutor denies arrival of ICC delegation in Sudan

Radio Dabanag reports that the office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has denied reports that an ICC delegation has arrived in Khartoum to discuss a handover of Omar al-Bashir and four others indicted by the Court for war crimes and genocide.

 In a statement to Radio Dabanga, Bensouda’s office said that she called on “called on Sudanese authorities to engage in dialogue and cooperation… to ensure that justice is finally served for the victims of atrocity crimes in Darfur – either in a Sudanese court, or before the ICC.”

 Calling on the media to “stick to accuracy and credibility,” Sudan’s Minister of Culture and Information Faisal Mohammed Salih also denied that an ICC delegation arrived in Khartoum, adding that such an event would “be announced officially as soon as it takes place, [as the government has] nothing to hide.”