SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: International Service for Human Rights - UN Security Council must take urgent action to protect civilians

13/6/2024: International Service for Human Rights - UN Security Council must take urgent action to protect civilians

A group of 118 feminist, women’s human rights, and human rights groups call on the members of the UN Security Council to:

• Protect civilians and protect women and girls under the UNSC Resolution 1325 specifically addressing women’s human rights in conflict and create a monitoring and reporting mechanisms on the widespread conflict-related sexual violence the Sudan war.

• Create a mechanism to guarantee immediate and unconditional access for humanitarian aid.

• Immediately restore telecommunications across the country 

• Ensure that accountability is guaranteed against warring parties for the war crimes committed and genocide perpetrated against certain tribes in Darfur.

• Extend the arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan and create effective monitoring and reporting mechanisms to ensure the implementation of the embargo.

• Refer the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) so that the ICC’s jurisdiction is extended to include all conflict areas in Sudan.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources - UN Security Council demands RSF halt siege of Al-Fashir

13/6/2024: Multiple sources - UN Security Council demands RSF halt siege of Al-Fashir

• Reuters

• AP, by Edith M. Lederer

The UN Security Council adopted a British-drafted resolution that demands the Rapid Support militia (RSF) halt the siege of Al-Fashir, the last remaining Darfur state capital that has not been taken by the RSF where over a million remain trapped.

The resolution, which was approved by a vote of 14-0 with Russia abstaining, expresses “grave concern” at the spreading violence and credible reports that the RSF are carrying out “ethnically motivated violence” in al-Fashir.

The resolution demands that the RSF and government forces ensure the protection of civilians, including allowing those wishing to move in Al-Fasher or leave the North Darfur capital to safer areas.

It calls for an immediate halt to the fighting and de-escalation around the city, and for “the withdrawal of all fighters that threaten the safety and security of civilians.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Daily Maverick - The world turns its back while the noose tightens around Sudan

13/6/2024: Daily Maverick - The world turns its back while the noose tightens around Sudan, by Phillip van Niekerk

Philip van Nieker  argues that Sudan’s problem “at least for the international media” is that “it’s not clear who the good guys are”. 

While the Rapid Support militia (RSF) “have been rightly condemned for looting and pillage,” van Niekerk writes that “it was [army commander Abdulfattah al-Burhan] who led the coup that ended [Sudan’s] democratic experiment,” with the army “still allied with the Islamists”.

Van Niekerk notes that smaller militias representing African tribes have joined forces with the army to defend Al-Fashir “while Arab groups from as far afield as northern Nigeria…have joined up with the RSF – and have no intention of going home.”

Analyst Cameron Hudson was said to “complain” the international community’s “responsibility-to-protect” doctrine has been shelved as “we are forced to watch in real-time as the noose tightens around millions of civilians begging to be saved,” with Sudan being “deprioritised” rather than “ignored”.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: BBC - Evidence of Iran and UAE drones used in Sudan war

13/6/2024: BBC - Evidence of Iran and UAE drones used in Sudan war, by Abdelrahman Abu Taleb

The BBC report that Iran and the UAE have both been accused of violating a UN arms embargo by supplying drones to the warring parties in Sudan.

The army’s recapturing of the state broadcaster’s HQ in March was attributed to Iranian made drones, particularly the Mohajer-6, with Wim Zwijnenburg of the Humanitarian Disarmament Project at PAX said “are very effective because they can identify targets accurately with minimal training”.

The BBC add that evidence emerged of the Rapid Support militia (RSF) using quadcopter drones capable of dropping 120mm mortar shells, with Brian Castner, a weapons expert at Amnesty International, points the finger at the UAE.

The BBC also spoke to Abdullah Makkawi, a displaced Sudanese who narrowly escaped death when RSF drones hit his home in Khartoum.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Exclusive: Famine watchdog projects 756,000 Sudanese face starvation in coming months

13/6/2024: Reuters - Exclusive: Famine watchdog projects 756,000 Sudanese face starvation in coming months, by Giulia Paravicini and Steve Stecklow

Reuters report that an estimated 756,000 people in Sudan could face catastrophic food shortages by September, according to a preliminary projection by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) used by UN agencies and aid groups to determine whether to officially declare a famine.

The IPC’s famine determination scale has five classifications, ranging from Phase 1, (no serious food issues), to Phase 5 (catastrophe or famine). The IPC projects that 756,000 in Sudan will face Phase 5 catastrophe by September.

The projection identified 32 localities and clusters where the population was suffering catastrophic food shortages. 15% of the population faced IPC 5 catastrophic conditions in Al-Fashir and nearby Zamzam camp for internally displaced persons. Three other areas were cited where 10% of the population had reached the threshold.

Reuters note that many of the areas in the projection where seized by the Rapid Support militia (RSF).

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: African Arguments – Why the Latest Attempt at Peacemaking in Sudan Won’t Work

13/6/2022: African Arguments – Why the Latest Attempt at Peacemaking in Sudan Won’t Work, by Justin Lynch

Justin Lynch, a writer living in Sudan, argues that the reversal of the coup through mediation is “implausible”, with the tripartite UN-AU-IGAD mechanism argued to legitimise the coup and potentially entrench military rule with cosmetic civilian representation that would have even less power than before.

Lynch calls for western diplomats to, firstly, understand how it falls for the “traps” of the Sudan’s military, including: siphoning aid to entrench their political interests, superficial changes, cowing diplomats with threats of expulsion to prevent human rights investigations and offering “dubious” terrorism and migration intelligence

Instead, Lynch calls for western diplomats to undermine Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Himedti by “changing the behaviour of their diplomatic colleagues from their own nations working in the Gulf” by pressuring Gulf institutions that facilitate Himedti’s finances and use his forces, alongside reforming the export process of Sudan’s gold, and economic empowerment across Darfur.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Washington Post - To end mass protests, Sudan has cut off internet access nationwide. Here’s why.

13/6/19: Washington Post – To end mass protests, Sudan has cut off internet access nationwide. Here’s why., by Steven Feldstein

 Steven Feldstein attributes the internet blackout in Sudan to three factors.

 Firstly, the “desperate” regime views the blackout as way to solidify its political survival, and show short-term strength to assure its Saudi and Emirati financiers that it is worth backing, a “last-ditch strategy” to buy time.

 Secondly, as only 31% of Sudan has internet access, shutting it down does not hurt Sudan’s economy as it would a developed economy. Also, the most active internet users overlap with those demonstrating.

 Third, the blackout is a result of the regime lacking the “right infrastructure to implement more sophisticated instruments of digital repression.”

 Feldstein highlights two issues with the internet blackout for the regime. Firstly, 5 days of blackout have cost Sudan $228,924,285, which Sudan “can ill afford to lose,” amid the soaring bread price that fueled the protests.

 Secondly, it also means that the regime cannot monitor present or future opponents.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters – Sudanese officers detained in connection with dispersal of sit-in – military council

13/6/19: Reuters – Sudanese officers detained in connection with dispersal of sit-in – military council

 In a short newsflash, Reuters reports that Sudan’s military rulers said that some officers had been arrested for their involvement in the deadly dispersal of a protest sit-in in Khartoum.

 An investigation into the storming of the sit-in had concluded and the results would be announced on Saturday, the military council said.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan military rulers say they rejected proposal from Ethiopian PM to hold negotiations in Addis Ababa

13/6/19: Reuters - Sudan military rulers say they rejected proposal from Ethiopian PM to hold negotiations in Addis Ababa

In a short newsflash, Reuters reports that Shamsaldeen Kabbashi, the Sudanese transitional military council spokesman, said that the TMC rejected Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahhmed’s suggestion that negotiations between the rulers and the Sudanese opposition on a transition to democracy move to Addis Ababa.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan's military rulers say they thwarted several coup attempts

13/6/19: Reuters - Sudan's military rulers say they thwarted several coup attempts

 In a short newsflash, Reuters reports that Sudan’s military rulers said on Thursday they had thwarted several coup attempts against them.

 Two different groups of people who had attempted coups had been arrested, the Transitional Military Council’s spokesman Shamsaldeen Kabbashi said.

 One group consisted of five people while the other had more than 12 members, he said.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Multiple sources - Omar Al Bashir charged with corruption

13/6/19: Multiple sources – Omar Al Bashir charged with corruption

• AFP

• BBC

• Reuters

 Former Sudan President Omar al-Bashir has been charged with corruption.

 The charges are related to laws on "suspected illicit wealth and emergency orders", the public prosecutor's office said, without giving more details.

 Al Bashir was overthrown and arrested on 11 April after three decades of authoritarian rule. He has not been seen publicly since he was detained.

In May he was charged with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - Sudan's military council head meets senior U.S. diplomat in Khartoum - statement

13/6/19: Reuters - Sudan's military council head meets senior U.S. diplomat in Khartoum - statement

 In a short newsflash, Reuters reports that Abdelfattah Al Burhan, the head of Sudan’s ruling military council met with U.S. diplomats in Khartoum on Thursday, the council said.

 Al Burhan met with Tibor Nagy, the U.S. assistant secretary for Africa, and veteran diplomat Donald Booth, who was appointed U.S. envoy to Sudan on Wednesday.

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Washington Post - Sudan must come together to face its terrifying violence

13/6/19: Washington Post – Sudan must come together to face its terrifying violence, by Reem Abbas

Reem Abbas calls for collective resistance between Sudan and Darfur, arguing that “all of Sudan must now unite against the violence that besieges us — through our pens, barricades, voices, smartphones and whatever peaceful means we can find.”

Abbas states that the RSF-inflicted state of terror is new for many in Khartoum, “though this has been the norm in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan for years.”

However, it has united Sudan and forged solidarity, with this unity being “our greatest weapon against the Transitional Military Council, which continues to sustain Bashir’s blood-tarnished legacy.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Guardian - Sudan is heading for atrocity once again. The UK government must not sit by

13/6/19: Guardian – Sudan is heading for atrocity once again. The UK government must not sit by, by Kate Ferguson

 Kate Ferguson, a co-executive director at Protection Approaches, a charity working to prevent identity-based violence, calls for the UK government to integrate its responsibility, to help protect vulnerable populations in Sudan throughout its activities, from UK aid to diplomacy, migration policy and trade.

 Noting that a destabilised Sudan can become a ISIS base, Ferguson calls for the UK to dissuade the TMC from holding “premature elections,” as it would be too soon for civilians to build “genuine” representative institutions, and too soon to disarm paramilitary groups.

 Ferguson also calls for the UK to coordinate its Sudan policy with the UK-based Sudan diaspora, and to ensure that the UK is not a financial haven for Sudanese war-criminals to harbour “dirty money.”

SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Financial Times – Sudan’s air force chief insists army prepared to hand over power

13/6/19: Financial Times – Sudan’s air force chief insists army prepared to hand over power, by Tom Wilson

 Tom Wilson reports that Lieutenant General Salah Abdel Khalig, a leading member of Sudan’s ruling military council, said the army is prepared to eventually hand over power to civilians but will continue to rule the country until elections are held.

 Abdel Khalig said civilians can participate in interim institutions, but cited national security reasons for military rule as a protection against rebel activity and a revival of the Islamist groups that shared power with the army under Omar Al Bashir.

 He also rejected “international interference” in investigation of the massacre on June 3, because “things like this can make the situation more complicated because they may also have an agenda.”

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Reuters - UN says it confirms 17 deaths in Sudan’s Darfur

13/6/19: Reuters- UN says it confirms 17 deaths in Sudan’s Darfur

 Reuters reports that the UN said it confirmed the killing of 17 people and the burning of more than 100 houses in Deleij village in the Darfur region of Sudan earlier this week.

 The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur also said 15 people were injured and the violence “occurred during heated clashes between nomads and residents apparently angered by the increase in commodity prices at the local market”.

 Opposition medics said “Janjaweed militias” fired live ammunition at civilians on Monday at a market in Deleij, Central Darfur, killing 11 people and wounding 20 others.

 The Janjaweed are Arab militias who have been accused of committing atrocities in Darfur, in the west of Sudan, during a civil conflict that started in 2003 and, according to U.N. estimates, has killed up to 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: The Sun – Sudan massacre – Brit student shot dead by militia while protecting women at peaceful protest as social media profiles turn blue in solidarity

13/6/19: The Sun – Sudan massacre – Brit student shot dead by militia while protecting women at peaceful protest as social media profiles turn blue in solidarity, by Christy Cooney

 The Sun reports that a blue wave of solidarity is sweeping social media after a protester who came to university in Britain was shot dead protecting two women at a peaceful protest in Sudan.

 Social media users are changing their profile picture blue, the favourite colour of Mohamed Mattar, a 26-year-old graduate of London's Brunel university who was killed last week.

 Reports say that Mattar was shot by the brutal Rapid Support Forces militia while trying to protect to women from harm.

 The hashtag #BlueForSudan has spread across social media platforms in tribute to the protester.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AFP – US envoy pushes for ‘peaceful’ Sudan solution

13/6/19: AFP – US envoy pushes for ‘peaceful’ Sudan solution

 AFP reports that the US envoy for Sudan, Donald Booth, is set to meet Sudan's top military ruler Abdulfattah Al Burhan to push for a "peaceful" solution to the standoff between protesters and generals following a deadly crackdown on demonstrators.

 Booth, who previously served as special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan during the administration of former president Barack Obama, arrived in Khartoum along with Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Affairs Tibor Nagy. They held a series of meetings with Sudanese officials and protest leaders.

 The Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella protest movement said that its leaders briefed the two US officials on the need for a transparent investigation in the June 3 killings.

 They also called for the withdrawal of "militias" from the streets in Khartoum and other towns, an end to the internet blockade and establishment of a civilian administration, it said in a statement.

SUDAN NEWS ALERT: AP – AU envoy mediates Sudan crisis as protesters slam military

13/6/19: AP – AU envoy mediates Sudan crisis as protesters slam military, by Bassam Hatoum and Samy Magdy

 AP reports that an African Union envoy said Thursday that mediation efforts to ease Sudan’s crisis are making “significant progress.”

 The AU envoy to Sudan, Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt, declined to elaborate on where the mediation talks were headed, saying during a news conference in Khartoum that it was up to the two sides to disclose the outcome of the talks.

 He also said that the AU is demanding “an accurate, transparent and credible” investigation into last week’s violent sit-in dispersal.

 Following the military crackdown on protesters, the AU’s Peace and Security Council suspended Sudan’s participation in all AU activities until a civilian-led transitional authority is formed. Lebatt reiterated that other punitive measures could be taken if the situation deteriorates further in Sudan, but the suspension could be lifted if the situation improves.