April 28
Sudan requested an emergency UN Sec Council meeting on UAE aggression. For months the regular army accused the UAEof supporting the RSF…our permanent rep submitted a request for an urgent session of the Council to discuss the UAE’s aggression. The Council expressed deep concern overescalating fighting in N Darfur and warned against the possibility of an imminent offensive by the RSF…on El Fasher. UN officials put out similar warnings Fri with UN High Comm for Human Rights Turk expressing grave concern. Secy-Gen Guterres’ office said an attack on El Fasher would have devastating consequences for the civilian population…in an area already on the brink of famine.
April 26
Egypt’s secret scheme to detain and deport thousands of Sudanese refugees. The Refugees Platform contacted The New Humanitarian to share evidence that the Egyptian military was carrying out large-scale deportations of Sudanese refugees. The EU pledged billions of dollars to Cairo in exchange for the government curtailing migration to Europe, a deal that could make European countries complicit in abuses. I pleaded with the soldiers, explaining my mother was gravely ill and urgently needed medical attention but they refused to help us, said 25-year-old Hassan, deported after being kept in a squalid military camp with his 68-year-old mother who has a heart condition, and his cousin who has cancer. Hassan…escaped Khartoum after his house was invaded and his brother was killed by RSF fighters.
Most refugees are now forced to use smugglers to enter, even as they risk being detained….Some told reporters Egyptian border guard forces shot at them in desert areas, and arrested and deported them without any legal process. Others were rounded up in towns and cities and accused by security authorities of spurious offences, including smuggling, being part of a criminal smuggling group, or causing serious harm to Egypt. Refugees and lawyers said children, elderly people and individuals suffered serious injuries during their journeys…were deported, as were Sudanese who had registered with UNHCR. Refugees described facilities with rodent infestations and overflowing sewage. One refugee said they were detained 70 days in a base and allowed out just once. All the prisoners’ mental states were severely affected, said 31-year-old Mahmoud, detained on a Cairo-bound bus having escaped fighting in Khartoum. Smugglers take refugees through the desert on a long, bumpy trip that crosses mountains, rocky outcroppings and military checkpoints….packed onto the back of pick-up trucks cling onto ropes to avoid falling out and use surgical masks to keep out the choking dust.
Global Detention Project and UNHCR reported thousands of cases. Reporters spoke to relatives of refugees arrested while conducting their daily business in Cairo and Alexandria and later deported. Refugees said authorities carried out mass deportations, with buses taking hundreds of people to border crossings. When they told us we would be deported to Sudan, the children cried because the soldiers lied to them and they were afraid of returning in light of the war, said Nasifa. She described having an asthma attack while detained in a ramshackle military base and soldiers did not bring her medicine. The campaigns have been carried out while government and security forces received support from European states….motivated by Europe’s desire to stem migration from the country, a transit route for individuals wanting to cross the Mediterranean. Experts said state abuses against refugees and migrants are likely to increase as a result of the new $8bn EU funding package, which includes more than $200m for migration control. The deal is part of a part of a broader EU approach of partnering with third countries, many with poor human rights records, to reduce migration.
Refugees are especially vulnerable to abuse if they are intercepted near border areas under military jurisdiction. Access, including for humanitarian and human rights groups, requires permits from military authorities. Several lawyers and border guard sources said Sudanese refugees detained in these areas are rapidly deported by border guard forces without being registered, and without legal process. 4 refugees told reporters that border guard forces ambushed them in the desert, with 3 recounting being pursued by military vehicles, and 3 claiming guards shot at their vehicles or in the air, causing panic. 2 refugees described their Egyptian drivers being tortured and beaten by border guards after being caught. Amina, a refugee who crossed the border with 13 others, said her smuggler driver crashed after border guards engaged them in a car chase through mountains….the driver fled but his teenage assistant was caught and tortured by a border guard. The officer forced the teenager to remove his clothes, kicked him, hung him with a rope and penetrated his rectum with a stick until he bled. I said to the girls with me:‘You experienced the war and saw atrocities, so do not look at what is happening’.
Refugees are consistently denied legal defence and initiate asylum procedures, said Mahmoud. He was accused by secret police of smuggling. Mahmoud has been tormented by the question of why refugees fleeing a war zone are being punished. Still, he considers himself fortunate to have survived, given that others endured even harsher experiences along the same journey. Reporters identified 6 military bases where refugees are being detained….in Aswan and Red Sea governorates. Videos, photos and refugee testimonies reveal harrowing conditions inside the bases. Nasifa….said refugees were held in a part of the facility that looked like a horse stable, and space was so cramped that new arrivals were put out in a cold courtyard. Among the refugees was a woman suffering from bleeding, another with high blood pressure and a man with throat cancer. Amina…stayed in a very bad facility…there was no light, insufficient water and a bathroom without a door. She asked for diabetes medication from soldiers but was not given any. Mahmoud stayed in al-Shallal 70 days. Hundreds of people were packed into small spaces, and many were suffering from respiratory infections and skin diseases due to outbreaks of lice and ticks: It is like a grave. The lack of sunlight, coupled with the closed doors, created an environment conducive to the spread of diseases. Nasifa was transferred to Abu Simbel. She described overcrowding, sewage overflowing in front of a kitchen, and women and children with food poisoning….a pregnant woman in labour was left on the floor 90 mins.
Thousands of Sudanese refugees sheltering in Ethiopia staged demonstrations against rampant insecurity. …a young refugee was shot in the head by Ethiopian gunmen in Kumer refugee site. Yousef Omar, Kumer Refugees Comm, told Radio Dabanga Amir Hasan, 18, was seriously injured when robbers shot him in the back of the head after he refused to hand them his telephone at the market. The bullet exited through his mouth. Amir was first taken to a health unit at Kumer Camp, then to Shahidi in critical health condition. Thousands of refugees, the majority Sudanese sheltering in Kumer and Awlala, went to the street to demand security and an end to attacks from groups of armed bandits creating havoc in the area…The people sheltering have lost hope due to security threats and dire humanitarian conditions leading to the departure of a number of refugees already.
Jurists in Kumer formed a Legal Comm representing Sudanese refugees as well as Eritrean and So Sudanese refugees. 10% of the refugees in Kumer have been assaulted since the establishment of the refugee site in May. This insecurity worsens the suffering as most of the refugees in this settlement are coming here with psychological trauma from the fighting in Khartoum. This habit of moving around carrying guns, is the main cause of violations committed against the refugees because the victims are not equal to the perpetrators as the cannot defend themselves. The memorandum details several incidents of murder, serious harm, looting, death threats, random shooting and restriction of the movement of refugees…robbery, abduction, threatening by guns, forcible searching, beating with big sticks and many other sorts of violations, increasing daily in this settlement. The Legal Comm laments the lack of drinking water and food, and poor health care and education in the refugee sites. Referring to the right of refugees to live in safe surroundings, the representatives of the refugees…call for evacuation to a better secured place. Ethiopia hosted over a million refugees and asylum seekers, among them 91,000 Sudanese nationals.
Sudanese and international experts are sounding the alarm about a potential massacre in El Fasher as RSF launched a full-scale attack on the city. Hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons including survivors of past RSF attacks have sought refuge in the city. Yale Humanitarian Research Lab estimate 700,000 civilians are at imminent risk. RSF’s assault includes indiscriminate shelling from the SAF, with 100 casualties already. The largest IDP camp, Zamzam, is completely unprotected and already faces severe hunger and lack of healthcare, with 2 dozen children dying daily. International and Sudanese humanitarian workers….warn of potential mass casualties from lack of access to humanitarian aid, deaths in the crossfire and targeted killings. Nathaniel Raymond, Yale Humanitarian Lab, and Hala Al Karib, SIHA, fear a repeat of the 2003-04 genocide. They believe the RSF aims to complete the ethnic cleansing left unfinished in previous attacks: This is the final battle for Darfur. RSF will have the freedom to complete the 2003/04 genocide. We cannot do anything but wait and anticipate a massacre in the making. Avaaz’s Break the Blackout Campaign advocates urged the international community to address the dire situation. They pointed to the Sec Council’s failure to take concrete action beyond condemnation and urged immediate steps like delivering aid, supporting emergency response efforts and expanding the arms embargo. The situation is particularly dire for women and girls who face a constant threat of violence inside Sudan and in refugee camps across the border in Chad. The international community is urged to act swiftly to prevent a potential genocide. …the window for action is rapidly closing, and the choice lies with the world to stop the RSF or be complicit in the slaughter of innocent civilians. Sudan Tribune
April 25
Fearing the upcoming rainy season, Gedaref Gov Hassan pleaded with UNHCR to fund alternative housing for tens of thousands of displaced people and refugees residing in the state. Gedaref already hosts 100,000 Ethiopian refugees. The situation worsened significantly after a year of conflict. Christina Hambrick, UNHCR, met with officials and participated in the launch of new electricity programs and support for Gedaref Hosp. Gov Hassan urged the UN to prioritize funding alternative housing with essential services before the rainy season begins for the displaced population. He emphasized the critical need for immediate intervention to bolster healthcare, education and water access for these vulnerable communities. Hambrick acknowledged the situation’s urgency and outlined a rapid response plan to increase humanitarian aid for the displaced. The plan involves supporting health and education through partnerships with…WHO, Intl Org for Migration and UNICEF. Al-Nadir Ibrahim, Dir of Gedaref Hosp, highlighted the challenges in providing medical care due to the overwhelming number of patients, exceeding 500 daily. The hospital faces a severe shortage of staff and resources due to the continuous influx of displaced people, refugees and seasonal workers. 80% of hospitals in conflict zones are no longer functional, forcing patients to seek care in safer areas, further straining medical facilities. Sudan Tribune
April 23
Intl Comm of the Red Cross expressed dissatisfaction with the continuation of conflicts…lamenting the failure to protect civilians….from the Democratic Rep of Congo to Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen, we are witnessing a global and collective failure to protect civilians in armed conflicts.…the human losses resulting from these wars,…exacerbated by the use of heavy explosives in populated areas, are unacceptable. ICRC teams on the ground have seen scores of civilians killed or injured, often left with permanent disabilities or serious mental trauma. Cities are reduced to rubble, with homes, infrastructures, schools and cultural sites destroyed. People’s means of earning a living are wiped out. Services essential for human survival collapse, leaving entire populations without access to water, sanitation, electricity or health care, causing more death and disease, triggering displacement and setting development back decades. Despite the belligerents’ commitment in the Jeddah Declaration to protect civilians, horrifying accounts of unbridled violence continue…. Dabanga
3 people died of hunger in Ombada neighbourhood on Sun, Resistance Comms announced. Resistance Comms, voluntary youth organizations, said the situation in the area is catastrophic calling on benevolents and civil society organisations to provide food supplies to the residents who suffer food shortage and electricity cutoffs for months. Al Taghyeer
RSF has been for days committing massacres…in N Kordofan State. Jebel al-Dair located near Omrowaba…was declared a national park in 2010 and inscribed on the UNESCO’s Tentative List in 2021. It has intact natural forests with 112 plant species, 22 mammal species, springs and waterfalls. RSF has been committing massacres and disrupting water, electricity and communication services in Jebel al Dair, Gurdood and al Simaih. It confiscated citizens’ weapons, abducted a number of women and arrested young men demanding a ransom of 5m pounds for each….The paramilitary looted cattle, money and cars. Al Taghyeer
April 22
RSF launched series of arrests targeting residents of Tuti Island in the center of Khartoum on the Nile. Local community leaders have been detained for 2 weeks. RSF is engaged in a campaign of intimidation and violence, including killings, property looting and restrictions on food and medicine supplies. These tactics are aimed at forcing residents to leave their homes. These developments follow a reported rape incident on Eid al-Fitr involving a young woman and RSF member. A community meeting to condemn the act reportedly angered the RSF….Tensions heightened when an RSF commander and armed guards entered a mosque while residents were discussing the rape incident….leading to a confrontation with a guard who shot and injured 7 people, 1 fatally. The statement details an increase in thefts, harassment, and intimidation since the arrests. This could hinder volunteers from delivering essential supplies like food, water and medicine. Sudan Tribune
Since 15 April 2023…we have seen our dreams of a democratic, prosperous nation destroyed and we have lived through a year of unrelenting atrocities and loss. Yet at the same time, millions of Sudanese have remained in war-torn areas outside the reach of international aid agencies, finding ways to support each other using local resources and diaspora aid. Others like myself have found a way of helping from afar. Together, we have formed mutual aid groups known as Emergency Response Rooms that have provided food, health and other critical services,…building partnerships, raising funding and getting recognition as frontline humanitarian aid workers. Discussions and collaboration with OCHA, USAID and ECHO have resulted in increased financial support and advocacy to mutual aid in Sudan. Hajooj Kooka
A decolonisation of humanitarian relief seems to be moving forward. Nonetheless, many international aid groups have struggled to alter their internal systems to allow for a modality that will function effectively with mutual aid, a model that puts community accountability ahead of traditional NGO reporting methodologies. ERRs still do not have the resources we need to accomplish our critical mission, and our members remain subjected to arbitrary arrests by the conflict parties, each side accusing us of working as intelligence for the other. Recognition of our work remains a problem….diplomats and humanitarian groups met last week in Paris for a conference to raise sorely needed funds for the humanitarian crisis. Guess who wasn’t invited? The ERRs. Sudan is now speeding head first towards a famine that could strike millions of people and yet the world seems to be turning a blind eye as if nothing can be done. What the international community must do is give full support to all aid organisations working in Sudan, and simultaneously withdraw from the generals the licence they have been given to kill civilians and play politics with our lives. As mutual aid groups, we request faster and more flexible funding free of red tape; a greater chunk of aid spending; recognition that we are aid workers and long-term partners, not just a stop-gap solution for NGOs facing access challenges.
How Emergency Rms work: ERRs have been built with the same spirit and grassroots organising that toppled al-Bashir….ERRs work based on the concepts of the solidarity economy, local parliaments and 4 pillars of good governance: accountability, transparency, participation and equality. ERR in Khartoum State…runs 335 communal kitchens, 40 health clinics, 75 women cooperatives, and is looking into running alternative education in children centres. A charter that plays the role of a constitution was written and passed by a legislative body comprising 3 representatives from each district, with at least 1 of 3 a woman. An executive branch was created that has programming, finance, reporting and external communication working committees. It has offices for health, food, protection, women response rooms, capacity building, data collection and media. As the experience and structure was passed on to ERRs in other states, a Localisation Coordination Council was created. This council includes ERRs from the different states, local NGOs and international NGO partners. The Council has become one of the most important bodies created by the ERRs. It resembles a national parliament, facilitating conversations across a war zone while beginning difficult discussions for building post-war coexistence. Take the case of Algiraif, Khartoum. Volunteers started a communal kitchen in one school, providing food daily from 12 June. They are now responsible for 5 children centres, 22 kitchens, 19 women cooperatives and 2 health clinics. The school has a library, art gallery, sports events space and salad garden where children are being taught how to farm. A women’s relaxation room was set up to deal with issues including gender-based violence. Newly formed women’s cooperatives have been set up based on small groupings of 8-15 women who get together to raise funds. They then run either psychosocial activities or small income-generating projects. Similar cooperatives are now found throughout Khartoum State and across Sudan.
The challenges we are facing: Doing all of this in the middle of a war hasn’t been easy. We lost volunteers to bombings, cross-fire and deliberate shootings. We have had members arrested, and 1 was raped after being detained while assessing needs in her area. Our tears still haven’t dried from mourning Omar Munour, one of the hardest working members of the kitchens in Bahri. He died earlier this month from complications caused by drinking dirty water and not having medication. Power outages are causing huge problems for millions. They depend on drinking water from the Nile or wells, but the electricity needed to pump it up is in short supply. I have had recent calls with volunteers, like Abdo, who spoke while the sound of gunfire rattled around him, and would tell us how he was eating the equivalent of ½ meal every 2 days because of siege conditions. Abdo’s ERR in Omdurman’s Fatihab neighbourhood was involved in nighttime evacuation missions to take tens of thousands of civilians to other states during the siege. I recall Abdo elaborating on how amazing a tomato tasted. The blackout has impacted online banking services that were a lifeline for millions, including ERR volunteers who cannot use cash because of shortages, looting, and widespread use of forged money. Power outages are causing huge problems for millions. They depend on drinking water from the Nile or from wells, but the electricity needed to pump it up is in short supply.
The number of people facing extreme hunger is increasing throughout the country as is the number of pictures of famine-stricken children. The prospect now is that millions will be exposed to one of the worst famines the world has seen in recent history. This coming famine is a political decision by the warring parties, but a full-scale disaster will only be possible if the international community chooses to be complicit – by failing to swiftly fund and empower all humanitarian actors on the ground. To do our part as ERRs we need more resources from international humanitarian donors and we need the money that we have been promised to be sent faster.
A year into the war we are still not being invited to conferences like the one in Paris. The organisers felt it was too hard to invite a group as big as us, yet it shows the aid system still doesn’t have space for mutual aid to be at the forefront. It is true that our successes have woken people up to the power of mutual aid, and we reached the point where we no longer have to prove ourselves as capable of this work. It is also baffling how much legitimacy is still in the hands of the warring parties. Diplomats have allowed humanitarian access to be turned into a negotiation card, and they are looking at the fighting groups to end the war rather than listening to us….there is a limit to what we can do. Mutual aid…can’t keep running the water stations that require expensive chemicals. Preventing the humanitarian catastrophe created by this war from getting even worse requires partnerships between local initiatives like ERRs, local NGOs, international NGOs, UN agencies and even the governments run by the warring parties. I am sure hundreds of volunteers will be waking up each morning to go and cook, heal, and support their communities. We hope you stand in solidarity with us. The New Humanitarian
April 21
MI is conducting an extensive campaign of detentions in White Nile, Sennar and El Gezira. The staff of a French humanitarian NGO were detained by MI in Singa, Sennar. Some were released later, alleging they had been beaten while in custody. …MI agents raided the residence of employees and detained all the workers, including Sudanese nationals and foreigners. NUP said an intelligence force…detained 3 of its leaders and members who were released later. Hadi Hussein Tayeb from local administration El Duim is reportedly still in detention. 2 brothers, lawyer Makkawi Mohammed Adam and university student Migdad Mohammed Adam, with 2 of their relatives, have been held hostage in Abu Hajar for a week, according to Musab Mohammed Adam of Abu Hajjar Resistance Comms….intelligence stormed their house with heavily armed military vehicles and did not find them at home. They proceeded to detain their brothers and relatives to pressure them to surrender themselves. The detainees were taken to the cells of the 17 Div and have not yet been released, nor have relatives been allowed to visit. Musab’s father was threatened with detention of more members of his family. In El Gezira, MI arrested lawyer and activist Salah El Tayeb, head of Change & Services Comms in El Azazi administrative unit by the SAF. Dabanga
April 20
US senators have written an open letter to Biden calling on him to recognise the RSF and Dagalo as violators of human rights. The letter lists human rights abuses…rape, extrajudicial killings and targeting of journalists, including when Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Fadl and Rashid Gibril were detained and beaten up in Khartoum.
April 19
Genocide against non-Arab groups taking place in Darfur. A newly released report…concluded a genocide is taking place against non-Arab groups in Darfur. The Raoul Wallenberg Centre found clear and convincing evidence that the RSF paramilitary and allied militias committed and are committing genocide against the Masalit, a Black African group. … RSF and allied militias… are committing direct and public incitement to genocide, and all 153 states that signed the Genocide Conv are obligated to end complicity and employ all means reasonably available to prevent and halt the genocide….there is clear and convincing evidence that Sudan, UAE, Libya, Chad, CAR and Russia via the actions of the Wagner Group are complicit in the genocide. Middle East Eye has reported on the network of supply lines that exist to funnel arms and other goods from the UAE to the RSF, via allied groups and governments in Libya, Chad and CAR. UAE is the paramilitary’s main patron, with the supply of arms also facilitated by Libyan commander Haftar, and running overland from Chad and CAR, as well as flown out of airbases in Uganda.
In Darfur, the vast western region that serves as the RSF’s powerbase, the paramilitary has been able to act almost completely without hindrance. MEE reported throughout the war on the group’s targeting of the Masalit in cities including el Geneina and el-Fasher. Idriss, a 29-year-old, had seen Masalit Sudanese shot and killed by the RSF and allied militias in front of him. He took photos of the dead bodies which lined the streets of the city. Women across Darfur, some as young as 12, have been the victims of sexual assault perpetrated by men wearing RSF uniforms. At a meeting in Britain’s parliament, Zaza el-Sheikh, a Sudanese doctor, said she and colleagues met and examined 895 Sudanese women in Egypt who had been raped by fighters and were now pregnant as a result. In his foreword to the report Cotler…writes: identity-based campaign of destruction waged by the RSF is the inevitable result of an ongoing culture of impunity in Darfur. As this report demonstrates in chilling detail, the same perpetrators, now under the flag of the RSF, are committing the same atrocities against the same targeted groups, fuelled by the same dehumanisation, demonisation, incitement and oft-expressed intent to destroy the Masalit or non-Arab groups. 20 years ago the international community at least acknowledged the genocidal atrocities, though it utterly failed to take the necessary action to prevent them. Today, one can only feel shocked – if not betrayed – by the ongoing level of indifference and impunity in the face of another genocide that is being effectively silenced and sanitised.
Darfur displaced renew call to the world to save them….security and health conditions are worsening and the number of people dying of hunger and thirst is rapidly growing. Community leaders in Kalma Camp for Displaced People, Nyala sent a new call to all humanitarian organisations, in particular WFP, to intervene immediately to save the displaced people from starvation. Residents of El Salam Camp reported acute malnutrition among children and the elderly due to lack of food….most people resorted to eating locusts and doum palm fruits. The number of malnutrition cases grows with 10 people per day, El Hadi Abdallah told Radio Dabanga. If possible, they are transferred to Kalma Camp, where there is at least a bit of health care left. Adam Ishag, member of the camp’s youth administration, said each day a person, often a child, dies of hunger….we cannot move patients to Kalma Camp due to the lack of money for transportation. He reported the spread of tuberculosis while necessary medicines are depleted. Displaced people in Kassab Camp in Kutum are suffering of the deteriorated security situation and lack of water, food and health care. Malnutrition is rapidly spreading, Omda Hasan Mohamed, one of the camp leaders. The depletion of food stocks has forced many to resort to begging. The people also suffer from a lack of drinking water. Of the camp’s 32 water pumps, 28 are out of order, with the fuel crisis affecting the pumps still operating. The available water covers less than 40% of the displaced people’s needs. The displaced are also suffering from beatings and robberies on camp roads. We are in fact besieged by the militiamen. Kutum fell into the hands of the RSF in June.
Darfur Bar Assoc…Conference on Humanitarian Issues in May plan to organise the conference in Kalma Camp….it will invite US special envoy and representatives of UN, EU and AU to attend and participate online to hear directly from those affected by the war in their country. SLM headed by Nur reported 26,000 children sheltering in Jebel Marra are malnourished and urged the UN to officially declare a famine in the region. Dabanga
The prices of basic commodities jumped in most of Darfur’s 5 states in the wake of the latest fighting in El Fasher, Melit and rural areas. A sack of sugar in N Darfur jumped from 92,000 to 100,000 pounds, a sack of oil from 35,000 to 38,000, a sack of lentils from 41,000 to 50,000, a gal of gasoline 30,000 pounds. A sack of corn in Nyala rose to 150,000 pounds, sugar to 108,000 from 90,000 last week. Traders attributed the sudden rise to the military battles that broke out between the army and allied Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements on the one hand, and the RSF. Ibrahim, a trader in El Fasher, said the spread of unruly gunmen…led to looting commercial vehicles, and merchants decided not to bring goods due to the lack of security after the deployment of RSF troops and allied militias in the city which lies along the trans-Saharan trade route. Ahmed, a merchant in Nyala, said conflict prompted widespread buying and hoarding of food items…especially corn, wheat and bread. Before the war, Darfur relied on fuel and food imports from central Sudan and overseas, while producing some of its own food. But warfare along this main import route forced merchants to rely more on the roads to Libya, Chad and So Sudan. This has raised transportation costs and put the price of food out of reach of the most vulnerable families. …locally produced grains are in shorter supply, due to fighting in cultivation zones, indirect conflict impacts on farmers, reduced availability of labor and higher costs for inputs such as fertilizers and seeds. Sudan War Monitor
April 18
The world cannot turn its back on Sudan and its neighbours any longer. At Renk, So Sudan, I met a young boy, Miyok, orphaned by the brutality of the conflict. Miyok is one of 600,000 refugees who fled to So Sudan since the start of the conflict. He now lives with his aunt in one of the 2 transit centres. Despite myriad challenges, Miyok’s wish is simple yet profound – to be educated and have the opportunity to fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor. As international donors met earlier this week in Paris, Miyok’s story resonated deeply. His dream represents not only his personal aspirations but embodies the collective hope of a nation striving for a better future. In Paris, donors pledged $2bn to support millions of people in Sudan and in host countries. Although this is most welcome, it is only half of $4.1bn needed to give people their next meal and what they need to survive and rebuild their lives. Neighbouring countries So Sudan, Chad, CAR, Ethiopia, Egypt and Libya are feeling the impact whether through strained resources, economic disruptions or risk of the conflict spilling over. We have seen up to 1,500 people arriving every day in Renk, some on donkey carts, others crammed into overcrowded minivans, and those who can’t afford transport walk for miles under the scorching sun to reach the border. Many…are women carrying nothing but a small bundle of clothes on their backs and their children. Their eyes are filled with exhaustion, fear, and uncertainty about what the future holds. Al Jazeera
Madani Resistance Comms in Al-Jazira documented 800 deaths since the RSF seized control last year. Resistance Comms monitoring abuses said for 4 months the RSF has inflicted horrific abuses….The escalating sexual violence against women and children threatens a social catastrophe. The group emphasizes the systematic nature of the crimes against unarmed civilians. It also criticizes the deliberate disruption of communication networks and internet services for 3 months, crippling daily life, banking and essential goods access. The Resistance Comms condemned the military’s indiscriminate airstrikes using explosive barrels in civilian areas, violating international law. They dismissed claims by the military about regaining control as mere propaganda aimed at deploying poorly trained personnel for power grabs. Hasahisa Resistance Comms, citing western Madani and rural Tabet, reported looting, property destruction and assaults on farmers by the RSF. These actions threaten food security and lives. Sudan Tribune
April 16
France stepped up for Sudan this week, holding a conference in Paris where donors pledged major increases to humanitarian funding. 50 countries committed €2.5bn for the humanitarian response inside Sudan and €1.2bn for Sudanese refugees in 5 neighboring countries. Several nations announced pledges including Germany (€244m), France (€110m), UK (£89m) and Canada (€90m). US, historically the largest humanitarian donor in Sudan, pledged $147m following a recent cut to the foreign aid budget. Unannounced commitments from major Arab states may account for the rest. Last year’s UN appeal for Sudan was 43% funded, and its regional response plan 38%. The gaps meant that Sudanese suffered from a lack of food, medical care, shelter, sanitation and other services. Even if the 2024 response plan is fully funded, Sudan is likely to face a famine this year and next. The scale and severity of the famine will depend on whether fighting continues, weather, humanitarian access, and whether farmers and importers can move food products safely to market. UN bureaucracy could slow the flow of aid to grassroots organizations that need it most. The UN has failed the people of Sudan…the Paris event was encouraging and marked a unique opportunity for Sudanese civil society to build unity alongside international partners. Médecins Sans Frontières responded: The UN Sudan appeal falls short. Funds pledged are nowhere near enough to meet needs. …the conference fell short because humanitarian needs are so vast and the full UN appeal is nearly €4bn. The organization highlighted the problem of humanitarian access, saying that a military blockade on movement of supplies and personnel into areas under RSF control means millions are going without medical assistance. Since Oct we have been unable to bring supplies to our health facilities in Khartoum, and we have just 20% of our medical supplies left in the Turkish Hosp. There is an urgent need to bring more supplies — we have run out of malaria treatment, and very sadly, children have died. MSF called on the UN to use its influence with the warring parties to negotiate access across frontlines and borders so aid can be safely delivered. Sudan War Monitor
April 15
Sudanese abroad organize protest activities on war first anniversary. …Sudanese in the UK organised anti-war events in London, Cardiff, Newcastle and Manchester. In the US protest activities took place in Phoenix, Boston, and similar events in NY and Washington. In Norway, activities will be in Oslo and Bergen. The revolutionaries called on revolutionary and patriotic forces outside Sudan to continue pressuring for ending the war through such activities and exposing genocide and atrocities committed by both warring parties. Al Taghyeer
Fear grips key city in Darfur as fragile peace breaks down. Clashes near El-Fasher raised fears of a further expansion of the devastating conflict. The already war-ravaged western region of Darfur has been the site of horrific violence, including mass ethnic-based killings. Clashes have taken hold of the countryside….Air strikes pounded the area and everyone is terrified. The local Resistance Comm…said Sat an RSF-allied militia set fire to 6 villages west. 10 civilians were killed.
UN Secy-Gen Guterres: such an attack would be devastating for civilians in the city, which has functioned as a humanitarian hub for the UN that ensures lifesaving assistance across Darfur. The immense region, the size of France, is home to ¼ of Sudan’s people and like much of the country is on the brink of famine. As violence rages, residents in N Darfur reported an influx of displaced people moving towards the city in the hope it might prove safer than their villages. But even within the city we could hear the sound of clashes, local activist Adam told AFP. Intermittent attacks escalated in recent weeks, with…increased clashes between the army and RSF. But unrest soared since the 2 most powerful armed groups led by Minawi and Ibrahim pledged to fight alongside the army. They released a statement saying the RSF…had taken advantage of the forces’ position of neutrality and defence. There can no longer be neutrality. Both sides have been accused of war crimes including targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and torture. Earlier this month, military jets conducted strikes that failed to avoid civilian locations and killed dozens of civilians, said US Envoy Perriello. The New Arab
Canada announced sanctions against those it blames for perpetuating Sudan’s devastating war….The sanctions are being imposed on individuals and companies that have links to the warring parties. Those include RSF Dagalo as well as Ali Karti, who leads an Islamist group. Ottawa sanctioned 4 companies it accuses of emboldening both the paramilitary group known as the RSF and the SAF.
UK imposed sanctions on 3 businesses with links to the different factions in Sudan’s war. Companies with links to the SAF and the RSF will face new limits to their financial freedom a year after fighting began. …Alkhaleej Bank, which helped the RSF finance operations and control key elements of Sudanese economy, and Al-Fakher Advanced Works, a holding company used by RSF to export gold. Red Rock Mining will face restrictions. It is a mining and exploration subsidiary of Sudan Master Tech which the UK already designated, and provides funds to the SAF. The measures follow similar restrictions on 6 companies in July. UK hopes the new measures will send a signal that the sides should lay down their arms for peace talks. Radio Tamazuj
C ommunity support project launched in Blue Nile IDP camps. In collaboration with the Youth of the 3 Cities initiative in Wad Al-Mahi, the Displaced Youth initiative in the camps received funding from Kafa Development Org. The project targets IDPs who fled to Al-Roseires and Qenees during the tribal conflict between Funj and Hausa in 2021. Khidir Awad Al-Badri, head of Youth of the 3 Cities initiative, told Radio Tamazuj his initiative has been working…to recover from the tribal events in Blue Nile. These events led to the displacement of large numbers of residents….the initiative…announced the launch of community development project workshops for 60 trainees from the camps, with 30 trainees for each camp. The project includes capacity building for the displaced, developing handicraft industries, raising awareness about breast cancer risks and reproductive health, and promoting community awareness. The goal of everything we offer is to try to lift our communities out of the situation they are living in. Their conditions worsened after the outbreak of war and events in Khartoum. Badr Hussein Awad, coordinator of the camps for the displaced from the tribal conflict in Al-Roseires said: The number of camps has reached 10. The total number of displaced people in these camps reached 4,200 families. Badr said the camps had benefited a lot from the initiatives of the Displaced Youth: They have engaged in noble work to raise awareness and promote the development of the displaced community by enhancing their capacities and addressing psychological traumas resulting from displacement….Zahra Mahmoud, a displaced woman from Omar Al Farouq School Camp, expressed gratitude to the Displaced Youth who carried out promotion and awareness campaigns on the plights of the displaced people. Hadiya Atheim, displaced from Hafsa Camp called for the return of international organizations and resumption of their support for displaced persons.
April 14
SPLM-N El Hilu accused Army Intelligence of liquidating 9 young graduates in Kuek, S Kordofan. It considered it a continuation of the army’s…scorched earth policy and crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Nuba Mtns. SPLM-N accuses MI of detaining 9 young men and 2 young women from Kega Luban, all recent university graduates, under the pretext they were collaborating with the rebel movement. The statement alleges that intelligence tortured some of them to death, and those who were killed were all graduates of universities from the Nuba Kega Luban Tribe. SPLM attributed the army’s targeting of civilians to compensate for its repeated losses and defeats and vowed the perpetrators of this crime will not escape punishment, whether on the long or short term. Emergency Follow-up Committee of the Nuba Alliance: MI committed a crime against humanity by detaining dozens of civilians, especially young academics, after SPLM attacked the area during the past 2 days….the following young academics were tortured to death: Ramadan El Bashari, Shawgi Mukhtar, Abutalib Suleiman, Hiba Abdallah, Hasan Awad, Hasabo Abdallah, Atef Hasan, Shams El Hag, Ibrahim Abujalha, Husein Sheikheldin and Ahmed Shaga. Another young man, Omar Haren, went missing. Dabanga
April 13
Al-Burhan affirmed he would refrain from negotiating with the RSF as long as the conflict continues: If the rebels wish to negotiate, they must first remove their forces outside these occupied cities and gather in specific area. Time is running out, WHO’s Christian Lindmeier,…warning the humanitarian tragedy will only worsen in coming months. Without a stop to the fighting and access for the delivery of humanitarian aid, Sudan’s crisis will dramatically worsen in months to come and could impact the whole region. US expects negotiations between the Army and the RSF to resume April 18 in Jeddah. However, diplomatic sources at the Foreign Min denied receiving confirmation on the proposed date. Almayadeen
April 10
10 million children have been in an active war zone and less than 5k away from gunfire, shelling and deadly violence over the past year of war, said Save the Children. 1 in 2 children…have been within the frontlines of the conflict. This is a 60% increase from 6.6m children exposed to violence in the first month of fighting, and shows how the conflict continued to increase in scale and scope across the country. Many children witnessed or suffered devastating injury, death, displacement, psychological harm and destruction of their homes and communities. 16-year-old Jouman is 1 of 4m children displaced internally and across borders….She fled Sudan with her family and now lives with her mother in Cairo, and studies at a school for refugees….The fighting was really tough. We never imagined that we would flee Sudan. Jouman hopes to become a doctor to help people and treat those in need and dreams of returning to Sudan one day: I had my brother and some freedom. But here, I only stay at home. We can only hope for God’s help. There were a lot of challenges when I came to Egypt. I did not believe I would go to school. We need books. We hardly found a home because rent is expensive. We have a lot of needs. We need bedding and things to use. We do not have much. But despite the challenges, she is one of the lucky ones. Millions of children have been unable to go to school over the past year, don’t have adequate food and thousands are at risk of death from disease. Peter has been in Egypt 4 years and his 3rd year as head teacher at the school which welcomes refugee children from Sudan, So Sudan, Uganda and Kenya. He says the suffering and displacement the children experienced is impacting their behaviour: Some become violent because of the violence they saw. Others are extremely quiet, while others cannot focus on anything. And some are very sensitive and cry for anything. Children in Sudan have suffered unimaginably, says Dr Arif Noor. They have seen killings, massacres, bullet-littered streets, dead bodies and shelled homes while they live with the all-too-real fear that they themselves could be killed, injured, recruited to fight or subject to sexual violence. AfricaNews