June 15
ARMY REPELS MAJOR ATTACK ON EL FASHER. RSF launched a major attack on el-Fasher a day after the UN Sec Council demanded the militia halt its weeks-long siege of the city. Sudan’s Armed Forces aborted the attack and inflicted huge losses with hundreds of dead and wounded in the failed RSF assault. The UN and human rights groups fear ethnic cleansing if RSF captures el-Fasher, a city of 1.8m and the last army stronghold in Darfur. The war has created the worst humanitarian situation in the world, with an estimated 756,000 people in Sudan facing catastrophic food shortages by September. Many Sudanese joined the armed forces to fight back against the rampaging RSF. Musa Adam was displaced from his city of Nyala in S Darfur. He told Al Jazeera the horrors committed by RSF soldiers made him join the SAF effort against the militia. The displacement, looting of civilians, the rape of our sisters and mothers is what made me join. RSF took over Nyala and staying there became too dangerous. So I came here but joined to return and fight the RSF. In N Darfur, RSF launched repeated attacks that led to the displacement of 130,000 in the past month. Several mass graves have been reported. Dozens of villages have been burned to the ground, mostly of ethnic Zaghawas. El-Fasher has become a focal point of the nearly yearlong war. The battle for the city – crucial for humanitarian aid in a region on the brink of famine – has raged for more than a month.Doctors Without Borders said fighting has killed 226 people and wounded 1,418. The overall death toll is believed to be far higher with the wounded unable to get treatment amid continuing air raids, shelling and ground combat. The UN Sec Council’s latest resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and compliance with an arms embargo on Sudan, following a previous unsuccessful ceasefire call in March coinciding with Ramadan.
SUDANESE ARMED FORCES AND RAPID SUPPORT FORCES INCLUDED IN UN BLACKLIST FOR VIOLATING THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN IN WAR, according to a report by Secy-Gen Guterres. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions 55% of them children under 18 years old, and left 18m people in acute hunger, with 3.6m children acutely malnourished. The SAF was listed in the UN annual Children in Armed Conflict report for the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals. The RSF was listed for recruiting children and rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals. Sudan witnessed a staggering 480% increase in grave violations against children from 2022-23. The UN verified 1,721 violations including the killing of 480 and maiming of 764, most during crossfire. It also verified 85 attacks on schools and hospitals. Sexual violence was verified against 114 girls in Sudan, of which the RSF was responsible for 57 cases. Covering some 20 conflict zones worldwide, the annual report includes the killing, injuring, recruitment, kidnapping and sexual violence against children. Al Taghyeer
US ON FRI ANNOUNCED $315M IN EMERGENCY AID warning a famine of historic proportions could be unfolding. We need the world to wake up to the catastrophe happening before our very eyes, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Amb to the UN told reporters. We’ve seen mortality projections estimating 2.5 million people – 15% of the population – in Darfur and Kordofan, the hardest-hit regions, could die by the end of Sept. This is the largest humanitarian crisis on the face of the planet, and yet somehow it threatens to get worse as the rainy season approaches. Al Jazeera
June 14
FIGHTING IN FASHER KILLED 226 PEOPLE, Doctors Without Borders said. The relief organization added that between May 10 and June 11 a total of 1,418 injured arrived at South Hosp and after its closure to the Saudi Hospital, 226 people died. Al Arabiya
June 13
8 VOLUNTEERS KILLED IN A CHARITY KITCHEN IN EL FASHER as renewed bombardments intensify after a projectile launched by the paramilitary RSF struck. The city is experiencing fierce renewed battles as SAF and allied movements clash with the RSF, which has been attempting to seize control for several months. A resident confirmed to Radio Dabanga the projectile hit the southern city district of Tambasi, killing 8: Fatah Elrahman, Saad Abkar, Essam Adam Madani, Omer Elias, Muhammad Elias, Elnazir Yagoub, Murad Baraka and Elhadi Mohammed Abdelhamid. The violence has become a near-daily occurrence, prompting residents to flee the confrontations and indiscriminate shelling that have killed and injured dozens. Despite the efforts of many attempting to flee the city, they regularly face marauding gangs of looters. According to witnesses, warplanes targeted RSF positions in northern and eastern El Fasher yesterday morning, although the extent of the damage remains unclear. The city has seen a sharp increase in travel ticket prices as more people try to leave. The prices of transportation and goods have surged due to the siege of El Fasher and the intensifying battles. A ticket from El Fasher to Nyala costs SDG100,000 up from SDG60,000, and journeys to other areas have similarly seen price hikes. The increase in goods and services prices have continued to compound the suffering of people at the mercy of the warring belligerents.
UN SEC COUNCIL DEMANDED AN END TO THE SIEGE OF EL FASHIR WHERE FIGHTING HAS PROVOKED A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS. The Security Council resolution, which was prepared by Britain and received 14 votes in favor with Russia abstaining, demands the RSF halt the siege of Al-Fashir. The resolution calls on all parties to allow civilians who wish to leave Al-Fashir to do so. The text asks UN Secy-Gen Antonio Guterres to make recommendations for improvements in the protection of civilians. Earlier in June, Guterres urged a ceasefire in the wake of a paramilitary attack on a village that left 100 people dead. Thurs’ resolution calls on the parties to agree on an immediate ceasefire and remove obstacles to humanitarian access. It highlights the need for the reopening the Adre border crossing between Chad and Sudan. It calls on member states to refrain from external interference, and demands compliance with the arms embargo. Last month, the UN committee that coordinates humanitarian aid, representing 19 organizations, demanded access to Sudan, warning of a nightmare scenario. A famine will take hold in large parts of the country. More people will flee to neighboring countries in search of sustenance and safety. More children will succumb to disease and malnutrition, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee said. The UN Sec Council already demanded a ceasefire in March to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but with no effect. The New Arab
June 12
IDP CAMP IN N DARFUR SUFFERS TERRIBLE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION. D isplaced People living in Abu Shouk Camp in N Darfur are suffering terrible humanitarian situation where acute malnutrition is rampant besides lack of food, water and medicines, according to a field survey by the Camp’s Emergency Rm. The Camp is home to hundreds displaced persons from many parts of Darfur including those who fled their homes due to escalated fighting in al-Fashir. The room warned that the rainfall would further complicate the situation in the camp as most shelters are made of straw. The room appealed to all concerned parties, national and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to save the people. Al Taghyeer
June 11
ICC CHIEF PROSECUTOR APPEALED FOR INFORMATION AND EVIDENCE OF ATROCITIES IN SUDAN, saying his ongoing investigation seems to disclose an organized, systematic and a profound attack on human dignity. Prosecutor Khan released a statement in the aftermath of an attack Sun by the notorious RSF paramilitary group that forced the closure of a main hospital in western Darfur. The group fired shots and looted the hospital in al-Fasher, Doctors Without Borders reported. The attack came as RSF intensified its offensive seeking to wrest control of the city, the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling Darfur region. 2 weeks of fighting last month in and around al-Fasher has killed 120 people. The terrible events in W Darfur, including El-Geneina in 2023 are among our key investigative priorities, Khan said. I am extremely concerned about allegations of widespread international crimes being committed in al-Fasher and its surrounding areas as I speak. The UN food agency warned the warring parties last month there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don’t allow humanitarian aid into the region. The war created the world’s largest displacement crisis as 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including 2m people who crossed into neighbouring countries. The evidence my office has collected to date seems to show credible, repeated, expanding, continuous allegations of attacks against the civilian population, in particular, attacks directed against camps for internally displaced persons. It seems to show widespread, prevalent use of rape and other forms of sexual violence. It seems to disclose consistently the shelling of civilian areas, looting of properties and attacks against hospitals, stressing he was particularly concerned by the ethnically motivated nature of these attacks against the Masalit and other communities. ICC has long been investigating atrocities in Sudan, dating back to a previous devastating conflict in Darfur. The court issued arrest warrants for former Pres al-Bashir on charges including genocide committed in Darfur between 2003-08. RSF was born out of Arab militias, commonly known as Janjaweed, mobilized by al-Bashir against non-Arab tribes in Darfur. We cannot and we must not allow Darfur to become the world’s forgotten atrocity, once again. AfricaNews
June 7
40 KILLED IN VIOLENT ARTILLERY FIRE BY PARAMILITARY FORCES IN THE TWIN CITY OF KHARTOUM as fighting and displacement intensify across the war-ravaged country. Karari Resistance Comm, one of hundreds of grassroots organisations that coordinate aid, said RSF was behind the deadly attack on Omdurman a day earlier. Another flashpoint is el-Fasher, N Darfur where RSF paramilitary forces launched a deadly assault. 800,000 civilians are trapped in el-Fasher as violence rages, according to UN IOM and healthcare and other services have collapsed. Crucial roads out of el-Fasher are blocked, preventing civilians from reaching safer areas, while at the same time limiting food and other humanitarian aid coming into the city, Othman Belbeisi, IOM. Al Jazeera
REFUGEES FROM SUDAN’S CIVIL WAR WHO FLED INTO ETHIOPIA FORCED TO MOVE AGAIN …. Refugees have been forced to take shelter in a forest and on roadsides after repeated attacks by gunmen left their tents pock-marked with bullet holes. 8,000 people left Kumer and Awlala refugee camps in Ethiopia’s Amhara region since repeated assaults last month, mostly by bandits. They originally fled fighting that broke out in April 2023 that has led to extreme hunger and accusations of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. We left our country because we were scared of stray bullets from the army and RSF. We sought refuge in Ethiopia to save our lives, and now we are facing the same danger. He originally left Khartoum, then the camps, and was now sheltering in a forest where militias have been battling Ethiopian federal government troops in a separate conflict. Images sent via WhatsApp and Telegram showed makeshift dwellings made out of branches and tarp, and scores of people, including many children, sitting along a roadside. Their accounts highlighted the lack of options facing Sudan’s refugees as they look for shelter in countries with their own conflicts and shortages. UNHCR referred Reuters to a statement that acknowledged security incidents and a deeply challenging security environment. Ethiopian police had increased patrols, and continued to provide services inside the camps and encourage what it said were 1,000 people outside Awlala to return. Medical Teams Intl, which has run a clinic near the camps, said one of its staff was killed after armed men fired on a convoy. Refugees now sheltering outside camps told Reuters: People have to go to the valley to bathe and wash clothes. But they are either robbed, beaten up or kidnapped daily. We are facing catastrophe after catastrophe. Cholera has spread in Kumer, where there was 1 doctor available to see patients, several refugees and an aid worker. 3 refugees told Reuters 6,000 people from Kumer and Awlala set off together on 1 May to walk 105 mi to the UNHCR hqs in Amhara’s main city Gondar to protest about their conditions. They were stopped by police and sought shelter in a forest. Many began a 10-day hunger strike over conditions as supplies ran low, which stopped after donations came in from Sudanese abroad, the only assistance received so far. 2,000 who remained at Kumer fled onto a main road after armed men began firing at the camp. Those who later returned found gunshots had pierced the tents, convincing them that the men aimed to drive them out.
MIN OF MINERAL RESOURCES AND RUSSIAN ZARUBEZHGEOLOGIYA COMPANY SIGNED AN AGREEMENT GRANTING THE LATTER A GOLD EXPLORATION CONCESSION. The Min stressed the need for implementing major projects that realize economic interests of both countries. The Russian company signed in 2020 an agreement with the Min on geological, geochemical and metallurgical mapping. Al Taghyeer
INTERNALLY DISPLACED IN SUDAN TO REACH 10 MILLION, now internally displaced in all 18 areas of Sudan, and more than ½ of them are women with over ¼ children under the age of 5. Middle East Eye
June 6
SOLDIERS OF PARAMILITARY RSF KILLED JOURNALIST MUAWIYA ABDEL RAZEK AND 3 MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY at their home in Al-Droshab, north of Bahri. Journalists’ Syndicate condemned the killing, calling on the RSF to immediately investigate this crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. The Syndicate urged the RSF to cease targeting journalists and civilians and called on human rights organizations and those concerned with the protection of journalists to intervene and ensure the safety and security of journalists. Walid Al-Nur Zakaria, Sudanese Journalists Syn, considered the assassination of Abdel Razek a heinous crime and gross violation against journalists. Walid called on the RDG to respect freedom of expression and not to attack journalists in their homes and workplaces, and called on all international human rights organizations to condemn the crime. Comm to Protect Journalists urged authorities to launch a full investigation, hold those responsible to account, and ensure journalists are not treated as targets in the country’s ongoing civil war. We are deeply alarmed by the killing of journalist Muawiya Abdel Razek and his family members, Program Dir Carlos Martinea de la Serna. Sudanese authorities must investigate Razek’s killing and hold those responsible to account. All parties in the ongoing war must respect the rights of journalists as they report on crucial matters of public interest. In Dec 2023, Abdel Razek, an investigative journalist who worked with many local newspapers including
June 5
AN OFFICIAL DRAFT AGREEMENT BETWEEN SUDAN AND RUSSIA STATED THAT RUSSIA WILL BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH A LOGISTICAL SUPPORT CENTER ON SUDAN’S RED SEA COAST in exchange for providing military equipment to the Sudanese Army, al-Sharg newspaper says. …no more than 300 personnel and 4 ships to be stationed there. Sudan’s Amb to Moscow said his country is committed to grant Russia a military base on the Red Sea in compliance with an agreement signed earlier. Malik Agar, Dep Head of Sudan’s military-backed government, arrived in Russia June 3. Al Taghyeer
MOHAMMED AL-HADI ‘SHIBIR’ WHO HAD BEEN MISSING FOR MORE THAN A WEEK WAS FOUND DEAD OUTSIDE PITTSBURGH. The Committees mourned Al-Hadi, 24,… one of the Committees founding members and a medicine student at al-Gezira Univ. Al-Hadi who went to the US last year was not seen since May 22.
RSF FORMED A CIVIL ADMINISTRATION IN S DARFUR AS A FIRST STEP TO SET UP SIMILAR ADMINISTRATIONS in the 3 other Darfur states under its control. Following seizure of Al-Gezira State in Dec, the RSF established a civil administration in March. At the same time, Sudanese Army-backed government relocated operations to the Red Sea coastal city Pt Sudan as a result of intense fighting in Khartoum. Gen al-Burhan’s de facto government now dominates the states in eastern and northern parts of the country. These steps reinforced fears of many that the country could be split between the two rival powers and follow in the footsteps of neighbouring Libya becoming a partitioned state. Al Taghyeer
12 KILLED IN EL FASHER … due to artillery shelling by the RSF, which besieged the city for more than a month. In an attempt to alleviate the severe medical shortage, Natl Medical Supplies Fund airdropped medicines into the city. A resident reported the RSF repeatedly shelled Tembasi, killing 9 and injuring multiple others. RSF attacked the
Um Defso Mkt, resulting in 3 deaths. … large waves of people are fleeing the city due to arbitrary shelling of homes across various neighbourhoods: Security conditions outside El Fasher are deteriorating, with fleeing civilians exposed to robbery attempts. They are trapped and unsure where to go amidst the ongoing battles and deteriorating security conditions. Violent battles occurred in El Zurug and Wadi Ambar, areas hosting significant RSF military bases. Abu Shouk Camp Emergency Rm reported that the immunisation dept Intl Rescue Committee centre ceased operations due to a lack of supplies and medical services. Communication services are deteriorating, with fluctuations in El Sudani and Zain networks. Residents are increasingly relying on Starlink. Natl Med Supplies successfully airdropped 20 tons of medicines in El Fasher. Sheikheldin Abdelbagi stated that the operation aligns with the fund’s strategy to address wartime conditions through unconventional means to deliver medicines across Sudan. The provision of medicine should not be hindered by any circumstance, as individuals with chronic illnesses must receive their medication on time. The medicines included intravenous solutions, surgical sutures, empty syringes, cannulae, anaesthetics and antibiotics. Preparations are underway to send more life-saving medicines … for dialysis, kidney surgery, malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS. The operation was deemed a great success without significant losses. Abubakr Abdallah, NMSF in N Darfur, confirmed the medicines arrived on time and were promptly distributed to the hospital. Dabanga
June 3
WHAT WAS THE KHARTOUM MASSACRE marked by Sudan’s activists? Killings of at least 120 pro-democracy protesters in 2019 were a flashpoint between activists and the military. As Sudan’s civil war spirals deeper into turmoil, activists are remembering friends and loved ones killed during pro-democracy protests on June 3, 2019. The killings, carried out by military forces in an effort to disperse a sit-in calling for civilian rule and democracy, marked a pivotal moment after the April 2019 overthrow of al-Bashir. A large civilian protest movement had been demanding for months that the president step down. That movement continued after military rule, eventually leading to the Khartoum Massacre. The same forces – Sudan’s military and the paramilitary RSF– are now fighting each other. And many activists now believe the June 3 killings were a sign of the devastating war to come. The killings took place on the 2nd to last day of Ramadan. Thousands of protesters remained at the sit-in, which began in front of military hqs in Khartoum, despite rumours that security forces were planning to disperse them. Sulima Shafiq, pro-democracy activist who campaigns against violence against women and was at the protest, said the sit-in participants believed something [negative] could happen but the actual events including killings, rape and detention of scores of individuals were not anticipated. At least 120 people were killed. Hundreds went missing. At some point, I thought we wouldn’t make it and that we would die soon. I thought it was just a matter of time before we would be dead like all the others. Security forces initially denied attacking the sit-in after it was condemned globally. They tried to limit any information from getting out by enforcing an internet blackout as well as restricting foreign journalists. The army eventually admitted they ordered the dispersal but said mistakes had been made. Despite the killings, protesters spearheaded another march June 30, prompting the international community to pressure security forces into sharing power with civilian politicians in Aug 2019. But the deal was not to last, and the civilian half of the transitional government was overthrown by its military partners in Oct 2021. Many of the sit-in participants are members of Resistance Committees, neighbourhood groups instrumental in bringing down al-Bashir and organising sustained pro-democracy protests. Resistance Comms set up Emergency Response Rms. These new committees solicited donations from Sudanese in the diaspora and assumed alleviating the catastrophic humanitarian crisis brought on by the civil war. ERR activists cooperated to open first aid clinics, ferry civilians out of unsafe areas and run countless soup kitchens to feed the hungry. In Khartoum, where severe fighting has taken place, Abd al-Qadous told Al Jazeera his ERR helped administer the nearest hospital. It opened up a small school to shelter displaced civilians who fled heavy fighting from nearby areas. Al-Qadous, who survived the 2019 killings, said ERRs are instrumental in helping civilians during the war. …it is imperative for ERRs to remain neutral in the conflict: We are not with any side, and we just believe in our humanitarian work and in neutral dialogue. This is what we learned from the revolution. Pro-democracy activists have been detained, tortured and killed by both belligerents in the war. There is torture … and death threats, and sometimes there are situations where [women] are raped. In some districts, the de facto authorities passed laws that prohibit ERRs or Resistance Comms from carrying out any humanitarian or political activities. But with aid groups restricted from reaching civilians in need, ERRs have little choice but to tend to their communities. Fatma Noon, Kalakla Resistance Comm: We know the [belligerents] are targeting us. Pro-democracy activists have long decried the lack of accountability for both belligerents. They believe impunity has emboldened them to continue to attack and sabotage popular aspirations for democracy so they can hold on to power and wealth. Survivors of June 3 were particularly dismayed with… a haphazard attempt by a legal committee tasked by the former civilian-military government to investigate the violent dispersal of the sit-in. The committee was supposed to produce a fact-finding report and press criminal charges, but was shelved after the coup. The main reason for dispersing the sit-in was to stop the process of a democratic transition and handing power to civilians, said one ERR member. The sit-in was dispersed in order to scare and terrify revolutionaries … in order to retreat from the goals of the revolution. Al Jazeera
June 2
THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SUDAN APOLOGISED FOR ATTENDING THE CIVIL DEMOCRATIC FORCES ALLIANCE TAGADOM that took place in Addis Ababa. Sudan’s Human Rights Comm advised civil society bodies to keep out of politics, and Darfur Bar Assoc confirms it was not invited to attend. Tagadom (progress) is a coalition of political parties, political forces and civil society organisations concerned with stopping the war. The conference was attended by 600 delegates from mainstream FFC-Central Council* and pro-democracy parties and groups. It concluded amid heated debate with agreement on a political paper, and confirmed election of former PM Hamdok as its president. However the outcomes have not been embraced by all sectors of the political spectrum. The Communist Party of Sudan, which withdrew from FFC at the end of 2020, announced it would not attend, bases its apology for participating in the conference on the wide discrepancy between the party’s vision and the theses of Tagadom, and its consequences on the future and fate of Sudan. Secretariat of the Central Comm explained the discrepancy resulted from deep disagreement over the assessment of events since the outbreak of the revolution in 2018, parties’ divergence from the aims of the revolution during the transitional period, and the results that returned the country to the general crisis that manifested itself in political instability and dependence on foreign aid. Human Rights Comm advised non-political civil bodies to refrain from practicing political work and abide by their role within the scope of their mandate. The Comm called civil society organisations and human rights and professional entities not to abandon their responsibilities… to ensure political forces are respected when practicing their political operations in a proper manner. … participation of civil, religious and civil society and non-partisan groups and sectors of society in political events should be limited to… identifying the integrity of the practice and strengthening control over it. …warns against attempts to repeat the mistakes that resulted after the success of the Dec revolution in isolating the first line of staff of the coup authority of the regime of Al Bashir. Darfur Bar Assoc confirms that while it did not receive an invitation to attend it supports any sincere and sincere efforts being made to stop the war. * FFC has been prone to divisions since its formation in 2019. National Umma Party, Democratic Unionist Party, and Socialist Arabic Ba’ath Party, which already witnessed internal schisms during the Al Bashir regime, fragmented due to opposing views on talks with the military. The Communist Party withdrew from FFC. The mainstream Ba’ath Party left the coalition 2 years later. FFC-CC now consists of several (splinter) political parties and new groups such as SPLM–Democratic Revolutionary Movement. FFC-DB was formed in 2022. It brings together 2 Darfur rebel movements that backed the SAF-RSF coup d’etat in 2021 (Justice & Equality Movement led by Ibrahim, and SLM-MM faction headed by Minawi, along with Democratic Justice Alliance chaired by former rebel leader Ardol, and mainstream Democratic Unionist Party. The alliance includes the Republican Party, Beja Nazirs Council chaired by Tirik, National Movement Forces coalition of former Darfur leader El Tijani Sese, and split-off groups from mainstream political parties. Dabanga
May 24
UAE RECEIVES MOST OF AFRICA’S SMUGGLED GOLD. 2012-22 UAE received 2,500 tonnes of smuggled gold from Africa. Alongside Switzerland and India, UAE is taking advantage of 80% of African artisanal gold production not officially declared. Gold smuggled from Africa generally lands in the UAE, which received 47% of total gold imported from Africa to non-African countries For decades, UAE worked to establish itself as one of the world’s leading gold marketplaces while exploiting illegal pathways. The illegal transfer of gold is facilitated due to a lenient global system which traces the origin of gold to the country it is in at the time of entering the market, rather than the source country. A report by the UK named UAE as a country vulnerable to money-laundering networks which take advantage of international legal loopholes. Dubai, known as the City of Gold, is a hub for UAE’s flourishing gold import and export markets. Sudan, Mali and Zimbabwe lead 38 African countries from which non-declared gold is smuggled. UAE-backed militia leader Dagalo … main beneficiary of gold smuggling in the region, relies on his connection with Abu Dhabi and Wagner Group. Illicit trade and smuggling have dominated Sudan in recent years of a civil war, with rival armed factions participating. UAE receives 93% of undeclared African exports. Middle East Eye
