June 20
A REPORT BY ZEINA BADAWI FOR SUDANESE TRANSPARENCY & POLICY TRACKER BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE PROFOUND AND MULTIFACETED IMPACT OF SUDAN’S CONFLICT ON WOMEN. ‘A Feminist Perspective on the Armed Conflict in Sudan’ delves into the socio-economic, political and humanitarian dimensions of the crisis, highlighting the resilience and challenges faced by Sudanese women amidst the turmoil. The report aims to view the conflict from a female point of view: analysing the wide-ranging effects of the conflict on power dynamics and gender roles, and the circumstances of Sudanese women. Badawi highlights that Sudanese women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid labour and caregiving responsibilities, often without recognition or support systems. The collapse of the economy has forced [women] to make difficult choices, such as working in dangerous professions that she would never have considered before. The lack of reliable data on poverty among women underscores broader gender data gaps, hindering efforts to address economic disparities and vulnerabilities. The humanitarian crisis exacerbates vulnerabilities among women, with limited access to basic healthcare and essential services. Pregnant women and nursing mothers face dire circumstances, often giving birth without necessary medical interventions and risking complications due to malnutrition and inadequate healthcare. Some women faced the possibility of death in search of a doctor or midwife, or giving birth in perilous conditions. Mothers are overwhelmingly forced to give birth in inhuman, degrading, harsh and dangerous conditions. Pregnant women are confronted with the likelihood of giving birth without anaesthesia, medical precautions or surgical intervention if necessary. Legal barriers compound the challenges faced by displaced women, with restrictive policies impacting refugees’ rights to work and movement, disproportionately affecting women and girls. The report details instances of sexual and gender-based violence as tools of terror and ethnic persecution: Though the Sudanese Criminal Code 1991 grants rape survivors the right to abort pregnancies resulting from the assault in the first 90 days, services are non-existent. There is no recourse to the law because courts and police stations are defunct, and procedural complexities get in the way. The repercussions of sexual violencewill extend far beyond the end of the conflict, manifest in psychological and neurological trauma, in the refusal of families and communities to accept pregnancies and children born as a result of rape, and suicides and forced suicides of women (under pressure from husbands or communities). Badawi critiques successive regimes for failing to protect women’s rights.
Conversely, the report identifies a growing feminist consciousness among Sudanese women: The injustices so keenly felt by women during the conflict have created a burgeoning feminist awareness. Grassroots movements and international advocacy efforts seek to amplify women’s voices and address systemic injustices within Sudan and globally. Dabanga
S DARFUR SAW SLIGHT INCREASE IN CRITICAL AID when WFP delivered life-saving food and nutrition to some families across the violence-riddled western state, b ut more assistance is needed. The WFP mission said more than 50,000 people in hunger hotspots across S Darfur are receiving much-needed food assistance in collaboration with World Vision. The number of people in S Darfur that suffer from hunger is vast and on top of that, there is a significant shortage of funds, Yonas Mesele, Action Against Hunger. Mesele said that of $581.2m needed to meet humanitarian needs only 26% was secured. UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi warned that a terrible famine is looming and severe floods will soon hamper aid deliveries even more. Grandi visited refugee camps and centres for displaced Sudanese and warned that without concerted peace efforts, many more people will flee the fighting, pointing to escalating violence in El Fasher, and atrocities reportedly committed against civilians in Jazeera. Some of the most brutal attacks have taken place in the vast western Darfur region. The population in S Darfur is at risk of soon dying from hunger, a recent report by a Dutch think-tank warned. Time is running out to avoid a rapid deterioration of the conflict-induced food insecurity crisis, Samy Guessabi, Action Against Hunger. Despite devastating levels of hunger civilians are facing in greater Darfur deliveries of food assistance have been intermittent due to fighting and endless bureaucratic hurdles. Redacion/AfricaNews
VILLAGE ELDERS HUDDLE IN THE SPARSE SHADE OF A TREE TO DISCUSS THE INFLUX OF SUDANESE REFUGEES THAT THREATENS TO OVERWHELM THEM. They are worried. Metche, Chad, 19 mi from war-torn Darfur where a refugee camp has sprung up and thousands have sought safety. The camp sprawls near the village – makeshift shelters of straw, cloth, tree branches and tarps separated by narrow, crowded tracks where cattle and motorbikes jostle with people on foot. 600,000 people fled violence and famine to seek refuge in Chad but their presence has fanned tensions as local resentment builds. UN agencies built the refugee camp but on a large swath of farmland they need for growing food and accessing water. After taking their farmland and making it difficult for them to support themselves, these agencies are not giving their community enough food rations to survive. We were farmers before the refugee crisis, but now the refugees are the ones that work our land, Adam Abdallah Suliman, local community leader. The UN refugee agency’s representative in Chad, Jerome Merlin, said camps were only set up after obtaining permission from community leaders and determining there would be enough water and farmland for refugees and the local population. There are some tensions … Chad received more than 600,000 people in 1 year. Can you imagine? Suliman, a slim Chadian man wearing a white gallabia and imma was starting to open up about tensions between his community and refugees in the nearby camp when rain started pelting down. Journalists and aid workers run to their vehicles and drive off before the roads flood, while Chadian women get ready to head to the wadis to fetch water. Before it poured, this hot, dusty region is prone to flash floods that fill the surrounding wadis to the brim during the rainy season. But the [refugees] also take water from the wadis when it rains, There’s hardly any water for us.
On the other hand, Sudanese refugees are often attacked by Chadians when they leave camp to find water or gather firewood for cooking fires according to Salwa Malik, 27, who lives in Metche refugee camp. Malik, a thin woman wearing a pink headscarf and colourful thobe, is drinking traditional Sudanese coffee – made with ample sugar and ginger – as she tells of the challenges of day-to-day life in exile: I personally know 3 cases of women who have been raped. We’re now sending much older women out of the camp to get firewood, hoping they won’t be attacked. …armed strangers often enter the camp and local men with guns intimidate refugees and sometimes attack young men. I know at least 2 people who have been murdered by intruders in the camp.
The war has put an enormous strain on host communities already suffering some of the highest levels of food insecurity globally. But food assistance for refugees and host communities in Chad is chronically underfunded. Elders in the local community are coming back to ask us for food because they’re really in need, but the majority of funds are dedicated to refugees and not the host community, Vanessa Boi, WFP. WFP cut off food aid to host communities rather than reduce rations to refugees and Chadians living near camps, because donors earmark a lot of relief exclusively for refugees. We cannot direct money for other priorities unless we get the OK from the governments [that give us the money] What we need is … flexibility to prioritise local communities. Food assistance will resume to some host communities for June, July and Aug. The only way to ease tensions between refugees and locals is to shift from an emergency response to a development – building schools and hospitals, cultivating farmland and improving access to drinking water. Adre, where new arrivals from Darfur come before they are relocated to camps, is more hectic as it hosts 185,000 refugees, compared with a local population of 40,000. The gov of Adre, Mohamad Issa, said tensions are boiling over in the area. The issue right now is a lack of cattle and lack of farming [for everyone]. Trade has reduced [for Chadians], We are requesting all relief organisations to support us. But there has to be specific aid that goes strictly to Chadians in host communities because they could die from [hunger and thirst] as well. Al Jazeera
June 19

SUDAN ACCUSED UAE OF ARMING PARAMILITARY FORCE, prompting a clash at the UN Sec Council. The envoy said Khartoum has evidence of the weapons supply and his government will submit a file to the ICC. In May, US and Saudi Arabia sought to resurrect ceasefire talks in Jeddah that stalled last year due to violations on both sides. Aid agencies warned that Sudan is on the brink of the world’s largest hunger crisis… aid is being blocked by all of the warring factions in the country. A Jan UN report had credible evidence UAE sent weapons to the RSF several times per week via Chad. Al Jazeera
FIRE USED AS A WEAPON OF WAR, NBC NEWS. Researchers documented 235 fires in towns and villages since the start of the war. 50 settlements have burned repeatedly, suggesting intent and possible forced displacement. Hundreds of towns and villages have been burned to the ground, and the fires were likely man-made. … homes and aid camps have been burned out intentionally. When we see reports of fighting coinciding with clusters of fires, it indicates fire may be being used as a weapon of war, Mark Snoeck, open source investigator, told NBC News. Snoeck with his colleagues has been tracking the blazes by satellite at the Centre for Info Resilience, a nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing rights abuses and war crimes. The latest data shows the fire events moving closer and into El Fasher, home to 1.5 million people, including many who fled from other embattled parts of the country. The pattern of fires around El Fasher coincided with an offensive to encircle the city by RSF and allied militias. Inside the city, there is no food in the markets, no access to health care, no access to nutrition centers, said Dr. Gillian Burkhardt, American obstetrician-gynecologist … MSF. Her husband, Paul Clarke, logistics team leader, said moving humanitarian supplies into the city is immensely difficult. Because it has no functioning airports, semitrucks filled with ready-made meals from Chad take a month to reach the city. … the supplies were a drop in the ocean. MSF said all activities at South Hosp were suspended after RSF soldiers looted the facility and stole an ambulance.
The atrocities committed in this war is unlike anything that Sudan has seen before, said Ismail, researcher for Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. His comments came after a report earlier this month concluded the RSF has been systematically destroying civilian dwellings in areas that have a significant population of Zaghawa, an ethnic minority. Reports from the UN Panel of Experts and HRW accused RSF soldiers and allied militias of targeting the minority Masalit community last year in W Darfur. Ismail, 65, born in El Fasher, said members of his own family have been displaced. If ethnically motivated clashes are happening, a lot of people are going to die, unfortunately, because there are a lot of civilians in El Fasher and the villages surrounding. While most analysts and observers say RSF bears the most responsibility for targeting and killing of ethnic minorities in Darfur, the military has come in for criticism. US Amb Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused SAF of systematically obstructing lifesaving aid, starving millions of innocent civilians caught in the middle of this war. International response efforts to stop the fighting have been severely limited. ICC Prosecutor Khan announced a new campaign to gather evidence of atrocities being committed in Darfur: I am extremely concerned about allegations of widespread international crimes being committed in El Fasher and its surrounding areas as I speak. Al Taghyeer
HANDCUFFED LIKE DANGEROUS CRIMINALS: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ACCUSES EGYPT OF PERSECUTING SUDANESE REFUGEES EN MASSE. AI accused Egypt of committing human rights violations against undocumented Sudanese refugees who fled war-ravaged Sudan to, arguably, face a worse fate. In Handcuffed Like Dangerous Criminals: Arbitrary Detention and Forced Returns of Sudanese Refugees in Egypt, the international watchdog called on Egypt to immediately cease the mass arbitrary arrests and unlawful deportations of Sudanese refugees who sought refuge in Egypt, many reportedly kept in inhumane conditions before being forcibly deported. Egyptian authorities returned 800 Sudanese detainees Jan-March. … deported after they had been denied asylum, including by UNHCR, or to legally challenge deportation decisions. In Cairo and Giza, police have been conducting mass stops and identity checks targeting dark-skinned individuals, spreading fear among the community with many afraid to leave their homes. Other individuals were detained in Aswan. Among the atrocities detailed in the report, 14 Sudanese refugees were detained from public hospitals in Aswan against medical advice, where they were receiving treatment for serious injuries sustained during road accidents on their journeys to Egypt. Authorities transferred them… to detention, where they were forced to sleep on the ground after surgery. AI’s Evidence Lab reviewed photos and verified videos of women and children sitting on dirty floors amidst rubbish in a warehouse controlled by Egyptian border guards. In recent months, anti-Sudanese sentiments unfolded in Egypt, especially after the country witnessed a significant influx of refugees, with Egyptians accusing Sudanese of causing the ongoing economic crisis to worsen. … the warehouses were infested by rats and pigeon nests, and those detained endured cold nights with no appropriate clothing or blankets. Men’s warehouse conditions were overcrowded, with 100 men crammed together and limited access to overflowing toilets, forcing them to urinate in plastic bottles at night.
In 2022 the EU and Egypt signed an €80 million cooperation agreement, which included building up the capacity of Egyptian Border Guard Forces to curb irregular migration and human trafficking. A further aid and investment package, under which migration is a key pillar, was agreed in March as part of the newly announced comprehensive partnership. … it is believed Egypt had already been home to 4m Sudanese citizens prior to the conflict. Earlier this month, dozens of Sudanese refugees lost their lives, including elderly citizens, women and children. They died mainly from sunstroke and dehydration, as they attempted to cross into Egypt via Aswan inside open trucks facilitated by smugglers during a heat wave. The New Arab
US SPECIAL ENVOY SIGNALED THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS PREPARED TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE MEASURES IF WARRING FACTIONS DO NOT DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TO PEACE NEGOTIATIONS. … warned of increased external intervention if talks fail: We have about 3 or 4 weeks to create the right conditions for a peace agreement. This will become more difficult if SAF disrupts the negotiation process or if RSF engage in bad faith. Perriello highlighted the importance of involving regional powers: What we have put together is a very different approach … based on the idea of building in parties who can ensure the peace deal and its enforcement. This includes Egypt, UAE and AU to transition to a political process inclusive of Sudanese people. We have both sides stuck in a war of attrition where nobody is winning, and the Sudanese people are clearly losing. We’re seeing a war that’s spiraling out of control with more factions and ethnic cleansing. …the international community must be ready to consider alternative measures, including potential peacekeeping forces under the AU or UN. If we do not reach an agreement within the next few weeks, we will see more intervention from external parties that make reaching a peace agreement more difficult. These countries are not interested in Sudan’s welfare. Dabanga
June 18
STARVING TO DEATH AS SCARY AS THE WAR for Sudanese refugees in Chad. The looming famine is pushing thousands of civilians to flee to Chad. Under the scorching sun, Awatef Adam Mohamed found refuge beyond the porous desert border between Sudan and Chad. She arrived June 8, joining tens of thousands of civilians fleeing the horrors that war brought to Sudan’s vast western region of Darfur. But recently, another layer of crisis started pushing people out of Sudan, a vast hunger threatening millions. 10 million people are displaced – the highest figure in the world – and famine-like conditions are taking hold across the country. 756,000 people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger with an additional 25.6m facing acute food shortages, according to Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. … people are moving, seeking physical safety and enough food to sustain life, and 600,000 ended up in Chad, according to UNHCR. Many are barely surviving, dependent on food aid fromWFP. However, a lack of funding forced WFP to reduce food assistance daily calories by 20% over the last 2 months. With only 19% of WFP’s funding calls met by donor countries and more and more refugees crossing into Chad daily, the UN agency may have to reduce food assistance to each refugee even further.

Malnutrition occurs when the human body is deprived of vital nutrients, not just calories. But refugees sometimes have no choice but trade their WFP rations – designed to provide protein, fats and carbohydrates – for less nutritious but bulkier food that can fill stomachs a few days longer. Omima Musa exchanges her food kit for white rice at the market so she can feed her baby and 2 other children 3 times a day a bit longer, she explains as she rocks her baby gently in her arms. But even though Omima’s baby girl is less hungry, she is malnourished, which makes her susceptible to illnesses – like malaria. Musa Maman, Doctors Without Borders, says the rains, prime malaria season, started and will last 2 more months: We’re going to see an increase in malaria. August is the worst month. Al Jazeera
FROM THE DAWN OF JUNE 5 ONWARDS IT’S ALL BEEN A BLUR FOR SAMIA OTHMAN. THE 32-YEAR-OLD TEACHER NARROWLY SURVIVED RSF CARNAGE IN HER HOMETOWN WAD AL NOURA which left 200 people killed, and has been roaming aimlessly for a safe place to stay: They raided every house, indiscriminately killing, torturing, raping. They respected no honour, storming people’s bedrooms and shooting people in their beds. Even children weren’t spared, said distraught Othman who lost 4 family members, 3 of whom were children. 55 children were either killed or injured in RSF attacks. With dozens of armed vehicles raiding the town in the early hours of the day, and a swarm of armed men with heavy artillery wreaking havoc till late afternoon, Othman was among thousands of civilians to flee, aimlessly, in search of shelter. It was hours of walking on foot, with other fleeing families, before she reached the safety of Al-Managil: People just ran for their lives, and because the communication network is terrible, families couldn’t connect with one another. It’s unfair. This is all unfair.
Apart from slight resistance by a grassroots group set up to protect residents, the paramilitary went ahead with their rampage, the latest in countless atrocities that has claimed thousands of lives, and led to the world’s worst internal displacement crisis. With 3 million children displaced inside and outside the country, Sudan is the most significant child displacement crisis. What the RSF does to us is akin to what the Israelis are doing to our brethren in Gaza, exclaimed Othman in tears. … described a state of panic and horror that gripped Wad al-Noura’s residents, many of whom are internally-displaced people who fled fighting elsewhere in the country. According to Khaled Mohamed Al-Dow, 48-year-old merchant, rows of shot children, most between 12 and 16, were among those he helped bury in mass graves following the raid by RSF: I saw the heavy artillery firing away at everyone as I took shelter, and I saw children’s frail bodies riddled with bullets as I helped lay them down in the graves, said an emotional man. He, too, was among those who fled Wad Al-Noura. This is a small town and a close-knit community. It’s not only the families of those children killed who are grieving, but we all are. Nothing justifies this whatsoever. Samira Abdulsattar, another survivor of the massacre, said children in Wad el-Noura and other towns in Al-Jazira have been targeted by RSF fighters since Dec, when the paramilitary captured the capital Wad Madani: They’ve been kidnapping children from their homes in demand of ransom, and families that fail to pay the ransom get the slain bodies of their kids, said the 42-year-old mother.
Confirming reports of children being kidnapped by the RSF, social activist Azza al-Nour said RSF fighters in Wad al-Noura and other towns, lock up the kidnapped children in barns and coops for days, with little to no food, until they get paid by the families, or leave those kids to die. Abdulsattar recounted how the RSF exchanged fire with a number of armed men who had set up a group to protect residents of the town from looting or assaults: But it’s not in the battlefields that most killing took place. It was in homes and houses that children, elders, women and men were killed… families spent days outside their homes, in hideouts, returning home only in the evenings, to avoid having their kids kidnapped or women abused, since RSF fighters slept through the night. She’s among those who were displaced, and arrived with her family to escape to Gedarif. While confirming the atrocities committed by RSF against children, Rehab Al-Mubarak, Emergency Lawyers, asserted SAF’s air raids on Wad al-Noura following the attack killed 5 children: Sudan‘s children, like all civilians, are not spared by neither of the parties. Egab/The New Arab
June 17
AL-ATTA, ARMY ASST COMMANDER IN CHIEF STATED PEACE WILL ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THROUGH DEFEAT OF RSF … told his troops to pay no heed to media reports and rumours about resumption of negotiations stressing that a return to the negotiating table is met with absolute rejection. Al-Atta seemingly intended to reply to a statement by Daglo Hemetti who repeated his readiness to resume talks with the army over the end of the war. He accused the Islamists of foiling an agreement to ceasefire reached during secret talks held in Bahrain last Feb: We will not postpone the war by concluding a truce and conducting negotiations, only for the war to return (again) after a year or two. No. Sudan Tribune
SUDAN THREATENED BY WORLD’S DEADLIEST FAMINE IN 40 YEARS since Ethiopia’s crisis, as aid deliveries remain blocked by warring factions while arms supplies to both sides continue unabated. Sudan stands as the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis, inching toward a disaster of historic magnitude with minimal media coverage and international concern. A UN humanitarian appeal for Sudan received just 16% of the necessary funds. We need the world to wake up to the catastrophe happening before our very eyes, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US envoy to the UN. The ongoing war has claimed 14,000 lives and displaced 10 million. The UN Sec Council passed a resolution demanding an end to the el-Fasher siege. Samantha Power, USAID, expressed concerns about the fate of those sheltering in el-Fasher if the RSF seized the town: RSF is on the march, and where the RSF has gone in the Darfur historically, and in this conflict, mass atrocities have followed. She announced $315m in new US humanitarian aid for Sudan but noted that little of it was reaching isolated communities. The official accused the RSF of systematically looting humanitarian warehouses, stealing food and livestock, destroying grain storage facilities, and wells in the most vulnerable Sudanese communities. The SAF completely contradicts its commitments, and its responsibilities to the Sudanese people by having shut down cross border access from Chad at the Adre crossing, which is the main route for assistance to enter the Darfur region. Al-Burhan could open the Adre crossing with a stroke of the pen. …the really clear message here is that it is obstruction, not insufficient stocks of food, that is the driving force behind the historic and deadly levels of starvation,. The crisis is comparable to and potentially worse than the 2011 famine in Somalia, which killed ¼ million people….the most worrying scenario would be that Sudan would become the deadliest famine since Ethiopia in the early 80s that killed 1 million people. This is the largest humanitarian crisis on the face of the planet. And yet, somehow, it threatens to get worse. Al Mayadeen
RSF USING CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC AS SUPPLY LINE to recruit new fighters. A report, tasked by the UN Sec Council to monitor the sanctions regime in CAR, highlighted the significant impact of the conflict that erupted in Sudan. The war has had substantial consequences on the situation in the CAR. The experts, according to the Voice of America, detailed the humanitarian situation noting the influx of thousands of Sudanese refugees and incursions into CAR territory by both factions of the conflict. RSF uses the Am Dafok area on the CAR side of the border as a key logistical hub, allowing them to move easily across the border due to a long-established network. RSF has been recruiting members from armed groups in CAR. The report specifically mentioned that the Popular Front for the Rebirth of CAR has been participating in the fighting in Sudan since Aug, that along with other armed groups, they continue to move freely between Sudan and CAR, using Sudanese territory to launch attacks in CAR. Al Taghyeer
June 16
AMB OF RUSSIAN FED TO SUDAN GEORGIEVICH AFFIRMED SUDAN HAS BECOME THE NEXT TARGET OF THE COLLECTIVE WEST. All the plans are already set: despite the failure of the framework agreement and the conflict fuelled by its Western ideologues, paid activists from the fugitive foreign opposition Taqaddum must be brought to power in the country at any cost. In Georgievich’s view, the escalating crimes committed by militants, often and insincerely condemned by Western powers, actually benefit those pulling the strings. This provides a convenient pretext to dispose of these militants in the future. Blaming particular commanders and their supporters, ostracizing them and seizing their assets is a centuries-old practice among colonial powers. At the same time, the UN track uses the schemes of international intervention under the UN Charter under the pretext of preventing a humanitarian catastrophe, which had been worked out during the previous conflict in Darfur. Such unscrupulous methods as falsifying statistics, twisting the statements of Sudanese officials, searching for and creating artificial obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid, are being used. What follows is an inevitable prolongation of the conflict with an influx of extremists from across the Sahel into Sudan. The final chord in the best American traditions should be humanitarian bombardment of hotbeds of international terrorism, following the example of Fallujah, Raqqa and Mosul, where tens of thousands of civilians died and ISIS was never defeated. The amb affirmed Moscow remains committed to supporting its allies globally, including in Africa. … people across the African continent are becoming increasingly aware of the true intentions behind Western aid efforts. Al Mayadeen
SUDAN FACES SEVERE WATER CRISIS AMID WAR, SOARING TEMPERATURES. War, climate change, and man-made shortages have plunged Sudan into a severe water crisis. In scorching heat with temperatures exceeding 104 F, 65,000 residents of Sortoni Displacement Camp endure the impact of the ongoing conflict. When the conflict erupted over a year ago, most foreign aid organizations, including the one operating Sortoni’s local water station, had to cease operations, leaving residents to fend for themselves. Despite abundant water sources including the Nile, Sudan has long struggled with water scarcity. Now, from Darfur’s western deserts through the fertile Nile Valley to the Red Sea coast, the water crisis affects 48 million Sudanese. In el-Fasher, deadly clashes by RSF threaten water access for 800,000 civilians. Just outside the city, fighting over the Golo water reservoir risks cutting off safe and adequate water for 270,000 people. A European diplomat with extensive experience in Sudan’s water sector warned that if RSF doesn’t allow fuel to enter the city, water stations will stop working. For a large part of the population there will simply be no water. In Khartoum, at the meeting point of the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers, residents suffer from a lack of water. Soba water station, a key supplier, has been out of service since the war broke out. … people have to buy untreated water off of animal-drawn carts, which they can hardly afford and exposes them to diseases. A local volunteer told AFP entire neighborhoods in Khartoum N have been without drinking water for a year. People wanted to stay in their homes, even through the fighting, but they couldn’t last without water. Hundreds of thousands fled to Pt Sudan which faces a major water crisis. The city relies on a single inadequate reservoir, and the influx of displaced people has exacerbated the problem. Cholera cases surged, with nearly 11,000 recorded April 2023-March 2024, with the majority of Sudan’s hospitals shut down. Al Mayadeen
June 15
SUDAN CALLED ON UN SEC COUNCIL TO EXTEND DARFUR-RELATED SANCTIONS TO UAE AND CHAD, accusing them of violating UN resolutions, particularly the arms embargo imposed in 2005. Amb Mahmoud urged the Council to hold accountable countries supporting and arming criminal militias – a reference to the RSF. UAE’s support and arms supplies are directly contributing to the violence and suffering of civilians. He characterized the UAE as official and regional sponsor of the RSF. The Sudanese government warned that the conflict created a dangerous corridor for mercenaries and fighters from the Sahel, raising concerns about cross-border terrorism. Regarding the humanitarian situation, the government’s statement highlighted its efforts to open several aid corridors across borders and frontlines to facilitate delivery of essential supplies. The statement emphasized that utilizing Pt Sudan as a central hub for distributing aid within the country is significantly more cost-effective than relying on routes through neighbouring nations. Sudan asserts the country has sufficient food resources to meet the needs of its citizens. We strongly encourage the UN to purchase necessary supplies from the local market to reduce costs and indirectly support farmers facing current challenges. However, the government voiced concerns about the inadequate fulfilment of pledges made by international humanitarian organizations. This shortfall has resulted in aid not reaching vulnerable populations within Sudan and has affected Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries: While Sudan is committed to facilitating humanitarian access internally, this effort must be met with a corresponding commitment from humanitarian actors to fulfill their pledges. The current level of assistance is far below what is needed to adequately address the crisis. Sudan Tribune
June 13
Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale revealed the presence of an Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane flying over RSF territory. This raised concerns over arms resupply to the RSF by UAE given the reported use of similar aircraft for lethal aid transfers to the RSF via Chad. The IL-76, known for transporting heavy munitions and military equipment, was detected flying near El-Fasher. UAE has been previously accused of supplying weapons to the RSF through Chad, detailed in a Jan 2024 UN Panel of Experts report. This allegation is supported by open-source information tracking IL-76 flights originating in UAE and stopping in African countries before reaching Chad. HRL urges the UN Sec Council to seek clarification from UAE regarding their potential involvement in re-supplying the RSF. HRL Exec Dir Raymond said the incident calls for immediate action from the UN Sec Council, which must investigate UAE’s potential involvement in arms deliveries to the RSF: We need the UN, including the Sec Council, to ask questions of the UAE and investigate why this plane was in an active war zone, what its purpose was, who was operating it, and whether or not it was engaged in supplying any of the parties to the conflict. Sudan Tribune
June 11
SUDANESE PEOPLE ARE BEING FORCED TO EATING GRASS AND TREE LEAVES, with child malnutrition levels reaching alarming heights. WFP is urgently expanding its emergency food and nutrition assistance and working around the clock to get food supplies moving across the country. Desperation is driving people to eat grass and wild leaves. Malnutrition among children has reached alarming levels. 19 international humanitarian organisations, including 12 UN agencies warned of an impending famine if warring parties obstruct aid agencies from providing relief to those in need. Middle East Monitor
June 7
WED MORNING DOZENS OF PARAMILITARY RSF FIGHTERS SURROUNDED WAD AL-NURA. The village in Gezira State had remained relatively peaceful and at times a refuge for people escaping attacks. This time the paramilitary fighters had Wad al-Nura in their sights. Anticipating an attack, local farmers dug trenches at the village’s entrances and filled them with water, hoping makeshift moats would help protect them. Some farmers, former soldiers and police officers armed themselves and erected a small checkpoint. RSF was not deterred. The fighters ringing the village opened fire, beginning a frenzy of shooting in all directions. After a lull, the fighters started again. Madani Resistance Comm said the slaughter appeared systematic. Scores of people were killed on sight. Hundreds were sent scattering. Several sources told MEE 150 people were killed in Wad al-Nura alone. 100 were buried in a mass grave in a public square. 35 children were among the dead. Witnesses described thousands fleeing for their lives as RSF fighters face little to no resistance from Sudan’s army. These attacks have been seen in White Nile, Sennar, N Kordofan and S Kordofan as well as Omdurman where 40 people were killed Tues. SAF responded with air strikes, which sources on the ground said led to more death and destruction for the civilian population. Gezira Resistance Comm published footage of the massacre showing RSF troops using heavy guns and artillery against the villagers: Wad al-Nura has witnessed a genocide … SAF hasn’t provided any kind of protection to the civilians.
SUDANESE WHO FLED GEZIRA TOLD MIDDLE EAST EYE THAT RESISTANCE AGAINST THE RSF HAS TAKEN MANY FORMS, including attempts to negotiate and ensure civilians’ safety. The people of Gezira have the right to defend themselves as long as the RSF want to kill them and the army is derelict in its duty to defend civilians and the entire country. I’m from al-Takena village, which witnessed wide violations and attempts to defend themselves. We tried to collect money from our sons living abroad to buy weapons and establish small groups to defend ourselves. But the gap between us and the RSF is huge. So, they defeated us. Ahmed Mohamed, resident of al-Duem in White Nile State, told MEE the RSF attacked villages there too, including al-Malig and al-Shetaib. Hundreds of youths in these areas formed defence groups, known as the popular armed resistance, which nominally operate under command of the SAF. The RSF characterize these groups as being backed by elements of al-Bashir’s former government. And though many Sudanese see their mobilization as evidence of popular rejection of the paramilitary force, some political parties voiced concerns that arming civilians will further complicate and prolong Sudan’s conflict. Civilian mobilization is ongoing around al-Fasher, where the military and former rebel groups are arming residents in anticipation of an RSF offensive. I see that popular armed resistance is spread everywhere and gradually uniting the Sudanese to defend their country. The prospect of an offensive on al-Fasher has caused concern for weeks. RSF closed off almost all routes out of the city, risking al-Fasher becoming a kill box if attacked. What the Darfur region is witnessing, especially in al-Fasher, is a war crime, a crime against humanity, and collective punishment of civilians. Everyone is doomed to die from starvation or deliberate indiscriminate bombing by the parties to the conflict. The fighting must stop immediately. Humanitarian corridors must be opened. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need, exhausted by hunger and living in unspeakably horrific conditions.