June 12
SUDAN’S PLASTIC CRISIS WORSENS…. Sudan continues to grapple with mounting plastic waste, weak enforcement of environmental laws and powerful industrial interests resisting reform. Despite previous attempts to curb the spread of plastic pollution, cities and countryside remain littered with bags clinging to trees, choking drains, scattering across roads and markets. Environmentalists warn plastic is suffocating Sudan’s fragile ecosystems and threatening human and animal health. Secy-Gen of Kampala Environmentalists Assoc: “Plastic waste causes the death of many terrestrial and marine
Organisms. It forms a barrier between plants and soil and floats on water surfaces, creating a breeding ground for harmful parasites….goats die after eating plastic waste….I see the importance of returning to using traditional baskets to avoid plastic bags.” This year’s global campaign against plastic pollution coincides with UN-led effort to negotiate a binding Plastics Treaty. …to regulate plastic use across its entire life cycle from production to disposal. But in Sudan, progress remains slow. A 2018 nationwide campaign to ban plastic bags failed….While several states tried to legislate against plastics, enforcement crumbled under economic and political pressure. In 2016 Environment Min openly backed petrochemical factory owners, who claimed investments of $200m and warned that 10,000 jobs and100 factories were at stake.
…the Union of Industrial Chambers supported factory owners, citing tax contributions and 3,000 plastic workshops. The lack of sanctions, weak state enforcement and deliberate market shortages of alternatives all contributed to public frustration. Some called the ban a failure while others accused politically connected businesses of sabotaging it. 2018 Xinhua News Agency reported Sudan generated 180,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, one of the largest environmental hazards in the country… researchers warn of serious health risks from plastic-related chemicals. CNN revealed 3,200 of 7,000 substances in plastics are classified as hazardous. …linked to neurological damage, fertility issues, hormone disruption, heart disease and liver and lung cancers. Despite these warnings, Sudan has not implemented national recycling systems or invested in safe alternatives at scale. Dabanga/Sudan Media Forum
June 11
SUDANESE DOCTORS…RAISED ALARM AFTER NEWLY IMPLEMENTED US TRAVEL BAN…CAME INTO EFFECT, barring Sudanese nationals from entering US. Sudanese American Physicians Assoc warned the ban threatens futures of 80 recent medical graduates from Sudan, due to begin residency and fellowship training programmes in the US. AU Commission weighed in expressing concern over the sweeping restrictions, whilst NYC Bar Assoc called for urgent international action to address the ‘genocide and spiralling humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.’ Dabanga
KHARTOUM IS FREE OF THE RSF, BUT SURVIVAL IS STILL A STRUGGLE. “It will take a very long time before life can return to normal.” Hundreds of families were moving in both directions last month as I drove between Pt Sudan and Khartoum, now under army control after a painful occupation by the RSF. Heading toward Khartoum were returnees crammed into small trucks, packed full of furniture and other household items. They fled 2 years earlier when RSF swept into the city. Now, some were returning to see what was left of their homes. But going the other way back to Pt Sudan and beyond were others who had returned and decided to leave again after finding only devastation: their homes gutted and neighbourhoods without basic services. Salah Mohamed’s family of 6 was one of them. They returned from Egypt to their Khartoum neighbourhood Arkaweet, but conditions forced them to change their minds after 2 weeks in the city: “We bought a bit of furniture…from Cairo in order to go back to our home in Khartoum, but we were shocked because there is no way of life here. There is no water, electricity or health centres.” People had come back hoping to rebuild, only to find their homes looted by RSF (mine was too), and neighbourhoods destroyed. In some places, cholera has broken out, and in areas now held by SAF residents have to grapple with the fear of RSF drone strikes, or the paramilitary returning. I spoke to some of the millions who never left – who endured 2 years of RSF abuses and army bombardments. Some now face new suspicion from the SAF, who often mistrust civilians who stayed during the occupation. Two residents of al-Kalakla…recalled how dozens were recently rounded up in the middle of their neighbourhood to witness summary execution of 5 alleged RSF collaborators. RSF took over Khartoum…, and led a campaign of terror against residents. Thousands were held in detention centres, women and girls were raped and homes were occupied so fighters could hide from SAF airstrikes. The paramilitary led one of the biggest looting campaigns of any capital city in recent history, carting away precious artefacts from museums as well as precious belongings from people’s homes. The army’s recapture of the city marked a momentous shift in the conflict, and brought a wave of relief for those who stayed through the fighting and others who left.
Big parts of the city remain incredibly difficult to live in due to the scale of destruction, collapse of basic services and lack of food and markets. Driving through the city, I passed remnants of many buildings reduced to ash. Trees were growing wildly, and dead animals lay in streets alongside mounds of garbage with abandoned furniture, vehicles and old electrical appliances. Downtown Khartoum, which witnessed heavy battles, was especially impacted, with iconic landmarks among the worst hit. Jackson Sq, one of Khartoum’s busiest bus depots, deserted; high-rise commercial towers near the Nile confluence all badly damaged. There were no real signs of life at Khartoum’s central market. One of the few people trying to make a living there – a woman selling vegetables to soldiers – did so despite the market being hit by a SAF airstrike. “Dead bodies were thrown inside and around the market.” Just a few blocks away I met Samir Suleiman. He returned to Khartoum but was relying entirely on communal kitchens run by…Emergency Response Rms. “Life in Kassala, where I was displaced to, was very tough and expensive. But the situation here is gloomy and deteriorating. I think it will take a very long time before life can return to normal.” Having seen Khartoum, almost all of the returnees said they would head back to places they were displaced to, or localities in Omdurman that escaped RSF rule over the past 2 years. Those localities offer people the chance to return to their homes and slowly rebuild. However, they have become overcrowded in recent weeks, fuelling outbreaks of cholera initially triggered by RSF drone strikes on water and electricity services.
Returnees and Omdurman residents who caught cholera described the extremely difficult conditions in hospitals. …wards are overwhelmed and in some cases 2 or 3 people share a single bed. I spoke to many victims of RSF abuses – people who endured rape, abduction for ransom, prolonged detention, torture. In Burri, Al-Haj Youssef and Amarat, people described facing constant fear of the RSF. Even when somebody was sick, they were afraid to seek help, and when they went to the market, they would buy as much as they could in one go. Few wanted to leave their homes during the day, but night offered no safety either. RSF fighters would carry out evening home raids, searching for money, gold and cars. Civilians were accused of working for the SAF as a pretext to rob them. One 55-year-old woman was abducted by RSF fighters near her home in eastern Khartoum. Taken to an abandoned house, she was held with other women in harsh conditions until the army freed them. …some detainees were raped, though, in her case, the fighters demanded a ransom of several thousand dollars. Even after payment, she remained in captivity, surviving on a single daily meal of beans for nearly a month. When RSF finally left the area, the detainees freed themselves and stumbled out onto the streets. “We found people celebrating…SAF soldiers and members of the Emergency Response Rms helped us get back home.” Despite celebrations over RSF’s expulsion, other violations have been committed by the SAF and allied armed groups, including Al Bara Ibn Malik brigade, Sudan Shield Forces, and volunteer militias. Human rights groups accused these forces of unlawful killings and detentions across Khartoum, as well as other states recaptured from the RSF. The label “cooperator” has become a source of fear, and many feel it is used to target anyone critical of the SAF. Khartoum remains a militarised city caught in a deep humanitarian emergency. Those who stayed or returned face a daily battle for survival, while those who hope to come back may have to wait a while longer. Mohammed Amin, El Tayeb/Siddig/Reuters/The New Humanitarian
KHARTOUM MAKES ALLEGATION OF DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OF LIBYAN FORCES IN SUDAN WAR. The attack is the first time direct involvement of Libyan fighters in the conflict in Sudan has been alleged. SAF spokesman Nabil Abdullah said the attack took place on the borders of Sudan, Libya and Egypt. Abdullah said Haftar’s forces attacked army positions in coordination with RSF, …aimed at taking control of the border region. The Sudanese foreign ministry accused UAE, which backs Haftar as well as RSF, of supporting the joint attack: “Sudan’s border with Libya has long served as a corridor for arms and mercenaries…funded by the Emirates.” Middle East Eye
June 6
AU WARNS TRUMP’S 2025 TRAVEL BAN ON 7 AFRICAN NATIONS COULD DAMAGE LONGSTANDING DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC TIES, …harm relations between US and several African nations. The statement came after Pres Trump signed a proclamation restricting travel from 7 countries on the continent, citing national security concerns. AU’s exec branch expressed alarm over the decision, stating it could reverse decades of carefully nurtured ties between the US and Africa. “AU remains concerned about the potential negative impact of such measures on people-to-people ties….” AU’s response…included a request for the US government to reconsider its approach and consult directly with the countries affected. “We urge the US to consider adopting a more consultative approach and engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned.” Trump’s EO adds new entry restrictions for foreign nationals from 12 countries including: Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan. These visa restrictions were justified by the White House to prevent terrorism and protect US national interests. Despite AU’s sharp critique, no African governments have publicly indicated plans to retaliate against US commercial interests or personnel. Al Mayadeen
June 4
5 PEOPLE KILLED IN ATTACK ON HUMANITARIAN AID CONVOY. …near El Koma in N Darfur, as the convoy was trying to reach El Fasher. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secy-Gen Guterres, described the incident as a “horrendous act of violence. This joint WFP-UNICEF convoy was made up of 15 trucks, and traveled 1,800k from Pt Sudan. And they were carrying nutrition supplies and food….The route the convoy was going to take was shared in advance with parties on the ground who were notified and aware of the location of the trucks. Multiple trucks were burnt in the attack and critical humanitarian supplies were damaged. This is devastating that supplies have not reached the civilians in need. This was the first UN humanitarian convoy that was going to make it to El Fasher in over 1 year.” AfricaNews
239,000 SUDANESE REFUGEES STRANDED ON CHAD BORDER. UNHCR warned that 239,000 Sudanese refugees remain stranded on the border, facing the risks of extreme weather fluctuations and insecurity. UNHCR Principal Situation Coordinator in Chad said refugees arriving from Sudan into Chad significantly increased since intensification of attacks on civilians in N Darfur: “69,000 people arrived in Chad in just over a month, an average of 1,400 people crossed the border daily in recent days…fleeing under fire, moving through armed checkpoints, extortion and strict restrictions imposed by armed groups”. …72% of refugees…reported serious human rights violations, including physical and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced recruitment. 60% had been separated from family members. Middle East Monitor
June 3
CORPSES ROTTING IN THE NILE AS CHOLERA TEARS THROUGH SUDAN. The waterborne disease has rapidly spread throughout Sudan due to the ongoing civil war. After Sudan’s army recaptured the national capital region of Khartoum in March, tens of thousands of people returned to check on their homes and reunite with loved ones. The joy of returning was tempered by the shock of seeing the damage caused during nearly two years under the control of RSF In a region whose hospitals and food and medicine stores had been systematically plundered by the RSF, many returnees started falling sick. Many returnees had settled in Omdurman, one of the capital’s 3 cities, where living conditions were slightly better than other cities. This is because several localities in Omdurman never came under RSF’s control, insulating it from heavy clashes, pillaging and looting. Omdurman quickly became overcrowded, with “thousands…from Egypt alone” Emergency Response Rm. The crowding meant an accelerated spread of cholera, an acute, highly contagious diarrhoeal infection endemic to Sudan and can be fatal if not treated. “In areas south of the Nile in Omdurman, there are a lot of corpses rotting next to or in the Nile, and this [partially] caused the spread of infection”. Cholera has become an epidemic in Sudan, spreading in several states, including White Nile and Gadarif, and killing hundreds in the last 2 weeks. …the spread was fuelled by overcrowding and lack of essential services. The waterborne disease could be stopped with basic sanitation and provisions, said Kostan, Doctors Without Borders. “But that’s not really possible right now,” referring to a lack of electricity to pump water since Omdurman’s electricity grids went down May 14. RSF fired a barrage of suicide drones that day, which took out major power stations and grids, shutting down water treatment plants and causing a sharp rise in cases. Deprived of safe drinking and bathing water, people resorted to drinking contaminated water from the Nile, as well as scooping up water from the ground after it rains. Al Jazeera
June 2
Amal Ismail had heard enough. For 2 days she had been begging the RSF commander to tell her anything about her brothers, brother-in-law and cousin. They were last seen dragged from a lorry carrying 200 members of the Jame’at tribe on a road heading from al-Salha. At home she retrieved a phone….deluged with messages: videos fighters on social media crowing triumphantly in front of men stripped to their waist, texts from friends asking if Amal was alive. In a video, fighters open fire on a group of detainees helpless on the ground. “No one will be spared,” one says. Another shows piles of bodies, Amal saw a man dumped under a car tyre. It was her brother Mohammed, lifeless. Her brother-in-law, al-Khair, being lashed. Eventually it became clear 31 people had been killed. “Al-Khair was brave…you can see him looking into the eyes of the man beating him. We will never forgive the RSF for this, we will never forget.”
Amal and Rihab’s ordeal began when their family and members of Jame’at tribe decided to leave al-Salha in a convoy. The suburb…had been under RSF control 2 years. There was no electricity, barely any food and the only water was a bitter fluid dredged up from a ground well.
“Everything was bad.” To the north was Omdurman, held by SAF and some modicum of habitable life. But RSF fighters were in the way. Seeing the truck, they shot its tyres and forced everyone out. 5 members of the convoy told Middle East Eye they were whipped, shot at and abused. …divided into groups and brought into small shops. “There, we were tortured,” Yusuf Hussein. “They used whatever tools they could find, striking us with whips and small blocks.” Hussein said the fighters were obsessed with the convoy made up of the Jame’at, claiming the tribe was responsible for killing…their comrades. When Ali Wedaa tried to claim he was from another tribe, they killed him. “They shot him with 2 bullets to the heart.” Any money, gold or mobile phones were confiscated. “If they saw you had money on a phone, they made you transfer that to them.” After 5 hours of interrogation and threats, the women were released….3 fighters intercepted them and tried to force them into a house. Rihab refused and 1 pressed a knife against her neck. When Amal intervened, they beat her so hard she almost passed out. Ahmed Amin Abdulhakka, 23-year-old student, was freed after 5 days of torture. He had been accused of being a member of a pro-SAF militia, but after paying a ransom of $500 they let him go: “In the end it was all about money.”
5k from Omdurman, al-Salha is a world away from the modernist villas along the city’s waterside. Though the market street has been brutalised, its stalls twisted metal and shredded canopies, the ghosts of happier times make the road crackle with energy. A few years ago, this was a meeting point for thousands of Sudanese demanding an end to autocracy and persecution before their dreams were crushed by a military coup and now perhaps Sudan’s most devastating civil war. …people are being discovered in unusual places. “Bodies have even been found buried under the floor in houses,” graves containing bodies of 465 people who died due to neglect, lack of food, treatment and medicine have been discovered. In a morgue at a university used by RSF as a base, 3 tanks hold 20 corpses. Some are badly decomposed, collapsing together into a dark morass. Others still have defined features, holes in their sides and slits on the soles of their feet. Elsewhere: recently covered large pits stink of rotting flesh. Outside a police station fighters turned into a detention centre an impromptu cemetery has been established. Beds, blankets and mattresses used to drag bodies lie abandoned, stained with blood. The most recent graves were clearly dug in a hurry: a knee juts out of the soil like a rising zombie. Iptisam Ayyad, a teacher, watched the cemetery expand quickly under RSF rule. She mourns the al-Salha she knew before the war. “It was such a nice place to live. It was safe.” Amal, Rihab and scores of residents are in limbo. They suspect the worst, but without a body it’s impossible to move on. “Even today we don’t know exactly who was killed, our father is going to morgues looking for our missing. It’s more painful not knowing if they were killed or survived.” Walking past freshly dug graves has become a maddening routine. “Some people are talking about opening them up to find answers.”
SUDAN’S NEW PM KAMIL IDRIS DISSOLVED…CARETAKER GOVERNMENT, state news agency SUNA reported. Idris was appointed by army chief al-Burhan, head of state. RSF said since earlier this year it would form its own parallel government with allied parties. Al Arabiya
UN OFFICIAL CONDEMNED SURGE IN ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, calling them “blatant violations of international humanitarian law.” Kristine Hambrouck, UN Humanitarian Coord, expressed alarm over incidents including a deadly drone strike on a hospital and shelling of a WFP compound. …a May 30 drone attack on Eldaman Intl Hosp in Al Obeid, N Kordofan, killed at least 6 health workers: “Patients and medical personnel were caught in the line of fire inside a facility dedicated to healing and hope. Hospitals are not battlegrounds — they are protected under international law and must be respected as such.” May 29, WFP premises in Al Fasher, N Darfur, suffered repeated shelling, causing significant damage to “a key humanitarian hub. Attacking humanitarian assets puts millions at risk, depriving them of the critical aid they rely on to survive.” Sudan Tribune
June 1
A IR STRIKE ON N DARFUR MARKET KILLS DOZENS. 89 people were killed Sat following an air strike by army warplanes targeting a crowded civilian market…. Emergency Rm reported. Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune a drone was seen at a high altitude before firing 3 missiles that struck Al-Koma’s mkt, a densely populated civilian area. Al-Koma, east of El Fasher and under control of RSF, is one of the most frequently targeted areas by army aircraft, with 200 aerial sorties. Previous air raids by the army…killed dozens of civilians and destroyed water sources, public services and the main market.
HEALTH CARE FALTERS AS CHOLERA OUTBREAK EXPANDS.Khartoum Min of Health reported 1,375 new cholera cases and 23 deaths Wed. The number increased from the previous day by 400, as Sudan faces a major cholera outbreak, exacerbated by ongoing armed conflict and mass displacement. Sudan routinely experiences seasonal spikes in cholera this time of year, however, the crisis has been significantly worsened by the war. Widespread destruction of infrastructure, limited access to healthcare and severe water shortages accelerated spread of the disease, particularly in Khartoum and surrounding states. Min of Health recorded 942 cases and 28 deaths Tues. Dr Tijani confirmed that diarrhoea spreading in Khartoum has been identified as cholera through lab testing, refuting claims of chemical contamination. Tijani stated cholera vaccination campaigns continued a 3rd day in Jebel Awlya and would expand to other localities once 3 million vaccine doses arrive from abroad. The Min equipped 12 isolation rooms in Khartoum State, with 550 beds across Omdurman Children’s Hosp, Omdurman Teaching Hosp, Umbada Hosp and El Nu Hosp. Additionally, volunteers reported health authorities evacuated the cholera isolation centre at El Nu Hosp, transferring all patients to isolation centres at El Amin Hamed Children’s Hosp, Embda Model Centre and El Gezira Islang Centre. They indicated a shortage of doctors and emphasised the urgent need for water and perfusion salts. 8th Hot Revolution Resistance Comms in Omdurman denounced the summons and interrogations to which volunteers Jabbay and Qassem, one of the founders of El Nu Teaching Hosp Volunteer Initiative, were subjected….the summons came against the backdrop of spreading the truth and revealing the extent of the suffering caused by the spread of the cholera epidemic and deterioration of health care. She considered what happened a new episode in the series of repression. Tijani stated that repeated attacks on power stations in Khartoum State caused prolonged power shortages and worsened water shortages. Khartoum State recorded 3,000 new cholera cases within 3 days, bringing the total to 8,000. Additionally, the number of deaths increased, reaching around 200. This is attributed to deteriorating water and sanitation conditions, contamination of water sources and limited access to medical care, all which exacerbate the severity of cases and increase mortality risk. The ongoing internal displacement towards the capital is contributing to the spread of the disease. The report warned of 8 new cholera cases and 1 death in Nyala, S Darfur. The coalition expressed concern that emergence of cases in Darfur poses a significant risk of further spread in areas with large populations of displaced persons and refugees living under poor health and environmental conditions. Min of Health Sennar State reported 80 confirmed cases…. N Kordofan, El Rahad Hosp documented 15 cholera-related deaths and 100 cases within 2 days….spreading in the area 2 weeks ago. The situation has been exacerbated by an 11-day power outage due to destruction of 3 power stations in drone attacks, disrupting access to drinking water leading residents to draw water from the Nile.
Khartoum Health Min reported 80 new cases daily in Omdurman and establishment of 15 new isolation centres. MSF confirmed 2,500 cases in 3 weeks, including 500 in a single day. Fed Health Min Dr Ibrahim stated that weekly case rates reached 600-700 and noted the creation of 8 treatment centres, along with efforts in water chlorination and sanitation. The vaccination campaign started in Jebel Auliya with 115,000 doses. Electricity has begun to return gradually to Omdurman following an 11-day outage caused by bombing of 3 power stations. Residents reported a complete lack of access to drinking water during the blackout, which led many to draw water directly from the Nile. Residents report that water barrel prices have soared due to high demand and limited supply. Dabanga
May 31
RSF ATTACKS KILL CIVILIANS, SHUT DOWN HOSPITALS. 6 people killed…after RSF shelled 2 hospitals and residential areas in El Obeid N Cordovan. Al-Daman Hosp was suspending operations “until further notice” while doctors are working to contain a cholera outbreak in Khartoum. WHO Dir-Gen Ghebreyesus expressed alarm over the attack, calling for an immediate end to assaults on health facilities and protection of medical infrastructure and workers. A cholera outbreak is spreading rapidly in Khartoum as doctors struggle to treat patients amid severe supply shortages, collapse of the health sector and accelerating spread of the disease. Doctors Without Borders, told AFP from Bashair Hosp “We’re using every available means to contain the spread and treat infected patients.” Intl Rescue Comm Sudan dir Atezaz Yousuf warned the country is on the brink of a comprehensive public health catastrophe, as WFP announced one of its facilities severely damaged by repeated shelling from RSF. UN described the conflict as the world’s largest crisis in terms of hunger and displacement. Sudan has effectively become divided. The military controls much of the country’s center, north and east, while RSF forces dominate Darfur and areas in the south. Following the loss of Khartoum in March, RSF relied on….drone strikes and offensives in southern regions…. Parts of S Kordofan are controlled by a faction of SPLM-N led by al-Hilu, which has aligned with the RSF. Al Mayadeen
‘BEATING AND RAPE FOR US, DEATH FOR MEN.’ Doctors Without Borders warned that women and girls in Darfur face a near-constant risk of sexual violence, as a report reveals grim statistics in S Darfur. Jan 2024-March 2025, MSF provided care to 659 survivors of sexual violence in the state. …victims speaking with their teams in Darfur and Chad described experiences of severe violence and rape. …men and boys are also at risk, …the scale of suffering “beyond comprehension.” The prevalence of sexual violence in Darfur is such that many reportedly speak of it as an inevitable occurrence. “Some people came at night to rape women and steal everything,” a woman recounted. “I heard some women being raped at night. The men were hiding in bathrooms or in rooms wheretheycould close the doors. The women didn’t hide because what we were exposed to was just beatings and rape, whilst the men were killed.”
86% of survivors reported they had been raped, and 94% of survivors were women and girls. 31% of survivors treated were under 18 years old, 7% under 10, 2.6% under 5. People reported being assaulted whilst undertaking journeys for basic necessities or working in high-risk locations. Others avoid these activities, which affects their income and access to water, food and healthcare. MSF indicated that staying home does not guarantee safety. MSF found 55% of survivors experienced additional physical violence during their assault. Many reported facing significant risk during essential daily activities, with 34% subjected to sexual violence whilst working in or travelling to agricultural fields. These statistics likely underestimate the true extent of sexual violence, …the actual scale is difficult to determine due to limited services and difficulties people face in seeking treatment or speaking out. “Women and girls do not feel safe anywhere. They are attacked in their homes, whilst fleeing violence, getting food, collecting firewood and working in the fields. They tell us they feel trapped,” Claire San Filippo, MSF emergency coord. “These attacks are horrific and cruel, and often involve multiple perpetrators. This must stop. Sexual violence is not a natural or inevitable consequence of war; it can constitute a war crime, a form of torture and crime against humanity. Warring parties must hold their combatants accountable and protect people from this abhorrent violence. Services for survivors must be immediately expanded so they can access the medical treatment and psychological care they desperately need.” Dabanga
RSF SEIZED FULL CONTROL OF EL DABIBAT S KORDOFAN after launching drone strikes and ground assaults on the Armed Forces.El Dabibat, strategic gateway between Kordofan and Darfur, had briefly fallen under SAF control. RSF reasserted control of the area.…Fighting displaced 565 families, according to Intl Org for Migration. SPLM-N El Hilu, accused SAF and allied brigades of burning 8 villages in Hiban….alleged 2,000 families were displaced, including 55 orphaned children. The group alleged troops from SAF 10th Div used artillery and drones to destroy villages and loot property. El Fasher remains under heavy shelling….IOM reported 281 families fled 21-27 May. Local Resistance Comms say food shortages pushed prices beyond reach. A pound of sugar costs SDG 35,000, sorghum, a staple, SDG 650,000. Soap, lentils, oil and salt are in critically short supply. Civilians reported fresh RSF shelling, followed by SAF retaliation. UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed ongoing bombardments and daily civilian casualties. It warned that 250,000 children in N Darfur are out of school, with 14% receiving educational support due to insecurity and lack of funding. Dabanga
UN FOOD BODY CONDEMNS RSF ATTACKS ON PREMISES. WFP is “shocked and alarmed” that its premises in southwestern Sudan have been hit by repeated shelling from RSF: “Humanitarian staff, assets, operations and supplies should never be a target. This must stop now.” El-Fasher is the last major city held by the army in Darfur. RSF sought to wrest control of el-Fasher, 500 mi of Khartoum, launching regular attacks on the city and 2 major famine-hit camps for displaced people. Adding to humanitarian woes, the Health Min in Khartoum State reported 942 new cholera infections and 25 deaths the previous day, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths the day before. Al Jazeera
May 28
AID WORKERS FEAR CRACKDOWN UNDER STRICT NEW ARMY RULES…. all relief initiatives must register with the Humanitarian Aid Commission, a government body….HAC was given expanded powers to register, monitor and, critics argue, crack down on local and Western aid groups….“HAC is trying to monitor and restrict the work of ERRs…I fear they will arrest volunteers if we…don’t register”. The new directive is raising concern among ERRs. …feeding, protecting and rescuing civilians from attacks. ERRs maintain neutrality in an effort to preserve humanitarian access irrespective of who controls areas they operate in. Still, they have been attacked by both sides. Any constraints or impediments to their work could have devastating consequences for civilians, Kholood Khair: “In Khartoum, it’s 1 meal a day for a lot of people in a lot of areas. If people start missing that 1 meal because volunteers are not turning up because they don’t feel safe, obviously that means famine levels will go through the roof.”
Experts and aid workers…consider HAC an outfit for MI. …long accused of imposing bureaucratic impediments to prevent international aid groups from reaching regions outside army control. It often forces aid agencies to apply for multiple permissions from various ministries and security branches to delay or outright block access to regions outside army control and in urgent need. This has led experts, global relief workers and human rights groups to accuse the army of using food and aid as a weapon of war. Hamid Khalafallah, expert on Sudan’s grassroots movements, believes HAC is politicising aid by forcing ERRs to register: “[HAC] wants to control programming of [ERRs] and make sure it matches their priorities, …politicised and follow the guidelines of the de facto [army] government”….local relief workers and experts fear if ERR members in Khartoum register, their names could be handed over to intelligence branches, exposing them to unwanted harassment or arrest.
COORDINATION OF RESISTANCE COMMS IN AL FASHIR APPEAL TO STOP HUMANITARIAN DISASTER IN THE CITY. Al-Fashir has been under constant shelling and bombardment by RSF who seek to capture the only remaining major city in Darfur still under army control. …famine has become a daily reality threatening the lives of thousands of families who can no longer find food. Coordination Comms pointed out that the crisis…includes severe shortages in medicines, water and basic survival services. Coordination appealed to charity organizations and government agencies to provide direct and urgent support to the voluntary Communal Kitchens, the last lifeline for thousands of hungry people which have mostly stopped operating due to lack of supplies. Markets are nearly empty of commodities, and soaring prices make them inaccessible to the vast majority. Dozens of neighbourhoods are subjected to daily shelling, exacerbating the plight of civilians trapped in hunger and fear, dying silently amidst growing local and international indifference.… Al Taghyeer
CHOLERA OUTBREAK KILLED 170 ACROSS SUDAN IN 1 WEEK amid collapse of basic infrastructure. Sudan’s health min reported 2,700 infections and 172 deaths with 90% of cases concentrated in Khartoum State. …water and electricity has been severely disrupted by drone strikes blamed on RSF. Cases were reported in the country’s south, center and north. Cholera is endemic to Sudan, but outbreaks have become far worse and more frequent since the war, wrecking already fragile water, sanitation and health infrastructure. RSF launched drone strikes across Khartoum, including 3 power stations, before being completely pushed out of their last holdout positions last week. The strikes knocked the electricity and subsequently the local water network out of service, forcing residents to turn to unsafe water sources. “Water treatment stations no longer have electricity and cannot provide clean water from the Nile,” Slaymen Ammar, MSF med coord in Khartoum. Bashir Mohamed, resident of Omdurman, …told AFP his family has been without electricity for nearly 2 weeks: “We now fetch water directly from the Nile, buying it from donkey carts that bring it in barrels.” According to a doctor at Omdurman Al-Nao Hosp the capital’s main functioning health facility, residents have resorted to drinking untreated Nile water, after the shutdown of water pumping stations, …the main reason for the rapid spread of cholera. “The number of patients exceeds the hospital’s capacity,” member of ERR. “There are not enough medical staff. Some patients are lying on floors in hospital corridors.” Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal illness caused by ingesting contaminated water
or food, can kill within hours if untreated. Yet it is easily preventable and treatable when clean water, sanitation and timely medical care are present. Sudan’s already fragile healthcare system has been pushed to “breaking point” by the war, according to WHO. 90% of hospitals have at some point been forced to close because of the fighting, according to the doctors’ union, with health facilities regularly stormed, bombed and looted. Al Arabiya
May 27
2 YEARS AFTER LEAVING, I RETURNED TO A KHARTOUM I BARELY RECOGNIZED. A reporter’s journey home reveals a city scarred by war. My heart was thumping as I passed through army checkpoints, staring out at animal carcasses strewn along the roadside and pockmarked and battle-scarred buildingsI once knew as shops and homes. I made the decision to return once news came that the army had taken full control of Khartoum. I was hesitant about going back, but desperate to know what had become of my neighbourhood and home. The videos other returnees were sharing on social media…prepared me for the worst: Many found their houses trashed and stripped bare by looting RSF fighters, and neighbourhoods lacking even basic services. Still, as I headed from eastern Khartoum towards my neighbourhood Al Amarat, an affluent, middle-class district, I felt a confusing mix of surprise, shock and anger at what I was seeing. I used to walk and drive through these streets every day and I loved them. Now, they felt like ghost streets. I passed my children’s school, still standing but partially damaged. Entire buildings had been obliterated by heavy weaponry, and in some areas that saw the most intense clashes, wreckage was still visible: destroyed tanks, twisted gun mounts, lots of unexploded ordnance. The streets were littered with destroyed cars and remnants of markets. There were few signs of life –just the occasional SAF checkpoint, where soldiers would stop us…. The stench of death hung in the air – human bodies, recently recovered by returning authorities from abandoned buildings, mixed with the rot of dead animals. Nature had begun to reclaim the city. Trees and shrubs had grown wild and unchecked.
I entered Al Amarat and stood in front of my 7-storey tower block, with a mix of emotions – anger, sadness and disappointment but happiness that my building was still standing. But as I climbed the stairs and stepped inside, I realised it had succumbed to the fate of so many others: It had been occupied by RSF fighters. The journey was long, with many checkpoints along the way. There were others returning along the roads – carrying luggage and new furniture loaded onto small trucks, knowing everything in Khartoum had been looted. But to be honest, there weren’t as many people as I had expected. Those I spoke to along the road were hopeful about returning and relieved RSF had finally been kicked out. But the mood shifted. Most were disappointed by the reality on the ground: no electricity, no internet, no markets and not enough food. The government launched a major campaign urging people to return to their homes, but many quickly realised they couldn’t stay – the city’s condition too difficult to rebuild their lives. Some said they would return to the places they had fled to at the start of the war, others crossed the bridge from Khartoum to Omdurman liberated earlier and in somewhat better shape.
I stayed the night with a friend Al Haj Yousif….he remained in Khartoum throughout RSF occupation, and gave a vivid portrait of what life had been like….adapted to the harsh reality but fear of the RSF was constant, with civilians regularly abused. RSF profited from the war not just by looting, but through controlling essential supplies. They allowed goods through for bakeries and vegetable vendors, but affiliated traders sold these items at high prices. He spoke about Starlink shops – makeshift internet cafes where people rented access to the satellite service for a dollar per hour. RSF could inspect phones at any time and listen in on conversations. Even when people received money through mobile transfers, they had to exchange it for cash at RSF-run shops, where the paramilitary took a hefty cut –20-30%. Many…joining the SAF driven by the violations they witnessed and endured. This reflected a broader trend of RSF abuses pushing people towards the SAF, legitimising a historically unpopular force. ….the last few days of the occupation when SAF was retaking territory were the worst. RSF carried out revenge attacks on civilians, targeting women, children, anyone. When SAF took charge, it carried out abuses too….dark memories of the war’s outbreak…came flooding back. I recalled the day we left our home and the week moving from one place to another in Khartoum, dodging bullets and bombs, until I finally found my way onto a bus. I found my neighbourhood in better shape than other places. It was dirty and damaged in various ways but still recognisable and still standing. A few residents who either stayed during the war or returned after liberation attributed its relatively decent shape to the fact that RSF commanders used it as a residential area, given its upmarket nature. There were few people on the streets, though I heard about a grassroots initiative being set up to restore water, electricity and basic health services. I decided to start my inspection in the basement. That was where we had hidden during the first days of the war. The basement was a blackened husk, burned to ash. The caretaker of a mosque next door told me RSF soldiers set fire to electrical cables to extract copper –a valuable commodity that they they send to paramilitary-controlled areas in the west of Sudan. The damage was catastrophic. The fire consumed everything in the basement. I climbed all 7 storeys on foot to reach my top-floor flat. On every landing, I passed apartments that had been looted. Some emitted a foul smell, and I chose not to enter, unsure of what I might find inside. I reached my own flat….I found chaos. My furniture had been overturned, cabinets and drawers were open, and clothes everywhere – even my wife’s and children’s. RSF looters were looking for gold or dollars. 2 tvs and a laptop belonging to one of my daughters were missing. Everything else, the refrigerator, washing machine, stove, AC was still there. Perhaps they found these items too heavy to carry down 7 flights of stairs. The fire from the basement left its mark, staining the walls and creating a bad smell throughout. Still, I felt lucky we had not been looted as thoroughly as many others. Things got stranger as I …began to find things that didn’t belong to my family: a prayer bead, dirty dishes. The housekeeper from the neighbouring mosque told me an RSF member had been living here. I found evidence of a woman, too. A dish with henna. Perfume. Make-up. Items that belonged to my wife were gone. The housekeeper said the person may have been an RSF commander, but possibly a sniper given that my flat was on the top floor. The thought that my home could have been used to kill people was a gut punch. As a freelance journalist, it took me years to save up enough money to buy this flat. Like many others, after seeing my home, I couldn’t stay and headed to Omdurman…. There is some electricity, internet is more reliable, and markets are starting to move. I’ll make my way back to Pt Sudan, and on to Egypt. But what the paramilitary force did here is beyond words: They left destruction, fear and trauma that will take years to heal. With RSF still threatening new attacks and launching drone strikes, it will be some time before all those who left can truly call Khartoum home again – my family included. Mohammed Amin, El Tayeb/Siddig/Reuters/The New Humanitarian
May 26
GUM ARABIC HAUL WORTH $75 MILLION SEIZED BY RSF IN KORDOFAN LOOTING SPREE. Warring paramilitary group seizes control of key trade town, breaking into warehouses and stealing 400 lorries loaded with valuable crop. 10,000 tonnes of gum arabic worth $tens of millions have disappeared. The shipment was in vehicles alongside other crops ready for export from al-Nahud when RSF seized the area. After taking al-Nahud, a centre for gum arabic cultivation and strategic point on the road that links army-dominated eastern Sudan and RSF-held west, fighters ransacked homes, shops and businesses. Traders…suggested the gum arabic looted in and around al-Nahud is worth $75m at today’s inflated prices. Around 1/3 of gum arabic cultivated this year has been looted by RSF, worth up to $125m. UN investigators…estimated the conflict led to the loss of 90,000 tonnes of gum arabic worth $200m. Prices have risen sharply over 2 years of conflict.
Gum arabic is used as a key emulsifier and stabiliser in foods, cosmetics and medicine, including Coca-Cola and popular chocolate products such as M&Ms. Harvested by extracting the dried sap of certain acacia trees, it is found across the Sahel. …up to 80% of the world’s gum arabic was sourced from Sudan before war broke out….Traders say 2/3 of Sudan’s gum arabic is sourced from Kordofan, an arid southern region where hostilities escalated. Al-Nahud is the 2nd-largest gum arabic hub after al-Obeid in N Kordofan. “At the beginning of the war, al-Nahud was safe because it was between areas controlled by the RSF and SAF so far away from the fighters and soldiers,” Said Mohammed al-Tahir, gum arabic trader…now based in Pt Sudan. “But after SAF established a unit in al-Nahud and soldiers came after withdrawing from areas of Darfur, it began attracting the attention of the RSF.” RSF fighters looted areas they controlled and seized large amounts of gum arabic stored in Khartoum in the war’s earliest days. Though RSF made money by charging levies and fees on the trade and transport of gum arabic, it banned anyone from exporting it through SAF-held areas. …smuggling gum arabic through neighbouring countries has ballooned. Tahir said business associates had seen his product being sold in So Sudan, Chad and Tripoli at reduced prices. Countries with a previously low production of gum arabic, Chad, Senegal, Egypt and So Sudan, have begun “aggressively” offering cheap gum arabic. Ibrahim Abu Baker Elsiddig Ibrahim, a trader, said intl gum arabic trading organisations agreed to ensure only officially certified Sudanese gum arabic exported through Pt Sudan would be purchased: “We have to trust buyers not to purchase smuggled gum arabic.” The intl importance of Sudan’s gum arabic trade meant the product was made exempt from previous sanctions. But there are fears…Sudanese firms may find themselves excluded from intl payment systems “Maybe American sanctions will affect the legitimate gum arabic trade, They could make an exception for gum arabic, because so many American companies rely on it, but that would pose moral issues when compared to other industries.” MEE