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☆ Sudan 'spiralling out of control' as 1 million flee country, UN warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the capital Khartoum and sparked ethnically driven attacks in Darfur, threatening to plunge Sudan into a protracted civil war and destabilise the region. "Time is running out for farmers to plant the crops that will feed them and their neighbours. The situation is spiralling out of control," U.N. agencies said in a joint statement. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsReports of sexual assaults have increased by 50%, said U.N. population fund official Laila Baker. Efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to negotiate a ceasefire in the current conflict have stalled, and humanitarian agencies have struggled to provide relief because of insecurity, looting and bureaucratic hurdles.

Persons: Malik Agar, Elizabeth Throssell, Chad August, Zohra, Laila Baker, Agar, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Omar al, Bashir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Sovereign, IOM, Human Rights, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Sudan, Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan, Geneva, Chadian, Chad, Adre, Saudi Arabia, United States, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Fighting flares in South Darfur amid fears of new civil war
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chadian cart owners transport belongings of Sudanese people who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, while crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File PhotoAug 13 (Reuters) - Violence flared in the western Sudanese city of Nyala and elsewhere in the state of South Darfur on Sunday, witnesses said, threatening to engulf the region in Sudan's protracted war. The latest flare-up has lasted three days, with both the army and RSF firing artillery into residential neighbourhoods, witnesses told Reuters. At least eight people were killed on Saturday alone, according to the Darfur Bar Association, a national human rights monitor. The fighting killed 24 people, it said.

Persons: Chad August, Zohra, Meta, Volker Perthes, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rapid Support Forces, Reuters, Darfur Bar Association, International, Court, Thomson Locations: Darfur, Sudan, Chad, Adre, Sudanese, Nyala, South Darfur, Khartoum, West Darfur, Egypt, South Sudan, Dubai, Nafisa, Cairo

☆ Darfur refugees in Chad scramble for shelter as rainy season starts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Eltayeb Siddig | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Sudanese people who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, sit at their makeshift shelter during a rainstorm at a refugee camp in Ourang on the outskirts of Adre, Chad July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraADRE, Chad, July 31 (Reuters) - Thousands of refugees fleeing Darfur to neighbouring Chad to escape fighting and ethnically targeted attacks in Sudan's western region are struggling to secure basic shelter and supplies as heavy rains and winds batter makeshift camps. The United Nations estimates over 300,000 fled from Darfur to Chad since April 15 when fighting between the army andparamilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out in the capital of Khartoum. A recent attack on the west Darfur town on Sirba killed more than 200 and made thousands more flee, according to the Darfur Bar Association. Those who fled Darfur reported shortages of food, electricity, and water supply amid violence in residential areas.

Persons: ADRE, Chad's Ourang, Mohamed Ibrahim, Eltayeb Siddig, Nafisa Eltahir, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Rapid Support Forces, Darfur Bar Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Darfur, Ourang, Adre, Chad, Sudan's, Khartoum, Islam, Chad's, Cairo

☆ From pixels to pails, crowdfunded wells quench thirst in Senegal's drylands
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Water scarcity is so acute at this time of year that many communities face a dire choice: water your farms or quench you thirst. He turned to the internet, setting up crowdfunding campaigns where people can donate money to construct wells in communities lacking water. "In many villages, there were water problems, and this issue notably impacted on learning," said Diakhate, who previously worked in school construction. In a region pockmarked with wells in various states of disrepair, Diakhate hopes the internet can bring communities together to solve the problem of water scarcity. His group has built more than 50 wells this way since 2020, and nine more are under construction.

Persons: Ourou Amady, Mamadou Diakhate, Diakhate, Yoro Boubou Ba, Ngouda Dione, Cooper Inveen, Nellie Peyton, Christina Fincher Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, United Nations, Pepperdine University, Thomson Locations: Ourou, Podor, Senegal, PODOR, Senegal's, Dakar, Saharan Africa, Bagga

☆ Over 1 million may flee Sudan conflict, UN refugee agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, June 27 (Reuters) - The U.N. refugee agency warned on Tuesday that an earlier projection that conflict in Sudan would prompt 1 million people to flee across its borders is likely to be surpassed. He did not give details on how far above 1 million he expected refugee numbers fleeing abroad to reach. The United Nations estimates more than 2.5 million people have been uprooted since April, most within Sudan. A Sudanese refugee who has fled the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, sits at her makeshift shelter near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 15, 2023. The UNHCR has already had to revise its forecast for people fleeing into Chad from Sudan to 245,000 from 100,000 people, he said.

Persons: Mazou, Chad, Zohra, El Geneina, There's, Emma Farge, Alison Williams Organizations: Central African, UNHCR, Operations, United Nations, REUTERS, Rapid Support Forces, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Sudan, Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Central, Central African Republic, Darfur, Sudan ., Sudan's Darfur, Koufroun, Khartoum

☆ Sudan: Testimonies detail atrocities by Wagner-backed militia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Nima Elbagir Tamara Qiblawi Barbara Arvanitidis Gianluca Mezzofiore Pallabi Munsi Ingrid Formanek Saskya Vandoorne | Nima Elbagir | Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

“I sat next to her in the car,” said Butheina Nourin, describing her perilous escape from Sudan’s Darfur region alongside the dead woman. A months-long CNN investigation uncovered an increase in Wagner supplies to the RSF that began in the run-up to Sudan’s conflict. Reports of atrocities committed by RSF fighters and their allied militias, clearly identified by their uniforms, are consistent across dozens of testimonies. Then-President Bashir was charged by the International Criminal Court in 2010 with crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in relation to the Darfur conflict. “Nobody in Sudan has more blood on their hands than Hemedti,” said Sudan analyst Eric Reeves.

Persons: wailed, “, ”, Butheina Nourin, Fatima, I, Nourin, Zohra Bensemra, Abdul Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Wagner, General Burhan, entrenching, –, Omar al, Bashir, Hemedti, Sergey Lavrov, Hussein Haran, ” Haran, Khamis Abbakar, Kholood Khair, ” Khair, Gen, Mahmoud Hjaj, Hala, SIHA, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalos, Hussein Malla, ” “, Gueipeur Denis Sassou, Eric Reeves, Al Jazeera, Karib, “ It’s, RSF –, Wagner –, Yeveny Prigozhin, Sudan ”, Hussein Organizations: CNN, ” Fighters, Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Reuters, Central African, Russian, Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, UN, Strategic Initiative, Women, International Criminal Court, ICC, United Arab, United Nations, SIHA, Getty, European, US State Department, State Department Locations: Chad, Sudan, Sudan’s Darfur, Darfur, Borota, Latakia, Libya, Bangui, Central African Republic, Moscow, Ukraine, Khartoum, el, Geneina, Horn of Africa, State, Sudan’s, Yemen, Saudi, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Daman, AFP, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Europe, EU, ”, Africa

In one post, the 26-year-old student warned his 1,700 followers about security forces firing live rounds at protesters. Offline he helped too, showing elderly neighbours how to ease their discomfort from inhaling mouthfuls of tear gas, said his younger brother Djimbala Ba. His supporters say the charges were politically motivated and have taken to the streets in their thousands, hurling rocks at security forces, setting cars and buildings alight and ransacking supermarkets and gas stations. Security forces deny firing on protesters or using excessive force. Ba and Ndiaye said he was shot by security forces.

Persons: Elhaji Cisse, Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Djimbala Ba, Cisse braved, Ba, Cheikh Ndiaye, Cisse, Elon Musk, it's, Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Sall, Edward McAllister, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Police, Security, Real, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Senegal's, Canada, Real Madrid

☆ Senegal: Death toll from deadly protests rises to 16 amid internet cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Many protesters also sustained injuries amid clashes for a third day with security forces, following Sonko’s sentencing. Security forces look at supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko during clashes after Sonko was sentenced to prison, in Dakar, Senegal, June 3, 2023. ArrestsMore than 500 people have been arrested, Senegalese Director of Public Security, Ibrahima Diop, in said a televised address late Sunday. People walk past a bus shelter shattered during clashes between supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and security forces, after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 3, 2023. Supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clash with security forces after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 2, 2023.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Zohra Bensemra, Reuters Sonko, Macky, Ibrahima Diop, “, ” Diop, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, Netblocks, Edward McAllister Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Public Security, Patriots, Senegalese, Amnesty Locations: Senegal, Dakar, Senegalese

☆ Senegal government cuts mobile internet access amid deadly rioting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A supporter of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko walks near a burning barricade during clashes with security forces after Sonko was sentenced to prison, in Dakar, Senegal, June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraDAKAR, June 4 (Reuters) - Senegal's government has cut access to mobile internet services in certain areas because of deadly rioting in which "hateful and subversive" messages have been posted online, it said in a statement on Sunday. It extended the outage on Sunday to include all data on mobile internet devices in certain areas and at certain times, the statement said. "Because of the spread of hateful and subversive messages ... mobile Internet is temporarily suspended at certain hours of the day," the statement said. Reporting by Bate Felix Writing by Edward McAllister Editing by David Holmes and Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Macky Sall's, Bate Felix, Edward McAllister, David Holmes, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Gabon, Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo

[1/5] A view of a ransacked supermarket Auchan, after Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraDAKAR, June 3 (Reuters) - Streets filled with rubble and ransacked shops greeted residents of some Dakar neighbourhoods on Saturday - fallout from clashes between anti-government protesters and police that have gripped Senegal in recent days. Mobs smashed windows and looted at least two gas station shops overnight in Dakar's Ouakam and Ngor districts, while an Auchan supermarket in densely populated Grand Yoff was torched and ransacked. The unrest is the latest in a string of protests in Senegal, long considered one of West Africa's most stable democracies. The opposition is also concerned that President Macky Sall will try to bypass the two-term limit and run again in February elections.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Khadija, Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Edward McAllister, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prentice, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Dakar's, Ouakam, West

[1/5] People put out burning barricades that were set on fire by supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 1, 2023. Nine people were killed in clashes between riot police and Sonko supporters on Thursday after he was sentenced to two years for corrupting youth. The opposition says the verdict, which could prevent Sonko from running in elections next year, was politically motivated. Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar was the epicentre of Thursday's violence, with protesters setting buses alight and throwing rocks at riot police, who responded by firing tear gas. One student, Alioune Ndiaye, said he planned to travel hundreds of miles to his home in eastern Senegal to escape the violence.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Abdou Karim Fofana, Cheikh, Alioune Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Sall, Mouhamad Diouf, Diouf, Adji Sarr, Cheikh Hann, Bate Felix, Cooper Inveen, Sofia Christensen, Anait, Edward McAllister, Angus MacSwan, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Army, Security, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Senegalese, West, Ouakam

DAKAR, June 1 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed in Senegal on Thursday in clashes between riot police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko after a court sentenced him to two years in jail, casting serious doubt on his chances of running for president next year. The justice ministry said the opposition leader could now be taken to prison at any time. Police remained stationed around his home Dakar as unrest flared in the capital and elsewhere after the verdict. But Sall's second term has been particularly turbulent for a country usually viewed as one of West Africa's strongest democracies. Separately, Sonko is appealing against a six-month suspended prison sentence for libel - an offence he also denies.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Bamba Ciss, Sonko's, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, Abdou Karim Fofana, Ndiack Fall, Macky Sall, Sall, Ngouda Dione, Bate Felix, Diadie Ba, Edward McAllister, Sofia Christensen, Alessandra Prentice, Matthew Lewis, Andrew Heavens, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Police, REUTERS, University, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Dakar, Dakar Senegal, West, Lincoln

Sonko, 48, was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021, when she was 20, and making death threats against her. "With this sentence Sonko cannot be a candidate," said one of his lawyers, Bamba Cisse. University law professor Ndiack Fall said Sonko could demand a retrial if he turns himself in to authorities. But Sall's second term has been particularly turbulent for a country usually viewed as one of West Africa's strongest democracies. Separately, Sonko is appealing against a six-month suspended prison sentence for libel.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Bamba Cisse, Ndiack Fall, Sonko's, Sonko, Macky Sall, Sall, Ngouda Dione, Bate Felix, Sofia Christensen, Estelle Shirbon, Christina Fincher, Matthew Lewis Organizations: University, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, Dakar, West, Dakar Senegal, Senegal

They are among 90,000 people who have escaped to Chad since fighting broke out in Sudan in mid-April - a major extra burden on one of the world's poorest countries. Even before this emergency, Chad was hosting 600,000 refugees from its war-torn neighbours and grappling with a fourth consecutive year of acute food shortages. Overall, around 2.3 million people are in urgent need of food aid, the World Food Programme warned earlier in May. Squeezed into the open-air compound, the women cook together over small braziers in the sand as children play around them. Hamit said she tried to help "even the refugees who have set up shelters nearby .... they come to us for water".

☆ Bat lands worldwide are besieged, seeding risk of a new pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

This collision – bats and humans competing for resources on territory long the domain of the bats – could trigger the next pandemic. As people destroy bat habitats worldwide, they are unwittingly helping bat-borne viruses mutate, multiply, and infect other species, including homo sapiens. For millennia, bat viruses lurked across the forests of West Africa and in other undisturbed parts of the world but posed little threat to humanity. They’re potent proliferators: Some roost tightly together and in close quarters with other bat species. Each of the bat viruses analyzed by Reuters has epidemic potential, according to the World Health Organization.

☆ Desperate Sudanese flee to Chad as fighting deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Sudanese women, who fled the violence in their country and who were waiting desperately for food distribution, dodge the soldiers attempting to hold them back as they tried to grab bags of provision when they saw that supplies brought by a Turkish...moreSudanese women, who fled the violence in their country and who were waiting desperately for food distribution, dodge the soldiers attempting to hold them back as they tried to grab bags of provision when they saw that supplies brought by a Turkish aid group (IHH) were running out, near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad, May 7. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraClose

Now, according to an internal U.N. estimate obtained by Reuters, 5 million additional people in Sudan will require emergency assistance, half of them children. Even before the latest crisis, U.N. humanitarian appeals for Africa faced a $17-billion funding gap this year, risking leaving millions without lifesaving assistance. Last year, it spent a third of its overseas aid budget housing refugees inside the UK, a British aid watchdog said in March. Sudan was hosting over 1 million refugees, mainly from South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Syria, before the outbreak of fighting last month. Aid workers have been killed, food aid looted, and WFP says it's running out of stocks.

☆ Factbox: How big is the aid crisis caused by the Sudan fighting?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SUDAN* More than 330,000 people have been displaced in Sudan since April 15, according to the International Organization for Migration. An internal U.N. estimate obtained by Reuters shows this figure is expected to increase by 5 million, including 2.5 million children. * A $1.75 billion U.N. aid programme for Sudan in 2023 is 15% funded. SOUTH SUDAN* Some 240,000 people are expected to flee from Sudan to South Sudan, UNHCR says. * The country's $1.7 billion U.N. aid programme for the year is 26% funded.

☆ Sudan faces displacement crisis as truce talks yield no progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Sudanese refugees, who fled the violence in their country, wait to receive food supplies from a Turkish aid group (IHH) near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad May 7, 2023. The violence has accelerated a wave of people fleeing their homes, with the number of people internally displaced inside Sudan more than doubling in a week to more than 700,000 the U.N.'s migration agency said. Meanwhile there has been no outward sign of progress in the talks that have taken place in Saudi Arabia since Saturday despite their limited goal of a ceasefire to allow humanitarian access. "We believe the peaceful solution is the ideal route to handle this crisis," he said, but gave no indication he was ready to make concessions. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's office said he had spoken with Burhan on Tuesday and said Ankara was willing to host further talks on a more comprehensive settlement.

☆ Fighting in Khartoum as mediators seek end to Sudan conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Zohra BensemraKHARTOUM, May 7 (Reuters) - Fighting could be heard in south Khartoum on Sunday as envoys from Sudan's warring parties were in Saudi Arabia for talks that international mediators hope will bring an end to a three-week old conflict. While mediators are seeking a path to peace, both sides have made it clear they would only discuss a humanitarian truce, not negotiate an end to the war. The conflict started on April 15 following the collapse of an internationally backed plan for a transition to democracy. Prior to the fighting, Hemedti had been taking steps like moving closer to a civilian coalition that indicated he had political plans. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan was travelling to Saudi Arabia at the weekend for talks with Saudi leaders.

☆ Holding Bakhmut is a 'military necessity' - Ukrainian general
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Zohra BensemraKYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Monday his troops were continuing to repel heavy Russian attacks on the eastern city of Bakhmut and that defending it was a "military necessity". "The most intense phase of the battle for Bakhmut continues. The enemy suffers significant losses in human resources, weapons and military equipment but continues to conduct offensive actions," he said. Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhniy said on Saturday the situation was being "stabilised" around Bakhmut. Moscow sees capturing the city as vital to completing the capture of the Donbas industrial region in eastern Ukraine, one of its main war goals.

[1/7] Security forces clash with supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko ahead of their leader's court appearance for a libel case against him in Dakar, Senegal March 16, 2023. Thursday's clashes began when supporters of presidential hopeful Ousmane Sonko were blocked from accompanying his motorcade to a courthouse where he faces trial for libel. Protests have taken place for three days ahead of Sonko's court appearance. Sonko supporters accuse Sall of seeking to eliminate him from the competition with a guilty verdict. The libel case was brought by Senegal's tourism minister who said Sonko had accused him of embezzlement.

☆ Lahore is most polluted city, Chad worst among countries - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lahore's air quality worsened to 97.4 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic meter from 86.5 in 2021, making it the most polluted city globally. Hotan, the only Chinese city in the top 20, followed Lahore with PM2.5 levels of 94.3, an improvement from 101.5 in 2021. While Chad had an average level of 89.7, Iraq, which had the second most polluted air for a country, averaged 80.1. Bangladesh's air quality improved from 2021, when it was tagged as the country with the worst air. The index was prepared using data from more than 30,000 air quality monitors in more than 7,300 locations in 131 countries, territories and regions.

Life has become solitary confinement.” Some women went into hiding, fearing retribution after the Taliban seized power. When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women were among the most profoundly affected. A Wrenching Change Afifa, 47, wishes more Afghan men would fight for women’s rights KABUL, Afghanistan — Walk around the capital, Kabul, and it often feels as if women have been airbrushed out of the city. When the Taliban seized power, girls’ schools remained open in a kind of limbo — neither officially sanctioned nor forbidden — for months. Zubaida, 20, teaches high school girls in secret “Regimes come and go all the time in Afghanistan.

☆ Life's no longer rosy at Senegal's Pink Lake after floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Ngouda Dione | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] A general view of the submerged tourism businesses at the Pink Lake (Lac Rose), officially known as Lake Retba, after extreme floods washed away salt mounts and contaminated the lake and turned its famous waters from pink to green, in Niaga, near Dakar, Senegal, January 17, 2023. REUTERS/ Zohra BensemraNIAGA, Senegal, Jan 24 (Reuters) - On the shore of Senegal's Pink Lake, salt farmer Pape Sira Ba has raked in what he fears may be his last harvest. Nearby, the new wide channel spewed brownish-green water into the lake whose shore was dotted with dead fish. The flooding destroyed 7,000 tonnes of salt worth around 420 million CFA francs ($696,000), according to the Lake Retba salt extractors association. "The over-salinisation of the water also allowed visitors to float on top of the lake like in the Dead Sea.

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