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☆ Darfur: UN receives reports "of at least 13 mass graves" in Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The United Nations’ human rights body (UNJHRO) has received reports of at least 13 mass graves” in the Sudanese city of El Geneina, a special envoy to the war-torn country told the UN Security Council Wednesday. The mass graves are believed to contain civilians from the ethnic Masalit tribe who were killed in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias, according to Sudan Volker Perthes. The Masalit tribe and other non-Arab communities in Sudan are often targeted by Arab militias, with support from the RSF, according to Human Rights Watch. At least 87 people, mostly ethnic Masalit, were discovered in a mass grave in El-Geneina’s Al-Madaress and Al-Jamarek districts in July. Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on RSF’s deputy leader Abdelrahim Dagalo for human rights violations after a series of CNN investigations exposed the group’s brutal war strategies.

Persons: Sudan Volker Perthes, Perthes, Geneina’s, Abdelrahim Dagalo Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Rapid Support Forces, Representative, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Human Rights, UN Human Rights, International Organization for Migration Locations: Sudanese, El, Sudan, El Geneina, Darfur, United States, country’s, Khartoum, Omdurman

☆ 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

☆ Sudan's western cities under fire as war spreads
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CAIRO, June 14 (Reuters) - Fighting rocked several vulnerable cities in western Sudan on Wednesday in an expansion of the country's almost two-month-old war as the number of people who have fled their homes rose above two million. The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has caused a humanitarian crisis in Khartoum, as well as major cities in the Kordofan and Darfur regions. In a statement, the RSF called the fighting in El Geneina a tribal conflict, blaming the country's former regime for fanning the flames. The city of El Fashir, capital of North Darfur, has been quieter but has seen a wave of displacement from RSF-controlled Kutum. Meanwhile in El Obeid, a hub between Khartoum and Darfur in North Kordofan, residents said the army had begun launching air and artillery strikes against RSF positions.

Persons: Khamis Abbakar, General Antonio Guterres, Volker Perthes, Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Salah Alamin, Abdelaziz al, Nafisa Eltahir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Adam Makary, Maggie Michael, William Maclean Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, UN, U.S . State Department, REUTERS, Darfur Bar Association, Sudanese Doctors Union, Thomson Locations: CAIRO, Sudan, Khartoum, Kordofan, Darfur, El, West Darfur, El Geneina, United States, Saudi Arabia, Khartoum North, DARFUR, Nyala, South Darfur, Zalingei, Central Darfur, El Fashir, North Darfur, El Obeid, North Kordofan, Kadugli, South Kordofan, Omdurman, Port Sudan, Mecca, Cairo, Dubai

☆ Saudi Arabia and US announce a 24-hour ceasefire in Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Celine Alkhaldi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —Saudi Arabia and the United States announced a 24-hour ceasefire starting Saturday between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday. The ceasefire is effective starting 6:00AM Khartoum time [12:00a ET Friday], the statement said. The two warring factions agreed to allow for the movement of humanitarian aid all throughout Sudan, the statement said. “Saudi Arabia and the US join the Sudanese people in their frustration over the non-commitment of the previous truces,” the statement said. Sudan’s foreign ministry did not clarify in the statement the reason behind the declaration.

Persons: Volker Perthes, ”, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, Perthes, ” Perthes, Omar al, Bashir, Weeks, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, United States, Sudanese Armed Forces, Rapid Support Forces, Saudi Foreign Ministry, United Nations, UN, Reuters, UN Security Council, UN Security, Support Forces Locations: Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Khartoum, Sudan, Republic of Sudan, Perthes

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. Locked in a battle for Khartoum, Sudan's capital on the Nile, the parties have fought on despite a series of ceasefires secured by mediators including the United States, the latest of which expires at midnight (2200 GMT). The Sudanese army said on Sunday it had destroyed RSF convoys moving towards Khartoum from the west. The RSF said the army had used artillery and warplanes to attack its positions in a number of areas in Khartoum province. A U.S.-government organised convoy arrived at the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Saturday, evacuating U.S. citizens, local staff and others.

He said no timeline had been set for talks. The prospects of negotiations between the leaders of the two sides have so far seemed bleak. "They both think they will win, but they are both sort of more open to negotiations, the word 'negotiations' or 'talks' was not there in their discourse in the first week or so," he said. While the sides had made statements that the other side had to "surrender or die," Perthes said, they were also saying, "ok we accept ... some form of talks". Jeddah had been offered as a venue for "military-technical" talks while Juba had been offered as part of a regional proposal by East African states for political talks.

Hemedti and Burhan have both excluded the idea of negotiating with each other in public comments since the fighting began. An aide to Hemedti did not respond to questions from Reuters about whether he was ready to negotiate or hold peace talks. "What are they going to talk about that wasn't on the table before the conflict started?" said the diplomat, adding that neither side could win a decisive military victory or control of all Sudan's territory. The RSF, which has bases across Sudan, has meanwhile depicted the army as "extremists", an apparent reference to the influence Hemedti says Islamists wield in the military.

☆ International bodies push Sudan's two warring military factions to extend a fragile cease-fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Smoke is seen rise from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan. Governments and international bodies are pushing Sudan's two warring military factions to extend a fragile cease-fire due to end Thursday night, with remaining civilians and foreign nationals being urged to flee. Despite this, many foreign nationals are still in Sudan, while civilians are struggling to access food, water and fuel. David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said a "rapid surge of humanitarian aid" would be needed to help the 47 million Sudanese remaining in the country. "The parties to the conflict must bring an end to this conflict immediately before the situation further escalates."

☆ Sudan's Bashir moved to military hospital before fighting, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, April 26 (Reuters) - Sudan's toppled leader Omar al-Bashir was moved from Kober prison to a military hospital in the Sudanese capital before heavy fighting broke out there on April 15, two sources at the hospital said. Both Bashir and Haroun are wanted by the International Criminal Court over alleged atrocities in Darfur. Fighting flared anew in Sudan late on Tuesday despite a ceasefire declaration by the warring factions as more people fled Khartoum in the chaos. But he said that neither party showed readiness to "seriously negotiate, suggesting that both think that securing a military victory over the other is possible." Several more flights were expected later on Wednesday to evacuate the remaining Turkish citizens who had crossed over to Ethiopia from Sudan.

☆ Sudan fighting resurges as UN envoy says ceasefire partly holding
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Tuesday after negotiations mediated by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. U.N. special envoy on Sudan Volker Perthes told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that the ceasefire "seems to be holding in some parts so far." The fighting has paralysed hospitals and other essential services, and left many people stranded in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) said shortages of food, water, medicines and fuel were becoming "extremely acute", prices were surging and it had cut back operations for safety reasons. Since the fighting erupted, tens of thousands have left for neighbouring Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

☆ Japan prepares to evacuate citizens from Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 19 (Reuters) - Japan's defense ministry has begun preparations to evacuate its citizens from Sudan amid deadly fighting, a top government spokesperson said on Wednesday. Japan's foreign minister asked the defense minister to use the Self-Defense Forces' plane for the evacuation, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. "The government will continue to do its utmost to ensure the safety of Japanese residents in Japan, including the safety and evacuation of Japanese nationals, in close cooperation with the G7 and other major countries," Matsuno said. About 60 Japanese nationals were in Sudan as of Wednesday, Matsuno told reporters, adding the government was able to contact all of them and none of them were injured. Heavy gunfire shattered a 24-hour truce in Sudan on Tuesday.

Many other hospitals were also reported to have come under attack on Monday, the third day of fighting in Sudan. Russia has also been trying to make inroads in Sudan, and members of the Kremlin-affiliated Wagner private military company are posted there. Leaders from around the world called for a cease-fire, but it was not clear who, if anyone, was in control of Sudan, Africa’s third-largest country, by area. “Everyone is afraid,” said Ahmed Abuhurira, a 28-year-old mechanical engineer who went out to try to charge his cellphone. “The humanitarian situation in Sudan was already precarious and is now catastrophic,” he said.

Stringer/ReutersThe RSF denied those reports, telling CNN in a statement that it “will never assault any UN staff or employees. Meanwhile, tense efforts to establish a ceasefire have ramped up, with the UN calling for rival factions to end their hostilities. Satellite imagery of the smoke plume at Khartoum International Airport on Sunday. The Sudanese Armed Forces later issued conflicting statements on a proposed 24-hour ceasefire, intended to go into effect later on Tuesday. Both sides had previously agreed to a three-hour ceasefire on Sunday, and again on Monday, with fighting resuming afterward, Perthes said.

☆ World Food Programme halts Sudan operations, 3 workers killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO,April 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said on Sunday it had temporarily halted all operations in Sudan after three of its employees were killed in clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a day earlier. "While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan," WFP executive director Cindy McCain said in a statement. The incident has seriously impacted the organisation's ability to move humanitarian workers and aid in Sudan, he said. Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations condemned the killing of the WFP employees, saying they died while carrying out their duties. The fighting broke out on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

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