https://www.middleeastmonitor.com Latest news from the Middle East and North Africa Tue, 08 Aug 2023 13:13:14 +0000 en-GB Middle East Monitor 30 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com 32 32 116394717 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230808-sudan-dozens-forced-to-flee-homes-in-omdurman-amid-violent-clashes/ Tue, 08 Aug 2023 10:16:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658675 Dozens of Sudanese people fled their homes yesterday in the Abu Rouf residential area of Omdurman, a suburb west of Greater Khartoum, to escape the fighting between the Sudanese army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia group. A resident of Abu Rouf told AFP that the area witnessed the "most violent" clashes "to date". "The army's artillery and warplanes are bombing the Shambat Bridge [which connects Omdurman and Bahri, north of Khartoum] to stop the RSF supply roads," he said. As a result, the Armed Forces ordered all homes be evacuated and an "operations area" was declared. The Resistance Committees called on "all residents of the nearby neighbourhoods to support the people of Abu Rouf" who had been forced out […]]]> 658675 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230806-turkish-coast-guard-saves-130-migrants-pushed-back-by-greece/ Sun, 06 Aug 2023 10:47:43 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=658160 A total of 130 irregular migrants pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek forces were rescued on Saturday by the Turkish Coast Guard off the coasts of western Izmir province's Menderes, Karaburun, Foca and Cesme districts, Anadolu reports. Meanwhile, 265 irregular migrants and a migrant smuggler were caught off the coasts of Karaburun and Dikili. Irregular migrants were handed to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after procedures. READ: Tunisia rescues 15,000 migrants in first half of 2023 And 170 irregular migrants in rubber boats were caught by the Coast Guard off the coast of western Canakkale province's Ayvacik district. Coast Guard Northern Aegean Group Command teams detected four rubber boats with irregular migrants off the coast of Ayvacik. During […]]]> 658160 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-number-of-hungry-in-sudan-rises-above-20m/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:20:26 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657891 The estimated number of people facing acute food insecurity in Sudan has risen faster than expected to 20.3 million, or 42 per cent of the population, as a conflict between rival military factions deepens a humanitarian crisis, a food security body said, Reuters reports. The worst hit areas include the capital, Khartoum, the western region of Darfur, and parts of Kordofan, all of which have seen fighting, attacks and looting since the war broke out in mid-April, according to the Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC), a partnership of UN agencies, NGOs and other groups. The conflict between Sudan's Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted amid disputes over an internationally backed plan for a transition to civilian rule, […]]]> 657891 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230803-sudan-civilians-living-in-unimaginable-horror/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:51:03 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657849 Civilians are living in "unimaginable horror" in Sudan, where the army and the Rapid Support Forces have been fighting since 15 April, Amnesty International has said in its latest report, "Death Came to our Door". The human rights group points out that there have been "mass civilian casualties in both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks by the warring parties." The report focuses on Khartoum and the Darfur region in the west of the country, and is based on telephone interviews with 181 people in eastern Chad. "Civilians throughout Sudan are suffering unimaginable horror every single day as the Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese Armed Forces vie recklessly for control of territory," said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General. READ: Sudan: meeting in […]]]> 657849 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-un-hunger-displacement-spiralling-out-of-control-in-sudan-amid-ongoing-violence/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:42:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657543 The UN warned that hunger and displacement in Sudan are "spiralling out of control" amid ongoing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Anadolu Agency reports. More than 6 million people in Sudan, about 13 per cent of the population, are now one step from famine, according to the UN aid agency, OCHA. Over 20 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity due to the conflict, economic decline and mass displacement, OCHA said in a statement. The war-torn nation has been ravaged again by fighting two decades after a conflict broke out. The recent fighting since April has killed 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics. Several cease-fire agreements brokered […]]]> 657543 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230802-sudan-meeting-in-cairo-to-discuss-end-to-fighting/ Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:37:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657166 Sudanese political forces met in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the formation of a "civilian front" to stop the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. Representatives of the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, which is the former ruling coalition, met the Arab League's Assistant Secretary, Hossam Zaki, at the League's headquarters in Cairo. They also held a separate meeting in Cairo with the US ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey. The Sudanese group said afterwards that its delegation met Zaki in the context of mobilising and coordinating international and regional efforts to end the war in Sudan. The group added that the meeting covered developments in Sudan and the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. The meeting […]]]> 657166 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-russia-says-it-has-evacuated-embassy-personnel-from-sudan/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:05:28 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=657153 Russia, on Tuesday, said it has evacuated personnel of its embassy in Sudan, as clashes between army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group continue, Anadolu Agency reports. "Due to high security risks in the context of ongoing clashes in Sudan, some employees of the Russian Embassy transferred from Khartoum, as well as Russian citizens and family members who applied for assistance in returning to their homeland, were evacuated from Port Sudan," said a Foreign Ministry statement. It added that the evacuated personnel arrived at the Chkalovsky Air Base near the capital, Moscow, on a special flight on Tuesday. "The work of the Russian Consulate in Port Sudan continues as usual," the press release said. Sudan's army and RSF […]]]> 657153 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230801-23-sudanese-defect-from-rsf-to-join-the-army/ Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:14:48 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656905 The Sudanese Army said in a statement yesterday that the head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, issued a decree admitting 23 officers that have defected from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the Sudanese Armed Forces, Anadolu Agency reported. The 23 officers' military ranks range from the rank of colonel to the rank of lieutenant. Since mid-April, the army and the Rapid Support Forces have engaged in military clashes that a series of truces failed to stop, leaving more than 3,000 dead and about three million displaced persons and refugees inside and outside the country, according to the United Nations. Most of the victims of the conflict are Sudanese civilians. READ: Sudan extends airspace closure until 15 August […]]]> 656905 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230731-sudan-extends-airspace-closure-until-15-august/ Mon, 31 Jul 2023 13:54:39 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656718 Sudan, on Monday, extended the closure of the country's airspace until 15 August, amid ongoing clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Anadolu Agency reports. The Civil Aviation Authority said Sudan's airspace will remain closed to all flights until 15 August, the official Sudan News Agency said. Only humanitarian aid and permitted evacuation flights will be exempted from the closure, it added. Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed more than 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that nearly three million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan. READ: Paramilitary […]]]> 656718 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230730-paramilitary-group-in-sudan-ready-to-negotiate-with-army-under-certain-conditions/ Sun, 30 Jul 2023 09:25:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656453 Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who has been fighting the army since April, said Sunday that the group is ready to reach a deal within 72 hours if there is a change in the army's leadership, reports Anadolu Agency. Daglo announced in a video recording on the RSF's social media account that it is ready to reach an agreement if the army's chief commander surrenders. He said the RSF confronts not only the army but unlawful groups. Daglo said the RSF does not kill civilians or engage in looting. The RSF's leader's absence since April had been interpreted as him being either injured or killed. The message comes after more than three months of fighting between the […]]]> 656453 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230728-rsf-leader-hemedti-calls-for-replacement-of-sudan-army-leadership/ Fri, 28 Jul 2023 19:34:23 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=656139 Sudanese paramilitary leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, called for the replacement of Army leadership on Friday in his first on-camera appearance since fighting broke out, Reuters reports. The fighting broke out in April as the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) vied for power, amid a planned transition towards civilian rule, has led to the displacement of more than 3 million people and thrown the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. At least 580 civilians have been killed just in Khartoum, the capital, according to local volunteers, a Reuters tally found. The video of Hemedti was posted to the paramilitary group's Facebook page, showing him surrounded by cheering members of the RSF, […]]]> 656139 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-sudan-100-days-of-conflict/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 15:46:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654870 The conflict in Sudan, caused by power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), marked its 100th day on Tuesday, inflicting severe damage to infrastructure, healthcare, education, economy and society, Anadolu Agency reports. The conflict erupted on 15 April in the capital, Khartoum, and swiftly spread to southern and western cities. The situation evolved in the vacuum created following the ousting of former President Omar Al-Bashir after 30 years of rule in April 2019. According to the Sudanese Health Ministry, over 3,000 people have been killed in the clashes, and the number of casualties on both sides is estimated to be in the thousands, although no official statistics are available. UNICEF reported that at […]]]> 654870 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230724-sudan-70-of-hospitals-not-working-say-doctors/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:29:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654790 The Sudan Doctors' Union said yesterday that 70 per cent of hospitals are not operational in the areas where fighting is taking place between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. The union pointed out that there are "62 hospitals suspended from service, and 27 hospitals fully or partially working" in the capital Khartoum and other cities. Those which are operational, said the union, are threatened with closure as a result of the lack of medical personnel, medical supplies, water and electricity. "A number of attacks have taken place on hospitals and medical staff recently, including the attack on Friday on the staff from the Doctors Without Borders NGO," said the union. "They were beaten while they were delivering medical […]]]> 654790 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-many-may-die-warns-un-after-end-of-black-sea-grain-deal/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 19:44:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654438 A spike in grain prices since Russia quit a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain "potentially threatens hunger and worse for millions of people," the United Nations' Aid chief told the Security Council on Friday, Reuters reports. "Some will go hungry, some will starve, many may die as a result of these decisions," Martin Griffiths told the 15-member Council, adding that some 362 million people in 69 countries were in need of humanitarian aid. Russia quit the Black Sea grain deal on Monday, saying that demands to improve its own food and fertiliser exports had not been met, and that not enough Ukrainian grain had reached the poorest countries. US wheat futures in Chicago rose over 6 per cent […]]]> 654438 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230721-arab-league-send-37-tonnes-of-medical-aid-to-sudan/ Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:30:09 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=654358 Sudan yesterday received 37 tonnes of medical aid donated by the Arab League, Anadolu news agency reported. The Sudanese official news agency, SUNA, reported that the medical aid, including medical supplies and life-saving medicines, arrived at Port Sudan International Airport onboard three Egyptian cargo planes. The agency added that the donations come within the framework of a "joint Arab effort through the League of Arab States to support Sudan in its current circumstances." The relief planes were received by Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq and Egyptian Ambassador to Khartoum Hani Salah, according to the same source. READ: Will civil society be able to stop the war in Sudan? Al-Sadiq praised the Arab League's efforts and positions in support of Sudan, and its directives to […]]]> 654358 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230719-will-civil-society-be-able-to-stop-the-war-in-sudan/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 08:13:33 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653395 It is very difficult for most people, no matter where they are from, to imagine that anyone would call for war to continue in a country already exhausted by decades of conflict and crises. Such a call is not natural. However, this is a war through which one group is trying to abort the December 2018 revolution in Sudan and return themselves to power, even if the cost is enormous in terms of innocent blood being spilt and the ruination of the country. They are blinded by the desire to take revenge on the people who overthrew their discredited regime by a relatively peaceful revolution. Their obsession is such that the describe those who reject the war as "unpatriotic traitors", […]]]> 653395 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230717-attacks-and-displacement-spread-in-sudan-darfur/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 17:51:31 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=653199 The paramilitary force battling the Army in Sudan has taken control of a town in South Darfur, triggering clashes, looting and a new wave of displacement, conflict monitors and a witness said on Monday, Reuters reports. Clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Army around the town of Kas had caused up to 5,000 households to flee, some of them from camps for displaced people, according to a tracking system run by the International Organisation for Migration. The war that erupted between the Army and the RSF in the capital, Khartoum, has led to a surge of ethnically-charged violence and displacement in Darfur, the RSF's powerbase and a region already suffering from long-running conflict. The RSF said on […]]]> 653199 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230717-sudan-refugees-in-cairo-struggle-to-pay-rent-after-landlords-raise-price/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 11:21:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652874 Sudanese refugees in Cairo are struggling to pay their rent as landlords are taking advantage of the number of people who need accommodation. One told AFP that his landlady asked him for triple the rent if he wanted to stay in the apartment and cut off the electricity and water. Another said that within a week, rent for apartments like his had been raised by 3,500 to 5,000 Egyptian pounds, roughly $113 to $162. After rival factions began fighting across Sudan in mid-April, thousands of people crossed the border and into Egypt to escape the gun fire, sexual violence and bombing. In the first few weeks of the conflict Egypt allowed everyone to enter but has since introduced tighter restrictions to try and stem […]]]> 652874 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230717-sudans-rsf-forms-liaison-committee-to-solve-crisis/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 09:08:47 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652601 The commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has formed a liaison committee with political groups and rebel movements to reach a "political solution" to the Sudanese crisis. In a statement issued on Saturday, Dagalo said the committee aims "to reach a comprehensive political solution" to the crisis in Sudan, adding that it will be headed by the RSF political adviser, Youssef Ezzat. He added that the move comes in "compliance with the principle of dialogue as a basic necessity to reach a comprehensive political solution, and in view of the developments witnessed by the country due to the war, whose end requires wide-ranging consultations in order to address the roots of the accumulated national […]]]> 652601 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230717-will-the-cairo-summit-resolve-the-sudan-crisis/ Mon, 17 Jul 2023 08:02:09 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652582 There is no doubt that the war in Sudan affects neighbouring countries and the rest of the region, perhaps by spreading even more chaos. As such, the summit of Sudan's neighbouring countries held in Cairo last week was important. It followed the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Two IGAD countries participated in the Cairo meeting, which is significant: Ethiopia and South Sudan. The summit in Cairo concluded with a structure for foreign ministers to seek a solution with an emphasis on the need to prevent Sudan from collapsing. Several important questions now arise: What are the mechanisms to ensure that Sudan is not divided again, and how can this group put pressure on […]]]> 652582 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230716-un-over-19000-sudanese-seeking-refuge-in-south-sudan-as-conflict-persists/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 14:40:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652565 Violent clashes which erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have forced over 19,000 refugees to relocate to neighboring South Sudan, the UN said in a report, says Anadolu Agency. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in South Sudan said over the weekend that the number of arrivals is projected to continue increasing as the conflict in Sudan persists. "Poor road and terrain conditions in the rainy season and unpredictable security situation together with shortage of funding to sustain operations remain key challenges," the UN said. Children are more vulnerable than ever, with many out of school, it further said. The report said that the partners of the Emergency Response Plan […]]]> 652565 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230716-sudan-government-representatives-arrive-in-jeddah-to-resume-talks-with-rsf/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 13:04:49 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652534 Sudanese representatives have arrived in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to resume talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudanese government sources told Reuters on Saturday, after three months of fighting between the army and RSF. Previous talks in Jeddah facilitated by Saudi Arabia and the United States were suspended by both countries in early June after numerous ceasefire violations. Saudi Arabia and the US have yet to confirm the resumption of talks between Sudan's warring factions. Separately, a mediation attempt launched by Egypt began on Thursday, an effort welcomed both by the Sudanese army, which has close ties to Egypt, and the RSF. A series of ceasefires have failed to halt the fighting which broke out on April 15 as the army […]]]> 652534 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230716-sudanese-army-accuses-rapid-support-forces-of-targeting-hospital-killing-5/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 09:55:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652515 The Sudanese Army on Saturday accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of targeting a hospital and killing five people, reports Anadolu Agency. "Continuing their violation of international humanitarian law and all norms of war, rebel militias targeted the emergency room of the military hospital in Omdurman with a drone today, killing five patients and injuring 22, mostly civilians," said the military in a statement. The statement said that the hospital, in Sudan's most populous city, near the capital Khartoum, serves both civilians and the military and had been targeted by the RSF many times before. Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that has killed some 3,000 civilians and injured […]]]> 652515 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230714-icc-opens-new-probe-into-sudan/ Fri, 14 Jul 2023 12:30:30 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652333 The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation into alleged war crimes in Sudan, its Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, said yesterday in his briefing to the UN Security Council. "The office can confirm that it has commenced investigations in relation to incidents occurring in the context of the present hostilities," Khan said. ICC prosecutors are "closely tracking reports of extrajudicial killings, burning of homes and markets and looting, in Al Geneina, West Darfur, as well as the killing and displacement of civilians in North Darfur and other locations across Darfur." Khan told the UN that his office is also examining "allegations of sexual and gender-based crimes, including mass rapes and alleged reports of violence against and affecting children." The […]]]> 652333 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230714-sudan-welcomes-outcomes-of-egypt-summit/ Fri, 14 Jul 2023 12:23:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652329 The governing Transitional Sovereign Council (TSC) in Sudan yesterday welcomed the outcomes of the summit held by its neighbours in Egypt, Anadolu news agency reported. The TSC stressed in a statement that "the government of Sudan is keen to work with all parties seeking to stop the war and restore security and tranquillity." It also confirmed that the Sudanese Armed Forces are ready to immediately stop military operations, if the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias commit to stop attacking homes, neighbourhoods, civilian objects, government facilities, blocking roads and looting. This commitment includes initiating a political dialogue as soon as the hostilities cease, leading to the establishment of a civilian-led government to guide the nation through a transitional period, culminating in elections […]]]> 652329 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230713-in-world-of-competing-conflicts-sudan-struggles-for-attention/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:00:54 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652139 In a world of competing conflicts, Sudan ranks low when it comes to getting the outside help its population so badly needs. Three months into factional fighting that has upended life – shutting hospitals and schools, emptying shelves and banks – foreign donors have coughed up only half the funds Khartoum called for to weather the crisis. Aid workers say daily life is getting worse – and deteriorating fast – as international attention wanes now that its embassies have emptied. Left behind, they say, is a nation in tatters: One in two Sudanese now depends on some form of aid. Three million of its people are on the march. Thousands are dead; the living are traumatised – with the weakest […]]]> 652139 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230713-factbox-sudan-rsf-from-arab-militia-to-force-battling-the-army-for-power/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:09:29 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652155 The UN Human Rights office said, on Thursday, at least 87 people, including women and children, had been buried in a mass grave in Sudan's West Darfur, saying it had credible information they were killed by the country's Rapid Support Forces (RSF). RSF officials denied any involvement, saying the paramilitary group was not a party to the conflict in West Darfur. Here are some facts about the RSF. The RSF is commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who, before war broke out between the RSF and the Army, was deputy head of Sudan's ruling Sovereign Council. He is commonly known as Hemedti. Analysts estimate the RSF numbers about 100,000, with bases and deployments across the country. It has been locked, since 15 […]]]> 652155 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230713-87-civilians-killed-buried-in-mass-grave-in-sudan-darfur-un/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:33:33 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652114 At least 87 Sudanese civilians were buried in a mass grave in Sudan's West Darfur state, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports. "The bodies of at least 87 ethnic Masalit and others, allegedly killed last month by Rapid Support Forces and their allied militia in West Darfur, have been buried in a mass grave outside the region's capital, El-Geneina, on the orders of the Rapid Support Forces," OHCHR said in a statement. The UN rights office said, citing sources, that 37 bodies were buried on 20 June in a one-metre-deep mass grave in Al-Turab Al Ahmar area in western El-Geneina. "Another 50 bodies were buried at the same site on 21 June," the OHCHR […]]]> 652114 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230713-summit-of-neighbours-of-conflict-torn-sudan-kicks-off-in-cairo/ Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:33:37 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=652100 A summit of the neighbours of conflict-torn Sudan's began in Egypt's capital, Cairo, on Thursday to help settle the ongoing Sudanese crisis that erupted in mid-April, Anadolu Agency reports. At the opening session, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, said the summit is being held at a "historic moment", urging the halt of all military operations in Sudan, according to Egyptian daily, Youm7. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said "top officials" are taking part in the summit, but did not specify their names or the number of countries attending. Sudanese diplomatic sources, however, told Anadolu that the summit is being attended by Al-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, and Salva Kiir, the President of South Sudan. READ: UK sanctions businesses funding war in […]]]> 652100 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-us-diplomat-ethiopia-foreign-minister-discuss-sudan-peace-process/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 14:07:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651962 Ethiopia's Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, met with US diplomat, Molly Phee, on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including the ongoing conflict in Sudan, Anadolu Agency reports. "The peace process in Sudan must be led and owned by the Sudanese and should be conducted under the auspices of the AU through the IGAD platform," said a statement from Mekonnen, after the meeting held in the capital, Addis Ababa. He was referring to the regional blocs African Union and Inter-governmental Authority on Development. Phee, the assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs of the US, lauded the Ethiopian government for hosting the IGAD Quartet meeting on the situation in Sudan on Monday. She stressed "parties to conflict should commit to […]]]> 651962 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-uk-sanctions-businesses-funding-war-in-sudan/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 13:15:48 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651844 The UK government announced, on Tuesday, that it has imposed new sanctions on businesses that are fuelling the "devastating conflict in Sudan" by providing funding and arms to the warring militias, Anadolu Agency reports. "These sanctions will ensure that any assets held in the UK by these conglomerates and companies will be frozen," the Foreign Office said. These strict measures on companies controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are sought to limit financial freedom by preventing UK citizens, companies and banks from dealing with them and "put pressure on the parties" to engage in the peace process. Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, said: "These sanctions are directly targeting those whose actions have destroyed the […]]]> 651844 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-khartoum-says-positively-views-egypt-initiative-to-resolve-sudan-conflict/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:53:22 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651830 Sudan said, Wednesday, it views "positively" an Egyptian initiative to host a summit of neighbouring countries to look into ways of resolving the Sudanese conflict, Anadolu Agency reports. Egypt is set to host a summit of Sudan's neighbours on Thursday to discuss means of ending the conflict there. "We look positively at the Egyptian initiative to discuss ways to end the conflict in Sudan, and we hope that this summit will achieve its goals in solving Sudan's problems," Foreign Minister, Ali Al-Sadiq, said in a statement. Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the Army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed nearly 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics. Several cease-fire agreements brokered by […]]]> 651830 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-sudan-passes-3m-people-displaced/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:09:12 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651737 The number of people displaced by the conflict between military factions in Sudan that erupted nearly three months ago has surpassed three million, according to the International Organisation for Migration. More than 2.4m people have been displaced internally and more than 730,000 have crossed into neighbouring countries, data published late on Tuesday pointed out. Reuters has reported that most have fled either from the capital Khartoum, the focus of the power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that broke out on 15 April, or from Darfur, where ethnically-targeted violence has surged. On Wednesday, residents reported the sound of fighter jets and artillery shelling in Omdurman and Bahri, parts of the wider capital. Fighting has also […]]]> 651737 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230712-sudan-foreign-forces-deployed-in-the-country-will-be-seen-as-aggressors/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 08:59:50 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651611 The Sudanese government will not allow foreign forces to be deployed in the country, it said in a statement yesterday, adding that they would be seen as aggressors. This came following the meeting of the Quartet Committee regarding the Sudanese crisis, according to the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA). The statement said that the Sudanese delegation arrived in Addis Ababa before the start of the Quartet meeting and communicated with the organisers, noting that this confirms the existence of a sincere desire to reach a solution. The statement confirmed that what was stated in the Quartet's statement regarding the absence of the Sudanese delegation was inaccurate, noting that the failure to attend the meeting was due to Sudan's objection to William Ruto chairing the […]]]> 651611 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230711-ethnically-targeted-violence-worsens-in-sudans-darfur-rights-monitors/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 15:36:13 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651445 Gunmen killed at least 40 civilians in a single day in Sudan's Darfur region, as ethnically motivated bloodshed has escalated in step with war between rival military factions, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Tuesday, Reuters reports. In the West Darfur city of El Geneina, several prominent figures have been killed in recent days and volunteers are struggling to bury corpses littering the streets, the Darfur Bar Association, which monitors the conflict, said in a statement. Violence and displacement in Darfur has resurged sharply as the regular army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue to battle in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas of Sudan in a power struggle that exploded in mid-April. The conflict has uprooted over 2.9 […]]]> 651445 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230711-igad-seeks-summit-to-deploy-regional-force-in-sudan/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 11:15:21 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651352 An eastern African bloc yesterday called for a regional summit to consider deploying troops to Sudan to protect civilians, three months after violence erupted between the army and a paramilitary faction, Reuters reported. Fighting that erupted on 15 April in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, has spread to other parts of the country and driven more than 2.9 million people from their homes. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), made up of eight states in and around the Horn of Africa, met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to kick-start a peace process for the conflict in Sudan. But the initiative faced a setback as a delegation from Sudan's army failed to attend after rejecting Kenya's president as head of the committee facilitating the […]]]> 651352 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230711-sudan-witnessing-most-brutal-civil-war-un-emergency-relief-coordinator/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 07:28:20 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651296 Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, said yesterday that Sudan is witnessing a "civil war … of the most brutal kind," the Associated Press reported. Griffiths told AP that the world needs a forum so that talks could be conducted for reaching a ceasefire in Sudan. "We don't have a place, a forum, where the two parties are present … where we can broker the kind of basic agreements that we need to move supplies and people." The UN official's statements come after the region's leaders met in Ethiopia after the collapse of the talks hosted by Saudi Arabia in June. Egypt has said it will host the leaders of countries neighbouring Sudan on Thursday. The IGAD Quartet's peace talks, […]]]> 651296 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230710-regional-leaders-meet-in-ethiopia-to-discuss-sudan-peace-prospects/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:15:25 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651280 Leaders of the East African regional block, Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), met Monday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss the conflict in Sudan which has been going on since April this year, Anadolu Agency reports. Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, hosted the meeting presided by Kenyan President, William Ruto. Also in attendance were IGAD Executive Secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, Djibouti's Foreign Minister, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf and representatives from South Sudan. "The situation in Sudan is dire: millions of people have been displaced, while lives lost have hit more than 2,000," Ruto said in a statement after the meeting. He added that the intensity and scale of the humanitarian crisis is a harrowing tragedy […]]]> 651280 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230710-sudan-airspace-to-remain-closed-until-31-july/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 14:00:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651065 Sudan, on Monday, extended the closure of the country's airspace until 31 July amid ongoing clashes between the Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority said Sudan's airspace will remain closed to all flights until 31 July. Only humanitarian aid and evacuation flights will be exempted from the closure, it added. Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the Army and the RSF since April, in a conflict that killed nearly 3,000 civilians and injured thousands, according to local medics. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) estimates that nearly three million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan. Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi and […]]]> 651065 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230710-egypt-to-host-sudan-summit-to-discuss-ending-conflict/ Mon, 10 Jul 2023 13:37:14 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=651054 Egypt said on Sunday that it will host the Sudan Neighbouring Countries Summit on Thursday to seek ways to end the current conflict, the presidency in Cairo said on Facebook. According to the official statement, the summit will look at ways to end the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces in a peaceful manner, not least because of its negative repercussions on neighbouring countries. This will be done in coordination with other regional and international tracks. "This reflects President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's keenness to formulate a common vision for the countries neighbouring Sudan," said the Egyptian presidency, "and to take steps to resolve the crisis and stop the bloodshed of the Sudanese people, spare them the […]]]> 651054 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230709-un-guterres-condemns-air-strike-that-killed-at-least-22-people-in-sudan/ Sun, 09 Jul 2023 13:55:48 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650639 United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the air strike that reportedly killed at least 22 people in Sudan on Saturday, according to a statement released by a spokesperson early on Sunday, reports Reuters. At least 22 people were killed and scores injured in an air strike by Sudan's army on western Omdurman city, the Khartoum state health ministry said on Saturday, as the war between the country's military factions entered its 12th week. The secretary-general is also appalled by reports of large-scale violence and casualties across Sudan's Darfur region, according to the statement released by Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesperson. "He is also concerned about reports of renewed fighting in North Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile States. There is […]]]> 650639 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230709-ethiopia-delays-filling-of-flagship-dam-vows-to-heed-downstream-nations-concerns/ Sun, 09 Jul 2023 13:14:02 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650637 Ethiopia will delay the next round of filling a major new hydroelectric dam on the Nile River, the country's prime minister has declared, reports Anadolu Agency. The filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will be postponed until September, Abiy Ahmed said Friday during a session at the Ethiopian House of Representatives. Initially, the fourth filing of the dam had been scheduled for early August. Abiy emphasized Ethiopia's commitment to addressing the concerns of lower riparian nations, including South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt, on the dam's filling process. "This year's filling will be done differently from the previous three rounds by carrying out the filling in such a way as to alleviate the concerns of the neighboring people," he […]]]> 650637 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230707-rights-group-urges-tunisia-to-halt-collective-expulsion-of-african-migrants/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:50:10 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650416 Tunisia should halt collective expulsions of sub-Saharan African migrants and urgently enable access to humanitarian services for those the government sent to a dangerous area of the Tunisia-Libya border, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday, Reuters reports. Tunisia has removed hundreds of migrants to a desolate area along the border, a Tunisian rights group and a lawmaker said on Wednesday, with witnesses reporting dozens more put on outbound trains following days of violence. Disturbances between migrants and residents went on for a week in the port of Sfax, and one Tunisian was killed. Residents complained of disorderly behaviour by migrants and migrants complained of racist harassment. Thousands of undocumented migrants have flocked to Sfax in recent months with the goal of setting […]]]> 650416 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230707-sudan-children-as-young-as-12-raped-and-assaulted/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:37:36 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650402 Teenage girls are being sexually assaulted and raped by armed combatants in Sudan in alarming numbers, with many survivors aged between 12 and 17 years old, Save the Children warned in a press release today. The children make up some of the cases of sexual and gender-based violence as a result of the escalating conflict, with incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation being reported by women and girls who have fled the conflict in Khartoum and other areas. While the sexual violence is understood to be rampant, only 88 cases of rape as a result of the conflict have been verified. This includes at least 42 alleged cases in the capital, Khartoum, and 46 in the Darfur region. However, according to the Sudanese Unit for Combating Violence against Women, this figure likely on represents two […]]]> 650402 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230706-nearly-1000-migrants-died-trying-to-reach-spain-in-first-half-of-2023/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:38:07 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650226 A total of 951 migrants died trying to reach Spain in the first half of 2023, according to a report published Thursday by the Walking Borders organisation, Anadolu Agency reports. The victims came from 14 countries – from Morocco to Congo, Syria to Sudan to Sri Lanka, according to the report. Most perished during the Atlantic voyage to the Canary Islands. An estimated 778 died on the route, including all passengers on 19 vessels, making it one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. Included in the figure are an estimated 36 people who died in June in the waters between Spain and Morocco. Their rubber dinghy had been sending messages of help for more than 10 hours before […]]]> 650226 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230706-iran-and-sudan-foreign-ministers-discuss-resumption-of-ties/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:39:16 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650217 Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, met the Sudanese Foreign Minister for the first time since diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed seven years ago, the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday, Reuters reports. "On the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting, our delegation met with the Sudanese Foreign Minister and discussed how to imminently resume diplomatic ties between Khartoum and Tehran," Amirabdollahian tweeted. "In this meeting, talks were directed at resolving misunderstandings between the two countries and strengthening the political and economic relations between Tehran and Khartoum," IRNA said of the meeting in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku. Sudan cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 following the storming of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed […]]]> 650217 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230706-un-agencies-condemn-increase-in-sexual-violence-in-sudan/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 09:33:05 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650136 Senior UN officials voiced shock and condemnation at increasing reports of gender-based violence in war-torn Sudan, including conflict-related sexual violence against internally displaced and refugee women and girls since fighting erupted more than 11 weeks ago, Anadolu news agency reported. The heads of UN agencies, including the Human Rights Office; Refugee Agency; Children's Fund, UNICEF; Population Fund; UN Women and the World Health Organisation demanded an immediate end to sexual violence as a tactic of war to terrorise people. "It is unconscionable that Sudan's women and children – whose lives have been upended by this senseless conflict – are being further traumatised in this way," said UN aid chief Martin Griffiths. '" What we are witnessing in Sudan is not just a humanitarian […]]]> 650136 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230706-sudan-burhan-reiterates-rejection-of-kenyas-chair-of-igad-quartet/ Thu, 06 Jul 2023 09:17:17 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=650129 The head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council, army commander General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has reiterated his rejection of Kenya's chairmanship of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Quartet High-Level Delegation for the Peace Process in Sudan, tasked with mediating the crisis in his country. Burhan made his comment amid ongoing fighting between his troops and the Rapid Support Forces in a phone call with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud, the official Sudanese news agency SUNA has reported. The Sudanese leader briefed Mahmud on the situation in Sudan, "against the backdrop of the Rapid Support militia's rebellion and its destruction of all the capabilities of the people." He stressed that the Sudanese government "has spared no effort to stop the war […]]]> 650129 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230704-abraham-accord-arab-states-seen-sticking-with-israel-despite-jenin-violence/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 18:47:00 +0000 , Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649679 Public fury is growing in the Arab world over one of Israel's biggest military operations in the Occupied West Bank in years, yet Arab states which normalised ties with Israel are unlikely to turn their condemnation of the Israeli assault into action. Thousands of people were evacuated from the Jenin refugee camp as the Israeli operation continued for a second day on Tuesday, and Palestinian officials said at least 10 people had been killed. Israel says its army is destroying infrastructure and weapons of Iran-backed militant groups in the camp. The military operation is diplomatically awkward for the four Arab states that have signed peace pacts – known as the Abraham Accords – with Israel, and it makes the already distant prospect of […]]]> 649679 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230704-russia-rejects-bank-compromise-as-black-sea-grain-expiry-looms/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 18:01:52 +0000 Middle East Monitor https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/?p=649677 Russia, on Tuesday, restated a demand for its state agricultural bank to be reconnected to the global SWIFT payments system and said it would not accept a reported compromise proposal, Reuters reports. With 13 days remaining until expiry of the deal that has allowed Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports despite Russia's invasion, Moscow said there had been no progress on any of its key demands, including the banking issue. The Financial Times reported on Monday that the European Union was considering a proposal to allow Russia's Rosselkhozbank to set up a subsidiary that could connect to SWIFT. But Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dismissed the idea as "deliberately unworkable", saying it would take many months to set […]]]> 649677