Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan

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UN explores ways to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in Sudan: Griffiths - Sudan Tribune

April 30, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced that he was heading to the region to investigate means of providing humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the ongoing fighting in Sudan. “At the request of the United Nations Secretary-General, I am on my way to the region to explore how we can bring immediate relief to the millions of people whose lives have turned upside down overnight,” Griffiths said. The UN and its partners are working to reboot the humanitarian response in Sudan, he added, and are exploring urgent ways to bring in and distribute additional supplies. However, Griffiths stressed that the obvious solution to the crisis is to stop the fighting. Since clashes began in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan two weeks ago, the humanitarian situation has become dire. Essential goods such as water, food, fuel, and medical supplies are becoming scarce in the hardest-hit urban centres, with families struggling to access them. Griffiths said that a shipment of emergency supplies, including five containers of intravenous fluids, is docked in Port Sudan, awaiting clearance by the authorities. Access to urgent healthcare is severely constrained, particularly for those injured in the …

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Sudanese belligerents extend ceasefire for 72 hours - Sudan Tribune

April 30, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support have agreed to extend the truce for 72 hours, starting at midnight on Sunday. The truce is the sixth of its kind since clashes erupted between the two sides on April 15, without observing it. The two parties used to trade accusations of violating the truce. In a statement received by Sudan Tribune, the army said that they “agreed to extend the truce for a period of 72 hours, starting from the expiration of the current truce at midnight on Sunday, based on mediation by the United States and Saudi Arabia.” The military statement pointed out that the army agreed to the extension despite monitoring the intentions of the Rapid Support Forces to attack some sites, but expressed hope that the other party will abide by the cessation of hostilities. In turn, the paramilitary forces announced their agreement to extend the ceasefire to open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the movement of civilians to meet their needs and reach safe areas. The RSF renewed their commitment to a complete ceasefire, “despite the violations of the army, which continued to attack their positions and bases”, according to his claim. Despite …

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Sudan's fighting death toll rose to 528 -health ministry - Sudan Tribune

April 29, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health has reported that the death toll from clashes between the army and the Rapid Support has risen to 528, with thousands injured. On Saturday, the ministry released a statement on the human causalities of fighting from 15 to 27 April 2023, indicating that battles are mainly taking place in the states of Khartoum and West Darfur. ” 528 people had been killed and 4,599 others injured according to the records of the hospitals in Sudan,” said the Federal Health Ministry. The clashes have caused significant damage to hospitals and medical facilities, making it difficult to provide medical care to those in need. The statement also highlighted that the armed tribal conflict in West Darfur state resulted in the destruction of El Geneina’s main hospital and the Ministry of Health’s headquarters, causing a large number of uncounted deaths. In a statement on Friday, Human Right Watch called on the Human Rights Council to hold an emergency meeting and create a mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of grave violations, identify likely perpetrators, and make recommendations for accountability. On Friday, Human Right Watch called for an emergency meeting of the Human Rights …

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Sudanese police deploy Central Reserve unites in Khartoum - Sudan Tribune

April 29, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese police deployed the Central Reserve Forces in the streets of the capital Khartoum to maintain security, amid calls from the Rapid Support Forces to withdraw them so as not to deal with them as enemies. The police press office said in a statement that “police forces are deployed on the roads to secure public and private property and arrest robbers” who storm abandoned homes after the eruption of the armed conflict in Khartoum. The media office posted photos on social media showing dozens of heavily armed Central Reserve soldiers on four wheels vehicles equipped with machine guns. The army said units of the Central Reserve Police had been deployed in areas south of Khartoum and would be deployed successively in Khartoum areas. These police units are considered fighting forces that participated in the fight against the armed movements in Darfur and some areas of Kordofan. On March 21, 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the Central Reserve Police of Sudan for serious human rights violations committed during pro-democracy protests. The move was made after reports of excessive use of force and violence against peaceful demonstrators. According to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), …

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Sudan's army leader says he did not send a delegation to Juba - Sudan Tribune

April 29, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The commander-in-chief of the Sudanese army stated that they had only “accepted in principle” the IGAD initiative to stop the war and emphasized that they did not send a delegation to Juba. South Sudan, IGAD, the Trilateral Mechanism, and the Quad announced a meeting in Juba of the Sudanese warring parties to negotiate a permanent ceasefire that would pave the way for a return to the negotiating table and the resumption of the political process. In an interview with U.S.-funded TV Alhurra, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan said that there were several initiatives to stop the war, which has affected the Sudanese people and the region. He added that they received an initiative from the IGAD countries through “our brothers in South Sudan,” and “in principle,” they welcomed this initiative. “But we did not appoint a representative, and we did not send a delegation (to Juba),” he further stressed. He also said that the RSF leader did not agree to send a representative to Juba. The United Nations, African Union, IGAD, the UN’s five permanent members and the Arab League called for the immediate resumption of the political process, through dialogue and negotiations to establish a transitional …

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Anti-war watchdog warns against expansion of armed conflict in Sudan - Sudan Tribune

April 28, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – An anti-war watchdog in Sudan has warned against the expansion of the armed conflict in Khartoum between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that broke out nearly two weeks ago. In a weekly bulletin issued on Thursday, the Sudan Conflict Observer (SCO) said that “the army prepare to launch a new offensive on the RSF troops which are spread in residential neighbourhoods and public buildings in Khartoum.” “With RSF fighters sheltering in civilian buildings the fighting may be more intense and concentrated than during previous phases,” said the SCO which is composed of Ayin, Human Rights Hub and the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker. “Sudanese belligerents accepted to meet in Juba on Friday to discuss a permanent ceasefire with a mechanism to monitor its implementation,” the report said. However, on the same day, “the army commander-in-chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan excluded to negotiate with the RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo Hemetti.” The anti-war watchdog further said that “the clashes in West Darfur between the Sudanese army and RSF militiamen draw civilians into the fighting along tribal lines.” “A full civil war, where civilians pick up arms as a response to …

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Trilateral panel, Quad call for permanent ceasefire in Sudan - Sudan Tribune

April 28, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Trilateral Mechanism and Quad countries welcomed the Juba meeting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and called for a permanent ceasefire to pave the way for the resumption of political talks. On Friday, representatives of the Sudan Armed Forces and the RSF met in Juba to discuss ways to de-escalate the ongoing fighting in Khartoum, which broke out on April 15. The Quad countries, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, and the UAE, and the Trilateral Mechanism, comprised of the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), issued a joint statement on Thursday welcoming the Juba meeting. The joint statement underscored that the purpose of the Juba meeting is to achieve a permanent ceasefire in the country in line with the peace plan agreed upon in an international and regional virtual meeting held on April 20, chaired by the head of the African Union. The Quad and the Trilateral Facilitation Panel further called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors and unhindered humanitarian access to civilians in Khartoum. The April 20 communiqué called for “the immediate resumption of …

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Sudanese warring parties agree to additional 3-day ceasefire - Sudan Tribune

April 27, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese belligerents accepted an additional extension of the ceasefire for three more days on Thursday but continued to accuse each other of violating the truce. In separate statements, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced the extension of the truce for 72 hours, effective from the end of the current truce on Thursday midnight. However, the two parties traded accusations of attacks carried out on their positions in different areas of the capital. The Sudanese army accused the RSF of bombing the General Command area, surrounding facilities, civilian institutions, and residential areas, causing civilian casualties. The official military spokesman further said they repelled an attack on an army site on Nile Street on Thursday evening, causing heavy losses to the militia and destroying two vehicles. He also said they repulsed another attack on their positions south of Omdurman. U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, discussed the situation in Sudan in a meeting held in Washington on Thursday. Following the meeting, Blinken said they are “working very closely together to deal with the crisis in Sudan, hopefully working toward a more enduring ceasefire, cessation of …

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South Sudan prepares to host first meeting between Sudan's rivals - Sudan Tribune

April 27, 2023 (JUBA) – South Sudan is preparing to host a meeting on Friday for the rival parties in Sudan to end the armed conflict and consider ways to resume talks on the sticky issues in the integration of the paramilitary forces in the national army. In a meeting with his advisers on Wednesday evening, President Kiir told the participants that they should focus on efforts to achieve a ceasefire first. President aide Tut Gatluak told Sudan Tribune that the two warring sides have accepted to extend the ceasefire and to come to Juba for talks. Gatluak further praised the rival sides in Sudan for accepting the proposal and coming for talks in Juba and said that the aim of the talks was to find common ground and achieve genuine reconciliation. On Wednesday, the Sudanese army stated that the commander in chief Abdel Fattah al–Burhan accepted the invitation by the IGAD for a meeting in Juba to discuss a ceasefire extension and ways to resume talks. The RSF did not publically announce its participation in the meeting amid reports that the leader of the paramilitary group Mohamed Hamdan Daglo Hemetti called to invite the civilian signatories of the framework …

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Sudanese army accepts IGAD initiative for talks in Juba - Sudan Tribune

April 26, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army announced its initial acceptance of an initiative from the IGAD regional bloc aimed at stopping the fighting in Sudan and holding negotiations in Juba with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A statement issued by the Sudan Armed Forces Spokesman stated that the Commander-in-Chief of the army, Lt Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, received the initiative proposed by the IGAD organization, which was agreed upon by the leaders of the regional body on April 16. “The Commander-in-Chief has given agreement in principle to this (initiative) and thanked the organization’s representatives for their efforts and interest in the current crisis.” The statement added that the meeting will discuss extending the current truce to an additional 72 hours and sending one representative from each side of the conflict to Juba for the purpose of negotiating the details of the initiative. In a virtual meeting held on April 16, the heads of state from the IGAD countries decided to send the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti to Khartoum to engage the two leaders to resume talks on the pending issues in the security and military reform. However, the delegation did not reach Khartoum due …