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56342 |
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Date: November 12, 2024 at 18:36:28
From: mitra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18 months o |
URL: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2579048/middle-east |
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NEW YORK CITY: The UN warned on Tuesday that the civil
war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, continues to
inflict “unrelenting violence and suffering” on
millions of civilians in the country.
It said that as clashes between two rival factions of
the military government, the Sudanese Armed Forces and
the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, continue
unabated, the latest wave of attacks by the latter in
the eastern state of Al-Gazira has been marked by “some
of the most extreme violence witnessed in the past 18
months.”
Rosemarie DiCarlo, the UN’s undersecretary-general for
political and peacebuilding affairs, told a meeting of
the Security Council on Tuesday, that Sudan is “trapped
in a nightmare,” as she condemned recent atrocities
that have resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths.
During more than a year-and-a-half of conflict, at
least 20,000 people have been killed and more than
33,000 injured. The war has created the worst
displacement crisis in the world; more than 11 million
people have fled their homes to other parts of Sudan,
and 3 million have sought refuge in neighboring
countries.
Human rights groups have reported horrific violations
of international law as the warring factions continue
to wreak havoc across the country, including widespread
sexual violence primarily targeting women and girls.
Describing the violence as “appalling,” DiCarlo
condemned relentless attacks by the RSF and
indiscriminate SAF airstrikes on populated areas.
“This is a man-made disaster. Both warring parties bear
responsibility for the atrocities and must be held
accountable,” she said as she called for an immediate
ceasefire to protect civilians.
Ramesh Rajasingham, director of the UN’s Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned of
widespread food insecurity in the war-ravaged country.
Conditions are particularly troubling in Darfur and
Khartoum, he said, where thousands have died and
malnutrition rates are surging, especially among
children.
According to his office, there are rising levels of
malnutrition in the Zamzam displacement camp in North
Darfur, which was already facing famine conditions,
affecting 34 percent of children, 10 percent of whom
are severely malnourished.
Rajasingham stressed the urgent need for improved
humanitarian access, as many conflict zones remain
completely cut off or are difficult to reach because of
difficult or delayed procedures. While the opening of
the Adre border crossing from Chad has helped to
provide “vital relief,” he said this alone is not
sufficient given the scale of the crisis.
Humanitarian organizations require safe, unimpeded
access so that they can deliver aid, he added as he
called for agreements on humanitarian pauses in the
fighting so that assistance can be delivered and
civilians can move safely out of conflict zones.
Rajasingham also urged the international community to
provide flexible financial support for relief
operations, and to push for a ceasefire agreement.
“The conditions are there for the conflict to claim
even more lives,” he warned as he called for an
“immediate shift” in the way the international
community is responding to the unfolding crisis.
Despite international pressure, there has been little
progress toward peace talks. Both the RSF and the SAF
continue to escalate their military operations,
bolstered by external support including a steady flow
of weapons into the country.
“Certain purported allies of the parties are enabling
the slaughter in Sudan,” DiCarlo said as she called for
this “unconscionable and illegal” external support that
is fueling the violence to end.
Efforts to mediate the conflict have been fragmented to
date. The international community has struggled to
present a unified front and the warring factions have
profited from this lack of unity.
However, DiCarlo pointed to a glimmer of hope in the
form of ongoing efforts by the African Union and the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development to restore a
process for political dialogue and facilitate a
peaceful resolution to the conflict.
She also acknowledged the work being done by the
Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan
Group to promote key peace initiatives, including the
Jeddah Declaration, which aims to establish mechanisms
for protect civilians.
“The need for greater convergence is blindingly clear,”
DiCarlo said. With the conflict showing no sign of
abating, she also called for the implementation of
local ceasefire agreements to offer some respite to
civilians.
The UN has also proposed the establishment of a
compliance mechanism, she added, to hold the warring
parties accountable for their commitments to the
protection of civilians under the Jeddah Declaration.
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Date: November 13, 2024 at 00:01:56
From: ryan, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18... |
URL: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/11/1156861 |
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Sudan: Allies of warring generals ‘enabling the slaughter,’ Security Council hears
By Vibhu Mishra
12 November 2024 Peace and Security
The people of Sudan face an ever-deepening crisis as the relentless war between rival militaries pushes the country further into chaos, the UN’s top political affairs official told the Security Council on Tuesday, underscoring that a ceasefire and a negotiated political solution remain the only viable path to peace.
“Sudan is trapped in a nightmare,” Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs told ambassadors, echoing the grim declaration made by the Secretary-General two weeks ago.
The latest surge in violence has been especially brutal, notably in eastern Aj Jazirah state (also spelled Gezira), where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched assaults described by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as among the most severe of the war so far.
Civilians have borne the brunt of these offensives, with countless lives lost, homes destroyed and communities displaced. Reports also indicate shocking violations of human rights, including widespread sexual violence against women and girls.
Both sides responsible
Ms. DiCarlo condemned not only the RSF attacks but also the indiscriminate airstrikes by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in civilian-populated areas such as the capital Khartoum and El Fasher, a major city in North Darfur hosting thousands of internally displaced which has been besieged for months by the RSF.
“Both warring parties bear responsibility for this violence,” she stressed.
She added that as the rainy season nears its end, both sides continue to escalate their military operations, recruit new fighters and intensify their attacks, fuelled by “considerable” external support and a steady flow of arms.
“To put it bluntly, certain purported allies of the parties are enabling the slaughter in Sudan. This is unconscionable, it is illegal, and it must end.”
Immediate ceasefire needed
Calling for an immediate ceasefire, Ms. DiCarlo underscored that an end to fighting is the most effective way of protecting civilians.
“It is long past time for the warring parties to come to the negotiating table. The only path out of this conflict is a negotiated political solution.”
While rival militaries might not be ready for a negotiated settlement, Sudan’s partners have a responsibility to press them to work for one, she said, commending the African Union (AU), the regional development body, IGAD, and the international group supporting humanitarian efforts and peace talks, ALPS – for their attempts to bring the rival generals to the negotiating table.
The UN will continue to engage with warring parties through Ramtane Lamamra, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Sudan, including through regional visits and proximity talks, she added.
Under-Secretary-General DiCarlo briefing the Security Council.
Spiralling humanitarian crisis
The situation in Sudan has been in a freefall since the war erupted last April.
It is now the world’s worst displacement crisis, with more than 11 million people driven from their homes – nearly three million among them into neighbouring countries as refugees, according to the UN relief coordinating office, OCHA.
The war has also unleashed a severe hunger crisis, affecting millions. Large swathes of fertile croplands lay fallow as families have either fled for safety or lack seeds, fertilizers and other necessities.
The latest analysis by the global food security tracker, or IPC, found that more than 750,000 people were facing the very highest levels of food insecurity and potential widespread famine.
Communities cut off
Access for aid workers and supplies also remains a major challenge.
Ramesh Rajasingham, Director for Coordination at OCHA, told ambassadors that humanitarian organizations “remain unable to reach the vast majority of people in conflict hotspots across Sudan at anything approaching adequate scale.”
“Some areas are completely cut off. Others can only be reached after navigating complicated procedures that delay and impede deliveries.”
While the reopening of the Adre border crossing between Chad and Sudan is a much-needed respite, it alone is not sufficient, he added, noting that UN’s ability to access key areas across conflict lines from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, remains severely limited.
“We urgently need the parties to ensure the safe, rapid, unimpeded movement of both relief supplies and humanitarian personnel via all available routes, with the maximum possible flexibility,” he urged.
Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) warned that the socio-economic outlook of the country is growing more dire by the day.
Full-time employment across Sudan has plummeted by half and only one in seven urban households have access to the health services they need.
In a new report released on Tuesday, UNDP emphasised that with two-thirds of the fighting concentrated in cities and towns of over 100,000 inhabitants, understanding the impacts of the war on urban livelihoods is crucial to address both immediate economic challenges and long-term development obstacles.
“This study reveals significantly deepening vulnerabilities that Sudanese urban households are facing today on many fronts. No single intervention can adequately address this unfolding and multifaceted development crisis,” said Luca Renda, UNDP Resident Representative in Sudan.
“Expanding immediate short-term humanitarian relief is critical, but it will not be sufficient. It must be coupled with longer-term, development focused interventions that can help foster resilience and enable recovery.”
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Responses:
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Date: November 13, 2024 at 04:52:32
From: akira, [DNS_Address]
Subject: and which countries are these 'Allies'? |
URL: https://apnews.com/article/un-sudan-war-allies-slaughter-generals-attacks-ef029a14e87224bb40bff32aecca1702 |
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Allies providing Sudan’s warring parties with weapons are ‘enabling the
slaughter,’ UN official says
BY EDITH M. LEDERER
November 12, 2024
"UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. political chief accused allies of Sudan’s
warring military and paramilitary forces on Tuesday of “enabling the slaughter”
that has killed more than 24,000 people and created the world’s worst
displacement crisis.
“This is unconscionable,” Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council. “It is
illegal, and it must end.”
She didn’t name the countries funding and providing weapons to Sudan’s
military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, but she said they have a
responsibility to press both sides to work for a negotiated settlement of the war.
Sudan plunged into conflict in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions
between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital, Khartoum,
and spread to other regions, including western Darfur, which was wracked by
bloodshed and atrocities in 2003. The U.N. recently warned that the country has
been pushed to the brink of famine.
Last month, the RSF rampaged through the province of Gezira, attacking towns
and villages, killing dozens of people and raping women and girls, according to
the U.N. and local groups.
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DiCarlo told the council that nongovernmental organizations say those attacks
have been marked by “some of the most extreme violence in the last 18 months.”
She strongly condemned the RSF’s continuing attacks against civilians and said
the U.N. is also “appalled by the attacks against civilians perpetrated by forces
affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Khartoum area.”
DiCarlo said it is long past time for the rival forces to come to the negotiating
table, but she said both sides seem convinced they can win on the battlefield,
and this is being fueled by outside support and weapons.
“As the end of the rainy season approaches, the parties continue to escalate their
military operations, recruit new fighters and intensify their attacks,” she said.
“This is possible thanks to considerable external support, including a steady
flow of weapons into the country.”
Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of arming the RSF, which the UAE
vehemently denies. The RSF has also reportedly received support from Russia’s
Wagner mercenary group. And U.N. experts said in a report earlier this year that
the RSF received support from Arab-allied communities and new military supply
lines running through Chad, Libya and South Sudan.
As for the government, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who led a military takeover of
Sudan in 2021, is a close ally of neighboring Egypt and its president, former army
chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. In February, Sudan’s foreign minister held talks in
Tehran with his Iranian counterpart amid unconfirmed reports of drone purchases
for government forces.
DiCarlo called for stepped up international action to protect civilians and promote
talks.
She said U.N. special envoy for Sudan Ramtane Lamamra “is considering the next
phase of his engagement with the warring parties, including another round of
‘proximity talks’ focused on commitments related to the protection of civilians.”
Sudan’s military boycotted proximity talks in Geneva, Switzerland, in July aimed at
spurring humanitarian aid and starting peace talks despite international pleas
that it take part. The RSF sent a delegation to Geneva.
DiCarlo said Lamamra will travel to Sudan and other places in the region in the
coming weeks to meet key stakeholders to discuss a new attempt at talks.
Ramesh Rajasingham, coordination director in the U.N. humanitarian office, told
the council the “shocking atrocities” in Gezira and fighting in West Darfur and
North Darfur are causing more people to flee.
Since April 2023, more than 11 million people have fled their homes, with 3 million
crossing into neighboring countries, he said. Last month, 58,000 people from the
two Darfur states crossed into neighboring Chad, which is now hosting more than
710,000 refugees, he said.
Rajasingham said fighting continues to intensify around North Darfur’s capital, El
Fasher — the only capital in Darfur that the RSF doesn’t hold. In July, hunger
experts confirmed famine conditions in the Zamzam displacement camp nearby.
Rajasingham said a recent nutrition screening in the camp found about 34% of
children malnourished including 10% who are severely malnourished.
“And we are now seeing troubling indications that deepening food insecurity is
spreading to other areas, with reports in recent weeks of particularly alarming
levels of hunger in South Kordofan,” he said.
“I just cannot put strongly enough how serious this situation is,” Rajasingham
said, urging the international community to take immediate action."
by Taboola
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56346 |
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Date: November 13, 2024 at 02:12:54
From: mitra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18... |
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It appears that there are no civilians/soldiers in
these modern wars, all are targets.
Word to the wise. If you see this coming, get out of
Dodge early. Beat the rush.
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