Sudan: Three UN aid workers among 61 killed as crisis talks under way

Published

2 years ago

April 16, 2023

admin

Crisis mediation is under way to de-escalate the armed violence in Sudan after at least 61 people were killed and almost 600 injured.

Violence broke out on Saturday in the capital Khartoum and across the country as armed forces and paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clashed.

Three UN World Food Programme (WFP) workers were among those killed in clashes in Darfur.

Two more employees were injured while carrying out duties and a humanitarian aircraft was damaged, “seriously impacting” WFP’s work, a spokesperson said.

The programme has paused while security is reviewed as the spokesperson said there was “no excuse for targeting humanitarian workers”.

Tensions had been escalating between army head and de facto president Abdel Fattah al Burhan and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed have had phone calls with both leaders in an attempt to calm the violence.

Egypt and South Sudan have offered to mediate between the army and paramilitary.

Why has violence erupted in Sudan?

Kenyan President William Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni have also had phone calls with General al Burhan.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has consulted with Saudi Arabian and Emirati counterparts and shared their agreement that it is “essential for all parties to immediately end hostilities”.

Sudan waits to see how high the price of peace will be

There are no heroes in this story.

Both the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been responsible for committing atrocities against civilians. Hundreds have been killed since the 2019 revolution and many more injured.

Now, the power pact that brought the two sides together to consolidate state power in the face of a pro-democracy movement has crumbled and Sudan’s citizens are once again caught in the crossfire.

Nowhere has this been felt more than in Darfur.

The RSF is made up of militias that terrorised civilians in the Darfur conflict that started in 2003 and is headed up by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

During the post-revolution period, Hemedti has been de-facto vice president to his current opponent commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Since 2020, Hemedti’s troops have been officially charged with maintaining Darfur’s security. In this time, hundreds have been killed in communal clashes and border incursions with the Central African Republic.

At least 22 civilians have been killed in the southern Darfuri city of Nyala where the RSF has full control of the airport.

Darfur Monitors told Sky News from the ground that a majority of the casualties died of internal bleeding from stray artillery as the army and RSF fought for control.

Nyala’s main hospital currently has no electricity and little capacity to help the wounded. Fighting has started in a strategic point in the city where residents are most vulnerable and hundreds more could be killed.

The death toll from Khartoum is also steadily rising. The capital is a key battleground in the fight for symbolic power and is shaken by the explosive confrontations. Here, the army is also notorious for human rights abuses and ruling the country by default.

The streets of Khartoum have been home to mass protests calling for an end to military rule and transition to civilian authority – only to be dispersed with deadly gunfire and tear gas.

International mediation has come for all sides – the UN, UK, US, EU, African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) – to transition the country into democracy but drafted power-sharing framework agreements have been signed, although not sustained.

Now, the country waits to see which side will emerge victorious and how high the price of peace will be.

The two groups continued their battle for control on Sunday, signalling they were unwilling to end hostilities despite mounting diplomatic pressure.

Heavy fighting involving armoured vehicles, truck-mounted machine guns and war planes raged on Sunday in the capital of Khartoum, its sister city of Omdurman and in flashpoints across the country.

Fighting was reported around military headquarters, Khartoum International Airport and state television headquarters, prompting the channel to cut transmission.

A senior military official said RSF fighters clashed with troops at military headquarters early on Sunday and that a fire broke out at a facility for ground troops.

Both sides signalled late on Saturday that they were unwilling to negotiate, but on Sunday a statement from the UN said General al Burhan and Hemedti agreed to a proposal for a three-hour pause in fighting (from 2pm to 5pm GMT), to allow the safe passage of humanitarian cases.

Despite the agreement, gunfire could be heard and plumes of smoke seen in the background of live broadcasts.

Hemedti previously told the satellite news network Al Arabyia that he ruled out negotiations and called on the army leader to surrender.

The military called for the RSF to be dismantled, labelling it a “rebellious militia”.

World

Joe Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia – as politician warns it ‘risks World War Three’

Published

3 hours ago

November 18, 2024

admin

Joe Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia - as politician warns it 'risks World War Three'

Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to begin firing US-supplied rockets deep into Russia – as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to push for “further support” for Kyiv at the G20 summit.

Mr Biden’s policy shift means Kyiv will now be able to use Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) for long-range attacks, two American officials have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first such attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The US has eased restrictions on the use of ATACMS, which have a range of up to 190 miles, after Russia began deploying North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces in the conflict.

The development was condemned by Biden officials as a possible expansion of the war.

Follow latest: Ukraine war live updates

A Russian politician and the son of president-elect Donald Trump have both likened the move to risking a third world war.

Maria Butina told the Reuters news agency: “These guys, Biden’s administration, is trying to escalate the situation to the maximum while they still have power and are still in office.

“I have a great hope that Trump will overcome this decision if this has been made because they are seriously risking the start of World War Three which is not in anybody’s interest.”

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr wrote on X: “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives… Imbeciles!”

The outgoing Biden administration’s move comes as there are concerns about the level of support the Trump White House may be willing to give Ukraine.

Mr Trump has previously vowed to limit US support for Ukraine and end its war with Russia.

In an evening address after Kyiv was given permission to fire deep into Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Today, there’s a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions. But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will.”

Back in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said if the US were to lift the ban on long-range missile use it would be seen as NATO’s “direct participation” in the war.

He added: “This, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.”

Meanwhile, the UK prime minister has said he has “no plans” to speak with the Russian president as world leaders gather for the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Mr Putin will not be attending the two-day summit which starts on Monday after saying in October that his presence would “disrupt the normal work of this forum”. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will be attending instead.

It will take place days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Mr Putin on what was the Russian leader’s first publicly announced conversation with the sitting head of a major Western power in nearly two years.

Asked if he had any plans to make a similar call, Sir Keir said: “It’s a matter for Chancellor Scholz who he speaks to. I have no plans to speak to Putin.”

Speaking to reporters while on his way to the summit, he added: “We are coming up to the 1,000th day of this conflict on Tuesday.

“That’s 1,000 days of Russian aggression, 1,000 days of huge impact and sacrifice in relation to the Ukrainian people and recently we’ve seen the addition of North Korean troops working with Russians which does have serious implications.

“I think on one hand it shows the desperation of Russia, but it’s got serious implications for European security […] and for Indo-Pacific security and that’s why I think we need to double down on shoring up our support for Ukraine and that’s top of my agenda for the G20.

“There’s got to be full support as long as it takes and that certainly is top of my agenda, shoring up that further support for Ukraine.”

The latest developments come after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine on Sunday, with Mr Zelenskyy claiming Moscow had launched a total of 120 missiles and 90 drones.

Two major strikes, which left a total of 18 people dead, hit a residential building in the northeastern city of Sumy as well as energy infrastructure across Ukraine, prompting emergency power cuts.

Hours later, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russia’s air defence units had destroyed a drone heading towards the city.

World

Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia – as Starmer calls on allies to ‘double down’ on support

Published

6 hours ago

November 18, 2024

admin

Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to begin firing US-supplied rockets deep into Russia – as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to push for “further support” for Kyiv at the G20 summit.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first such attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The US has eased restrictions on the use of ATACMS, which have a range of up to 190 miles, after Russia began deploying North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces in the conflict.

The development was condemned by Biden officials as a possible expansion of the war.

Follow latest: Ukraine war live updates

The son of president-elect Donald Trump has criticised the move to allow Ukraine to fire deep into Russia.

Donald Trump Jr wrote on the X social media platform: “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives… Imbeciles!”