Sudan: Mass graves in West Darfur’s capital haunt remaining residents

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2023

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Once the thriving capital of West Darfur, al Geneina is now nearly deserted.

Humanitarian volunteers told Sky News around 70% of the city’s half-a-million residents have fled since the start of the war in Sudan and that the bodies littering the streets are now buried at multiple mass grave sites after a huge clean-up operation.

The coordinates of potential mass grave sites on the outskirts of al Geneina shared by C4ADS, a Washington DC-based global security non-profit, have been verified by Sky News through various eyewitness accounts.

A satellite image from May shows regular mountainous terrain just north of the main artery connecting al Geneina to eastern Chad.

On 6 July, the same three areas are now visibly water-filled due to seasonal rainfall.

An eyewitness independently located this site for Sky News using landmarks on the map and says he watched as decomposing bodies were dumped into a body of water at the end of June.

“It was the start of the rainy season and they had disconnected the network so we had to go to the edges of the city to try and make calls,” he said.

The pitch of his voice climbed with urgency as he described the scene.

“After the police station and over the mountain – around 250 metres from a cattle slaughterhouse – I saw a group of scared residents throwing nine bodies into a large pond.”

Read more: Why did violence erupt in Sudan?

‘I lost 14 brothers and sisters’

One volunteer independently verified the location of this grave site and says he was present as 50 bodies were dumped there.

The next day, he was involved in the transportation of another 45 bodies.

“Our group was not happy with how the dead were being treated so we opted out of the burial. We helped with transporting the corpses but did not join for the dumping,” he says.

He identified the victims as being from the African Massalit and Burgo tribes and says that volunteers could not film or even make a call around the site.

“One guy we know was suspected of leaking information and was beaten until his leg broke.”

From the Burgo tribe himself, his own family has suffered from the extreme ethnic violence that ravaged al Geneina.

He says 14 of his brothers and sisters have been killed in al Geneina since the start of the war in April – many of them remained unburied for weeks after their deaths.

One of his sisters, a teenager, was shot in the head and killed in their home – a horrific incident corroborated by a humanitarian worker also in the city at the time.

“I buried my sister 54 days after she was killed. My mother was wounded at the same time and could not leave the house for a long time. She still hasn’t received any medical assistance,” said the volunteer, who is being kept anonymous for his safety.

He and his family are some of the remaining non-Arab residents in al Geneina.

His elderly father and wounded mother make leaving difficult and relocation funds are low after their savings were looted from their home amid the chaos.

The little income he gets from transporting bodies has helped him facilitate the burial of his family members.

‘Assassination attempts’ on volunteers trying to help

A humanitarian worker who has a long history of advocacy work in al Geneina believes that the city has been ethnically cleansed.

“The janjaweed militias practised forced displacement by burning homes and shelters for the displaced in a brutal and racist manner – killing civilians – which is considered a crime of genocide,” he said.

He added the campaign to tidy up the city’s emptied streets is led by Arab tribesmen and is an attempt to clean up the image of the Rapid Support Forces and their aligned militias who have been caught filling up mass graves.

“The Rapid Support Forces, along with Arab militias, participated by providing digging mechanisms such as bulldozers and trucks – in addition to designating burial areas. Sometimes they even participated with volunteers,” the source says.

Another mass grave site is reported on the northern outskirts of the city, along Tendelti road – a border town which was razed to the ground in May.

And even in this moment of relative calm in al Geneina, those told to bury the evidence of violence are facing violence themselves.

“There have been some assassination attempts in al Geneina these days of some of the volunteers who participated in the preparation and burial of bodies in the mass graves,” he says.

“The latest of which is the attempted assassination of the manager of the Sudanese Red Crescent in West Darfur, who was shot with live bullets and is now under medical care in Chad.”

World

First orbital rocket launched from Europe crashes into sea – but company says test ‘met all expectations’

Published

1 hour ago

March 31, 2025

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First orbital rocket launched from Europe crashes into sea - but company says test 'met all expectations'

The first orbital rocket launched from mainland Europe took off from Norway on Sunday – but crashed into the sea and exploded 40 seconds later.

The unmanned Spectrum rocket blasted off from the Arctic Andoeya Spaceport, on Sunday at 12.30pm local time before it was terminated less than a minute later.

Isar Aerospace, the German company that built the rocket, had warned that the launch could end prematurely. It maintained that despite being short, the flight had produced extensive data that its team could learn from.

“Our first test flight met all our expectations, achieving a great success,” Daniel Metzler, Isar’s chief executive and co-founder, said.

“We had a clean lift-off, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our flight termination system.”

Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle specifically designed to put small and medium satellites into orbit.

Its maiden voyage was aimed at kickstarting satellite launches from Europe.

Several European nations, including the UK and Sweden, have said they want to be an active player in the growing market of commercial space missions.

Big global companies already ahead in the satellite launch game include Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which launches from the US, and French company ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran that uses a spaceport in South America’s French Guiana.

Mr Musk’s SpaceX also operates the Starlink satellite service, a communications network that can provide much of the globe with access to the internet.

Germany’s BDLI aerospace industries association said Isar’s first flight would lead to further progress.

BDLI managing director, Marie-Christine von Hahn, said: “Europe urgently needs to ensure its sovereignty in space. Elon Musk’s Starlink is not without alternatives – nor should it be.”

Sweden, with its Esrange launch site, and Britain with its SaxaVord Spaceport in the Scottish Shetland Islands, are the nearest rivals to the Norwegian site, all of which aim to give Europe greater autonomy in space flights.

SaxaVord, which suffered a setback when a rocket engine exploded during a test last year, is planning its first satellite launch later this year.

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Myanmar earthquake: Military regime targeting ‘civilian areas’ with airstrikes in wake of disaster, armed group claims

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1 hour ago

March 31, 2025

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Myanmar earthquake: Military regime targeting 'civilian areas' with airstrikes in wake of disaster, armed group claims

An armed resistance group in Myanmar has accused the ruling military government of continuing to carry out airstrikes on “civilian areas” in the wake of the huge earthquake in the country.

The 7.7 magnitude quake struck near the city of Mandalay at around 12.50m local time (6.20am UK time) on Friday while Myanmar is in the grips of a bloody civil war.

The number of people confirmed dead after the quake stands at more than 1,700, with 3,400 others injured and 300 missing, according to pro-military government Telegram channels, citing the country’s rulers.

But the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) predictive modelling estimates that the number of dead will increase into the thousands, and could reach 10,000.

It comes as rescue and relief efforts in the country have been hampered by the ongoing civil war, which has raged since 2021.

The Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armies, has said in a statement that the military government, known as a junta, is continuing to “carry out airstrikes targeting civilian areas”.

It said the strikes come “even as the population suffers tremendously from the earthquake”.

The KNU said that under normal circumstances, the military would be prioritising relief efforts after an earthquake, but instead it is focused on “deploying forces to attack its people”.

The Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation, said military jets launched airstrikes and drone attacks in Karen state, near the KNU headquarters, in the south of the country, shortly after the quake on Friday.

It came before there were reports of mortar and drone attacks on Saturday.

The junta has not confirmed whether or not it has been carrying out strikes since the disaster.

The epicentre of the quake was in an area held by junta forces, but the devastation is widespread and also affected some territory held by armed resistance movements.

On Sunday, the opposition National Unity Government, which includes remnants of the government ousted in a 2021 coup, said anti-junta militias under its command would pause all offensive military action for two weeks.

Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group, which works to resolve armed conflicts, said some anti-junta forces have halted their offensives, but fighting continues elsewhere.

“The regime also continues to launch airstrikes, including in affected areas. That needs to stop,” he said.

He claimed that the junta was not providing much visible support in quake-hit areas.

“Local fire brigades, ambulance crews, and community organisations have mobilised, but the military – who would normally be mobilised to support in such a crisis – are nowhere to be seen,” Mr Horsey said.

The junta broke its self-imposed isolation to appeal for help from the outside world following the earthquake. However, the country’s inaccessibility will likely remain a huge obstacle to aid efforts.

The junta has said the earthquake is one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century – while the USGS suggests financial losses due to the disaster could exceed the country’s annual economic output.

While emergency rescue teams have started trickling into the area hardest hit by the quake, efforts have been hindered by damaged roads, downed bridges, poor communications and the challenges of operating in a country in the middle of a civil war.

Many areas still have not been reached.

Most rescues occur within the first 24 hours after a disaster, with the chances of survival diminishing as each day passes.

Neighbouring Thailand was also shaken, such as in the capital, Bangkok, where 18 people were killed, including 11 who died when an under-construction skyscraper collapsed. At least 76 people are missing and believed to be trapped under the debris.

Twelve Chinese nationals are among the injured, according to Chinese state media.

An initial report on earthquake relief efforts issued on Saturday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted the severe damage or destruction of many health facilities in Myanmar.

And it warned that a “severe shortage of medical supplies is hampering response efforts, including trauma kits, blood bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for health workers”.

India, China and Thailand are among the neighbours that have sent relief materials and teams, along with aid and personnel.

The UK government has announced a package of £10m to support the people of Myanmar in the aftermath of the quake.

Four years of civil war

Myanmar has been locked in a conflict involving multiple armed opposition groups since a 2021 coup, when the military seized power from the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Many places are now dangerous or impossible for aid groups to reach.

More than three million people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 20 million are in need, according to the United Nations.

World

JD Vance ‘power move’ marks him out as favourite to be presidential candidate

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1 hour ago

March 31, 2025

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JD Vance 'power move' marks him out as favourite to be presidential candidate

US vice president JD Vance has made a “power move” that marks him out as favourite to be the Republican’s next presidential candidate, according to a former party chair.

Ronna McDaniel told the Sky News Trump 100 podcast her “money would be on” Vance becoming the next nominee following his appointment as finance chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC).

McDaniel, who was RNC chair for seven years until 2024, described it as a “power move from a political standpoint and somebody who understands how the rules are made”.

It’s the first time a sitting vice president has served as finance chair.

According to McDaniel, it reflects a political awareness and ambition.

“Understanding that process, which is boring and very technical – and most people don’t understand how the RNC works – that was a huge move this week for JD to take over as finance chair,” she told Trump 100.

“This has never happened in the history of the party, where the vice president said ‘I’m gonna be the finance lead for the national party’. So what does that mean? It means he’s gonna interact with all the major investors heading into 2028. He’s gonna know them intimately.

“But more importantly, in the next two years, the Republican National Committee will be passing the rules that will govern the primary process for 2028. What states will be first? What primaries will be the first?

“That whole process will be passed in the two years by different state parties across the country.

“JD will have access to every single RNC member and Republican National Committee state chair who will be making those governing rules. That shows you, the power that he has right now.”

Donald Trump has, previously, played down Vance’s prospects for the top job.

In a recent Fox News interview, he was asked if he viewed Vance as the 2028 Republican nominee and he replied: “No, but he’s very capable.”

He added: “So far, I think he’s doing a very fantastic job. It’s too early; we’re just starting.”

Trump himself has, once again, declined to rule out running for a third term in office, even though it’s prohibited by the US Constitution, which stipulates a maximum of two.

In an interview with NBC News, he was asked if he wanted another term and replied: “I like working.”

When asked to clarify, he said: “I’m not joking. But I’m not… it is far too early to think about it.”

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McDaniel told Trump 100 she did not think President Trump would run for a third term but spoke of her admiration for his number two.

She said: “I know JD pretty well. I spent a lot of time with him in Ohio – I was chair when he ran for Senate in Ohio, so I campaigned with him a lot.

“I think what I appreciated about him the most was in smaller settings with business leaders or town halls with voters. He took every question.

“He’s truly, truly, really brilliant. But right now his focus is to support President Trump and the administration that he’s serving.”