Latest news with #Nyala
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sudan: RSF forms rival government, deepening fissure
Deepening the crisis in civil war-torn Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday announced the formation of a rival civilian-led government, raising fears of permanent division in the country. At a press conference in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala in South Darfur, the paramilitary announced a 15-member presidential council with RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, as its president. Rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu, head of the SPLM-N, was named vice president. Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi, a civilian politician, was appointed prime minister. He was a former member of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council from 2019 until the 2021 military coup. New regional governors, including one for Darfur, were also announced. The region now has rival governors from each side. Rebels look to establish secular 'New Sudan' The RSF move stoked fears of escalating Sudan's 27-month civil war as it directly challenges the internationally recognized army-led government, which was formed in May under former United Nations official Kamil Idris but remains incomplete with unfilled Cabinet positions. An agreement in February among paramilitary, rebel, and civilian groups paved the way for the new government looking to establish a secular "New Sudan," the RSF said. International legitimacy will also allow the faction to secure advanced arms imports. The Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has not formally responded but had previously condemned any attempt to create a parallel administration. UN officials warned that the RSF's formation of a parallel government risks further fragmenting Sudan and undermining diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. How did the conflict in Sudan begin? The conflict began in April 2023 as a power struggle between Burhan and Dagalo, once allies who ousted long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019 before turning on each other in a 2021 coup that derailed Sudan's transition to democracy. The country is now effectively split with the army controlling the north, east, and center, having recently retaken the capital Khartoum, while the RSF holds most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, where fighting has surged. Meanwhile, Burhan is under US sanctions for the usage of chemical weapons in 2024 against the RSF. Since the war began up to 13 million people have been displaced and large parts of the population are on the brink of famine, according to UN data. Around 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed. Edited by Sean Sinico
The National
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Gen Dagalo takes key step towards parallel government in RSF-held areas of Sudan
Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of Sudan 's Rapid Support Forces, has been selected to head an alliance of political parties and rebel groups, seen as a step towards setting up a parallel government in areas held by the paramilitary. The Foundation Alliance, better known by its acronym Taasees, met in the RSF-held city of Nyala in Darfur on Tuesday and selected a 31-member leadership with Gen Dagalo as its head. Abdul Aziz Al Helu, commander of a powerful rebel group active in south and south-west Sudan, was selected as his deputy. "The selection followed a series of plenary meetings that were transparent and serious," Taasees spokesman Alaaeldeen Noqd said in a statement. He described the alliance, founded in Kenya in February, as a national platform that aims to "dismantle the old Sudan by confronting its sociopolitical legacy and the creation of a new state on the basis of a social contract that enshrines just peace, equal citizenship and comprehensive justice". The formation of the alliance comes amid a devastating civil war between Gen Dagalo's RSF and the armed forces led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan. After 26 months of fighting, the RSF controls all of Darfur region in the West, except the city of El Fasher, and parts of Kordofan to the south-west; the army controls the capital, eastern, central and northern Sudan. "The announcement in Nyala is the prelude to creating a government. Taasees is the equivalent of a ruling party that will inevitably announce a government," said Osman Mirghany, a prominent Sudanese analyst. "The whole process is designed to give the Rapid Support Forces a political arm or support base to use as a bargaining chip if negotiations to end the war were to start," he said, alluding to plans to convene a meeting on Sudan in Washington that would bring representatives of regional powerhouses like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to lay out a road map to end the war. The US and Saudi Arabia brokered a series of ceasefires during the early days of the war, but they proved to be short-lived. The army now insists it will continue fighting until the RSF is defeated. Gen Al Burhan named a career UN diplomat, Kamil Idris, as prime minister in May to head a 22-member government based in the eastern city of Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast. Only two portfolios – defence and interior – have been filled so far as rebel groups now aligned with the military demand proportionate representation. The war between the RSF and the army, essentially over control of the vast and resource-rich country, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced about 14 million and left half of the 50 million population facing hunger. Both Gen Dagalo and Gen Al Burhan claim to be fighting for a democratic and prosperous Sudan. However, the pair face accusations by the UN and rights groups of war crimes committed during the current conflict. The RSF has pivoted its political narrative to the pursuit of equal rights for Sudan's so-called marginalised citizens, a reference to the inhabitants of such outlying regions like Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile. However, it has been accused by the UN and the International Criminal Court of ethnic cleansing against African tribes in Darfur and of sexual assaults in the capital Khartoum and central Sudan. The army is accused of reckless shelling that is believed to have killed thousands of civilians since the war began. Both Gen Dagalo and Gen Al Burhan have been sanctioned by the US for war crimes. Mohammed Latif, another Sudanese analyst, said the consequences of Tuesday's announcement by Taasees would invariably lead to a government that runs RSF-held areas. "We will then have a government in eastern Sudan and another one in western Sudan, a situation that to some degree mirror that in Libya," he said, alluding to the emergence of two rival administrations in Sudan's neighbour after an uprising toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
Al Arabiya
04-06-2025
- General
- Al Arabiya
Cargo plane bombed in Sudan's Darfur: Witnesses
A cargo plane was bombed on Wednesday shortly after landing at a paramilitary-controlled airport in Sudan's western Darfur region, three eyewitnesses reported. The airport in Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, has in recent weeks come under repeated air strikes by the Sudanese military, at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. Neither the army, under Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, nor the RSF, commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, have released information on the latest attack. 'At 5:30 in the morning, I saw a cargo plane landing on the runway,' one eyewitness who lives near the airport told AFP. 'Half an hour later, I heard explosions and saw smoke rising from it.' The testimony was corroborated by two other witnesses in the area. Several others said explosions were heard across the city for about an hour. All spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity for their safety, amid a crackdown by the RSF on the civilian population in Nyala, which the paramilitaries have controlled since 2023. Early last month, a cargo plane reportedly resupplying the RSF garrison in the city was bombed as it landed at the airport. Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said that in recent months 'indiscriminate' military air strikes had killed dozens in the city, Darfur's largest. In early February, when the army was pushing an aggressive counteroffensive to reclaim territory across Sudan, it 'used unguided air-dropped bombs on residential and commercial neighborhoods in Nyala,' HRW added. In one attack on February 3, five bombs on densely populated neighborhoods killed 32 people, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders. The inaccurate attacks 'have killed scores of men, women, and children, destroyed families, and caused fear and displacement,' HRW's Jean-Baptiste Gallopin said in a statement. Since it began, the war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted 13 million and created the world's largest hunger and displacement crises. It has also effectively split Sudan in two, with the army holding the center, north and east while the RSF controls nearly all of Darfur and, with its allies, parts of the south.
Al Arabiya
01-06-2025
- General
- Al Arabiya
Drones hit paramilitary sites in west Sudan: Witnesses
Three drone strikes have hit key paramilitary positions in western Sudan, witnesses said Sunday, as fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces escalates in the war-torn region. The strikes in Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, targeted a hotel and a medical unit in the city center and RSF-held positions on the eastern outskirts, residents said. 'We saw ambulances transporting the wounded to several hospitals,' one resident told AFP in a message. The RSF has controlled much of Nyala since the conflict began in April 2023 between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. Air strikes on RSF positions have intensified, hitting Nyala airport -- a key RSF base -- and other targets. In early May, army planes bombed RSF sites in Nyala and the West Darfur capital, El-Geneina, destroying depots and equipment, a military source said. A cargo plane was also reportedly fired on while landing at Nyala airport, though the source did not say who was responsible. Satellite images released last month by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab showed six advanced at the city's RSF-held airport. The Chinese-made drones appeared 'capable of long-range surveillance and strikes', it said. After nearly daily attacks in early May, the strikes paused for a week before resuming on Saturday. Residents reported intercepts of drones by air defenses north and west of the city. The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced 13 million -- nearly a quarter of the population -- in what the United Nations calls one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. The conflict has effectively split the northeast African country in two with the army holding the north, east and center while the RSF and its allies dominate nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
What to watch on TV and streaming today: The Zoo, Being the Ricardos and Carlos Alcarez
The Zoo RTÉ One, 8.30pm We're returning to Dublin Zoo for a new eight-part series. There's reason to celebrate when Nyala the southern white rhino gives birth to another baby. But the staff also receive a devastating blow due to a long-term resident's death. Austin BBC One, 9.30pm Julian desperately needs the documentary about his growing relationship with Austin to be a success, but will hiring an award-winning director help? Punchestown Festival Preview 2025 TG4, 9.35pm Denis Kirwan gives viewers the lowdown on the Punchestown Irish National Hunt Racing Festival, which begins on April 29. Being the Ricardos RTÉ2, 9.40pm Comedy-drama starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as Lucille Ball and her first husband, bandleader Desi Arnaz. The film shows them juggling the recording of an episode of their sitcom I Love Lucy with various personal crises. Battle Camp Netflix, streaming now When you think about it, there are more reality TV stars headbanging about needing something to do now more than ever — mostly thanks to Netflix. Fret not, for the good people behind the platform have devised yet another show for them to partake in. In Battle Camp, Netflix's biggest stars from its reality and docu-series line-up face the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance. With all of them at the mercy of a giant spinning wheel that decides their fate, these famous(ish) faces must try to avoid it by mastering high-octane challenges, enduring punishing trials, and winning over their campmates, who each hold the power of the vote. The one who masters all three earns the title of ultimate Netflix reality champion and a $250,000 prize. Think I'm a Celebrity by way of Big Brother, with familiar faces from The Mole and Squid Game: The Challenge. Bullet Train Explosion Netflix, streaming now Featuring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and hyperrealistic graphics, Shinji Higuchi's reimagining (like Speed but on a Tokyo train) delivers dramatic suspense in spades. A Tragedy Foretold: Flight 3054, which explores the aftermath of the 2007 Congonhas Airport tragedy, is also streaming now. Carlos Alcaraz: My Way Netflix, streaming now The 2024 season showcases Carlos Alcaraz, both on and off the court, as he transforms the world of sports. Race for the Crown Netflix, streaming now Watch the champers flow as this rollicking documentary series tails (apologies) jockeys, trainers, and owners as they chase titles and triumph in the Triple Crown of thoroughbred horse racing. Secrets of The Penguins Disney+, streaming now In three innovative episodes, cinematographer Bertie Gregory uses cutting-edge technology and scientific collaboration to depict the unique qualities of penguins: perseverance, inventiveness and camaraderie. Also available on Netflix is Pangolin: Kulu's Journey, from the Academy Award-winning director of My Octopus Teacher. iHostage Netflix, streaming now Inspired by the 2022 hostage crisis at Amsterdam's Apple Store and directed by Bobby Boermans, this dramatic reinactment is seen through the lens of the attacker, the hostages, and the first responders. Leverage: Redemption Prime Video, streaming now Once again, the Leverage Crew are back to support the underdog! This season, they tackle a power broker making money off stolen water, a despotic small-town mayor, and a pool hustler engaging in international extortion. The Not Very Grand Tour Prime Video, streaming now Reflecting on their time spent racing muscle cars in Detroit, Richard Hammond and James May (no Clarkson) pay tribute to the internal combustion engine — from the confines of a studio spliced with retrospective snippets. Also landing is animated offering #1 Happy Family USA. Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Netflix, streaming now The most deadly act of domestic terrorism in US history, the 1995 bombing of a federal facility in Oklahoma City (in which 168 people, including 19 children, were killed), is revisited in this stark documentary from the makers of Waco: American Apocalypse.
