Latest news with #PortSudan
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Hemedti Aide: Ready for Talks to End Sudan War if Seriousness Shown
A senior adviser to the commander of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said the group is open to serious negotiations with the government based in Port Sudan to end the country's devastating conflict, now in its third year, provided there is genuine political will from the other side. The remarks by Ezz El-Din Al-Safi, who is also a member of the RSF's negotiating team, come as international actors prepare to meet in Brussels on Thursday in a bid to lay the groundwork for a ceasefire. The talks are expected to include the European Union, African Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain. 'Negotiations could begin with confidence-building measures and credible arrangements,' Al-Safi told Asharq Al-Awsat. 'Dialogue remains the best path to ending a war that has no winners, only losers, both the people and the nation.' He said the RSF is ready to discuss the location, timing, and possible mediators for peace talks, but stressed that any engagement must be met with equal seriousness by Sudan's military-backed government. However, Al-Safi cautioned that his group would not accept talks that merely allow the opposing side to regroup and secure external support to resume fighting. 'We cannot enter into a dialogue that gives the other party time to reorganize and rearm,' he said, adding that the RSF remains 'at its strongest' on the battlefield. Sudan's army has conditioned any peace negotiations on the implementation of the Jeddah Declaration, a humanitarian agreement signed in May 2023. The deal, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, has since been marred by mutual accusations of violations from both the military and the RSF. Meanwhile, the RSF is pushing ahead with plans to form a rival administration in areas under its control. Al-Safi, a senior adviser to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said the group is nearing the formation of what he called a 'government of unity and peace.' He added that over 90% of the preparations for the announcement have been completed. 'The delay in announcing the government is due to ongoing consultations among members of the Founding Sudan Alliance [Tasis], which supports this move,' Al-Safi told Asharq Al-Awsat. 'It's not because of internal disagreements, as some have suggested.' Asked about the planned capital of the parallel government, Al-Safi declined to name the city but suggested it would not be Khartoum. 'There are cities more beautiful than Khartoum,' he said. 'From a strategic perspective, I believe the capital should be temporary and capable of accommodating all institutions of government.' He only noted that the proposed city is located in territory controlled by the Tasis alliance. The RSF's moves come amid growing fears that the fragmentation of Sudan will deepen if parallel authorities are entrenched, further complicating efforts to reach a comprehensive peace.
BBC News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sudan in danger of self-destructing as conflict and famine reign
Sudan's war is in strategic stalemate. Each side stakes its hopes on a new offensive, a new delivery of weapons, a new political alliance, but neither can gain a decisive losers are the Sudanese people. Every month there are more who are hungry, displaced, Sudan armed forces triumphantly announced the recapture of central Khartoum in broadcast pictures of its leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, walking through the ruins of the capital's Republican Palace, which had been controlled by the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), since the earliest days of the war in April army deployed weapons newly acquired from Egypt, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries including Qatar and Iran. But its offensive quickly stalled. The RSF, headed by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti", responded with a devastating drone attack on Port Sudan, which is both the interim capital of the military government and also the main entry point for humanitarian were long-range sophisticated drones, which the army accuses the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying - a charge the UAE rejects, along with well-documented reports that it has been backing the RSF during the 27-month conflict.A simple guide to Sudan's warFear, loss and hope in Sudan's ruined capital after army victoryBurhan and Hemedti - the two generals at the heart of the conflictThe RSF has also expanded operations to the south of struck a deal with Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, the veteran rebel commander of the Sudan People's Liberation Army-North, which controls the Nuba Mountains near the border with South forces combined may be able to make a push to the border with Ethiopia, hoping to open new supply the RSF has been besieging the capital of North Darfur, el-Fasher, which is defended by a coalition of Darfurian former rebels, known as the Joint Forces, allied with the of the fighters are ethnic Zaghawa, who have been in fierce conflict with the Arab groups that form the core of the RSF. Month after month of blockade, bombardment and ground attacks have created famine among the residents, with the people of the displaced camp of Zamzam RSF and its allied Arab militias have a terrifying record of massacre, rape and ethnic cleansing. Human rights organisations have accused it of genocide against the Massalit people of West communities in el-Fasher fear that if the Joint Forces are defeated, they will suffer savage reprisals at the hands of the pressure on el-Fasher is growing. Last week the RSF captured desert garrisons on the border with Libya held by the Joint military has accused forces loyal to Libyan strongman Gen Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east of the country and is also a reported beneficiary of Emirati support, of joining in the civilians, who six years ago managed the extraordinary feat of overthrowing the country's long-time leader Omar al-Bashir through non-violent protests, are in groupings are aligned with Burhan, with Hemedti, or trying to stake out a neutral position. They are all active on social media, polarised, acrimonious and neighbourhood committees that were the driving force of the civic revolution are clinging to life. Most have kept their political heads down, focusing instead on essential humanitarian activities. Known as "Emergency Response Rooms", aid workers recognise that they are the most efficient channel for life-saving many lost their funding when the administration of US President Donald Trump closed down USAID, and other donors have not stepped into the army and RSF both see any form of civic activism as a threat. They are cracking down, arresting, torturing and killing national aid workers and human rights is no credible peace UN's chief diplomat assigned to Sudan, former Algerian Prime Minister Ramtane Lamamra, formulated a peace plan that was premised on the assumption that the army would achieve a military that would be left to negotiate would be the disarmament of the RSF and the reconstruction of the country. That is totally has a big diplomatic advantage over Hemedti because the UN has recognised the military side as the government of Sudan, even when it did not control the national attempt to launch a parallel administration for the vast territories controlled by the RSF has gained little credibility. Foreign ministers at a conference in London in April, hosted by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, failed to agree a path to peace. The conference chairs had to settle for a statement that covered familiar this occasion, as before, progress was blocked because Saudi Arabia and the UAE could not acknowledge that Sudan's war is an African problem that needs an Arab road to peace in Khartoum runs through Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Egypt, the big question is whether Burhan is able to distance himself from Sudan's Bashir, the Islamist movement was in power for 30 years, and established a formidable and well-funded organisation, that still Islamists mobilised combat brigades that were key to the army's recent victory in President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi supports Burhan and wants him to sideline the Islamists, but knows that he cannot push the Sudanese general too question takes on added salience with Israel's attack on Iran and the Islamists' fear that they are facing an irreversible other big question is whether the UAE will step back from supporting the RSF lost Khartoum, some hoped that Abu Dhabi might seek a compromise - but within weeks the RSF was deploying drones that appear to have come from the UAE is also facing strategic challenges, as it is an outlier in the Arab world in its alignment with wants to see Sudan divided. But the reality of the war points towards a de facto partition between bitterly opposed warring camps. Meanwhile, the world's largest and deepest humanitarian emergency worsens with no end in than half of Sudan's 45 million people are displaced. Nearly a million are in sides continue to restrict aid agencies' access to the starving. The UN's appeal for $4.2bn (£3bn) for essential aid was only 13.3% funded in late and among the Arab world's powerbrokers, Sudan is no-one's priority, an orphan in a region that is is a country where the multilateral organisations - the United Nations and the African Union - could still be can remind all of their commitments to human rights and human life, and that it is in no-one's interest to see Sudan's catastrophe continue to long-suffering Sudanese people surely deserve that quantum of de Waal is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the US. Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Zawya
10-06-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Sudan emergency: We need more help to prevent famine, says World Food Programme (WFP)
The very real risk of famine continues to stalk Sudan's communities impacted by war, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday, in an appeal for more funding to support immediate needs and boost longer-term recovery across the country. 'Over the past six months, WFP scaled up assistance and we are now reaching nearly one million Sudanese in Khartoum with food and nutrition support,' said Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Sudan. 'This momentum must continue; several areas in the south are at risk of famine.' In an update from Port Sudan, Mr. Bukera reported that a mission to Khartoum had found many neighbourhoods abandoned, heavily damaged and akin to a 'ghost city'. Pressure on overstretched resources will only intensify, he insisted. Fragile frontline communities And as conflict still rages between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, sparked by a breakdown in transition to civilian rule in 2023, the veteran aid worker also explained that communities on the frontlines were at 'breaking point' and unable to support displaced families any longer. Despite many generous contributions to the UN agency's work in Sudan, it faces a $500 million shortfall to support emergency food and cash assistance for the coming six months. 'The international community must act now by stepping up funding to stop famine in the hardest hit area, and to invest in Sudan's recovery,' Mr. Bukera insisted.' We must also demand respect for the safety and the protection of the Sudanese people and aid workers.' No food, water More than two years of fighting have smashed infrastructure and left communities without basic services, such as clean water. This – and weeks of heavy rains – have contributed to a deadly cholera outbreak and reports of corpses rotting in the Nile in Omdurman, one of the capital's three cities. In an update last week, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that war-related displacement and the spread of cholera have continued to add to needs across Sudan. 'We are deeply concerned and meeting the basic needs, especially food, will be critical and is urgent,' said WFP's Mr. Bukera. 'Urgent action is needed to restore basic services and accelerate recovery through coordinated efforts with local authorities, national NGOs, UN agencies and humanitarian partners.' This vital work has been prevented by a lack of international support, forcing WFP to reduce the amount and range of relief it can distribute. 'Funding shortfalls are already disrupting some of the assistance we are providing in Khartoum, Blue Nile, Al Jazeera and Sennar states,' the WFP senior official continued. 'Our rations and the oil and the pulses in the food basket had to be removed due to lack of resources.' Rations cuts In Khartoum, lifesaving nutritional supplements for young children and pregnant and nursing mothers are already 'out of reach' because of a lack of resources, he said. Despite the many challenges, the UN agency now reaches four million people a month across Sudan. This is nearly four times more than at the start of 2024 as access has expanded, including in previously unreachable areas like Khartoum. Communities are also supported in the longer-term via cash assistance to support local markets and support for bakeries and small businesses planning to reopen. 'We have rapidly scaled up our operation to meet increasing needs,' Mr. Bukera said. 'We are aiming to reach seven people on a monthly basis, prioritizing those facing famine or other areas at extreme risk', such as Darfur, Kordofan and Al Jazeera. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN News.
LBCI
10-06-2025
- Climate
- LBCI
Several areas south of Sudan capital at risk of famine: WFP
Several areas south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, are at risk of famine, the World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday, with need on the ground outstripping resources amidst a funding shortfall. "The level of hunger and destitution and desperation that was found (is) severe and confirmed the risk of famine in those areas," Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Port Sudan.
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Several areas south of Sudan capital at risk of famine, says World Food Programme
GENEVA, June 10 (Reuters) - Several areas south of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, are at risk of famine, the World Food Programme said on Tuesday, with need on the ground outstripping resources amidst a funding shortfall. "The level of hunger and destitution and desperation that was found (is) severe and confirmed the risk of famine in those areas," Laurent Bukera, WFP Country Director in Sudan, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Port Sudan.
