The government of South Sudan and rebel opposition groups on Thursday signed a commitment declaration for peace during high-level mediation talks in Kenya, described as key step in efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan that has long crippled its economy. The content of the agreement was not made public during the signing ceremony, attended by diplomats and civil society groups. The rebel opposition groups were not part of the 2018 agreement that ended South Sudan's five-year civil war that left 400,000 people dead and millions displaced. Kenya's foreign office said the agreement was a first milestone in the ongoing talks in which warring sides pledged their commitment to end the violence and hostilities. At the start of the high-level mediation talks launched a week ago, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir thanked his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, for hosting the negotiations. The talks have been dubbed Tumaini, Swahili for hope, Initiative and are led by former Kenyan arm
The United States on Monday implored all countries supplying weapons to Sudan's warring parties to halt arms sales, warning that history in the vast western Darfur region where there was a genocide 20 years ago is repeating itself". US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after an emergency closed meeting of the U.N. Security Council that El Fasher, the only capital in Darfur not held by paramilitary forces, is on the precipice of a large-scale massacre." She urged all countries to raise the threat that a crisis of epic proportions is brewing." Britain's deputy ambassador James Kariuki echoed her appeal saying: The last thing Sudan needs is a further escalation on top of this conflict that's been going on for a whole year. Thomas-Greenfield said there are credible reports that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their allied militias have razed many villages west of El Fasher and are planning an imminent attack on El Fasher. An attack on El Fasher would be a ...
The year-old war in Sudan between rival generals vying for power has sparked a crisis of epic proportions fuelled by weapons from foreign supporters who continue to flout UN sanctions aimed at helping end the conflict, the UN political chief said on Friday. This is illegal, it is immoral, and it must stop, Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council. Sudan plunged into chaos in mid-April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting has spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas and the western Darfur region, DiCarlo painted a dire picture of the war's impact over 14,000 dead, tens of thousands wounded, looming famine with 25 million people in need of life-saving assistance, and over 8.6 million forced to flee their homes. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, chair of th
The Ministry underscored its steadfast support for all endeavours working towards de-escalation, achieving a ceasefire, and initiating political dialogue
The United Nations chief urged Sudan's warring parties on Thursday to halt hostilities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, warning that the nearly year-long conflict threatens the country's unity and could ignite regional instability of dramatic proportions. Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of Sudan's military which has been fighting for control of Sudan with the rival commander of the country's paramilitary force, welcomed the Ramadan ceasefire appeal, Sudan's U.N. envoy said. But there was no immediate word from the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. U.N. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres' appeal came ahead of an expected U.N. Security Council vote Friday on a British-drafted resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities ahead of the month of Ramadan. The draft resolution expresses grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels of acute .
Britain has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in conflict-wracked Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins soon. The draft, obtained late Wednesday by The Associated Press, expresses grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur. With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, likely on Friday. Sudan plunged into chaos last April, when long-simmering tensions between its military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas, but in Sudan's western Darfur region it took on a different form, with bru
The European Union imposed sanctions on Monday on six companies it said are responsible for trying to undermine stability in conflict-ravaged Sudan, largely targeting firms linked to weapons procurement and manufacturing. Sudan plunged into chaos last April when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted into street battles in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas including the western Darfur region. The fighting has displaced 7 million people and killed 12,000, according to the United Nations. Local doctors' groups and activists say the true death toll is far higher. Given the gravity of the situation in Sudan, the EU statement said, sanctions were imposed on two companies making weapons and vehicles for Sudan's armed forces, the Zadna International Company for Investment controlled by the armed forces and three companies involved in procuring military ...
Six months of war between Sudan's military and a powerful paramilitary group has killed up to 9,000 people and created "one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history," the United Nations humanitarian chief said Sunday. Sudan has been engulfed in chaos since mid-April, when simmering tensions between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, exploded into open warfare. "For six months, civilians ... have known no respite from bloodshed and terror," UN Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths said in a statement marking the six-month anniversary of the war. "Horrific reports of rape and sexual violence continue to emerge." The fighting initially centred in Khartoum, but quickly spread to other areas across the east African nation, including the already conflict-wrecked western Darfur region. Griffiths said the fighting reportedly killed up to 9,000 and forced millions of people out of th
The statement added that the US is gravely concerned about the situation in and around Nyala, South Darfur where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped as fighting escalates between RSF and SAF
Matching rhetoric with action, Operation Kaveri to repatriate Indians, including members of the Hakki Pikki tribe, from Sudan became a barbed arrow in Karnataka's political quiver
India brought home another batch of 229 people on Sunday under its mission to evacuate stranded Indians from violence-hit Sudan. The fresh batch of evacuees arrived in Bengaluru, a day after 365 people returned from the African country to Delhi. "#OperationKaveri One more flight brings back 229 passengers to Bengaluru," External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wrote on Twitter. Under the evacuation mission, 754 people arrived in India in two batches on Friday. The total number of Indians who have been brought back home from Sudan now stands at 1,954, according to official data. The Indians were brought back from the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah where India has set up a transit camp for the evacuees. The first batch of 360 evacuees returned to New Delhi in a commercial plane on Wednesday. The second batch of 246 Indian evacuees arrived in Mumbai in a C17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday. Under "Operation Kaveri", India has been taking its citizens in
The deadly clashes between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed at least 528 people and wounded 4,599, the Sudanese Health Ministry said in a report
Indian Navy ship, INS Teg, successfully evacuated 288 stranded Indians under Operation Kaveri from the crisis-hit Sudan on Saturday
About 31 tribals (Hakki Pikki) from Karnataka were stranded in the African country amid the violence between Sudan's military and the country's main paramilitary force
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said his government has commenced a large-scale evacuation effort to help British nationals leave strife-torn Sudan from Tuesday. UK military flights are due to depart from an airfield outside the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, supported by senior diplomats from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Flights will be open to those with British passports and priority will be given to family groups with children and/or the elderly or individuals with medical conditions. "The government has begun a large-scale evacuation of British passport holders from Sudan on RAF flights. Priority will be given to the most vulnerable, including families with children and the elderly, Sunak said on Twitter. "I pay tribute to the British Armed Forces, diplomats and Border Force staff carrying out this complex operation. The UK will continue to work to end the bloodshed in Sudan and support a democratic government, he said. At this stage, the FCDO has sa
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed the safe temporary relocation of hundreds of UN staff members and dependents from Khartoum and other places in Sudan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the union government had launched Operation Kaveri to bring back Indians stranded in violence-hit Sudan and that it would be supervised by Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan. Modi, addressing a massive crowd at the Yuvam Conclave here, said that a son of Kerala -- Muraleedharan -- would be overseeing the evacuation operation. The PM is on a two-day visit to Kerala where he will be attending a host of programmes, including flagging off of the Vande Bharat Express, and a meeting with top priests of the influential Christian community in the state. The launch of the Sudan evacuation operation was announced earlier in the day by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar India had on Sunday said it had positioned two transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah and a naval ship at a key port in Sudan as part of its contingency plans to bring back stranded Indians. On Friday, the ..
US troops are carrying out a precarious evacuation of American embassy staffers in the African nation of Sudan, shuttering the US embassy there as fighting rages for a ninth day, according to a senior Biden administration official. Biden ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation earlier on Saturday from his national security team with no end in sight to the fighting, according to the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the mission. The evacuation order was believed to apply to about 70 Americans. US forces were airliftng them from a landing zone at the embassy to an unspecified location. The State Department has suspended operations at the embassy due to the dire security situation. It was not clear when the embassy might resume functioning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting on Friday to review the situation concerning Indians in violence-hit Sudan, government sources said on Friday. India on Thursday said the situation in Sudan is "very tense" and is focusing on ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community, including working on contingency plans and possible evacuation. The conflict is a direct result of a vicious power struggle within the country's military leadership. The clashes are between Sudan's regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Anxious relatives of several Indians stuck in Sudan following the fighting between the Army and paramilitary forces are eagerly waiting for information about their relatives and appealed to the government to evacuate them from the strife-torn African country as soon as possible. Fighting erupted in Sudan on Saturday, leaving at least 185 people, including an Indian, dead and more than 1,800 injured. Mansi Sheth, whose father is stuck in the country following the clashes between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary force, said she was worried about his safety. She said her 63-year-old father was in Sudan on a business trip and was to fly back to Mumbai on Saturday (April 15). He was at the airport when they were informed that the flight was cancelled. He along with other passengers was not allowed to leave the airport. After some hours when they were allowed to leave the airport, they had to walk towards their hotels as there was no conveyance available. "I am worried about my