Day: July 9, 2023

The emergency exit plan enacted by US diplomats in Sudan, which involved destroying all passports submitted to the embassy, has left hundreds of innocent people stranded. Policy and governance expert Gebrehiwot Ewnetu told RT on Saturday that the victims of Washington’s hasty withdrawal from the country, which is engulfed by clashes between rival factions, face enormous problems in replacing their documents.

When fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in April, Washington ordered its personnel to evacuate. This prompted the embassy in Khartoum to scramble to destroy classified documents and passports in its files. A State Department spokeswoman confirmed as much to the New York Times, describing it as “standard operating procedure” to prevent sensitive materials from falling into the wrong hands.

Speaking to RT, Ewnetu noted that the issue has several consequences. He explained it would be very challenging for Sundanese nationals to replace their passports and get a laissez-passer due to the dangerous security environment. “Sudanese officials will be saying: ‘We are in a war zone now, I can’t just issue a new passport, I’m having a civil war,’” he said.

When it comes to non-Sudanese nationals, while foreign embassies have established border access points to help them with documents required to leave the country, they will still face huge hurdles, according to Ewnetu.

“It will make it much more difficult for them to access safe havens, to leave the country, to access their rights,” the expert said.

The destruction of passports has had a major impact on some local residents. Alhaj Sharaf said he wanted to enroll in a master’s program in the US, got his visa approved, and was scheduled to receive his passport back from the embassy. However, when hostilities broke out, the embassy informed him his passport had been destroyed.

“Consequently, I found myself stranded in Sudan, unable to travel and complete my master’s program, or even leave,” he told RT.

Amid the chaos, the UN has allocated an additional $8 million to help thousands of refugees seeking shelter in South Sudan. According to Peter van der Auweraert, the UN’s coordinator for the region, many displaced people were left with nothing. Some of them have reportedly become victims of violence and extortion, and urgently need support to rebuild their lives, he said.

Source: Russia Today

Gunmen from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces were accused of attacking a remote town before going on a shooting and looting rampage that witnesses said “terrorised” its people.

For nearly three months, the RSF commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has fought the regular army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in a war that has claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people and displaced millions.

The RSF was on Friday “looting banks and public buildings” in Bara, 50 kilometres northeast of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, a witness in the town said.

“We’re being terrorised: they shoot and loot, and the army and police are nowhere to be seen,” said another resident, Abdelmohsen Ibrahim.

“Even if the army tries to come from El-Obeid, the RSF are in control of the El-Obeid-Bara road.”

El-Obeid, 350 kilometres south of Khartoum, is a strategic logistical and commercial hub, with an airport and huge warehouses for the storage of foodstuffs.

The fighting since April 15 has been centred on the capital Khartoum as well as North Kordofan and the vast western region of Darfur, where the United Nations has warned of possible “crimes against humanity”.

Many civilians have accused the RSF of carrying out acts of violence against them, while also charging that the armed forces have done little to protect them.

Since the war erupted, the RSF has established bases in residential areas while the army has struggled to take advantage of its air superiority.

The RSF has been accused of forcing civilians out of their homes, seizing their vehicles, robbing them and raping women as they flee to neighbouring countries.

Fresh fighting was reported in Khartoum and Darfur, including air strikes, heavy shelling and fighting on the ground.

The RSF paramilitary group traces its origins to the Janjaweed — feared Arab militiamen who committed widespread atrocities against non-Arab ethnic minorities in Darfur starting 2003

Source: Nam News Network

DW looks at the significant events that have shaped South Sudan since its historic declaration of independence.

Birth of a nation: South Sudan

On July 9, 2011, South Sudan gained independence, becoming the world’s newest country.

Salva Kiir Mayardit was then sworn in as the first president of South Sudan.

The journey begins

On July 14, 2011, South Sudan joined the United Nations gaining international recognition as a sovereign state.

The Transitional Constitution was adopted after independence to create the groundwork for democratic rule. Economic challenges

In 2013, South Sudan experienced a severe economic downturn due to dropping oil prices.

Attempts to diversify the economy begin, emphasizing agriculture and non-oil sectors.

Political instability

In December 2013, a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar erupted, escalating into a civil war.

Peace treaties were negotiated in the following years, resulting in periods of relative calm followed by renewed clashes pitting government soldiers against rebels backing Machar.

Humanitarian crisis

The civil unrest triggered a severe humanitarian crisis, displacing millions and inflicting widespread starvation and suffering

International humanitarian groups move in to help afflicted populations.

Peace agreements

In 2015, the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS) was signed, bringing hope for long-term peace.

The Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was signed in 2018, restoring commitment to peace.

Refugee crisis

South Sudan’s instability led to a massive refugee crisis, with neighboring countries hosting millions of displaced people.

Since April 2023, an ongoing armed conflict in Sudan between government troops and the paramilitary RSF has further exacerbated the refugee crisis in South Sudan, with tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees fleeing to South Sudan. Nation-building efforts

South Sudan is undertaking reconstruction and infrastructure development projects to improve the nation’s foundations.

Juba is also implementing educational and healthcare reforms to improve access and quality of critical services.

Justice, peace and reconciliation

Truth and reconciliation processes have been set up to address past injustices and promote community healing.

Efforts to build institutions for accountability, justice, and reconciliation continue.

2024 election

President Salva Kiir has pledged to organize a presidential election in 2024 in which he intends to run. His rival will most likely be Riek Machar.

South Sudan strives for long-term peace, political stability and economic progress. The country intends to learn from its past, empower its population and embrace a brighter future.

Source: Deutsche Welle

MPs Melhem Khalaf, Najat Aoun, Yassin Yassin, Elias Jaradi and Firas Hamdan, from the outskirts of the village of Ghajar, addressed a call this afternoon to all those concerned, saying: ‘We, the nation’s representatives, stand here on the outskirts of the besieged village of Ghajar, on the Lebanese-Syrian border, to say openly to the whole world that the Israeli enemy’s seizing of the northern part of the town of Ghajar is a very dangerous aggression against Lebanon, a persistent assault on Lebanese sovereignty and a flagrant violation of all international covenants and resolutions, which cannot be tolerated nor ignored.” They added: “We are present today in the village of Ghajar – as we came a year ago to al-Naqoura to confirm Lebanon’s rights and its entitlement to Line 29 – to reaffirm our adherence to every grain of soil from our country, and to every drop of water from its sea, and there is no differentiation between one region and another, and no discrimination between one citizen and another.” They also stressed on the concept of sovereignty as being “indivisible” and that “we are all responsible for all the lands, for there is no bargaining or abandoning of any inch of territory and water of our homeland, nor any sovereign wealth that belongs to all the Lebanese people.” The deputies strongly denounced the government’s “timid, indolent and inattentive position in the face of this serious event,” urging it “to exhaust all pressure means, without any delay, to lift this usurping and blatant aggression immediately,” acknowledging the “heroic role of the Lebanese army in confronting the Zionist enemy and its ambitions.” They added: “We call on it (Lebanese army) to establish its ability to resist the occupation and consolidate its legitimacy on all Lebanese lands and its ability to confront all aggressors against Lebanon’s dignity, security and stability.” The change deputies concluded by affirming “the necessity of consolidating a state that is responsible for all its citizens, protects and defends them, and exercises through its constitutional institutions its effective sovereignty and firm authority with justice over all its lands, and safeguards its borders with all national standards.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Israeli forces shot a Palestinian woman Sunday evening in occupied Jerusalem for allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack. The Israeli public radio reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on the Palestinian woman at a light rail station in occupied Jerusalem near an Israeli police station. Israeli medical sources reported that the Palestinian victim sustained moderate injuries, as footage showed at the moment of her arrest by the Israeli police.

Source: Jordan News Agency