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  • Journalist Death Toll Rises in Sudan War

    Journalist Death Toll Rises in Sudan War

    A total of 30 journalists, 10 of whom are women, were exposed to gunfire and shelling, which killed 15 of the journalists’ relatives and severely damaged their homes…reports Asian Lite News

    At least 13 journalists have been killed since the war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, 2023, the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate announced.

    “Since the war broke out in Sudan, violations against journalists, both men and women, have escalated in an unprecedented manner, where 13 journalists, including two women, have been killed,” the syndicate said in a statement on the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, which falls on November 2 each year.

    The syndicate added that 11 other journalists, including three women, were exposed to physical attacks and injuries, in addition to one case of sexual assault, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

    A total of 30 journalists, 10 of whom are women, were exposed to gunfire and shelling, which killed 15 of the journalists’ relatives and severely damaged their homes, according to the statement.

    The syndicate cited 60 cases of kidnapping and forced detention, including nine female journalists, and six complaints of hindering journalists’ work and restricting their movement.

    According to the statement, 58 cases of personal threats were recorded, including 26 against female journalists, and 27 cases of physical assault and looting of property, including three against female journalists.

    “What Sudanese journalists are exposed to necessitate the concerned authorities, both internally and externally, to undertake their responsibilities to ensure that the attackers are held accountable and provide the necessary protection for journalists who risk their lives to report the truth,” the syndicate said.

    The syndicate called on both parties in the conflict to respect international laws that protect journalists as civilians and ensure their security and safety in their work.

    The syndicate urgently appealed to the concerned regional and international parties to defend press freedom, support efforts to hold the aggressors accountable, and protect Sudanese journalists against the imminent dangers to enable them to report the truth to the world.

    The ongoing war in Sudan has forced hundreds of journalists, both men and women, to flee conflict zones or the country in search of safety.

    Since February, internet and mobile phone services have been interrupted in large areas of Khartoum, affecting the work of journalists in those areas.

    According to a situation report issued by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project on October 14, the deadly conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths.

    The conflict has also displaced over 14 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by the International Organisation for Migration on October 29.

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  • Nearly 3 mn have fled Sudan after 18 months of war

    Nearly 3 mn have fled Sudan after 18 months of war

    Most are fleeing to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda, says UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs…reports Asian Lite News

    Nearly 3 million refugees and returnees have fled Sudan after 18 months of war, crossing borders to seek safety in neighboring countries and further afield, mainly fleeing to the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that it is deeply concerned about people continuing to be displaced by conflict in several parts of Sudan.

    The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that some 40,000 people were newly displaced inside Sudan in the first half of October alone, amid escalating hostilities in some parts of the country as the rainy season ends. This brings the total internally displaced in Sudan since the conflict began in April last year to nearly 8.2 million people.

    In West Darfur, an estimated 27,500 people were uprooted by insecurity and attacks in the town of Selea and surrounding villages in Jabal Moon earlier last week, IOM reported.

    Due to the intensifying conflict in Darfur, close to 25,000 people arrived in eastern Chad in the first week of October alone, the highest number of new arrivals within a single week in 2024. Chad is host to 681,944 Sudanese refugees, more than any other country, OCHA said.

    Calling on all parties to the conflict to stop the fighting, protect civilians, and facilitate humanitarian access, OCHA said that with the rains subsiding and more roads now passable, this is a crucial time for aid organizations to move vital supplies to areas where needs are most acute.

    Meanwhile, the United Nations and its partners are working with Sudanese health authorities to scale up the cholera response, including through large-scale immunization, raising awareness, and providing access to safe water and sanitation, the office said.

    As of Tuesday, more than 24,000 cholera cases, including about 700 related deaths, have been reported in the country since mid-July, OCHA said.

    According to OCHA, the appeal of the Regional Refugee Response Plan for the Sudan emergency for 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to support refugees, returnees and host communities in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda, is only 27 percent funded, stretching the ability of humanitarian partners to protect and assist people in dire need.

    The human cost has been staggering in the shadow of this power struggle. Women and children face extreme vulnerability—many have experienced sexual violence, abduction, and forced conscription, just like the young boy from Omdurman.

    “What happened in Sudan is that it initially started as a civil war between two factions of the military, which at first were acting professionally, like trained soldiers do. But the lack of any breakthrough and the see-saw manner in which both sides are gaining and losing different territories has forced both sides to adapt,”  Hussain explained. “Unfortunately, what they have now adapted to is the use of child soldiers.”

    Hussain went to the extent of describing the children at war as mere “cannon fodder” for both sides. With hospitals and infrastructure collapsing, access to food, clean water, and medical aid has become scarce, and disease outbreaks are spreading. This conflict, largely forgotten by the world, represents one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time.

    Reiterating the dire situation of humans in this never-ending war governed by global power politics, Hussain stated, “Every country’s approach to these conflicts, including the current situation in Sudan, is essentially driven by their own narrow, selfish, and national interests. And in all of this, the real issues of women and children get sidelined.”

    Human Rights Watch has documented widespread sexual violence, used as a tool of war by militias. The 16-year-old girl’s story is only one of many. Women across Sudan have been abducted, raped, and tortured, their bodies used to exert control in the ongoing conflict.

    Children, too, are paying a heavy price. Many have been recruited into militias as child soldiers, forced to fight in a war they do not understand. According to a UN report, children as young as 12 have been kidnapped, drugged, and sent into battle.

    “The LRA (government) did not come up with this but took it to an alarmingly destructive level,” said Hussain. “Some of the LRA units were exclusively made of child soldiers. The success of such tactics in countering government forces led many other organisations, state or non-state, to adopt similar strategies across Africa—whether it was Somalia or Burkina Faso.”

    The mass displacement in Sudan has forced millions of people to flee their homes, often trekking for days through dangerous territory in search of safety. Families arrive at overcrowded displacement camps, such as Zamzam in Darfur, with little more than the clothes on their backs. But the camps offer little relief. Famine has set in, with children suffering the most.

    A mother in the Zamzam camp stays there with her two-year-old daughter, who weighs just 5 kilograms after months of severe malnutrition. “My child has lost her sight because of the hunger,” she says, her words reflecting the grim reality for many mothers trying to save their children from starvation.

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  • US says ‘pleased’ with improved aid access into Sudan

    US says ‘pleased’ with improved aid access into Sudan

    Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including deliberately targeting civilians and blocking humanitarian aid…reports Asian Lite News

    The US envoy to Sudan said there had been a marked improvement of aid deliveries into the war-torn African country suffering a devastating humanitarian crisis. Fighting erupted in April 2023 between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after a plan to integrate them into the military failed.

    Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including deliberately targeting civilians and blocking humanitarian aid. “We are pleased by the significant but incremental improvements on humanitarian access,” US envoy on Sudan, Tom Perriello, told reporters in Nairobi.

    “We have had a couple (of) hundred trucks get through areas that were previously blocked.”

    More than 25 million people — more than half of Sudan’s population — face acute hunger, according to UN agencies, with famine declared in a displacement camp in the western Darfur region, which borders Chad.

    The war has already killed tens of thousands of people, with the World Health Organization declaring a toll of at least 20,000 people dead, but some estimates are up to 150,000.

    “The situation is extremely dire and those who are in the best position to stop it seem eager instead to accelerate” it, Perriello said. Several rounds of peace negotiations have failed to end the fighting.

    Multiple truces brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia in the early stages of the war were systematically violated and the process faltered.

    “One track of these efforts overall is a sense of trying to restore the basic norm that even if the war continues, certain issues of humanitarian access and civilian protection should be respected,” Perriello said, blaming “a lack of sufficient will” from the warring sides.

    The latest round of US-brokered talks opened in Switzerland last month.

    While an RSF delegation showed up, the Sudanese armed forces were unhappy with the format and did not attend, though they were in telephone contact with the mediators.

    The talks were co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Nations completing the so-called Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group (ALPS).

    The army objected to the UAE’s involvement in the talks, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of arming the RSF. The UAE has repeatedly denied the allegations. The Sudanese army on Monday rejected an accusation by the UAE that it had attacked the home of its ambassador in Khartoum.

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  • MEA says it is closely following Sudan’s security situation

    MEA says it is closely following Sudan’s security situation

    Earlier this week, the UAE said its ambassador’s residence in Khartoum was attacked by a Sudanese military aircraft….reports Asian Lite News

    In wake of escalating tensions in Sudan following the attack on the UAE ambassador’s residence in Khartoum, the Ministry of External Affairs said it is following the security situation in the region.

    It raised concern over the reports of an attack on the residence of the UAE Ambassador in Khartoum, and said that the inviolability of diplomatic premises must be respected in any conflict.

    “We are following the security situation in Sudan. Inviolability of diplomatic premises in any conflict must be respected, and reports of attack on the residence of the UAE Ambassador in Khartoum is of serious concern,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

    Earlier this week, the UAE said its ambassador’s residence in Khartoum was attacked by a Sudanese military aircraft. Abu Dhabi condemned it as a “heinous attack.”

    Sudan’s military government refuted the accusations from, pointing instead at the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The government in Khartoum, which is in the midst of a new push to retake the capital, has previously accused the UAE of supporting the RSF, with which it has been entangled in war for more than a year, as reported by Al Jazeera.

    The military government has accused the UAE of providing weapons and support to the RSF in the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and ignited a crisis in the country.

    In June, Sudan’s ambassador to the United Nations, al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed, accused Abu Dhabi of giving financial and military support to the RSF, and claimed that help was the “main reason behind this protracted war”.

    Meanwhile, the Gulf state has called the allegations “disinformation,” saying its efforts are focused exclusively on de-escalation and alleviating Sudan’s humanitarian suffering.

    However, UN sanctions monitors have described the accusations that the UAE has provided military support to the RSF as credible.

    According to UN, nearly 25 million people – half of Sudan’s population – need aid, famine is looming and some 8 million people have fled their homes.

    Heavy clashes have raged in several parts of the capital city in recent days in a major flare-up of hostilities as government forces have launched an assault aimed at retaking Khartoum. For the most part, the RSF has been in firm control of most of the city since the outbreak of hostilities and has been accused of committing abuses against the civilian population. (ANI)

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  • 40 civilians killed in paramilitary forces attack in Sudan

    40 civilians killed in paramilitary forces attack in Sudan

    Several corpses remained exposed in the village, as the RSF is preventing displaced villagers from returning to bury the dead..reports Asian Lite News

    At least 40 civilians were killed on Sunday in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in central Sudan, according to a local resistance committee.

    “An RSF attack on Gouz Al-Naqa village of Abu Gouta area in Gezira State killed at least 40 civilians,” the Abu Gouta Resistance Committee, a non-governmental group, said in a statement.

    Several corpses remained exposed in the village, as the RSF is preventing displaced villagers from returning to bury the dead, according to the statement.

    The committee called on civil society organizations to put pressure on the RSF to allow residents to enter the village and bury the deceased. The RSF has not yet made any comment about the attack.

    The RSF took control of Gezira State in December 2023 after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew from Wad Madani, the capital of the state. Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the SAF and the RSF. The conflict has resulted in at least 16,650 deaths and displaced millions of people.

    UN chief ‘gravely alarmed’

    The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “gravely alarmed” by reports of a full-scale assault on North Darfur’s city of el-Fasher in Sudan, says a UN spokesperson.

    Guterres on Saturday called on the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to immediately halt the attack, warning that any further escalation threatens to spread the conflict along intercommunal lines throughout the country’s Darfur region, the spokesperson said in a statement.

    “He calls on Lt. General Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo to act responsibly and immediately order a halt to the RSF attack,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement on Saturday, referring to the RSF commander.

    “It is unconscionable that the warring parties have repeatedly ignored calls for a cessation of hostilities.” Sudan plunged into conflict in April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders broke out in the capital Khartoum and spread to other regions, including Darfur.

    The UN has said that more than 14,000 people have been killed and 33,000 injured as the war triggered the world’s largest displacement crisis. UN officials have warned the worsening violence around el-Fasher threatens to unleash more intercommunal strife.

    Darfur has seen some of the war’s worst atrocities, and the RSF has besieged el-Fasher since May – but fighting has escalated in the past week.

    United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Saturday that the conflict will be on the agenda when US President Joe Biden meets United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday.

    Sudan and the UAE have clashed at the UN Security Council (UNSC) over accusations by the army-aligned Sudanese government that the UAE is arming and supporting the RSF.

    “Hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in el-Fasher are now at risk of the consequences of mass violence,” Martha Pobee, the UN’s assistant secretary-general for Africa, told the UNSC on Wednesday.

    “As fighting engulfs the city, it has further exposed an extremely vulnerable population, including internally displaced persons living in large camps near el-Fasher. This violence has also affected healthcare facilities.”

    In June, the UNSC adopted a resolution calling for “an immediate halt to the fighting and for de-escalation in and around el-Fasher”. In January, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, said there are grounds to believe both the warring sides may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide in Darfur.

    Earlier this month, the UN’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan called for an “independent and impartial force” in Sudan and the widening of an arms embargo to protect civilians in the escalating conflict.

    A 19-page report by the mission based on 182 interviews with survivors, their family members and witnesses conducted between January and August 2024 said both the Sudanese army and the RSF were responsible for attacks on civilians “through rape and other forms of sexual violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as torture and ill-treatment”.

    Sudan reports over 9,500 cholera cases

    Sudan’s Ministry of Health said that 9,533 cases of cholera, including 315 deaths, had been recorded in the country.  The ministry said in a statement that the cumulative infection rate of the latest outbreak had reached 9,533 cases as of Sunday.

    Last month, Sudan’s Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim officially declared a cholera outbreak in the country. “The lab test of watery diarrhoea at the Public Health Laboratory proves it to be cholera,” Ibrahim said in a statement.

    The announcement came shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) said that about 316 people died of cholera in Sudan. WHO’s spokesperson Margaret Harris reportedly said in a media call that 11,327 cholera cases with 316 deaths had been reported in Sudan and that dengue fever and meningitis infections were also on the rise.

    She also said that the WHO expects the actual number of cholera infections to be higher than what had been reported. Since the war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, epidemic diseases such as cholera, malaria, measles, and dengue fever have spread, leaving hundreds dead.

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  • UAE concerned over Sudan famine, welcomes UNSC meet

    UAE concerned over Sudan famine, welcomes UNSC meet

    The Arab nation has voiced deep concern over the severe famine conditions in North Darfur, especially in the Zamzam camp, which houses over half a million displaced people…reports Asian Lite News

    The United Arab Emirates is alarmed by the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan, with severe food insecurity affecting over 25 million Sudanese citizens.

    The Arab nation has voiced deep concern over the severe famine conditions in North Darfur, especially in the Zamzam camp, which houses over half a million displaced people. The UAE also expressed alarm at the potential for famine in Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps, as well as in nine additional Sudanese states facing catastrophic hunger.

    In response to the UN Security Council’s recent meeting addressing the crisis, the UAE emphasized the need for sustained international attention on Sudan. The UAE called for an emergency response to secure a ceasefire and facilitate the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid, noting that lifesaving supplies are currently stalled at Sudan’s borders while thousands face starvation, particularly in Zamzam Camp and Northern Darfur.

    The UAE condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war and the denial of humanitarian access, both of which violate international humanitarian law. The country called on the Sudanese Armed Forces to lift restrictions on aid access and urged the Rapid Support Forces to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers.

    Highlighting the urgency of the situation, the UAE stressed the need for increased cross-border and cross-line humanitarian access to save lives. The UAE called on the Security Council to consider all available measures to address the crisis, including authorizing UN agencies to facilitate aid through both cross-line and cross-border routes.

    Additionally, the UAE supported the upcoming ceasefire talks in Geneva, organized by the United States, and co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. The UAE reaffirmed its commitment to humanitarian support in Sudan, having allocated USD 70 million to address urgent needs through UN agencies and organizations, and USD 30 million to assist regional Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries.

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  • ‘Sexual violence rife in war-torn Sudan capital’

    ‘Sexual violence rife in war-torn Sudan capital’

    The conflict has created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 11 million people forced to flee their homes…reports Asian Lite News

    Human Rights Watch on Monday accused the paramilitary group fighting against the military in Sudan’s civil war of rampant sexual violence against women, including gang rape and forced marriages of girls. The international rights group also accused the military of sexual violence.

    The group, in a report released Monday, called for the United Nations and the African Union to establish a joint mission to protect civilians in Sudan as more than 15 months of fighting between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces show no signs of abating.

    “The Rapid Support Forces have raped, gang raped, and forced into marriage countless women and girls in residential areas in Sudan’s capital,” said Laetitia Bader, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

    The group accused both warring parties of blocking survivors’ access to critical emergency care, and said the military has “willfully restricted” shipments of humanitarian supplies to RSF-controlled areas, including medical supplies and aid workers since October last year.

    The RSF, meanwhile, has pillaged medical supplies and occupied medical facilities, it said. RSF fighters also committed sexual violence against service providers, the group said, citing local responders.

    Sudan plunged into chaos in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country. The fighting has killed more than 14,000 people and wounded 33,000 others, according to the U.N., but rights activists say the true toll could be much higher.

    The conflict has created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 11 million people forced to flee their homes.

    The formerly military-aligned RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias formed during the conflict in Darfur in the 2000s by former President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for three decades until he was overthrown during a popular uprising in 2019. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of genocide and other crimes committed during the conflict.

    In the report released Monday, Human Rights Watch said it documented widespread sexual violence, as well as forced and child marriage during the conflict in Khartoum and the nearby cities of Omdurman and Bahri, or Khartoum North. The three cities are known as Greater Khartoum.

    The group said 18 health care providers had cared for a total of 262 survivors of sexual violence aged between nine and 60 years old between April 2013 and February this year.

    “I have slept with a knife under my pillow for months in fear from the raids that lead to rape by RSF,” the group quoted an unnamed 20-year-old woman living in an area controlled by the RSF as saying in early 2024. “Since this war started, it is not safe anymore to be a woman living in Khartoum under RSF.”

    These acts constitute “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” it said.

    The group said most of the cases were attributed to the Rapid Support Forces, but some cases of sexual violence also were blamed on the military, especially when the military retained control of Omdurman earlier this year.

    The group said men and boys also have been raped, including in detention.

    Both the RSF and the military didn’t immediately answer requests for comment.

    Human Rights Watch said neither party has taken meaningful steps to prevent its forces from committing rape or attacking health care services, nor to independently and transparently investigate crimes committed by their forces.

    It said an RSF spokesman denied occupying hospitals or medical centers in Khartoum and its sister cities, but didn’t provide evidence that the group has carried out effective investigations into allegations of sexual violence by its forces.

    It called on the African Union and the United Nations to jointly deploy a new mission to protect civilians in Sudan, including preventing sexual and gender-based violence.

    “The United Nations and African Union need to mobilize this protection and states should hold to account those responsible for ongoing sexual violence, attacks on local responders, health facilities and the blocking of aid,” Bader said.

    Clashes were reported over the weekend in eastern Sudan and in the city of al-Fasher, the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling western region of Darfur. The RSF has besieged al-Fasher for months in an effort to seize control.

    An attack by the RSF on al-Fasher killed at least 31 civilians and wounded 66 others, according to the Coordination of the Resistance Committee in a city, a local pro-democracy group that documents violence in the city.

    The RSF shelled residential areas and infrastructure in the city including a hospital and a livestock market, it said.

    Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, condemned the attack on targets including hospitals, apartments and markets, saying it caught many civilians by surprise as al-Fasherhad experienced relative calm for about two weeks.

    International experts warned last month that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months, and that 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages.

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  • UAE among 15 nations address Sudan’s famine risk

    UAE among 15 nations address Sudan’s famine risk

    The statement called on the warring parties in Sudan to halt hostilities immediately, respect international humanitarian law, and comply with Security Council resolutions…reports Asian Lite News

    Fifteen countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania, Chad, The Comoros, Guinea Bissau, Seychelles, Senegal, Benin, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Mozambique, and Nigeria, have jointly issued a statement expressing deep concern over the alarming food security situation and the risk of famine in Sudan.

    The statement highlights a recent report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) published on June 27, 2024. According to the report, Sudan is experiencing its worst levels of acute food insecurity ever recorded, with 25.6 million people affected and 14 areas at risk of famine.

    The leaders expressed alarm at the “stark and rapid deterioration” in food security, particularly its severe impact on civilians, including thousands of children suffering from acute malnutrition. The statement also noted concerns about the prolongation of conflict exacerbating the crisis and affecting neighboring countries.

    Emphasizing the need for a coordinated international response, the leaders pointed out the significant humanitarian challenges posed by deepening food insecurity, including displacement and migration issues. They reiterated the importance of facilitating humanitarian relief, in line with a UN Security Council resolution adopted on June 13, 2024.

    The statement called on the warring parties in Sudan to halt hostilities immediately, respect international humanitarian law, and comply with Security Council resolutions. It also urged foreign actors to cease providing armed support or materials to the warring factions and to avoid actions that could escalate the conflict.

    The leaders appealed to the international community to deliver a coordinated response to address the urgent needs in Sudan, scale up humanitarian aid, and support IPC recommendations to increase nutrition interventions, restore productive systems, and improve data collection.

    The joint statement underscores the urgent need to address the crisis, prevent further deterioration, and work towards a sustainable resolution to the conflict in Sudan, ultimately aiming for true democracy and sustainable development for all its citizens.

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  • South Sudan peace talks face collapse

    South Sudan peace talks face collapse

    Human Rights Watch has also called on Kiir to reject the controversial bill saying that it will further undermine human rights and strengthen national security agencies that have a history of longstanding rights abuses…reports Asian Lite News

    South Sudan peace talks that almost reached completion faced a stumbling block with opposition groups demanding a newly passed bill allowing the detention of people without an arrest warrant scratched out in order to sign a proposed agreement.

    Kenya has been hosting the high-level meetings since May between government representatives and rebel opposition groups who were not part of a 2018 agreement that ended a five-year civil war, leaving about 400,000 people dead and millions displaced. Despite the agreement, violence often erupted in the country of 9 million.

    Pagan Amum Okiech, negotiating on behalf of the South Sudan Opposition Movement Alliance, told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that it would be “meaningless to sign any agreement if the draconian National Security Act is signed into law by the president.”

    Last week, parliament voted in favor of the 2015 bill and President Salva Kiir will have to approve it within 30 days for it to become a law. This comes ahead of the country’s first-ever election on Dec. 22.

    “This law violates the fundamental rights and freedoms of South Sudanese citizens, it eliminates civic and political space,” Amum said. “There can be no peace or democracy under such a law.”

    Attending the peace talks is the executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, a non-profit that engages university students and fresh graduates. Edmund Yakani criticized the security bill and said it “created a negative spirit for the negotiations.”

    Human Rights Watch has also called on Kiir to reject the controversial bill saying that it will further undermine human rights and strengthen national security agencies that have a history of longstanding rights abuses.

    The talks — dubbed Tumaini, Swahili for hope — have resulted in a draft agreement proposing to extend the country’s transitional period and postpone the coming election to allow finishing up the country’s constitution and electoral laws, as well as set up constituency borders and a unified security force as proposed in the 2018 peace talks.

    Some Western envoys also recommend delaying the poll “to guarantee a free and fair election.” Kiir has been adamant about having the election in December and called out the envoys.

    Meanwhile, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has said it has approved a $46.2 million grant for South Sudan to boost agricultural productivity, improve food security and enhance the country’s resilience.

    The AfDB, a financial provider to African governments and private companies investing in the regional member countries, said the first phase of the climate resilient agri-food system transformation programme in South Sudan is set to be implemented from September 2024 to December 2030.

    Themba Bhebhe, the Bank Group’s Country Manager for South Sudan, said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Friday evening that the program’s activities will help boost productivity and produce an additional 350,000 tonnes of cereals (rice and sorghum) and 2,450 tonnes of fish.

    “They will strengthen agricultural value chains and entrepreneurship, creating at least 200 more agri-food businesses that are more profitable for women and young people,” Bhebhe added.

    He emphasised that developing digitalisation and professional skills will create 179,200 direct jobs, including 50 per cent for women and 60 per cent for young people.

    South Sudan is the third most fragile country in the world and the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change globally, AfDB said.

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  • UAE contributes to FAO efforts in Sudan

    UAE contributes to FAO efforts in Sudan

    Nusseibeh said, “We must do everything in our power to halt a famine in Sudan. That is what this contribution aims to achieve…reports Asian Lite News

    The United Arab Emirates has signed a key agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and prevent the imminent risk of famine.

    The agreement was signed on behalf of the UAE by Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister for International Development Affairs, and on behalf of FAO by, Guangzhou Qu, Director of the FAO Liaison Office in New York, at a special ceremony in New York at the UAE Mission to the UN in New York, and in the presence of Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

    FAO has received USD5 million in funding from the UAE, which will be directed towards the project titled ‘Mitigating Famine in Sudan – Support to Conflict-Affected Vulnerable Smallholder Farming and Pastoralist Households’. The FAO project, set to run for one year, aims to provide emergency crop, livestock, and veterinary assistance to 275,000 vulnerable smallholder farmer and pastoralist households, benefiting approximately 1,375,000 individuals.

    It will offer 155,000 vulnerable smallholder farmer households, approximately 775,000 individuals, with emergency livelihood support. Additionally, the project aims to reduce livestock losses through prophylactic vaccination against transboundary animal diseases and deworming, targeting 2 million heads of animals, benefiting approximately 600,000 individuals, with at least 25 per cent being women-headed households.

    Nusseibeh said, “We must do everything in our power to halt a famine in Sudan. That is what this contribution aims to achieve. Providing emergency agricultural support, which will benefit around 1,375,000 people, can mitigate this risk and enhances the resilience of vulnerable farming and pastoralist communities. Women and girls face a disproportionate impact of the grave threat that conflict poses, which is why the UAE is ensuring that this contribution also includes a specific focus on female-headed households. This initiative not only addresses the immediate needs in Sudan, but contributes to sustainable development and long-term stability.”

    AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, stated, “We are grateful for the generous contribution from the UAE, which will significantly enhance our efforts to improve food and nutrition security in Sudan. This support is crucial to the FAO Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 objectives of reaching out to 1.8 million households, ensuring direct livelihoods for 9 million people in Sudan, and contributing to food production for the wider population. We are committed to making a tangible difference in the lives of the people we serve, and this contribution brings us one step closer to our goal in Sudan.”

    This contribution is part of UAE’s $70 million commitment announced in April at the ‘International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighbouring Countries’ to UN agencies and humanitarian organisations to alleviate the severe humanitarian crisis in Sudan. (ANI/WAM)

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