♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact digest of the past week’s most-read highlights, from the heart of Sudan. Subscribe to receive this digest weekly in your inbox.

Sudanese Women in Diaspora Conference: ‘We can speak for ourselves’

03/10/2023 21:37 LONDON. The ‘Sudanese Women in the Diaspora for Ending the War’ conference on September 29 in London emphasised the importance of agency, empowerment, and justice for Sudanese women. Organised by the Sudanese Community and Information Centre’s (SCIC) women’s branch, the event discussed the role of Sudanese women in the war and featured lectures, discussions, Q&A sessions, poetry, and memorial videos commemorating missing women.

The SCIC is a bimonthly group based in West London, which offers advocacy and a community space for members of the Sudanese diaspora in London. The conference foregrounded the agency of Sudanese women, both in its discussions and in its organisation. “In the end, we’re the only ones who can save our country. We can’t rely on the international community to save us,” said its organisers.

‘In the end, we’re the only ones who can save our country. We can’t rely on the international community to save us’

WHO scales up Sudan aid after cholera outbreak

01/10/2023 – EL GEDAREF / PORT SUDAN. Sudan’s health authorities have declared a cholera outbreak in El Gedaref. In less than a week, 16 associated deaths, 264 suspected cholera cases, and four confirmed cases have been reported. The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are collaborating to address the health situation effectively.

Sudan’s WHO representative said that “unhindered access to affected and neighbouring localities is essential to respond effectively to the ongoing outbreak.” “A cholera outbreak can have a devastating effect in the context of a health system already overstretched because of war, shortages of medical supplies and health workers, malnutrition, and access challenges.”

Sudan revolutionaries join army ranks to ‘expel RSF from Khartoum’
04/10/2023 – DABANGA SUDAN. In Sudan, a noteworthy development is taking place where democratic advocates, who were previously subjected to brutal suppression by Sudan’s military, are now aligning with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The activists find themselves alongside fighters associated with Islamist groups that are supportive of ousted President Omar Al Bashir and his regime.
 
Sudan lawyers: ‘starvation sieges’ in Khartoum violate int’l humanitarian law
04/10/2023 – KHARTOUM. Fighting between the SAF and the RSF persisted across Khartoum state. Sudan’s Emergency Lawyers strongly condemned the blocking of food transport to the besieged residential areas of Tuti Island, Ombadda in Omdurman, and El Kalaklat in Khartoum.
 
UN Human Rights Council to discuss accountability for Sudan war
03/10/2023 – GENEVA. Intensive consultations take place at the UN Human Rights Council (OHCHR) on the formation of an investigative mission on Sudan, which aims to determine responsibility for crimes and hold those responsible to account.
 
Three killed in attack on ‘lifeline convoy’ en route to North Darfur capital
02/10/2023 – EL FASHER / EL KUMA. On Saturday, a large convoy from Port Sudan arrived in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur. The convoy, protected by the Darfur Joint Force, was attacked on the way by gunmen blocking the road in El Kuma, North Darfur, killing three people and injuring five.
 
At least ten die in airstrikes on residential areas in Sudan capital
02/10/2023 – KHARTOUM. At least ten people were killed in Khartoum state during airstrikes and shelling by the SAF and the RSF over the weekend. In particular, Mayo in south Khartoum and El Sawra and Ombadda in Omdurman were hit. A Sudanese Sufi sheikh has called on the Saudi-American negotiations platform in Jeddah to resume the talks between the warring parties.
 
New US sanctions target ‘contributors to Sudan’s instability’
29/09/2023 – WASHINGTON DC. The USA imposed new sanctions on Ali Karti, head of the Islamic Movement in Sudan, and two companies affiliated with the RSF, one of which is based in Russia. The US State Department also imposed visa restrictions, on Islamists and former regime officials, because they ‘undermined the transition to democracy in Sudan’.
 
Musa Hilal to mediate between warring tribes in South Darfur
29/09/2023 – MISTERIYA. Mahameed clan chief and former Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal announced a reconciliation initiative between the Beni Halba and Salamat tribes that have been fighting each other for nearly two months.
 
Reports about RSF expanding combat scope in Darfur
29/09/2023 – NYALA / EL FASHER / LONDON. The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) reported that RSF are reinforcing their combat capabilities in Sudan’s already war-torn western region. The lawyers warn of more tribal violence whilst the United Arab Emirates allegedly continues to arm the militia.