♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

A compact weekly digest of Dabanga Sudan's highlights of the news from Darfur and Sudan

♦ Aid organisations report less displaced from Darfur's Jebel Marra

17 June – 2016 SORTONY / TAWILA / GULDO The number of recently displaced people from Jebel Marra has been decreasing according to aid organisations in North Darfur. An estimated 53,900 displaced people who have fled from the fighting and aerial bombardments in Jebel Marra since January this year have taken refuge in camps in Tawila and Kabkabiya localities. 22,600 people remain in Sortony in Kabkabiya, adjacent to the African Union-UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (Unamid) Team Site. According to the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA), the total number is a reduction of nearly 6,000 people compared to preceding weeks.

Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) reported that in Central Darfur, 11,500 displaced people have returned from Guldo to Golo this week, in the outskirts of Jebel Marra. HAC announced plans to assist at least 5,300 people to return to Golo, from various locations in Central Darfur. 16,000 people are planned to return from Tawila.

The holdout armed rebels have withstood the military offensive and retain position in the Jebel Marra Massif. An air raid by the Sudanese Air Force near Soreng on Sunday killed a father and his son, and the risk of returning to Jebel Marra seems to remain.

In total, 2.6 million people are still displaced across Darfur, UN peacekeeping chief Hervé Ladsous said in his briefing to the Security Council one week ago. The current security conditions in Darfur are not conducive to a large-scale return of displaced people to their places of origin, Ladsous said.

♦ Sudan's opposition sees 'positive points in AUHIP roadmap'

20 June – 2016 ADDIS ABABA The armed rebels and opposition members have announced their willingness to conditionally sign a proposed peace roadmap with the Sudanese government which they earlier refused.

On Sunday the opposition, who participated in a meeting with the United States envoy in Ethiopia last week, announced to send a memorandum of understanding to the African Union High-level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) mediator Thabo Mbeki. The memorandum reveals their willingness to be part of the roadmap conditionally

The roadmap was drafted and proposed to the Sudanese government, three holdout rebel movements and the National Umma Party (NUP) in Addis Ababa on 19 March by Mbeki. It states that the government and the opposition, joined in the Sudan Appeal coalition, should break the deadlock on the peace talks on areas of conflict and ensure the opposition’s participation in the National Dialogue. The Sudan Appeal members refused to sign after they accused the AUHIP of siding with Khartoum.

Last Thursday and Friday, the Sudan Appeal – the three main armed rebel groups and the Umma Party – held a consultative meeting with US special envoy Donald Booth, to discuss the roadmap, among others. Jibril Ibrahim, the head of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement, told Radio Dabanga that in the event of adopting and signing of their memorandum, “the way will be paved for signing the roadmap, and then proceeding to negotiations on the outstanding issues, including the cessation of hostilities”.

Last Saturday, a unilateral ceasefire for four months announced by President Al Bashir went into effect; nearly two months after the announcement of a unilateral cessation of hostilities by the armed opposition.

Other highlights from Radio Dabanga:

Six released students remain dismissed from Khartoum University

June 21 – 2016 KHARTOUM The Sudanese security service has released six detained students of the University of Khartoum. Their families plan to file a petition against the university's dismissal from their studies…

Sudan summons Unamid head over 'misinformation' in Security Council

June 20 – 2016 KHARTOUM The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the head of the African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid) to enquire about the report on Darfur which was referred…

'Laws, impunity in Sudan foster sexual violence': international organisations

June 20 – 2016 KHARTOUM / KAMPALA On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, 24 international and Sudanese civil society organisations called on the Sudanese…

Attacks on North Darfur police station, security agent

June 17 – 2016 EL FASHER / EL SAREIF Two gunmen were killed and four policemen were wounded in an attack on a police station in El Sareif Beni Hussein locality in North Darfur on Thursday. A member of the Sudanese…

Ethiopian gangs 'seize farmland' in eastern Sudan

June 17 – 2016 EL GEDAREF Farmers near the Sudanese border with Ethiopia reported that attacks by armed Ethiopians and the seizing of their lands have resulted in the loss of large numbers of crops and problems on trade routes…

Water shortage in Darfur: Mother and daughter 'die of thirst'

June 17 – 2016 EL RADOOM / HABILA A pregnant woman and her 3-year-old daughter died of thirst in El Radoom locality in South Darfur, a representative of the area told the Sudanese Parliament this week. He reported…

Arrests as Sudanese police foil child smugglers

June 16 – 2016 KASSALA Police have arrested a gang in the eastern state of Kassala, and two people in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, after five minors were rescued from the clutches of a child-smuggling network. A tip-off…

Barrel bombs kill livestock, ruin farms in Sudan’s Blue Nile State

June 16 – 2016 BLUE NILE STATE A large number of livestock and substantial tracts of groundnut farms were destroyed in an air raid on Yaboos area in Sudan’s Blue Nile State on Monday. Ishraga of the office of humanitarian…

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