♦ This week’s news in brief ♦

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

♦ More than 20,000 from Jebel Marra shelter at Unamid base

9 February – 2016 KABKABIYA / JEBEL MARRA The number of civilians seeking refuge from the ongoing fighting in Jebel Marra at a Unamid team site in North Darfur has more than doubled during the past two weeks, the peacekeeping mission reported on Monday. The total number of displaced people currently exceeds the number of displaced by last year's military offensive.

As of Saturday, almost 24,000 displaced people sought refuge from the air raids and attacks in the vicinity of the Sortoni base in Kabkabiya locality, on the outskirts of the Jebel Marra Massif. The African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (Unamid) reported that they include 14,403 children. Besides the Sortoni team site, the mission holds a base in Tawila, where 14,034 displaced people haven take shelter as of last weekend.

A humanitarian convoy departed from El Fasher to Sortoni on Saturday to deliver food, non-food items, and emergency shelters.

Almost 45,000 people have been displaced since the government's large-scale offensive against the armed rebels of Abdel Wahid (SLM-AW) started on 15 January, the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA) reported. Last year's heavy 'dry season offensive' in Jebel Marra displaced approximately 41,000 in more than one month.

Ongoing air raids with barrel bombs (barrels filled with explosives and shrapnel, highly inaccurate) and ground attacks have killed and wounded an unknown number of civilians. The Sudanese army announced to have regained control of Jebel Marra on Monday. That morning, nine barrel bombs dropped on a village 15 km east of Golo and killed a mother and her son, along with wounding 15 villagers. “Most of the villagers had fled, but returned last weekend, as the attacks seemed to have stopped,” a source said.

Meanwhile displaced people from three camps in Central Darfur State staged a peaceful demonstration on Friday [photo], condemning the aerial bombardments and shelling by government forces on areas and villages in Jebel Marra.

♦ Sudanese complain about soaring gas, bread prices

9 February – 2016 DARFUR / KADUGLI / SENNAR The soaring prices for basic commodities since the Sudanese government announced the rise of gas prices have caused many people to struggle to obtain food. They also complain about sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities and transportation, because of the expensive fuel.
On 25 January, the Sudanese government announced a threefold increase in the price of cooking gas, raising it to SDG75 ($12.25).

A resident of Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, informed Radio Dabanga about the bread shortage on Monday. “For three days in a row, people stand in long queues to buy bread, but the bakeries sell out long before reaching the end of the line.”

In Nyala, South Darfur, people complained about the deterioration of their daily lives because of the price rises of basic goods. A LPG gas cylinder amounted to SDG150 ($24). A housewife in the city told Radio Dabanga on Monday that the daily expenditure for an average family is about $16.

Radio Dabanga reported on Sunday that schools in Sennar, eastern Sudan, sent children home earlier because they were too hungry, and that most bakeries were forced to close.

Similar reports have come in from El Gezira, El Gedaref, Kassala, Red Sea, Northern, River Nile, and White Nile states. There is either a shortage in flour, bread, or cooking gas, or multiple prevail at once. At many places people queued in front of bakeries that were still open.

The Sudanese Bakers' Union said in a press statement on 25 January that the bakeries' rations decreased from 10 to 12 sacks a day to four sacks. Sudan's flour crisis has been attributed to the scarcity of foreign currency needed for the import of wheat. The Sudanese pound hit a record low against foreign currencies as the price of 1 US Dollar has amounted to SDG12 in the black market transactions.

Other highlights from Dabanga Sudan:

Al Bashir receives Sudan Dialogue recommendations

February 9 – 2016 KHARTOUM President Omar Al Bashir said that the National Dialogue's societal committees, that kicked off their meetings on 10 October last year, have developed solutions for all problems in Sudan…

Five shot dead in Darfur states

February 8 – 2016 TUR / TAWILA / FORO BARANGA / EL FASHER Two people were shot dead by militiamen in Central Darfur's Tur on Saturday. On Sunday, a villager was killed in Tawila locality in North Darfur. Two others…

Rabak: 'Largest power station in Sudan, empty hospital'

February 7 – 2016 RABAK President Al Bashir opened the largest thermal power station in Sudan near Rabak, capital of White Nile state, on Thursday. TheRabak Teaching Hospital is reportedly devoid of medical staff…

UN expert urges protection of Darfuris in Jebel Marra

February 5 – 2016 GENEVA The United Nations Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, called for an immediate end to the hostilities in Jebel Marra that have triggered new protection…

Displaced stage demo against war, referendum in Central Darfur

February 5 – 2016 ZALINGEI Displaced people from three camps in Central Darfur State staged a peaceful demonstration on Friday, condemning the aerial bombardments and shelling by government forces…

Children starve high in Darfur's Jebel Marra

February 5 – 2016 JEBEL MARRA / NIERTETI / TUR Eleven children reportedly died of malnutrition while taking shelter in one of the highest peaks in Jebel Marra, at the end of January. Three women died at childbirth…

Sudan security detains 17 women in Khartoum

February 4 – 2016 KHARTOUM NORTH Officers of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) detained 15 members of the Sudan Women’s Solidarity Movement (SWSM), as well as two others, who took to the streets in Khartoum…

Sudanese journalists condemn press curbs

February 4 – 2016 KHARTOUM The Sudanese Journalists Network (SJN) strongly condemns the continued monitoring of journalists by the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS)…

This digest is an excerpt from the weekly Darfur & Sudan News Update. Subscribe to the newsletter here