♦ 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 are not ‘collateral damage’ says SIHA Network
 
10/10/2023 – KHARTOUM / EL KALAKLA / BAHRI / OMDURMAN. The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network) issued a statement condemning the violence inflicted on women during Sudan’s war, demanding that perpetrators be held accountable for the “rampant sexual violence” spreading across the capital of Khartoum. The statement reported a high prevalence of sexual violence endured by women volunteers on the frontlines. 
 
This past week, one emergency room received over 10 cases of sexual violence in a single day. Yet, many are too scared to report or too young to comprehend what has been done to them. A 21-year-old survivor from El Kalakla said: “I am four months pregnant… I cannot even count how many times I have been raped”. The organisation highlighted the lack of safety in El Turki Hospital. South Khartoum, as the RSF controls this hospital and the risk of assault would thus be “extremely high.” 

‘I am four months pregnant… I cannot even count how many times I have been raped’

Sudanese refugees face dire conditions in Chad
 
11/10/2023 – ADRÉ CAMP, CHAD. More than 10,000 Sudanese refugee families who have fled violence in Darfur to Adré camp in eastern Chad are living in dire conditions and lack food, shelter, and healthcare. Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali El Sadig has called on the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to urgently respond to the humanitarian needs of refugees and displaced people.
 
Activist Ibrahim told Radio Dabanga that the arrival of many new families is increasing the size of the temporary camp whilst the lack of food and healthcare facilities persists. Authorities have not made any promises to move refugees to permanent camps and many of those who have been sent to permanent camps have not been allocated homes. With no basic services, they still live in the open.

Doctors: West Darfur’s El Geneina Teaching Hospital resumes services
16/10/2023 – EL GENEINA. El Geneina Teaching Hospital in West Darfur has resumed its operations, after a hiatus that lasted for months due to the war that has raged between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April.
 
Central Darfur displacement camp ‘encircled’ by SAF-RSF clashes
15/10/2023 – ZALINGEI. Activists report that the inhabitants of the Hasahisa camp in Central Darfur have been encircled by fighting between the SAF and the RSF for the last two weeks. The camp is “blocked from all directions, and there is no access to the surrounding roads”.
 
Tribal leaders in eastern Sudan agree to ease tensions
13/10/2023 – KASSALA. Beja nazirs and tribal, religious and political leaders in eastern Sudan agreed on Wednesday to solve recent disputes in Kassala, renounce hate speech and hold an ‘inclusive conference’ for the region.
 
Sudan-Iran reconciliation raises concerns
12/10/2023 – KHARTOUM / TEHERAN. Sudan’s foreign ministry announced it renewed diplomatic relations with Iran. In an exclusive interview with Radio Dabanga, Sudanese professor Salah El Douma warns that this move reflects “El Burhan’s pursuit of resources and weaponry”.
 
Rising death toll in Sudan capital as El Nau Hospital ‘hit by shell’
11/10/2023 – OMDURMAN. Intense confrontations continued this week between the SAF and RSF in the Sudan capital Khartoum and its sister cities Omdurman and Khartoum North. El Nau Hospital in Omdurman, one of the only remaining functional hospitals in the region, was hit by a shell.
 
Health Minister: Vaccines for children delivered to 10 localities in North Darfur
11/10/2023 – EL FASHER. Consignments of vaccines against childhood diseases have been delivered to 10 of the 18 localities in North Darfur, in spite of logistical challenges caused by the war.
 
‘19 million children in Sudan are out of school’ says UNICEF
10/10/2023 – PORT SUDAN / KASSALA. An estimated 19 million children are out of school as the war continues in Sudan, UNICEF said. As more than 5.5 million children in areas less affected by war wait, local authorities have not confirmed whether public classrooms can reopen.
 
OCHA: Over $2 billion needed to protect Sudanese from war
10/10/2023 – GENEVA. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, aid organisations need USD 2.6 billion to assist and protect Sudanese until the end of 2023.
 
RSF shelling of SAF command in Sudan capital resumes
09/10/2023 – KHARTOUM / JEBEL AWLIYA. Plumes of smoke rose above the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Sunday, after the paramilitary RSF resumed shelling of the SAF General Command. More than 190 people have reportedly been killed in bombardments south of Khartoum.
 
Darfur relief convoys brave perils amid ongoing conflict
08/10/2023 – NYALA / EL FASHER / KOSTI / EL KUMA. Nyala, South Darfur’s capital, prepares for a significant relief convoy due early next week offering the much-needed aid to beleaguered civilians.
 
UN humanitarian coordinator: ‘population of Sudan is balancing on a knife’s edge’
06/10/2023 – GENEVA. UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami said that Sudan has become the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis. UN aid organisations have so far reached 3.6 million of the 18 million people in urgent need of assistance.