Part 1: Human Rights Watch Report
Excerpting from Human Rights Watch report: “’Men With No Mercy’: Rapid Support Forces Attacks Against Civilians in Darfur, Sudan,” Human Rights Watch | September 9, 2015, at:
http://sudanreeves.org/2015/09/13/darfur-radio-dabanga-news-digest-number-24-13-september-2015
Part 2: Dispatches from Radio Dabanga
[1] Violence representing a continuation of the militia activity chronicled by Human Rights Watch (Part 1)
• Four raped in Darfur’s Jebel Marra | September 4, 2015 | East Jebel Marra
• Two women raped near North Darfur’s Tabit | September 10, 2015 | Tabit
• Grandmother dies from shock as girl abused in North Darfur | September 12, 2015 | Kabkabiya
The rape of a schoolgirl near a camp for displaced people in Kabkabiya, North Darfur, caused her grandmother to go into a shock and die.
• North Darfur villages raided | September 2, 2015 | Tabit, North Darfur
• Farmer killed, two raped near Tabit in North Darfur | September 2, 2015 | Tabit, North Darfur
• Cattle owner dies in North Darfur Tawila robbery | September 2, 2015 | Tawila
• Border Guards raid villages in Kutum, North Darfur | September 8, 2015 | Kutum, North Darfur
• South Darfur murderers “belong to RSF“ | September 2, 2015 | Nyala, South Darfur
• SUDO: Twelve attacks on Darfur farms in August by militiamen | September 9, 2015 | Khartoum / London
[Another important source of reporting on violence in Darfur—ER]
• Darfur crime overview: raids in Nyala | August 31, 2015 | Nyala / Saraf Umra
[Radio Dabanga receives so many reports of violent crime that they have been obliged to provide “overviews”—ER]
• Darfur crime overview: road ambushes in North Darfur | September 9, 2015 | El Fasher Tawila
• Three gold workers killed in South Darfur | September 9, 2015 | El Radoom
• Nyala murder protesters block Darfur road | September 4, 2015 | Doma / Nyala
• Unknown gunmen kill two humanitarian worker in West Darfur | Sudan Tribune: September 11, 2015 | Khartoum
Since January 2015 there have been 131 security incidents in Darfur that have affected humanitarian workers and peacekeepers, including abductions, armed attacks, carjackings and crime.
• UN Sudan condemns fatal attack on aid workers in West Darfur | September 10, 2015 | Khartoum
• Singer knifed to death in North Darfur | September 6, 2015 | Nyala
• Darfur merchant abducted | September 6, 2015| Kabkabiya
• South Darfur police beat two accused to death | September 2, 2015 | Dimo / Nyala
• Student murdered for phone in South Darfur | September 2, 2015 | Doma
• Khartoum police stop awareness campaign on sexual child abuse | September 8, 2015 | Khartoum
[A revealing decision by the Khartoum authorities—ER]
• Darfur man held as hostage for brother | September 7, 2015 | Saraf Umra
• South Darfur to lift state of emergency in three months: Governor: Sudan Tribune: September 6, 2015 |Nyala
Governor of South Darfur State Adam al-Faki Mohamed has announced that the state of emergency that has been in place since August 2014 will be lifted in the next three months…
[The existence now of a “state of emergency” in South Darfur stands in direct contrast with Khartoum’s claims to the international community about security in Darfur—ER]
• Sudan’s RSF militia blocks highway in Khartoum for several hours | Sudan Tribune: September 5, 2015 | Khartoum
A group from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) affiliated with Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Saturday has blocked the main road linking Khartoum state to the Northern state for several hours and looted passengers’ property. Eyewitnesses told Sudan Tribune that RSF on Saturday morning blocked the highway near Al-Gaili oil refinery, 25 kilometres north of Khartoum, adding they forced the vehicles to stop and stole passengers’ property. The same eyewitnesses said that a police patrol unit passed by the incident’s scene but was unable to confront the RSF, stressing the heavily armed militiamen continued to disrupt the traffic for several hours without intervention from any government authority. They added that the angry RSF also attacked restaurants and shops near Al-Gaili area and embarked on looting their property and merchandise without being stopped by any party.
The Sudanese government didn’t comment on the incident.
[This is a truly extraordinary demonstration of power and reveals just how fully the Rapid Support Forces are supported by the National Intelligence and Security Services—ER]
• Sudan militia recruits block highway over pay delay | September 6, 2015 | Atbara
• “Sudan continued using cluster bombs in South Kordofan, Darfur this year” | September 3, 2015 | Geneva
• Movement of Sudanese refugees restricted in eastern Chad | September 11, 2015 | Touloum / Treguine
II. Humanitarian Conditions
• UN air service Sudan about to end over lack of funding | September 5, 2015 | Geneva
• “Children die of malnutrition in Darfur’s Jebel Marra: OCHA | September 3, 2015 | Khartoum / Niertetiti
• Sudan’s import restrictions on relief affect malnourished kids in Darfur | September 10, 2015 | Khartoum / Ed Daein
• West Darfur displaced die as they cannot afford health care | September 3, 2015 | Murnei
• West Darfur hospital faces staff shortage and more malaria cases | September 8, 2015 | El Geneina
• North Darfur farmers in need of equipment from Ministry | September 8, 2015 | Dar el Salam
• Doctors criticise South Darfur, DRA for “neglecting” health condition in camps | September 4, 2015 | Nyala, South Darfur
• “Sudanese doctors, unite against abuse”: Khartoum medic | September 1, 2015 | Khartoum
• Central Darfur hospital staff strikes for security | September 1, 2015 | Bindisi
• WFP in Sudan receives $86 million from USAID | September 10, 2015 | Khartoum
[UN OCHA estimates that the current shortfall in funding for UN and nongovernmental humanitarian organizations working in Sudan is approximately $600 million—ER]
III. The State of the Sudanese Economy
• Sudan says 2015 gold production reached 54 tonnes | September 10, 2015 | Khartoum
[There is simply no reason to credit this figure: it has no non-regime confirmation, even as the regime benefits significantly by suggesting that is has the ability to generate additional Forex. The regime has been caught out on a number of lies, misrepresentations, and self-contradictions on this score—ER]
• “Dissolving farmers’ unions eliminates Sudan’s El Gezira Scheme”: professor | September 9, 2015 | Wad Madani
[Further signs of the destruction of the agricultural sector under the NIF/NCP regime during the past 26 years—ER]
• Dutch government restricts export trucks to Sudan | September 9, 2015 | Amsterdam
• Sudan security donates SDG500,000 to University of Khartoum | August 31, 2015 | Khartoum
[It is revealing that in order to put a “happy face” on its brutal security services, Khartoum uses them as a conduit for contributions to universities and hospitals—ER]
• Two women injured in demonstrations over water shortages in Khartoum state | Sudan Tribune: September 9, 2015 | Khartoum
At least two women were injured Wednesday as police dispersed demonstrations in a residential neighbourhood in the Sudanese capital, triggered by water shortages.
[Water shortages have become endemic in Sudan, another sign of the regime’s misplaced economic priorities—ER]
• Sudan says controversial Russian mining company will soon begin producing gold | Sudan Tribune: September 10, 2015 | Khartoum
The Sudanese minister of minerals Ahmed Mohammed Sadiq al-Karuri said that the Russian company of Siberian has already begun working at the mining concessions and will soon produce gold. A controversial agreement was signed in late July with the little known company for mining concessions in the Red Sea and River Nile states. President Omer Hassan al-Bashir reportedly attended the signing ceremony, which was not made public.
Al-Karuri announced at the time that the company discovered 46,000 tonnes of gold reserves in these two sites with a combined market value of $1.70 trillion. On top of the mammoth figure, scepticism grew deeper after a Sudanese consultant working for the ministry out of Moscow named Mohamed Ahmed Saboon tendered his resignation because of the contract with the company which he described as “unknown”. Saboon also described the $1.70 trillion figure as “science fiction”. Even the ruling party vice chairman Ibrahim Hamid admitted that the gold reserves figures may have been inflated. “The figures put forward by the company about gold reserves may be 100% or 50% accurate…”
[The Khartoum regime has never considered accuracy in economic reporting an important consideration; propaganda value trumps all—ER]
IV. Political Developments
• Khartoum fights AU over venue national dialogue in media campaign | September 8, 2015 | Khartoum
• Sudan Revolutionary Front, opposition call on international community to support Sudan’s pre-dialogue meeting | September 10, 2015 | Paris
• Sudan’s Bashir rejects African Union Peace and Security Council call for dialogue preparatory meeting | Sudan Tribune: August 30, 2015 | Khartoum
Sudan’s president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has officially rejected the call of the African Union (AU) to hold a pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa, saying he wants the dialogue to be an exclusive Sudanese process.
[This is entirely consistent with a strategy of diplomatic “stall and control,” long in evidence—ER]
• Al Bashir’s stance on Sudanese dialogue “unacceptable”: Sudanese Congress Party head | September 7, 2015 | Khartoum
• Sudanese President cannot chair dialogue: Reform Now Movement | September 7, 2015 | Khartoum
• Sudanese president vows to “rip up” any UNSC resolution on national dialogue | Sudan Tribune: September 4, 2015 | Khartoum
The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has pledged to tear off any resolution by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) regarding the national dialogue.
[The UN seems unwilling to acknowledge the degree of contempt in which it is held by the Khartoum regime—ER]
• Sudan’s Al Bashir defies African Union meeting proposal | August 31, 2015 | Khartoum
[The African Union is just as obtuse as the UN—or just that much more cynical—ER]
• Zuma agrees to visit Sudan after meeting Al Bashir | September 3, 2015 | Beijing
[President Zuma of South Africa has revealed himself to but another African “big man,” corrupt and willing to do business with anyone, whether it be Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe or Omar al-Bashir of Sudan—ER]
• Alrakoba, family fear Saudi Arabia deports journalist to Sudan | September 4, 2015 | Khartoum / New York
[Saudi Arabia’s collusion in silencing an important journalist for one of the most important opposition news sources for Sudan is perhaps payback for Khartoum’s help in Yemen. The Saudis certainly have no respect for freedom of the press—ER]
• Sudanese editor detained in Saudi Arabia | September 2, 2015 | Khartoum
• “Seven women leave Sudan to join IS”: newspaper | September 10, 2015 | Khartoum
• Third group of Sudanese students join IS | August 31, 2015 | Khartoum
[We should never forget that the regime in Khartoum came to power by military coup (June 1989) as the “National Islamic Front—ER]
• Fresh batch of Sudanese college students fly to join ISIS: reports | September 1, 2015 | Khartoum
[As Radio Dabanga reported on June 29, 2015:
Top officials within the Sudanese government are involved in recruiting young fighters for the Islamic State, says the spokesman for the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ali El Sadig.
His daughter is among at least 18 students who left Sudan for Syria last week. Five of them are carrying a British passport, two are Canadians, and others hold the American nationality. El Sadig was accused of supporting recruitment for the Islamic State (IS), called “El Daesh” in Arabic, but he fiercely denies any involvement.
[V] Political Repression
• Sudan security detains four RNM members | September 4, 2015 | Khartoum
• Second attack on university by students, detentions in Omdurman | September 8, 2015 | Omdurman
• Eight students shot in Sudan’s Omdurman University | September 4, 2015 | Omdurman
• Sudanese Baath Party head held incommunicado | August 31, 2015 | Khartoum
• More Sudanese Baath Party members detained in Khartoum | September 3, 2015| Khartoum
• Protests end in fighting in Omdurman and Port Sudan | September 10, 2015 | Omdurman / Port Sudan