Musings From Abroad

Again, US expresses ‘deep concern’ over Sudan’s armed clashes

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2023

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has lent his voice again to the ongoing violence in Sudan. Blinken Monday revealed that there was a “shared deep concern” among allies about the clashes between the paramilitary forces and the army.

Blinken, while speaking on the sidelines of a Group of Seven Foreign Ministers meeting in Japan, also called for the fighting to end immediately and for the sides to return to talks.

He claimed that close consultations had been held on the fighting, including with partners in the Arab world and Africa, and with international organisations.

“There is a shared deep concern about the fighting, and violence that’s going on in Sudan. The threat that poses to civilians, that it poses to the Sudanese nation and potentially poses even to the region,” he said.

“And also a strongly held view, again, across all of our partners on the need for an immediate ceasefire and return to talks — talks that were very promising in putting Sudan on the path to a full transition to civilian-led government,” he added.

Recall that Blinken had days ago described Sudan’s crisis as “a fragile situation” and claimed, “there are other actors that may be pushing against that progress.”

ARMY HITS PARAMILITARY BASES

Meanwhile, the Sudanese army appeared to have gained the upper hand in the bloody power struggle against reports of air strikes on RSF bases.

Residents in the Kafouri area of Bahri, which has an RSF base across the Nile River from the capital Khartoum, reported hearing jets and artillery booms as night fell.

According to eyewitnesses quoted by Reuters, the army was resuming airstrikes against RSF bases in Omdurman, Khartoum’s sister city over the Nile, and the nearby Bahri neighborhoods of Kafouri and Sharg El-Nil, forcing RSF members to flee.

Local reports say at least 97 civilians had been killed and 365 injured since the fighting in Sudan started.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under the command of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the deputy leader of the council, and army troops loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s transitional governing Sovereign Council, began latest clashes on Saturday.

Related Topics:Anthony Blinken Featured Sudan US

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Musings From Abroad

Seeking to expand ties in Africa, Indonesia’s Prabowo attends D-8 economic meeting in Egypt

Published

18 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to the government, Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, travelled to Egypt on Tuesday to attend meetings of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, a group of eight significant Muslim developing nations.

To enhance collaboration between the nations spanning from Southeast Asia to Africa, the D-8 was formed in 1997 and consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey. Beginning in January 2026, Indonesia will serve as the group’s chair.

Prabowo said that he would meet with Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt.

“Egypt is our close friend, our strategic partner and an important country in the Middle East,” he said before his departure, adding he would also meet the Egyptian business community.

He would go to Malaysia from Egypt and then return to Indonesia.

Since taking office in October, Prabowo has stated that his administration will uphold Indonesia’s long-standing non-alignment foreign policy.

Since winning the presidency earlier this year, he has been to more than 20 nations, including China, the US, Japan, and Russia.

Musings From Abroad

UN warns Sudan rebels may be getting weapons in Chad from UAE cargo planes

Published

5 days ago

December 14, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Flight data and satellite photographs reveal that dozens of UAE cargo planes have landed at a small Chad airstrip since Sudan’s civil war began last year, which some U.N. experts and diplomats fear is being used to transport guns into the fight.

At least 86 UAE planes have landed at Amdjarass airfield in eastern Chad since the war started in April 2023.

According to flight data and business records examined by Reuters, three-quarters of them were operated by airlines accused by the U.N. of transporting Emirati weaponry to a Libyan warlord.

The UAE, a key Western partner in the Middle East, insists it sends Sudan aid through Chad, not armaments.

The UAE denied “credible” allegations that it was supplying Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, via the Chad airstrip in January.

Reuters uncovered footage from Amdjarass this year, revealing two pallets loaded with khaki containers, some labelled with the UAE flag, on the tarmac.

Reuters is obscuring the footage’s date and provenance for fear of reprisals.

Three weapons specialists, two of whom were U.N. inspectors, said the containers were unlikely to convey humanitarian material, generally bundled in cardboard boxes coated in plastic and stacked high on pallets due to its lightweight. The footage shows metal containers packed low on pallets.

One U.N. weapons inspector said the contents were “highly probably ammunition or weapons, based on the design and colour of boxes,” but requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.

He stated that right-hand pallet cases are long and slender, suggesting weaponry.

Reuters could not independently verify the containers’ contents. The filming date is being withheld to protect the source.

The UAE government told Reuters it has deployed 159 relief planes with more than 10,000 tonnes of food and medical assistance to feed its Amdjarass field hospital.

“We firmly reject the baseless and unfounded claims regarding the provision of arms and military equipment to any warring party since the beginning of the conflict,” the statement said.

To counter Islamist militants, the oil-rich Gulf kingdom has interfered in crises from Yemen to Libya since the Arab Spring protests of 2011. The UAE views Muslim Brotherhood and other groups as threats to internal stability.

In Sudan’s army, Islamists affiliated with deposed President Omar al-Bashir have long held power.

Senior RSF official Brigadier General Omar Hamdan rejected foreign help. He told Nairobi media on Nov. 18 that Sudanese firms made its guns and ammunition. The RSF declined to comment on this topic.