Humanitarian Crisis

Sudan is burning and foreign powers are benefiting – what’s in it for the UAE

By May Darwich, University of Birmingham The United Nations has accused foreign players of prolonging the war in Sudan, making it harder for the country to find peace. The fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces started in April 2023. It was sparked by two generals competing for power after a failed political transition. Since then, the conflict has taken on a regional […]

12 September, 2024

Africa

Sudan is the world’s worst modern war – what has happened and what it’ll take to rebuild

By Kagure Gacheche, The Conversation Sudan’s war has been raging since April 2023. The country was on a bumpy road to democracy after mass uprisings in 2019 ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir. This all came to a halt when troops from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force, attacked a military airstrip in the early hours of 15 April 2023. In the months since, fighting between the […]

2 September, 2024

Entertainment

Macklemore cancels Dubai show over Sudan conflict

US rapper Macklemore has canceled his October show in Dubai due to the UAE's alleged involvement in the conflict in Sudan. He told the BBC that people had for months been asking him to call off the concert in protest of its reported support for Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which are involved in the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan. This is not the first time the artist […]

27 August, 2024

Local

Chair Cardin Urges UN Secretary-General to Urgently Bolster Response to Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, calling on him to lead an immediate response to the spiraling humanitarian situation in Sudan. Chair Cardin stressed the need to redouble efforts to confront the humanitarian crisis, particularly in the wake of this month’s famine declaration. “The devastating famine in Sudan was both predictable and preventable. At a […]

22 August, 2024

Africa

Sudan peace talks begin without warring sides

Fresh peace talks to end Sudan's 16-month conflict have begun, but neither side has yet participated. The BBC reports that the US is leading the negotiations and remains committed to resolving the crisis despite the absence of the warring factions. The conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has resulted in thousands of deaths, displaced around 10 million people, and triggered a severe hunger crisis.

15 August, 2024

Africa

Migration organisation says urgent humanitarian aid is needed in the DRC

The director general of the International Organisation for Migration, Amy Pope, has warned that with record levels of internal displacement, acute food insecurity, and gender-based violence, urgent and concerted action is needed to stem the worsening humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Shanaé Harte from UN News reports.

12 August, 2024

Africa

World Food Programme can only secure 20% of drought aid for Southern Africa

The United Nations World Food Programme has secured only 20 percent in drought aid for Southern Africa. This is approximately N$ 1.5-billion of its almost eight-billion-target, to address the drought in seven affected countries. The region has been hit hard by the El Niño weather pattern and faces its worst drought in decades. Despite donor support, the WFP can only provide aid to 5.9 million of the 27 million people […]

7 August, 2024

Africa

Ethiopia landslide death toll rises to 257, could reach up to 500: UN

The death toll from a devastating landslide in southern Ethiopia has risen to 257, the United Nations said Thursday, warning it could increase to up to 500. The disaster occurred on Monday following heavy rains in a tiny community in a mountainous area of South Ethiopia regional state. The last toll, given by the local authority on Tuesday, was 229. "The death toll has risen to […]

25 July, 2024

Africa

How militia groups capture states and ruin countries: the case of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces

By Federico Manfredi Firmian, Sciences Po The rise of Sudan’s most notorious paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, shows how armed groups can infiltrate state institutions – often with disastrous results for society. Sudan’s central government created the Rapid Support Forces in 2013 as dictator Omar al-Bashir’s private protection detail. The group has now become a predator seeking to gain control of Sudan. Sudan’s war […]

18 July, 2024