EUROPEAN UNION NEWS DIGEST
Musa Hilal’s take control of North Darfur’s Saraf Omra
(Radio Dabanga) Militiamen led by Musa Hilal have taken control of Saraf Omra town in North Darfur on Saturday. They have ravaged the town, as well as a number of villages west of Saraf Omra. Sources from Saraf Omra told Radio Dabanga on Sunday afternoon that they could not determine the number of dead and wounded because the situation did not allow them to leave their houses. Yet, they indicated that at least 30 people, most of them Gimr tribesmen, were killed and injured. “The militiamen plundered the market, many shops and houses in Saraf Omra, as well as dozens of villages west of the town,” the sources reported. An entire neighbourhood in the western part of Saraf Omra and seven villages west of the town were pillaged and burned. A resident of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, told Radio Dabanga that a number of wounded troops and civilians from Saraf Omra arrived at El Fasher airport on Sunday. They were transferred to the military hospital and the El Fasher Teaching Hospital for treatment. Representatives of Unamid warned that it is “difficult to deliver aid to the affected”, describing the situation in North Darfur as “very serious”.
Source: https://www.radiodabanga.org/
Jordan reportedly blocks visit by Sudanese president
(Sudan Tribune) The Sudanese presidency refused on Sunday to confirm or deny reports that a request made by president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to visit Jordan for medical checkup has been denied by authorities in Amman. According to these reports, Bashir made the request through the Jordanian embassy in Khartoum which referred the matter to its foreign ministry. The latter informed Khartoum later that it is unable to receive Bashir. Jordan is one of four Arab states along with Djibouti, ComorosIsland and Tunisia which are members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which issued two arrest warrants in 2009 & 2010 for Bashir on charges of war crimes and genocide allegedly committed in Darfur. The Sudanese president used to undergo regular medical examinations in Qatar and more recently in Saudi Arabia but an apparent strain in bilateral relations may have forced him to seek treatment elsewhere.
Source: http://www.sudantribune.com/
African Union-UN Mission Urges End to Hostilities After Outbreak of Violence in Region’s North
(All Africa) Deeply concerned by an outbreak of inter-communal violence in North Darfur, the African Union-United Nations Mission in the region called today for an end to the fighting, which has sent thousands fleeing for safety and left a number of people dead over the past few days. According to a news release from the Mission, known as UNAMID, thousands of displaced civilians from the town of Saraf Omra, located some 90 kilometres east of El Geneina, are currently seeking refuge near UNAMID’s base in the vicinity. UNAMID says that its patrols found the town looted and a local market destroyed. Just yesterday , the AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, wrapped up talks between the top AU official and leaders of two of the region’s main rebel movements, encouraging the parties to overcome their misgivings and press ahead towards a comprehensive political accord, for the benefit of not only strife-ridden Darfur, but also for wider Sudan.
Source: http://allafrica.com/
High-level meeting ‘to return order’ to North Darfur
The Sudanese Presidency has directed the security forces and the Sudan Armed Forces to carry out their duties, and demanded from the Ministry of Defence to return order in North Darfur. In a high-level meeting in El Fasher today it was decided to “take urgent humanitarian measures” in the areas affected by fighting in North Darfur, and reinforce the civil administration. An urgent high-level meeting was convened in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur attended by Second Vice-President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel Rahman, Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, the director of the National Security and Intelligence Services, Mohamed Atta El Mawla, and the Governor of North Darfur State, Osman Yusif Kibir.
Source: https://www.radiodabanga.org/
Sudan Accuses U.S of Double Stands On South Darfur Violence
(Sudan Tribune, All Africa) The Sudanese foreign ministry accused the international community of adopting double standards on the recent violence in South Darfur, saying some western governments remained mum on rebel attacks and their continued efforts to hamper efforts to achieve peace. The ministry was reacting to a statement released by the United States State Department on Saturday in which Washington strongly condemned attacks on civilians in South Darfur and called on the Sudanese government “to prevent further violence and to cease its own campaign of aerial bombardments”. The head of Darfur Regional Authority Tijani Al-Sissi said two days ago that the army did not play its role to repel attacks by rebel groups. He added that some uncontrolled elements took advantage of the intervention of the militia to attack villagers in the South Darfur areas. The Ministry further calls on “some Western governments and organizations that rushed to condemn the Sudanese government to show for once impartiality, objectivity and fairness, and to condemn these outrageous attacks, to take practical steps that would push these movements to accept peace (…),” read the statement.
Source: http://allafrica.com/