Relief workers struggle after Darfur unrest, Oxfam says
(Global Post) The largest displacement in years in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region has left homes destroyed, crops burned and relief workers struggling to meet needs, the global aid agency Oxfam said on Thursday. Tens of thousands of people who fled fighting last month in the Jebel Amir district of North Darfur state face a severe shortage of clean water and sanitation services, Oxfam said in a statement. About 100,000 people were displaced across a wide area of Jebel Amir after inter-Arab tribal fighting in a gold-mining area. El Fateh Osman, the agency’s Sudan country director, said there were fears of more displacement but “we are already struggling to meet the needs of those who have already been forced to flee their homes”. Oxfam also warned of possible food shortages.
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SAF: S. Sudan Has Infiltrated Sudan
(Sudan Vision) Security authorities have monitored the movement of negative and destructive troops who sneaked into South Darfur from South Sudan via the Central African Republic, says Col. Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, the spokesperson of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). Competent authorities are aware of the location and intention of these troops, and the security authorities in South Darfur have been instructed to deal decisively with these destructive troops to finish them off, Al-Sawarmi told SUNA. Regarding South Sudan’s military buildup along the border with Sudan, Al-Sawarmi said, “We have not monitored any threat to our security in Heglig and other areas apart from some movements in the area of Faryanq in UnityState (South Sudan).” He said SAF is closely monitoring the situation along the border, and South Sudan has neither the capacity nor the interest to wage war on Sudan.
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South Sudan Urges UN and IGAD to Stop Khartoum Over Territorial Incursion
(All Africa) The government of the Republic of South Sudan has warned that Khartoum be advised against violating South Sudan airspace after it was confirmed that Sudan Air Force has been dropping ammunitions to militia led by Yauyau inside Pibor County of Jonglei state. Speaking to journalists at a news conference in Juba yesterday, the Deputy Defence minister, Dr. Majak D’Agot called on United Nations and Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) to stop Khartoum from invading the territory of South Sudan. On his part, the minister for Information and Broadcasting who is also the officiasl government spokesperson, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin condemned the warlike attitude of Sudan saying it will not lead to progress in the two countries. He urged UNMISS to help monitor the movement of rebels and report to the government to help keep peace between communities.
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Sudan: Darfur Activist Placed On Death Row
(Sudan Tribune) An activist from Sudan’s western Darfur region is it at imminent risk of execution, according to human rights group Amnesty International, after he was informed on December 31 2012 that his ten year sentence had been revised to the death penalty. Bakri Moussa Mohammed, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in January 11, 2010 for allegedly taking part in a murder by an appeal court in South Darfur. Before his arrest Mohammed had “been involved in protests against the repression of displaced people by the security services in South Darfur” Amnesty said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that his “family believe he was arrested and sentenced in retaliation for his activism”. The activist is currently being detained at Khartoum’s Kober prison.
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New Measures Taken to Organize Aid Work
(Sudan Vision) The Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Suleiman Abdel Rahman has issued a host of measures to organize the work of international NGOs in Sudan as part of the government plan to facilitate their task and provide them with protection. The Commissioner affirmed HAC keenness to engage the organizations through the mechanisms approved by the state. At a meeting yesterday with country directors, the commissioner underlined the importance of partnership between international and national NGOs to boost humanitarian work.
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Sudan wants to buy five Antonovs from Ukraine
(Reuters) Sudan is in talks with Ukraine to buy five Antonov planes, its transport minister said on Wednesday, seeking to work around U.S. trade sanctions that have devastated its air fleet. Sudan Airways, one of Africa’s oldest airlines and which used to fly across the continent and as far away as London and Frankfurt, is a shadow of its former self. To end the daily struggle to find a maintenance firm willing to ignore the embargo and sell Airbus and Boeing spare parts for a hefty premium, Sudan Airways wants to use Ukrainian-made Antonovs in the future. The Sudanese army and the government’s fleet operation have Antonovs, several of which have been involved in recent crashes.
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