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Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, on Sept. 26, 2024.
A milestone moment in Sudan’s civil war?
That said, the recapture of Khartoum would not end the war. It would solidify the Armed Forces’ control of the east of the country, but the RSF’s hold on the west remains strong, particularly if the army allows RSF forces to retreat unchallenged from the capital. But it’s also possible the army will try to inflict maximum destruction on RSF fighters, making the final battle for Khartoum exceptionally brutal, even by the standards of this bloody civil war.
According to the International Rescue Committee, Sudan “now represents the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world” and “the largest humanitarian crisis on record.” More than 30 million people, over half of Sudan’s population, need humanitarian help.FILE PHOTO: Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport before the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, in Beijing, China September 3, 2024.
US sanctions Sudanese leader
The United States on Thursday imposed financial sanctions on Sudan's army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The move came a week after Washington imposedsimilar sanctions on the leader of the rebel Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, whose militia has been warring with government forces for the past 18 months, ina conflict that has killed up to 150,000 people,displaced 11 million, and caused 26 million to go hungry.
Why sanction both sides? US officials said Thursday that the Sudanese army deployedchemical weapons against the RSF at least twice, and there are concerns they may use them in populated areas in the capital, Khartoum. They have also committed humanitarian violations and used starvation as a weapon of war.
As for the RSF, on Jan. 7, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the group ofperpetrating a genocide against the non-Arab Masalit people, killing boys and men and committing sexual violence against women and girls because of their ethnicity.
Washington doesn’t want to pick sides but to pressure them into a ceasefire. The RSF currently controlshalf of Sudan, including almost all of Darfur, Khartoum, and southern regions, and there are concerns thata partition of the country would lead to “state disintegration,” provoking an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
FILE PHOTO: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 19, 2024.
Turkey offers to mediate in Sudanese civil war
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Sudanese Armed Forces Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan on Friday offering to help resolve the country’s civil war by mediating negotiations with the rebels and their alleged backers, the United Arab Emirates. The offer comes just days after Erdoğan negotiated an agreement to avoid conflict between Ethiopia and Somalia over port access, as Turkey looms ever larger in the politics of the Horn of Africa.
An end to the fighting is desperately needed. Nearly 15 million Sudanese have fled their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration, one of the worst refugee crises in modern history. Aid organizations struggle to reach major population centers due to intense fighting, leading to widespread hunger and disease. And in the western region of Darfur, Rapid Support Forces are accused of carrying out genocidal violence and mass rape against Black ethnic groups like the Masalit and Fur.
US and Saudi-led negotiations produced a ceasefire in May of 2023, only for it to collapse within 24 hours. Since then, the violence has raged unchecked. SAF airstrikes have devastated the capital Khartoum, but they are unable to dislodge RSF infantry, allegedly supplied via UAE airlifts to neighboring Chad. Abu Dhabi denies any involvement.
Why is Turkey getting involved? For a shot at swaying the post-war order in its favor. Ankara and Abu Dhabi’s relations have been severely strained in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring, when they have found themselves backing opposing sides of crises in Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Qatar, as well as diplomatic normalization with Israel. Finding a mediated end to the war reduces the risk that the allegedly Emirati-backed RSF comes out on top.
Avoiding that outcome plays into Turkey’s broader strategy in northeast Africa, which it sees as a key source of future economic growth and political clout. Turkey spent the last decade actively encouraging investment and trade with Sudan and Ethiopia, and the military has provided major backing to Somalia in an effort to stabilize the strategically-placed country. A stable, Turkish-aligned Red Sea coast could present both a tempting market and a key check on regional rivals in the Middle East.People gather next to covered bodies, following shelling by the Rapid Support Forces, in Omdurman, Sudan, December 10, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Sudan world’s worst crisis, NYC shutters shelters, Haiti reels after massacre, FIFA awards Saudi the Cup
25: New York Citywill close 25 asylum shelters in two months, including one housing 2,000 people, as Mayor Eric Adams seeks to align the Big Apple’s immigration priorities with those of the incoming Trump administration. The closures, which will save NYC $2.3 billion, will see the number of asylum-seekers in city shelters drop to their lowest level in 17 months – a policy that’s being severely criticized by refugee advocates.
180: Over 180 people were massacred last weekend in Haiti's Cité Soleil after gang leader Micanor Altès blamed Voodoo adherents for the illness and death of his son. Micanor shot and killed at least 60 elderly individuals and, together with gang members, killed at least 50 more with machetes and knives, “who, in [Micanor’s] imagination, would be capable of casting a bad spell on his son,” according to local authorities. Haiti’s government has promised to hunt down the perpetrators of the massacre.
300: FIFA on Wednesday confirmed Saudi Arabia as the sole host for the 2034 World Cup, sparking accusations of “sportswashing.” Through its Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabiahas spent billions on international sports in recent years, including golf, boxing, esports, and Formula One. Critics argue FIFA is prioritizing financial and political goals over human rights, ignoring the fact that a record 300 people have been executed in the Kingdom this year.Displaced Sudanese women prepare tea at a Medecin Sans Frontiere hospital at Golo, west Darfur, in October.
Hard Numbers: Sudan death toll far worse than feared, Gazprom cuts off Austria, Pope suggests Israeli “genocide” in Gaza, Record-breaking fight night, History-making Hebridean shopping
242,000,000: Russia’s state-owned Gazprom is cutting off natural gas supplies to Austria. The move comes in response to Austrian oil company OMV’s announcement that it would stop paying for the gas to offset a $242 million arbitration award it won due to an earlier energy cut-off to its German subsidiary. Gazprom responded that it would halt gas delivery starting on Saturday. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer reassured citizens the country has enough gas reserves to last the winter.
70: Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed 70 people in northern Gaza early Sunday, and dozens more remained trapped in the rubble. This coincides with comments by Pope Francis suggesting that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza “has the characteristics of a genocide.” The comments were included in excerpts from an upcoming book published on Sunday.
60,000,000: If you tuned in for the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on Friday, you had lots of company. Netflix says a “record-breaking” 60 million households watched Iron Mike’s first fight in nearly 20 years. While Paul beat Tyson, neither boxer was knocked out, and they both made a killing: Paul is expected to have raked in around $40 million to Tyson’s $20 million.
2,039: History was made in Scotland’s Stornoway, the largest town in the Hebrides, on Sunday. Despite 2,039 of the town’s roughly 7,000 residents signing an online petition against a local Tesco store opening on Sundays – critics wanted to “keep Sunday special” and shopping-free – the United Kingdom's largest grocer opened its doors to “allow customers more flexibility.”
Refugee women stand in the Gorom refugee settlement during Foreign Minister Baerbock's visit.
UN accuses Sudan militia of mass rape
The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan has just issued a new report accusing the Rapid Support Forces militia of using sexual violence to control civilians in their territory. The report follows one of the deadliest single incidents of the 18-month-old civil war: On Friday, RSF troops killed at least 124 people, injured nearly 200, and detained scores in a village southeast of Khartoum.
Activists told CNN that the RSF deliberately targets communication links, especially Starlink devices, so the true casualty and arrest figures are likely “significantly higher.” The number of detentions is extremely worrying, as the UN’s report found that the RSF routinely forces detained and abducted girls and women into sexual slavery, with victims ranging in age from 8 to 75.
The report also documents the use of gang rape to punish civilians for perceived support for the Sudanese Armed Forces, the old regime, or human rights activism. Victims suffer not only from the violence and trauma but from broader social isolation as many are shunned by their family and peers — or even killed.
What led to the massacre? Last month, the SAF launched an offensive against RSF-held areas in the capital, Khartoum, and pushed into surrounding states including El-Gezira, where Friday’s massacre occurred. As the RSF has pulled back toward its core base in Darfur to the west, its fighters have retaliated against civilians. Omran Abdullah, a senior RSF spokesperson, told Al-Jazeera the victims were fighting for the SAF, however.
The UN is calling for an immediate cease-fire, urgent distribution of food and medicine, a peacekeeping force to protect civilians, and an international judicial process to bring some small measure of justice to victims. As intense and deeply disturbing as the violence has proven, we are not holding our breath for a strong response from the international community.
Palestinian baby Reem Abu Hayya, 8 months old, is being cared for by her grandmother in the family home in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis Palestinian baby Reem Abu Hayya, 8 months old, is being cared for by her grandmother in the family home in the town of Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 29, 2024.
Hard Numbers: US asks Israel to explain ‘horrifying’ airstrike, Deadly post-election violence in Mozambique, Washington Post hemorrhaging subscribers, Sudan civil war continues to fuel displacement
93: The US is asking Israel for answers regarding a Tuesday airstrike on a residential building in northern Gaza that left at least 93 Palestinians dead or missing. A State Department spokesperson described the strike as a “horrifying incident with a horrifying result."
11: Security forces in Mozambique killed at least 11 people last week amid protests sparked by a disputed presidential election, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday. The rights group called for an investigation into the “excessive use of force” against demonstrators in the southern African nation. Daniel Chapo, candidate of the ruling Frelimo party, was declared the winner but observers said the election was not free and fair.
250,000: The Washington Post reportedly lost over 250,000 subscribers in recent days in the face of backlash over owner Jeff Bezos’ decision to block the paper from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. This represents roughly 10% of the paper’s paid circulation.
14 million: Over 14 million people are displaced in Sudan, the head of the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday, with roughly 11 million internally displaced and over three million who have crossed borders. Sudan has been consumed by a brutal civil war since April 2023, which has fueled a devastating humanitarian crisis and seen waves of people flee their homes.Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom party, part of the hard-right coalition government.
Hard Numbers: The Netherlands nixes asylum-seekers, Sudan strife escalates, South Koreans agitate, Beijing condemns US-Taiwan arms deal, Bulgarians vote – again
51,000: The Dutch nationalist government on Friday approved tough new migration measures in Parliament, including enhanced border checks, an end to mandatory municipal settlement of asylum-seekers, and limits on family reunification. The policy comes after 51,000 asylum applications were made in the past 12 months and reflects shifts in Italy, Sweden, and other EU nations towards tighter migration controls.
124: An attack by the Rapid Support Forces on Friday killed at least 124 people in Al-Sareeha village in Sudan, with reports of over 200 injured and 150 detained. The attack marked the latest escalation in the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, which has displaced millions and triggered a severe humanitarian crisis.
230,000: South Korean Christians held a mass protest in Seoul on Sunday to oppose a court ruling granting same-sex partners spousal health benefits, fearing it paves the way for legalizing same-sex marriage. The protest disrupted traffic as organizers claimed over a million participants, while police estimated the crowd at 230,000.
2 billion: China on Saturday condemned a $2 billion US arms sale to Taiwan, the 17th of the Biden administration to the island, vowing “countermeasures” to defend its sovereignty. Beijing warns that the deal, which includes advanced air defense systems, “seriously damages China-US relations, and endangers peace and stability” in the strait.
7: Exit polls show Boyko Borisov's GERB party leading Bulgaria’s seventh election in three years, but forming a coalition could be difficult: The last election in June produced a hung Parliament. This time, the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party underperformed, while the Reformist PP-DB exceeded expectations. Final results are expected on Monday.