Sudan conflict: UN aid convoy attacked in el-Koma as it waits to go to North Darfur
United Nations trucks carrying aid for the war-torn Sudanese region of North Darfur have been attacked, with initial reports of "multiple casualties", a spokesperson for the organisation has said.The Sudanese government said "guards, drivers and civilians" had been killed in the assault, which it blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group fighting the army in a gruelling civil war.However, the RSF blamed the army for the assault, which took place in the town of el-Koma on Monday night.The UN has not said who was responsible, but explained that the convoy was attacked while waiting to leave for el-Fasher, a beseiged city where famine conditions have been reported.
El-Fasher is the last major location in North Darfur under army control. Civilians and military personnel there have been under attack by the RSF for over a year.Four members of the UN convoy travelling to el-Fasher were killed on Monday night and two more were injured, RSF spokesperson Basha Tabiq said in a post on X.The el-Koma Emergency Room, a group of local volunteer responders, posted a video of a burnt out truck, loaded with sacks of supplies, on Facebook. They blamed the attack on "Sudanese army drones".El-Koma, which is controlled by the RSF, has previously been the target of frequent attacks in the conflict between the paramilitary group and the army. Assaults on the city have resulted in civilian deaths and damaged key infrastructure.The el-Koma Emergency Room said at least 89 people were killed or injured after Sudanese army warplanes launched airstrikes in the town on Sunday. The army has not responded to this accusation.According to the Sudan Tribune news website, the planes struck a busy market in el-Koma.The war, which began more than two years ago, has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.On Tuesday Eujin Byun, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, said more than four million people have fled since the beginning of the conflict.The civil war broke out in 2023 following a vicious struggle for power between the army and the RSF. The two had jointly staged a coup to derail Sudan's transition to democracy, before their commanders fell out.
More BBC stories on the war in Sudan:
A simple guide to what is happening in SudanThe mother and children trapped between two conflictsA front-row seat to my country falling apart
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
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Belfast Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
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It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold,' said Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac. Mr Trump wrote that Afghanistan 'lacks a competent or co-operative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures'. He also cited its visa overstay rates. Haiti, which avoided the travel ban during Mr Trump's first term, was also included for high overstay rates and large numbers who came to the US illegally. Haitians continue to flee poverty, hunger and political instability deepens while police and a UN-backed mission fight a surge in gang violence, with armed men controlling at least 85% of its capital, Port-au-Prince. 'Haiti lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States,' Mr Trump wrote. 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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
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We were filming near one of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) observation posts, close to the town of al-Rafeed, when an official from the UN told us that the Israeli side had inquired about our identity and had been informed that we were a BBC next drove north towards Quneitra city, which has been located inside the buffer zone since a 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel, which captured the Golan during the 1967 Middle East 200m (660ft) away from the city, an unguarded checkpoint blocked the road. To the side of the checkpoint we spotted Merkava tanks, one of which was flying an Israeli a nearby tower, two Israeli soldiers were watching us - one of them through binoculars - and my colleague held his BBC ID up for them to BBC has complained to the Israeli military about what happened next to my team, but it has not yet received a response. 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North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump announces travel ban and restrictions on 19 countries
The ban takes effect Monday at 12.01am, a cushion that may avoid the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. Mr Trump, who signalled plans for a new ban upon taking office in January, appears to be on firmer ground this time after the Supreme Court sided with him. Some, but not all, of 12 countries also appeared on the list of banned countries in Mr Trump's first term. The new ban includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. In a video released on social media, Mr Trump tied the new ban to Sunday's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. 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It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold,' said Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac. Mr Trump wrote that Afghanistan 'lacks a competent or co-operative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures'. He also cited its visa overstay rates. Haiti, which avoided the travel ban during Mr Trump's first term, was also included for high overstay rates and large numbers who came to the US illegally. Haitians continue to flee poverty, hunger and political instability deepens while police and a UN-backed mission fight a surge in gang violence, with armed men controlling at least 85% of its capital, Port-au-Prince. 'Haiti lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States,' Mr Trump wrote. The Iranian government offered no immediate reaction to being included. The Trump administration called it a 'state sponsor of terrorism', barring visitors except for those already holding visas or coming into the US on special visas America issues for minorities facing persecution. Other Middle East nations on the list – Libya, Sudan and Yemen – all face ongoing civil strife and territory overseen by opposing factions. Sudan has an active war, while Yemen's war is largely stalemated and Libyan forces remain armed. International aid groups and refugee resettlement organisations roundly condemned the new ban. 'This policy is not about national security – it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America. 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The ban affected various categories of travellers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Mr Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House.
