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Sudan Nashra: Hundreds killed in RSF onslaught on North Kordofan villages, military deploys reinforcements to Bara

Sudan Nashra: Hundreds killed in RSF onslaught on North Kordofan villages, military deploys reinforcements to Bara

Mada18-07-2025
In one of the deadliest waves of violence against civilians in the state, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed hundreds of people last week in villages surrounding the city of Bara in North Kordofan, amid a communications blackout that the Sudan Doctors Network described as deliberate.
The scenes were 'horrific,' the network's spokesperson, Ahmed al-Nour Raqmallah, told Mada Masr, warning that the death toll could rise due to the collapse of medical services in the area.
At the front lines, fierce fighting erupted in Um Samima, also in North Kordofan, where several senior military officers and commanders from military-allied groups were killed on Sunday. The RSF briefly captured parts of the town before the military retook control. The paramilitary group's advance had threatened to tighten its siege on Obeid, the state's capital, from three directions. A field source anticipated heavy fighting in the area over the coming days.
On the political front, Prime Minister Kamel Idris continued to move forward with cabinet appointments, naming five new ministers this week — three of whom were nominated by armed groups signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement. Ahmed al-Mansoury was also appointed minister of livestock and fisheries resources. The newly appointed official is a businessman whose ties with the United Arab Emirates have raised concern about a potential conflict of interest in a critical sector as political tensions between Khartoum and Abu Dhabi grow over the UAE's backing of the RSF.
The pro-military Democratic Bloc likewise rejected any Emirati involvement in peace efforts in their first meeting for a year, voicing support for mediation led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
The statement followed Washington's move to revive the initiative to bring the three countries together with the UAE to address the conflict in Sudan. A Saudi diplomatic delegation also held meetings with Sudanese officials in Port Sudan last week in a bid to restart peace talks, though a source in the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) downplayed the talks, describing them as routine.
Meanwhile, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-Revolutionary Democratic Current, led by Yasir Arman, submitted a reform memo to the anti-war Sumud alliance on Tuesday, urging it to prioritize civilian protection over political maneuvering.
Civilians continued to bear the brunt of RSF violence in North Darfur, where indiscriminate shelling on Fasher and its nearby displacement camp killed more than a dozen people. The military repelled a major RSF ground assault on the city of Fasher on Wednesday following hours of clashes.
***
Military holds ground in Um Samima after RSF attack, Sudan Shield Forces reinforcements deploy to Kordofan
Fierce fighting broke out on Sunday in the town of Um Samima, west of North Kordofan's capital, Obeid, with control of the area briefly switching between the military and the RSF before the military regained full control and pushed RSF units back.
The RSF has been battling to retain control of North Kordofan for weeks, fighting with foreign mercenaries in its ranks and seeking to stave off an offensive the military launched in early June.
Several senior officers from the military and commanders from allied armed groups were killed in the clashes.
RSF fighters infiltrated Um Samima in the early hours of Sunday and launched a surprise attack on military defenses, initially seizing parts of the town, an official in Obeid told Mada Masr.
But the military regrouped for a counterattack, the official said. A military source also told Mada Masr that the military had deliberately drawn RSF fighters into Um Samima before the joint force of allied armed movements launched a flanking maneuver, laying a series of ambushes that led to the RSF's defeat. The military pursued the retreating fighters westward to the outskirts of Khawi in West Kordofan, the source added.
Following its brief advance, the RSF issued a statement claiming full control over Um Samima. Spokesperson Fateh Gureishy described the operation as part of the group's broader military strategy to expand its presence in the area. The statement said RSF fighters killed more than 470 soldiers and seized a large cache of weapons and equipment.
Several commanders in the military's camp were confirmed to have been killed. The military-allied Justice and Equality Movement announced the death of its Kordofan front commander Taher Arga, while the Baraa bin Malik Brigade confirmed the death of its field commander Hesham Beiram. According to the military source, other senior officers were killed, including a commander in the military's elite brigade and a colonel from the Fifth Infantry Division.
But military troops recaptured the town within hours, as declared by Darfur Governor and Sudan Liberation Movement leader Minni Arko Minnawi, who is fighting in the joint force.
The joint force later stated that they had killed over 300 RSF fighters, captured more than 25 others, and seized 102 RSF vehicles and 11 anti-aircraft guns. They also posted video footage showing close-range combat and RSF fighters fleeing on foot after abandoning their vehicles.
Um Samima, which the military recaptured on May 11, has become a strategic stronghold in the western battleground. The town now serves as a key launchpad for military operations into West Kordofan and acts as a forward defensive line, protecting Obeid.
According to the military source, the RSF sought to seize Um Samima to complete a three-pronged siege of Obeid. The group had already consolidated its presence in Bara to the north and last week expanded its control over the Kazgil area to the south. But following its latest defeat, the source said, the RSF may be forced to scale back its objectives and focus instead on defending Khawi and preventing a renewed military offensive.
On Thursday, the military called up large reinforcements from its allied Sudan Shield Forces to the Kordofan front lines, a field source in the group told Mada Masr, anticipating that the Bara axis and nearby areas will see heavy battles in the coming days.
Another military source told Mada Masr that after reclaiming Omdurman and Khartoum, the military relocated its western operations command, led by Khaled al-Shami, to Obeid to manage the wider western front.
***
Hundreds killed in spike in RSF attacks on North Kordofan's villages
Hundreds of civilians have been killed over the past two weeks in a series of RSF raids on villages across Kordofan, marking one of the deadliest escalations in the central region that has seen weeks of clashes.
Forty-six civilians were killed in the Hilla Hamid village alone in an RSF attack on the Um Gerfa locality on July 13, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.
'The scene was horrific,' the network's spokesperson, Ahmed al-Nour Raqmallah, told Mada Masr. With most health centers out of service, he warned that the death toll could rise further due to the lack of medical care. The doctors network said 37 people were injured in the same attack.
North Kordofan's Bara area has seen the worst of the spike in violence, with at least 300 people killed in the locality between July 10 and 13, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday. The attacks came amid a communication blackout, which has made it difficult to verify the full extent of the casualties.
Violence against civilians in the region has increased steadily over recent weeks. But a sharp escalation began on July 10, a former administrative officer from the area told Mada Masr.
RSF fighters looted the Nabda area west of Bara, the officer said, while villagers attempted to fend off the assailants using light arms, inflicting losses on the RSF.
However, the RSF fighters regrouped and retaliated over the following days with heavily armed combat vehicles, killing scores of civilians, the source said, and forcing widespread displacement in villages surrounding Bara.
The RSF attacked more than 100 villages in North Kordofan over the past two weeks, according to a local source from the Shag al-Noum village — which the former officer said has been burned to the ground in the latest attack. The local source compared the wave of assaults to that the paramilitary group carried out late last year in Gezira State.
The Sudan Doctors Network said that the continued RSF assaults in North Kordofan are taking place under a deliberate media blackout, exacerbating civilian suffering and triggering new waves of displacement toward Obeid, a city already overwhelmed by overcrowding and severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies.
'The steady influx of newly displaced families is putting additional strain on already overstretched resources,' OCHA said.
While the doctors network urged human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene immediately, document the violations and press for an end to the attacks, the UN agency renewed its appeal for urgent humanitarian funding, noting that only 23 percent of Sudan's response plan has been financed to date, receiving just $950 million out of the total required amount.
North Kordofan has seen a steady escalation in violence in recent months as it became a major battleground between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces following the military's full capture of Khartoum.
The violence has also spread to neighboring West Kordofan, where more than 20 people were killed last week in RSF raids on the villages of Fula and Abu Zabad, including victims of an airstrike on a school sheltering displaced families, OCHA said.
The build-up of RSF operations against civilians in Kordofan began weeks ago, on June 15, with a raid on the villages of Bereima Rashid and Shogeifat, north of Nuhud in West Kordofan. RSF fighters looted homes, stole money and phones, and abducted three people whose whereabouts remain unknown, a source in the Dar Hamid emergency room told Mada Masr.
On the same day, another RSF unit stormed the village of Shuwal, west of Bara, killing four civilians, a source in the village said.
The RSF resumed its raids on June 25, targeting the village of Sunut, northeast of Obeid. The fighters looted homes and terrorized residents, forcing them to flee, a security source in North Kordofan's emergency committee told Mada Masr. That same day, an RSF unit raided the villages of Alhaguna and Lameina in the Kazgil locality, killing 22 civilians and injuring five, two of whom later died of their wounds, according to the source.
***
Sources note concerns around new Cabinet appointees: Mining minister's conflict of interest, livestock minister's UAE ties
New faces were selected to head the ministries of mining and livestock and fisheries as Prime Minister Kamil Idris moved forward with Cabinet appointments this week, naming five new ministers, including three that were nominated by armed groups signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement.
Idris has undertaken a series of appointments in recent weeks as his initial vision for a technocratic, non-partisan cabinet effectively unraveled last week in a meeting with TSC members, held after weeks of pressure to secure the armed groups' allocations under the Juba peace deal. The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of their entitlements, thawing a stalemate that had been in place since Idris took office in late May.
Following five days of consultations at his office in Port Sudan's ministerial complex, Idris issued the new appointments on Tuesday, a member of the selection committee told Mada Masr.
The Minerals Ministry went to the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Minni Arko Minawi, with the appointment of Nour Addaem Taha, the movement's assistant leader for media affairs. Minnawi personally backed Taha's nomination, the leader's office told Mada Masr, adding that he has full confidence in him.
In light of Taha's ties to the mining sector, however, his appointment stirred controversy within the movement. Taha holds a senior role at a mining company managed by his family, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest, a former official at the Minerals Ministry told Mada Masr. Other currents that support former minister Mohamed Bashir Abu Namo, also an SLM (Minnawi) member, also objected to Taha's nomination.
Taha also faced public criticism from certain political groups over his views on Israel. Sudan formulated a deal with Tel Aviv to normalize relations in 2023, but its completion was postponed indefinitely by the outbreak of Sudan's war. The Sudanese Against Normalization group's general secretary, Muzafar al-Dageel, told Mada Masr that Taha's two-year residence in Tel Aviv casts doubt on his political orientation.
The Human Resources and Social Development portfolio went to the political secretary of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Moatasem Ahmed, a prominent political figure within JEM who played a key role in the negotiations and implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020.
The ministerial post is the second for JEM, following the reinstatement of its leader Gibril Ibrahim as Finance Minister, last week.
The Infrastructure and Transportation Ministry went to Seif al-Nasr al-Tigany Haroun Gaber of the Sudanese Liberation Forces Alliance, led by TSC member Abdallah Yahya.
Idris also appointed Ahmed al-Mansoury as livestock and fisheries minister. Mansoury maintains extensive business ties with Emirati firms, particularly in the food and livestock sectors, according to a source in Sudan's Chambers of Commerce.
Mansoury established Al-Rawabi Dairy and Livestock Company in the UAE in 1989 and is regarded as an experienced figure in managing agricultural and livestock projects internationally.
But his connections to the Emirati market have raised concerns in some political circles. Such affiliations, a former official at the Livestock Ministry told Mada Masr, could compromise the independence of decision-making in this vital sector.
Tensions between Sudan and the UAE have mounted steadily during the war due to Emirati backing for the RSF. Yet despite the political strain, commercial ties between the two countries remain largely unaffected, a source in the Central Bank of Sudan said, with Sudanese imports from the UAE standing at around US$1.3 billion.
Idris also reinstated former Information Minister Khaled al-Easar, a close associate of the prime minister.
With these appointments, Idris's 'government of hope' now includes 15 ministers out of a total of 22 positions.
The key Foreign Ministry portfolio remains unresolved. A senior official at the ministry told Mada Masr that the prime minister is still struggling to settle on a candidate. In the meantime, Ambassador Ali Omar Siddig is expected to continue to serve as acting minister until a consensus is reached on a replacement.
***
Military repels RSF attack on Fasher, shelling kills over a dozen civilians
Military forces celebrate after repelling RSF attack on Fasher. July 16. Source: X
Military-allied armed groups celebrate victory over RSF in Fasher. July 16. Source: X
In North Darfur's Fasher, the military and its allied forces repelled a new ground assault by the RSF on Wednesday amid ongoing shelling by the paramilitary group on the city and nearby displacement camps.
The RSF attempted to advance on Fasher from the southwest before the assault was pushed back by the military, the joint force, resistance groups and mobilized civilian fighters, a field source in the joint force told Mada Masr.
The fighting stretched from dawn until 6 pm and resulted in the death of RSF commander Adam Eissa al-Geneidy, according to Fasher's Sixth Infantry Division.
Artillery exchanges between the two sides continued throughout the week, the joint force source added.
Amid the shelling that accompanied the RSF's attempted advance, four members of the same family were killed and others were injured in strikes that hit the Wadi neighborhood, a medical source in Fasher told Mada Masr.
On the same day, RSF artillery also struck the Abu Shouk displacement camp, killing eight people and injuring several, according to the camp's emergency room. The shelling also destroyed a number of homes in the camp.
The UN has expressed alarm over the escalating fighting in Fasher following reports that a large RSF unit had entered the city last week — the first such incursion since the paramilitary group began its siege a year ago. Fasher is one of the military's last strongholds in the Darfur region.
***
Arman's SPLM faction calls for reforms within Sumud alliance
Urging a fundamental shift toward the needs of war victims and Sudan's deepening humanitarian catastrophe, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-Revolutionary Democratic Current, led by Yasir Arman, submitted an internal reform memo to the Sumud alliance on Tuesday.
The group announced that it had frozen its participation in Sumud's executive bodies.
Sumud member Mohamed Abdel Hakam told Mada Masr that the alliance remains united despite internal debates, saying the discussions and the SPLM-RDC's memo — currently under review — includes constructive proposals aimed at improving performance.
He dismissed reports that Arman's faction suspended its participation in the alliance, saying the group remains a core member.
Sumud was formed after the February dissolution of the Civil Front for Democracy, headed by former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, just days before key members aligned with the RSF and signed the Nairobi declaration — a deal that later evolved into the RSF-led Tasees coalition.
Now, Sumud, which continues to be led by Hamdok, includes Arman's SPLM faction, a National Umma Party faction led by Fadlallah Burma Nasir, the Sudanese Congress Party, the Unionist Alliance, civil society organizations, youth groups and resistance committees.
SPLM-RDC emphasized that its latest memo was part of a longstanding tradition of pushing for reform within political alliances, especially in moments of social fragmentation, state collapse and the growing militarization of public life. It warned that the war has become a tool to erase the legacy of Sudan's revolution and the independence of its democratic civil movements.
Focusing exclusively on the political process while neglecting the victims and failing to hold regional and international actors accountable for their role in the humanitarian crisis would likely lead to weak, power-sharing settlements, the statement said.
The SPLM-RDC said it will continue engaging in dialogue within Sumud's leadership to push for necessary reforms, but made clear that it does not intend to take part in the current political process, including the proposed roundtable or Sumud's executive bodies.
***
Rejecting UAE role in Sudan peace process, Democratic Bloc convenes for first time in a year
Meeting in Port Sudan this week for the first time in over a year, the pro-military Democratic Bloc voiced support for mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to end Sudan's war, while firmly rejecting any role for the UAE.
The meetings on Sunday and Monday coincided with a Saudi diplomatic delegation's visit to Port Sudan to explore the prospects of reviving peace talks, a source in the TSC and Sudan Liberation Movement (Minnawi) spokesperson Al-Sadig Al-Nour told Mada Masr. However, the TSC source downplayed the visit as routine and unlikely to have a significant impact at this stage.
At the bloc's meeting, the political committee — headed by Minnawi — discussed the latest military and political developments and welcomed growing US engagement with Sudan. It praised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remarks that Sudan will be a diplomatic priority, and his appointment of Senior Advisor for African Affairs Massad Boulos to lead the effort.
While also expressing appreciation for Saudi Arabia's and Egypt's roles, the bloc said the UAE cannot be considered a neutral party due to its backing of the RSF, describing the Gulf country as a main actor in the war.
Senior US officials had gathered in Washington in June with the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE to discuss the Sudan conflict.
Formed in 2021, the Democratic Bloc includes armed movements aligned with the military and political factions opposed to the anti-war Sumud coalition. Though long seen as a key political player, it has not convened formally in over a year.
In its Sunday statement, the bloc called for a Sudanese-led solution to the war and warned against 'negative international interventions' that, it said, had helped fuel the conflict. It insisted the war must be accurately framed as 'a rebellion by the RSF militia against the Sudanese state' and praised neighboring countries — especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Eritrea — for backing Sudan's sovereignty and unity.
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More than 1.3 million return to homes in Sudan: UN - War in Sudan
More than 1.3 million return to homes in Sudan: UN - War in Sudan

Al-Ahram Weekly

time4 hours ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

More than 1.3 million return to homes in Sudan: UN - War in Sudan

More than 1.3 million people who fled the fighting in Sudan have headed home, the United Nations said, pleading for greater international aid to help returnees rebuild shattered lives. Over a million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their homes in recent months, UN agencies said. A further 320,000 refugees have crossed back into Sudan this year, mainly from neighbouring Egypt and South Sudan. While fighting has subsided in the "pockets of relative safety" that people are beginning to return to, the situation remains highly precarious, the UN said. Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The fighting has killed tens of thousands. The RSF lost control of the capital, Khartoum, in March, and the regular army now controls Sudan's centre, north and east. In a joint statement, the UN's IOM migration agency, UNHCR refugee agency and UNDP development agency called for an urgent increase in financial support to pay for the recovery as people begin to return, with humanitarian operations "massively underfunded". Sudan has 10 million IDPs, including 7.7 million forced from their homes by the current conflict, they said. More than four million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. 'Living nightmare' Sudan is "the largest humanitarian catastrophe facing our world and also the least remembered", the IOM's regional director Othman Belbeisi, speaking from Port Sudan, told a media briefing in Geneva. He said 71 per cent of returns had been to Al-Jazira state, with eight per cent to Khartoum. Other returnees were mostly heading for Sennar state. Both Al-Jazira and Sennar are located southeast of the capital. "We expect 2.1 million to return to Khartoum by the end of this year, but this will depend on many factors, especially the security situation and the ability to restore services," Belbeisi said. With the RSF holding nearly all of the western Darfur region, Kordofan in the south has become the war's main battleground in recent weeks. He said the "vicious, horrifying civil war continues to take lives with impunity", imploring the warring factions to put down their guns. "The war has unleashed hell for millions and millions of ordinary people," he said. "Sudan is a living nightmare. The violence needs to stop." 'Massive' UXO contamination After visiting Khartoum and the Egyptian border, Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR's regional refugee coordinator for the Sudan crisis, said people were coming back to destroyed public infrastructure, making rebuilding their lives extremely challenging. Those returning from Egypt were typically coming back "empty-handed", he said, speaking from Nairobi. Luca Renda, UNDP's resident representative in Sudan, warned of further cholera outbreaks in Khartoum if broken services were not restored. "What we need is for the international community to support us," he said. Renda said around 1,700 wells needed rehabilitating, while at least six Khartoum hospitals and at least 35 schools needed urgent repairs. He also sounded the alarm on the "massive" amount of unexploded ordnance littering the city and the need for decontamination. He said anti-personnel mines had also been found in at least five locations in Khartoum. "It will take years to fully decontaminate the city," he said, speaking from Port Sudan. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

Sudan Nashra: Burhan orders armed groups out of Khartoum as officials encourage civilians to return  Airstrikes kill senior RSF commander in Kordofan  Sudanese pound plummets to lowest level since war's outbreak
Sudan Nashra: Burhan orders armed groups out of Khartoum as officials encourage civilians to return  Airstrikes kill senior RSF commander in Kordofan  Sudanese pound plummets to lowest level since war's outbreak

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timea day ago

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Sudan Nashra: Burhan orders armed groups out of Khartoum as officials encourage civilians to return Airstrikes kill senior RSF commander in Kordofan Sudanese pound plummets to lowest level since war's outbreak

In a bid to encourage the return of civilians, a committee formed by Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been tasked with overseeing the withdrawal of all armed factions from Khartoum by early August. The move comes amid mounting concerns over lawlessness and the proliferation of weapons among military-allied factions still active in the capital. Four residents from across Khartoum told Mada Masr there has been a rise in armed looting in their neighborhoods. In western Sudan, and at the height of the rainy season, a cholera outbreak is sweeping through Darfur, where floods have contaminated water sources and triggered new waves of displacement to already-overwhelmed areas. Since early July, dozens have died from the disease and over 1,500 confirmed cases of cholera have been reported. As local medics note the deterioration of facilities' capacity following years of conflict and overcrowding due to displacement, international aid groups are struggling to respond amid security concerns and a severe funding gap. Meanwhile, the Sudanese pound has plunged to its lowest level against foreign currencies since the war broke out, trading at an average of 3,200 to the US dollar on the parallel market. On the battlefield, the military resumed airstrikes this week across the three states of Kordofan, killing a senior Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander on Wednesday. The military is now amassing forces toward North Kordofan in a bid to retake the city of Bara — a move that, if successful, would pave the way toward advancing on the besieged city of Fasher in North Darfur. *** Amid concerns of security breakdown in Khartoum, Burhan orders armed groups out as officials encourage civilians to return As Sudanese civilians return to a capital city devastated by two years of war, a new committee has been formed by TSC Chair Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to remove armed factions from Khartoum amid mounting concerns over lawlessness and the proliferation of weapons among military-allied factions still active in the capital. Areas such as Karari and Dar Essalam in Omdurman and East Nile in Bahri have seen an uptick in armed robberies and gang-related violence, four residents told Mada Masr. Alongside the TSC-led effort, Prime Minister Kamel Idris also paid his first visit to Khartoum last week since assuming office in May. Touring several neighborhoods, Idris announced a six-month plan to facilitate the return of civilians and government institutions to the city. On the same day, July 18, TSC member Ibrahim Gaber, who chairs the new TSC committee tasked with disarming Khartoum, spoke to crowds in Bahri — one of the three cities that make up Greater Khartoum. Gaber described the committee's aims of reestablishing order and restoring basic services. Trained Interior Ministry forces have already been deployed in the capital and checkpoints have been set up to protect civilians and their property, Gaber said. Burhan has also issued a decree ordering all armed groups to withdraw from the capital within two weeks under the supervision of the military's General Staff, while the committee held its first meeting on Saturday with Idris in attendance. The committee's mandate includes securing the capital, regulating the presence of foreign nationals, restoring disrupted services, rehabilitating infrastructure and identifying new locations for government ministries. The urgency reflects growing alarm over deteriorating security in Khartoum. Two years of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have left weapons in the hands of groups that had fought alongside the military prior to its full takeover of Khartoum in May. The groups are now increasingly blamed for fueling lawlessness in the capital. The joint force of military-allied armed movements issued a statement on July 19 denying involvement in looting, theft or intimidation in Khartoum, claiming the crimes were perpetrated by armed men impersonating its fighters. The group said it arrested several gang members and handed them over to the military. Blaming the capital's sprawling geography for hindering police's effectiveness, a security source in Khartoum State told Mada Masr that military-allied forces continue to track remnants of the RSF in several neighborhoods, particularly on the outskirts. The official called on residents to assist security efforts by reporting suspicious activity. Earlier this month, authorities announced a security campaign targeting gangs and looters. Despite the deteriorating security situation, officials say they are moving forward with plans to rebuild Khartoum amid the gradual return of displaced residents. Idris held a press conference at the Cabinet's headquarters on Sunday, urging citizens to return to Khartoum, and staking out key priorities, including restored access to water and electricity, improving security and livelihoods, and reopening the Khartoum International Airport. Khartoum has seen slight improvements in services in recent weeks. Authorities announced the partial restoration of water supply from several key stations after months of outages. But the electricity sector remains badly hit. Nearly 90 percent of the power infrastructure has been destroyed, an engineer in the Sudan Electricity Holding Company told Mada Masr. Some major hospitals have resumed operations, though most are hampered by severe shortages in medicine and medical equipment. More than 50 bridges and key public facilities have been damaged, according to Zuelfaqqar Ali, general secretary of the Supreme Council for Human Development and Labor, who told Mada Masr that the cost of rebuilding them is expected to run into the billions of Sudanese pounds. The Sudanese Defense Industries Organization sponsored last week the return of around 1,000 Sudanese citizens from Egypt, one of a number of initiatives seeking to incentivize return since April. The governor of Khartoum has also called on citizens to return and contribute to the reconstruction efforts — though many residents of Khartoum have flagged that basic services restrict their ability to survive in the city. *** Airstrikes kill senior RSF commander in Kordofan as military prepares push toward Bara The SAF carried out a series of airstrikes on strategic positions in the Kordofan region this week, killing a senior RSF commander, as the military ramps up preparations for a ground offensive to retake the city of Bara in North Kordofan, according to military sources who spoke to Mada Masr. Since the military regained Khartoum State in May, the main battleground has shifted westward to the states of North, South and West Kordofan. Taj Youssef Folajang, a senior RSF commander and leader of the unit known as Group 13, was killed on Wednesday in the city of Abu Zabad, West Kordofan, when a drone strike hit a meeting of RSF field leaders, according to a military source who spoke to Mada Masr. Several RSF vehicles were also destroyed in the attack. The source said the drone strikes are part of a broader preemptive strategy which seeks to weaken the RSF ahead of upcoming ground operations. The strikes targeted warehouses, combat vehicles and command points across all three Kordofan states. Folajang fought with the RSF since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, playing a key role in major operations in southern Khartoum, including attacks on the Central Reserve Forces, the Armored Corps and the Signal Corps in Bahri, east of the capital. He sustained an injury during clashes in late 2024 that led to the amputation of his leg. After his injury, Folajang returned to Kordofan to oversee RSF operations in Babanusa. A member of the Messiria tribe, he was considered one of the RSF's most influential commanders and enjoyed wide support among its ranks. An RSF field source told Mada Masr that tensions briefly flared among commanders in Abu Zabad following Folajang's death, with some exchanging accusations of complicity in his killing. The military's drones also struck an RSF site in the city of Fula, West Kordofan, on Monday, according to another military source who spoke to Mada Masr. In addition to the strike that killed the RSF commander in Abu Zabad, another targeted combat vehicles on Wednesday, while a separate drone attack scattered fighters preparing to launch an assault on the Um Samima area, west of Obeid in North Kordofan, the source said. The following day, several strikes hit RSF positions in Debeibat, South Kordofan, according to the source. Meanwhile, the military is bolstering its ground presence around Bara in preparation for an assault to retake the city. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in RSF raids in the Bara locality in recent weeks. According to the second military source, special operations units have been deployed to the area, joining reinforcements from the General Intelligence Service's elite forces and Abu Agla Keikel's Sudan Shield Forces, which arrived last week. A former military officer told Mada Masr that fighting in Kordofan is expected to drag on, as the RSF continues to mobilize forces to block any military advance toward Darfur — the paramilitary group's main stronghold and command hub. An RSF collapse in Kordofan, the source said, would likely lead to an unraveling of its hold on Darfur. But so far, the military has 'inflicted significant losses on the RSF in Kordofan through airstrikes and direct clashes,' the former officer said, adding that the military has employed a range of tactics to wear their forces down. These include launching attacks, pulling back to regroup, and striking again, while simultaneously reinforcing their positions in preparation for a decisive blow to the RSF's core in Kordofan, according to the officer. Current operations are also focused on targeting RSF leadership through drone surveillance, intelligence networks and special forces, the former officer said. Eliminating one of their commanders, they added, has an immediate impact: it paralyzes their forces, weakens morale and sparks internal rifts. The officer expects clashes to escalate around Bara over the next two weeks. Once retaken, the military would likely move toward Fasher via the northern route through Gabra al-Sheikh and Mazroub, advancing into Darfur, they said. *** Cholera kills 94 as disease sweeps across Darfur amid heavy rains Cholera has spread across the Darfur region in recent weeks, killing dozens, as flooding combines with protracted armed conflict and a collapsing health system to further complicate emergency response efforts. The spike in cases accompanies the peak of the rainy season, with heavy downpours since early July causing widespread flooding to contaminate water sources. At the same time, the flooding has triggered new waves of displacement and worsened conditions in already overcrowded camps, where limited access to clean water and sanitation has allowed the disease to spread rapidly. In North Darfur's Tawila locality — which has absorbed a steady flow of displaced people from Fasher and nearby camps following the RSF's deadly takeover of the Zamzam camp in April — 59 people died of cholera in the second week of July, said Tasneem al-Amin of the Sudan Doctors Network. Amin told Mada Masr that 1,331 cholera cases were recorded in the same week, including 793 men, 538 women and 278 children. Many North Darfurian villages lack health facilities equipped to deal with the outbreak and access to safe drinking water, she said. In South Darfur, over 40 cholera deaths, mostly children and elderly people, were recorded in the first week of July alongside 500 cases of cholera, three medical sources from displacement camps told Mada Masr. The outbreak exposes the fragile state of public infrastructure in Darfur — a crisis that long predates the current war. Years of neglect have left many communities reliant on open, unprotected wells. Repeated waves of violence have also forced thousands into camps with no proper hygiene systems. In West Darfur, ongoing armed clashes between the RSF and armed groups — part of the RSF's broader security campaign to impose control in the area — have also blocked medical relief teams from reaching affected communities. Residents in several areas across the state are relying on rainwater collected in hand-dug pits for drinking, a source in West Darfur told Mada Masr. The region's already overstretched health system is also critically short on the intravenous fluids and antibiotics needed to treat severe cholera cases. Healthcare providers in Darfur are working under grueling conditions with limited resources, a doctor in Fasher told Mada Masr. 'But their efforts are not enough against an outbreak of this scale,' they said, calling for urgent, large-scale international support. 'This isn't just a passing health crisis,' the doctor added. 'It's a stark indicator of a broader collapse in the region's humanitarian conditions, one that requires a comprehensive solution addressing the root causes of the crisis, from the provision of clean drinking water to achieving political and security stability in the region.' Khadiga Moussa, a health official from the Darfur regional government, told Mada Masr that emergency response teams from the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontieres are working to establish temporary treatment units and distribute disinfection supplies, but their efforts are constrained by logistical challenges and mounting security risks that restrict access to key outbreak zones. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is also involved in prevention efforts, distributing water purification tablets and soap and conducting hygiene awareness campaigns, Moussa said. These efforts face a significant funding gap, however. The UN's humanitarian coordination agency says only 16 percent of the funding needed for the cholera response has been secured, threatening to halt critical interventions even as the rainy season continues and temperatures rise — ideal conditions for further spread. A cholera outbreak was declared in Sudan in 2024, with a spike in cases recorded in Khartoum earlier this year. This surge occurred as civilians returned to the capital after the SAF had regained control of the city two years into the war. *** Sudanese pound plummets amid rapid economic collapse The Sudanese pound recorded a steep decline this week, falling to new lows as the war, now in its third year, continues to erode confidence in the country's economy. On Wednesday, the pound was trading at an average of 3,200 to the US dollar on the parallel market, dropping by nearly 500 over just a few days, according to a source at the Central Bank of Sudan who spoke to Mada Masr. The decline marks a depreciation of over 453 percent in the value of the Sudanese pound over the past two years. The pound stood at around 578.57 to the dollar in early 2023. Official rates posted by several commercial banks kept the pound at around 2,250 to the dollar, while the Bank of Khartoum listed it at 2,400 pounds on Thursday, up from 2,140 on Tuesday. But the gap between official and parallel rates reflects waning public trust in the banking sector. Hitting the pound's value is a halt in foreign remittances and the withdrawal of deposits held in domestic banks. Traders are increasingly turning away from domestic banks too, with importers unable to obtain Sudanese-backed credit. The central bank's increasing reliance on printing unbacked currency has also driven inflation higher and accelerated dollarization, as more people turn away from the national currency. At the same time, currency is hard to come by on the parallel market. A trader in the export sector told Mada Masr that surging demand for dollars from both companies and individuals has led currency dealers in the parallel market to stop selling and instead hold on to foreign currency, anticipating the pound to depreciate further with time. The result has redoubled the strain on trade. Meanwhile, inflation has compounded as citizens return to areas of Sudan recaptured by the military — particularly Khartoum — driving up demand for imported goods and fuel, thus increasing demand for foreign currency.

Gulf countries welcome France recognition of Palestinian state - War on Gaza
Gulf countries welcome France recognition of Palestinian state - War on Gaza

Al-Ahram Weekly

timea day ago

  • Al-Ahram Weekly

Gulf countries welcome France recognition of Palestinian state - War on Gaza

Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Arab states on Friday welcomed President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France would recognise the state of Palestine, and urged other countries to follow suit. Other European Union members have recognised Palestine since Israel's genocidal war on Gaza erupted in October 2023 but France is the first member of the G7 group of major advanced economies to do so. The Saudi foreign ministry said "the kingdom commends this historic decision, which reaffirms the international community's consensus on the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and to establish their independent state". It called on other countries "that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine to take similar positive steps". Macron said on Thursday that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a United Nations meeting in September. A ministerial-level meeting co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia to discuss a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is planned for later this month. Qatar, a key mediator in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas on ending the Gaza war, also welcomed the French move. Its foreign ministry said the move "constitutes significant support for the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people" and "contributes to advancing prospects for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region". The Kuwaiti foreign ministry said it "commended this significant step". The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) -- which also includes the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, both of which have ties with Israel -- also praised the move. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:

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