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Daily Maverick
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
US to impose sanctions on Sudan after finding government used chemical weapons
By Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis Measures against Sudan will include limits on U.S. exports and U.S. government lines of credit and will take effect around June 6, after Congress was notified on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. 'The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC,' Bruce said, referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty banning the use of such weapons. In a statement, Sudan rejected the move, and described the allegations as false. 'This interference, which lacks any moral or legal basis, deprives Washington of what is left of its credibility and closes the door to any influence in Sudan,' government spokesperson Khalid al-Eisir said on Friday. The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the army and the RSF, unleashing waves of ethnic violence, creating the world's worst humanitarian crisis and plunging several areas into famine. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and about 13 million displaced. Washington in January imposed sanctions on army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict. The U.S. has also determined members of the RSF and allied militias committed genocide and imposed sanctions on some of the group's leadership, including RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The New York Times reported in January, citing four senior U.S. officials, that the Sudanese army had used chemical weapons at least twice during the conflict, deploying the weapons in remote areas of the country. Two officials briefed on the matter said the chemical weapons appeared to use chlorine gas, which can cause lasting damage to human tissue, the New York Times reported at the time. Bruce's statement said the U.S. had formally determined on April 24 under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 that the government of Sudan used chemical weapons last year, but did not specify what weapons were used, precisely when or where. 'The United States remains fully committed to hold to account those responsible for contributing to chemical weapons proliferation,' Bruce said. 'The intention here is to distract from the recent campaign in Congress against the UAE,' a Sudanese diplomatic source said. The source said the U.S. could have gone to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to investigate the claims and neglected to do so. Sudan's government is aligned with the army. It cut diplomatic relations with the UAE this month, saying the Gulf power was aiding the RSF with supplies of advanced weaponry in the devastating conflict that broke out following disagreements over the integration of the two forces. The UAE has denied the allegations and says it supports humanitarian and peace efforts. U.S. congressional Democrats sought last Thursday to block arms sales to the United Arab Emirates over its alleged involvement in the war. Sudan said this week that the United Arab Emirates was responsible for an attack on Port Sudan this month, accusing the Gulf state for the first time of direct military intervention in the war. The UAE denied the allegations in a statement and said it condemned the attack.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US to impose sanctions on Sudan after finding government used chemical weapons
By Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will impose sanctions on Sudan after determining its government used chemical weapons in 2024 during the army's conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the State Department said on Thursday. Measures against Sudan will include limits on U.S. exports and U.S. government lines of credit and will take effect around June 6, after Congress was notified on Thursday, Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. "The United States calls on the Government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the CWC," Bruce said, referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty banning the use of such weapons. Sudan's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 from a power struggle between the army and the RSF, triggering mass displacement, famine and ethnically-driven killings. Washington in January imposed sanctions on army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict. The U.S. has also determined members of the RSF and allied militias committed genocide and imposed sanctions on some of the group's leadership. The New York Times reported in January, citing four senior U.S. officials, that the Sudanese army had used chemical weapons at least twice during the conflict. Bruce's statement said the U.S. had formally determined on April 24 under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 that the government of Sudan used chemical weapons last year.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US says solution for Gaza aid is 'steps away' as aid groups raise alarm
By Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday a solution to be able to deliver food aid to Gaza was "steps away" and an announcement was coming shortly, as the aid community expressed skepticism that the plan would bring relief to the enclave's conflict-ravaged population. Anticipation has built up about a new aid plan for Gaza, laid waste by 19 months of an Israeli military campaign against Hamas that has destroyed much of its infrastructure and displaced almost all of its 2.3 million population several times. European leaders and aid groups have criticized Israeli plans to take over distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and use private companies to get food to families after two months in which the military has prevented supplies entering the Strip. Speaking at a regular briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce gave few details about the new mechanism but referred to a "charitable foundation" that she said would be carrying out the plan. "I was hoping to introduce it today, but the foundation will be announcing this shortly," Bruce said. "While we don't have anything to announce in specifics in this regard today, and I will not speak on behalf of the foundation which will be doing the work, we welcome moves to quickly get urgent food aid into Gaza in a way ... that the food aid actually gets to those to whom it's intended." Israel has accused agencies including the United Nations of allowing large quantities of aid to fall into the hands of Hamas, which it accuses of seizing supplies intended for civilians and using them for its own forces. Among the options being considered by the United States based on a document seen by Reuters and circulated among the aid community, a recently-established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation would stand up four "Secure Distribution Sites", each built to serve 300,000 people. Pre-packaged rations, hygiene kits and medical supplies would move through tightly-controlled corridors while being monitored in order to prevent the diversion of the assistance, according to the document. On-site and perimeter security would be provided by experienced professionals, according to the document, to "deter interference from criminal networks or other armed groups who have historically sought to control or redirect humanitarian aid." It added that the Israeli Defense Forces will not be stationed at or near the sites. The aid community, which has frequently accused Israel of deliberately disregarding the complexity of aid distribution in Gaza, was skeptical. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the Israeli-proposed authorization mechanism for the distribution of food aid "appears practically unfeasible, incompatible with humanitarian principles and will create serious insecurity risks, all while failing to meet Israel's obligations under international law," according to a document shared with U.N. member states and seen by Reuters. 'NON-STARTER' A Geneva-based aid official said they were briefed by a U.S. team on a Gaza aid plan on Thursday, adding they were "not very impressed with the proposal." Ahmed Bayram, Norwegian Refugee Council's media adviser for the Middle East, said the Israeli plan raised more questions than it gave answers and risked aid becoming militarized. "What is clear is that Israel wants to take aid over... But it also sets a dangerous precedent, because probably for the first time in conflict history, or at least in recent conflict, we would have one of the parties involved in this conflict deciding where aid should go and how it should be distributed," Bayram said. Communities would have to move around aid hubs and the model puts civilians in danger, he said, essentially turning aid into coercion. "The whole thing is a non-starter for us." A United Nations Security Council diplomat said all 15 Security Council members were present at a briefing on Wednesday by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on the plan to deliver aid to Gaza held at the U.S. mission to the United Nations. "Everybody is content that the meeting took place and that someone working on the ground has (finally) briefed the rest of Council members," the diplomat said in an email. The diplomat said expectations remain high. "Members (especially the E10 group) will now give the U.S. a little time to make some progress otherwise they will step in, exert pressure and bring in a new product," the diplomat said, referring to the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE shuttering Millennium Challenge Corp aid agency, staff told
By Simon Lewis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is ending the work of a U.S. aid agency launched by Republican former President George W. Bush to reduce poverty and promote economic growth around the world, according to a recording of a staff meeting and an email to staff seen by Reuters. The move to shut down the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) comes as part of an unprecedented push by President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Musk to shrink the federal government, saying U.S. taxpayer money is misspent. MCC staff were told in a meeting on Wednesday that all of the agency's programs will be closed and staff numbers would be minimized, according to a recording of the meeting. "Foreign aid is not a priority for the administration and so MCC's work needs to wind down," Kyeh Kim, a senior MCC official, told staff. Officials from DOGE arrived at the agency early last week and entered talks with leadership, who were attempting to save the agency, Kim said. The MCC did not respond to an email requesting comment. Trump's administration has already dismantled Washington's main aid agency, USAID, which administered about $40 billion in aid annually. The MCC, which was created by the U.S. Congress with support from Republicans and Democrats in 2004, has an annual budget of about $900 million. It partners with developing countries on projects like improving electricity supply for businesses and improving roads for farmers to get their goods to market, according to its website. An MCC employee told Reuters all the agency's work had been ordered halted apart from a small number of active construction projects, including a wastewater treatment plant in Mongolia, electrical power grids in Senegal and Nepal, and schools in Ivory Coast. "This is very much a business- and infrastructure-focused way of doing development. It's very much in America's interest," said the employee, who requested anonymity. Politico first reported the move, citing an email sent to staff at the agency on Tuesday, which Reuters has also reviewed. The email gives the agency's 300 or so staff until April 29 to decide whether to take voluntary early retirement or a deferred resignation under which they will receive pay until the end of September, or face being placed on administrative leave. "I would encourage you to think very hard of what makes sense for you and your family at this time, and that is more important than your commitment to this organization," Kim said in the meeting on Wednesday, warning that the organization's future "looks very stark."
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Factbox-Major changes in Trump's overhaul US State Department
By Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a major overhaul of the U.S. State Department that would shutter more than 100 offices, part of President Donald Trump's push to shrink the federal government and align policymaking with his "America First" priorities. It is unclear how many jobs will be lost as part of the shake-up and officials said some details could change. But the proposed reorganization, laid out in an announcement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and based on a new organizational chart and internal documents seen by Reuters, points to new priorities for Washington's premier diplomatic agency. Speaking in a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the closure of bureaus did not necessarily mean Washington would not work on those areas but could not give any details on under which bureaus exactly those functions would be transferred. Here are the key changes in the proposal: NEW HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR The plan abolishes the role of Undersecretary of Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, incorporating much of its work into a "reimagined" Coordinator of Foreign and Humanitarian Affairs, according to an internal fact sheet. The previously standalone offices for religious freedom and human trafficking will be folded into other bureaus under that coordinator, the fact sheet said. WAR CRIMES, CONFLICT OFFICES ABOLISHED The offices of Global Criminal Justice, which monitors war crimes and atrocities, and will be "sunset," the fact sheet said. The office has in the past issued determinations when the U.S. assesses that genocide or crimes against humanity have been committed, and coordinates with other countries on potential war crimes prosecutions. The plan also does away with the bureau for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, which monitors the implementation of peace agreements and conducts analysis on conflicts worldwide. WOMEN'S ISSUES The Office of Global Women's Issues, which is headed by an ambassador-at-large who promotes the rights of women and girls, does not appear on the proposed new organization chart. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY The plan sets up a new bureau for "emerging threats" that would deal with cybersecurity, AI and space, according to a the fact sheet. Bureaus working on counternarcotics and law enforcement, and counterterrorism will also be moved under the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security. REGIONAL BUREAUS The plan seeks to give more power to regional bureaus and embassies around the world. The department's six regional bureaus will each create an office of assistance to coordinate aid, the fact sheet said. "Moving forward, the regional bureaus will absorb a number of functional issues to increase the authority, responsibility, and accountability of regional bureau heads, allowing them to seamlessly align policy with non-security foreign assistance and to provide leadership within the Department," it said.
