Two Years Into Sudan’s Civil War, Thousands Continue to Flee Genocide, Rape, and Famine
Two years after Sudan collapsed into a brutal civil war, refugees continue to flood into neighbouring Chad in a bid to escape murder, rape and famine. With meagre possessions loaded on their backs or carts pulled by skeletal horses, they are crossing the dry riverbed at the frontier in increasing numbers. “We had nothing to eat. We had to dig holes behind our house to hide from artillery and drone strikes. We had to leave,” said Jamilla Abdullah who arrived from the besieged and famine-stricken Zamzam refugee camp with her six children on Saturday. Thousands more are expected to follow in the coming weeks, after attacks at the weekend killed hundreds in Zamzam, where up to a million people are sheltering. … Most of those arriving believe the war is escalating and the country is at risk of fracturing. Regional powers have backed factions, jockeying for influence, strategic clout and resources. The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of backing the RSF through Chad, to defeat the Sudanese army which is sees as dangerously close to political Islamists. The Sudanese army has meanwhile leant heavily on allies including Russia, Iran, Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Telegraph
North Darfur, Sudan: Half a Million People Flee ‘Final Catastrophe’ as Zamzam Camp ‘Obliterated’
Escalating hostilities and attacks in North Darfur over the past week have effectively obliterated Zamzam camp for internally displaced people, 15 kilometres from the North Darfur capital El Fasher, forcing all of its 500,000+ inhabitants to flee. Untold hundreds have died, thousands injured, in what commentators have termed ‘the final catastrophe’ for the camp. Between the evening of April 10 and the morning of April 14, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), “using overwhelming military resources”, effectively destroyed Zamzam camp for internally displaced people, multiple sources have confirmed. As reported by Radio Dabanga on April 13, an RSF ground offensive on Zamzam camp forced ‘tens of thousands’ of the inhabitants of Zamzam and Abou Shouk camps to flee to the adjacent North Darfur capital El Fasher. Zamzam camp was established in 2004 to accommodate thousands of people displaced by the war in Darfur, and especially since the outbreak of the current hostilities two years ago, has seen its population swell to approximately 500,000 people. Radio Dabanga
A New Report Says Tunisia Has Dramatically Expanded the Use of Politically Motivated Arrests
Tunisia has dramatically expanded the use of politically motivated arrests and prosecutions to intimidate and silence critics, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday. In what the group describes as a sweeping rollback of freedoms won during Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, authorities in recent years have targeted lawyers, judges, journalists and activists in a crackdown on critics of President Kais Saied. “Not since the 2011 revolution have Tunisian authorities unleashed such repression,” Bassam Khawaja, the group’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement. “Saied’s government has returned the country to an era of political prisoners, robbing Tunisians of hard-won civil liberties.” More than 50 people are currently detained on political grounds, Human Rights Watch said, citing a January tally. Of those, 22 are held arbitrarily, while 14 face charges that could carry the death penalty if convicted. AP
India, African Nations Kick Off Sea Phase of Naval Drills
India and a group of African countries on Wednesday began the sea phase of their maiden naval drills in the western Indian Ocean region (IOR) to boost maritime security cooperation and address shared challenges in a maritime expanse where China seeks to expand its presence, people familiar with the matter said. The harbour phase of the six-day multilateral exercise called Aikeyme (Africa India Key Maritime Engagement) ended at Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on Tuesday, paving the way for the sea phase where the participating navies will conduct joint manoeuvres, anti-piracy drills, visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) exercises, and search-and-rescue operations, the Indian Navy said on Wednesday. … Around 10 ships, including destroyer INS Chennai and landing ship tank (large) INS Kesari, are taking part in the drills, along with P-8I long-range maritime surveillance aircraft of the Indian Navy. … The harbour phase, from April 13 to 15, also featured a defence exposition in which 22 Indian firms showcased advanced technologies, including surveillance and communication systems. Hindustan Times
India Offers Cheap Loans for Arms, Targeting Russia’s Traditional Customers
India is developing a new strategy to boost its defense exports, offering long-term, low-cost loans through its state-owned Export-Import Bank to foreign buyers, including those traditionally reliant on Russian arms, Reuters reported on April 16, citing officials familiar with the plan. As global demand for military equipment rises, New Delhi aims to position itself as a low-cost, alternative supplier. The initiative includes dispatching more defense attachés to embassies in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America, and having the Indian government directly negotiate some arms deals, multiple Indian officials told Reuters. The initiative is focused on countries that have historically purchased Soviet or Russian weapons and whose military standards are often more compatible with Indian equipment than NATO systems. These countries include Brazil, Algeria, Morocco, Guyana, Tanzania, Argentina, Ethiopia, and Cambodia. Kyiv Independent
Nigeria, Niger Foreign Ministers Meet for Security Talks
The foreign ministers of Nigeria and Niger held talks Wednesday on cross-border security, terrorism and economic cooperation, despite tensions between the two neighbours since the July 2023 coup in Niger. It comes after Nigeria this month renewed calls for the release of Niger’s deposed president Mohamed Bazoum, who is being held at the presidential palace in Niamey in strict detention. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar travelled to Niamey for talks with Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare, in only the second visit by a senior Nigerian official since the coup, following that of General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s defense chief, in August. … On economic cooperation, the ministers discussed the railway project linking the Nigerian cities of Kano and Katsina to Maradi in Niger, which is due to open in 2026. They also discussed construction of the Trans-Sahara Highway, and the planned Trans-Saharan gas pipeline, as well as customs and taxation. Defense Post
Al-Shabab Fighters Attack Strategic Town in Central Somalia
The al-Shabab armed group has claimed to have seized control of Adan Yabaal, a town in central Somalia and a logistical hub for the government forces, about 220 kilometres (130 miles) north of the capital, Mogadishu. The fighters launched the raids before dawn on Wednesday, forcing the army to retreat after fierce battles, according to a security officer quoted by the Anadolu news agency. However, the report was disputed by the army. Captain Hussein Olow, a military officer in Adan Yabaal, told the Reuters news agency that government troops had pushed the group back. “The terrorist militants launched a desperate attack on the Somali army positions in the Adan Yabaal district this morning,” Somali captain Mohamed Ali told the AFP news agency from a nearby town. “There was heavy fighting still going on in some parts of the town,” he said. … Adan Yabaal has strategic military significance and serves as a critical logistical hub connecting Hirshabelle state to the neighbouring central state of Galmudug. It was recaptured from al-Shabab in 2022. Al Jazeera
US–Somali Airstrikes Kill Al-Shabaab Militants, Hit Weapons Ship, Government Says
Two joint Somali-U.S. airstrikes killed 12 al Shabaab militants in central Somalia and destroyed a ship carrying weapons for the al Qaeda-linked group, the Somali government said on Thursday, following recent advances by the Islamists. The airstrikes came hours after the Islamists attacked the strategic town of Adan Yabal, which lies about 245 km (150 miles) north of the capital, Mogadishu, and has been used as an operating base for raids on al Shabaab. Reuters
Kenya Land Standoff Sends Warning to Foreign-Owned Tea Estates
A dispute between a British-owned tea plantation and a local community in western Kenya has come to the boil in what could be a sign of turbulent times ahead for tea producers facing a growing backlash over colonial-era injustices. On the rolling green hills of the Sitoi estate in Nandi County, more than 100 residents are occupying 350 acres (140 hectares) of land, picking tea and living in huts made of mud and rusty iron sheets while grazing their cattle. … Kimasas chairman Daniel Biwott said his grandfather lived on the land before it was seized by British colonists around 1905 and that reclaiming the disputed 350 acres would right a historical wrong. “Nothing has happened all these years,” said Biwott, standing among knee-high bushes where he, his father and his grandfather once worked as EPK employees. “This is the time to solve it.” … The standoff follows several violent incidents at estates in Kenya, the world’s fourth-leading tea producer. In January, a farm belonging to Sri Lankan-owned Browns Plantations was attacked and more than 100 eucalyptus trees uprooted, according to the Kenya Tea Growers Association (KTGA). Reuters
Worse-than-Expected Public Finances Hamper New Senegalese Government
Alittle over a year ago Senegalese voted in an election that almost did not happen. Macky Sall, the president at the time, had tried to postpone it, triggering a constitutional crisis. The landslide victory by Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate and an anti-corruption crusader who had been released from prison just two weeks earlier, was widely hailed as a triumph for democracy. … [Mr Faye and his prime minister and closest associate is Ousmane Sonko] claim that progress on their promises is being impeded by Mr Sall’s legacy, especially regarding the public finances. A report published by the court of auditors in February found that the budget deficit for 2023, the last year Mr Sall was in power, was 12.3% of gdp, not the previously reported 4.9%, and that public debt was a huge 99.7% of GDP. … The governing party considers the report a victory for transparency. Officials from the IMF, who confirmed its findings during a visit in March, concur. Voters are less impressed. “We don’t expect them to lament on things,” says Ali Cissé, a 25-year-old student. “When the president says that our current financial situation is catastrophic, it’s discouraging.” Economist