48 dead in two days of Sudan paramilitary attacks on Darfur city: medic

Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (REUTERS)
48 dead in two days of Sudan paramilitary attacks on Darfur city: medic
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A paramilitary attack on a market in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher killed 18 people, a medical source told AFP on Friday, after world leaders appealed for an end to the country's wartime suffering. (AFP/File)
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Updated 28 September 2024
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48 dead in two days of Sudan paramilitary attacks on Darfur city: medic

48 dead in two days of Sudan paramilitary attacks on Darfur city: medic
  • A UN Women report published Thursday showed that as of December, some 6.7 million people in Sudan were in need of services related to gender-based violence, but “this figure is estimated to be even higher today”
  • The World Health Organization has cited a toll of at least 20,000 but US envoy Tom Perriello has said some estimates reach 150,000

PORT SUDAN, Sudan: Two days of attacks by Sudanese paramilitaries on the Darfur city of El-Fasher killed 48 people, a medical source told AFP on Friday, after world leaders appealed for an end to the country’s suffering.
Artillery fire from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed 30 people and wounded dozens on Friday alone, a medical source at El-Fasher Teaching Hospital told AFP, as the paramilitaries and regular army vie for control of the North Darfur state capital.
The shelling comes a day after an assault on a market brought “18 dead to the hospital” on Thursday, “some of them burned and others killed by shrapnel,” the source said, requesting anonymity for their own protection in light of repeated attacks on health workers and hospitals.
The plight of Sudan, and El-Fasher in particular, has been under discussion this week at the UN General Assembly in New York after 17 months of devastating fighting between the RSF and the regular army.
“We must compel the warring parties to accept humanitarian pauses in El-Fasher, Khartoum and other highly vulnerable areas,” the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Wednesday.
The Teaching Hospital is one of the last still receiving patients in El-Fasher, where reports of a “full-scale assault” by RSF last weekend led UN chief Antonio Guterres to call for an urgent ceasefire.
The paramilitaries have besieged El-Fasher since May, and famine has already been declared in Zamzam refugee camp near the city of two million.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people. The World Health Organization has cited a toll of at least 20,000 but US envoy Tom Perriello has said some estimates reach 150,000.
US President Joe Biden, who raised particular concern over the assault on El-Fasher, on Tuesday urged all countries to cut off weapons supplies to the country’s warring generals, armed forces chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
“The world needs to stop arming the generals,” Biden told the UN General Assembly.
On the sidelines of the UN talks, Guterres met with Burhan, expressing concern about “escalation” and the risk of “a regional spillover,” the UN said.
Both sides have been repeatedly accused of war crimes.
The RSF, which has its origins in Darfur’s notorious Arab tribal militias, the Janjaweed, has been specifically accused of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
Darfur, a region the size of France, is home to around a quarter of Sudan’s population but more than half of its 10 million people are internally displaced.
Dagalo released a video Thursday in which he rejected Burhan’s participation in the UN General Assembly as Sudan’s representative, saying the RSF had “formed a force to protect civilians” and was “open to all initiatives” aimed at peace.
Also on Thursday, air strikes and shelling rocked Khartoum as the army attacked paramilitary positions across the Sudanese capital, witnesses and a military source said.

What appeared to witnesses in the capital to be a “large-scale offensive” by the army — its first in months — continued Friday, with gunfire and artillery ringing through Khartoum and “a cloud of smoke” rising over army-controlled areas, a resident said.
By Friday evening, the army claimed “complete control” over one area of Khartoum North, which the RSF has held almost since the war began.
Witnesses in the Hajjar Al-Asal area in River Nile State, north of the capital, reported RSF forces “retreating” in the face of an army attack.
A hallmark of the war, which has mostly been fought in densely populated areas, has been mass human rights violations including systematic sexual violence, summary executions and the looting of humanitarian aid.
A UN Women report published Thursday showed that as of December, some 6.7 million people in Sudan were in need of services related to gender-based violence, but “this figure is estimated to be even higher today.”
Sudan, which is facing what the UN called on Wednesday “the world’s largest hunger crisis,” is home to 5.8 million internally displaced women and girls, who UN Women said were acutely vulnerable.
As famine threatens displaced populations across the country, “women are eating least and last,” the report warned.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned Thursday that, “if El-Fasher falls, there is a high risk of ethnically-targeted violations and abuses, including summary executions and sexual violence, by the RSF and allied militia.”

 


US defense contractor ordered to pay $42 mn to Iraqis tortured at Abu Ghraib

Updated 10 sec ago
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US defense contractor ordered to pay $42 mn to Iraqis tortured at Abu Ghraib

US defense contractor ordered to pay $42 mn to Iraqis tortured at Abu Ghraib
Virginia-based CACI Premier Technology was found liable for its role in the torture

WASHINGTON: A federal jury on Tuesday ordered a US defense contractor to pay $42 million in damages to three Iraqi men who were tortured at Abu Ghraib prison, their lawyers said.
Virginia-based CACI Premier Technology was found liable for its role in the torture of the men at the prison in 2003 and 2004, the Center for Constitutional Rights said.

Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18 months of war, UN warns

Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18 months of war, UN warns
Updated 37 min ago
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Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18 months of war, UN warns

Sudan is experiencing some of the most extreme violence in 18 months of war, UN warns
  • Need for international unity to help end the civil war is ‘blindingly clear,’ says organization’s political chief 
  • At least 20,000 people have been killed during the conflict, thousands more injured and millions displaced 

NEW YORK CITY: The UN warned on Tuesday that the civil war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, continues to inflict “unrelenting violence and suffering” on millions of civilians in the country. 

It said that as clashes between two rival factions of the military government, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, continue unabated, the latest wave of attacks by the latter in the eastern state of Al-Gazira has been marked by “some of the most extreme violence witnessed in the past 18 months.” 

Rosemarie DiCarlo, the UN’s undersecretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, told a meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday, that Sudan is “trapped in a nightmare,” as she condemned recent atrocities that have resulted in large numbers of civilian deaths. 

During more than a year-and-a-half of conflict, at least 20,000 people have been killed and more than 33,000 injured. The war has created the worst displacement crisis in the world; more than 11 million people have fled their homes to other parts of Sudan, and 3 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries. 

Human rights groups have reported horrific violations of international law as the warring factions continue to wreak havoc across the country, including widespread sexual violence primarily targeting women and girls. 

Describing the violence as “appalling,” DiCarlo condemned relentless attacks by the RSF and indiscriminate SAF airstrikes on populated areas. 

“This is a man-made disaster. Both warring parties bear responsibility for the atrocities and must be held accountable,” she said as she called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians. 

Ramesh Rajasingham, director of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, warned of widespread food insecurity in the war-ravaged country.  

Conditions are particularly troubling in Darfur and Khartoum, he said, where thousands have died and malnutrition rates are surging, especially among children. 

According to his office, there are rising levels of malnutrition in the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur, which was already facing famine conditions, affecting 34 percent of children, 10 percent of whom are severely malnourished. 

Rajasingham stressed the urgent need for improved humanitarian access, as many conflict zones remain completely cut off or are difficult to reach because of difficult or delayed procedures. While the opening of the Adre border crossing from Chad has helped to provide “vital relief,” he said this alone is not sufficient given the scale of the crisis. 

Humanitarian organizations require safe, unimpeded access so that they can deliver aid, he added as he called for agreements on humanitarian pauses in the fighting so that assistance can be delivered and civilians can move safely out of conflict zones. 

Rajasingham also urged the international community to provide flexible financial support for relief operations, and to push for a ceasefire agreement. 

“The conditions are there for the conflict to claim even more lives,” he warned as he called for an “immediate shift” in the way the international community is responding to the unfolding crisis. 

Despite international pressure, there has been little progress toward peace talks. Both the RSF and the SAF continue to escalate their military operations, bolstered by external support including a steady flow of weapons into the country. 

“Certain purported allies of the parties are enabling the slaughter in Sudan,” DiCarlo said as she called for this “unconscionable and illegal” external support that is fueling the violence to end. 

Efforts to mediate the conflict have been fragmented to date. The international community has struggled to present a unified front and the warring factions have profited from this lack of unity. 

However, DiCarlo pointed to a glimmer of hope in the form of ongoing efforts by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development to restore a process for political dialogue and facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict. 

She also acknowledged the work being done by the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group to promote key peace initiatives, including the Jeddah Declaration, which aims to establish mechanisms for protect civilians. 

“The need for greater convergence is blindingly clear,” DiCarlo said. With the conflict showing no sign of abating, she also called for the implementation of local ceasefire agreements to offer some respite to civilians. 

The UN has also proposed the establishment of a compliance mechanism, she added, to hold the warring parties accountable for their commitments to the protection of civilians under the Jeddah Declaration.


Lebanon rocket fire kills two in Israel: first responders

Lebanon rocket fire kills two in Israel: first responders
Updated 12 November 2024
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Lebanon rocket fire kills two in Israel: first responders

Lebanon rocket fire kills two in Israel: first responders
  • Emergency medic Dor Vakinin said a rocket hit a warehouse and that emergency teams arrived on the scene “quickly“
  • “There was a lot of destruction and an active fire,” he said

JERUSALEM: Rocket fire from Lebanon on Tuesday killed two men in their 40s in northern Israel, close to the town of Nahariya, first responders said.
Emergency medic Dor Vakinin said a rocket hit a warehouse and that emergency teams arrived on the scene “quickly.”
“There was a lot of destruction and an active fire,” he said. “We performed medical examinations on two men who were lying unconscious and suffering from severe injuries to their bodies. Unfortunately their injuries were too severe and after the examinations, we had to determine the death of both of them.”
The Israeli military said a barrage of 10 rockets was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, some of which were intercepted, while “others fell in the area.”
It said sirens had sounded in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv and at Ben Gurion airport. Three projectiles that crossed from Lebanon were intercepted, it said.
Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah said it had fired missiles at an Israeli air base south of Tel Aviv.
The rocket fire came as Israel again pounded Hezbollah strongholds in south Beirut and south Lebanon, the military said.
Israeli and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since Hamas militants from Gaza carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Fighting has escalated since Israel launched an air and ground offensive against Hezbollah in September.


UN force says Israeli work on so-called Alpha Line with Syria saw ‘severe violations’ of ceasefire

UN force says Israeli work on so-called Alpha Line with Syria saw ‘severe violations’ of ceasefire
Updated 12 November 2024
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UN force says Israeli work on so-called Alpha Line with Syria saw ‘severe violations’ of ceasefire

UN force says Israeli work on so-called Alpha Line with Syria saw ‘severe violations’ of ceasefire
  • The Israel military also has begun demolishing villages in Lebanon, where other UN peacekeepers have come under fire
  • “Such severe violations of the (demilitarized zone) have the potential to increase tensions in the area and is being closely monitored by UNDOF,” it added
The Israel military also has begun demolishing villages in Lebanon, where other UN peacekeepers have come under fire
“Such severe violations of the (demilitarized zone) have the potential to increase tensions in the area and is being closely monitored by UNDOF,” it added

DUBAI: United Nations peacekeepers warned Tuesday that the Israeli military has committed “severe violations” of a ceasefire deal with Syria as its military continues a major construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria.
The comments from the UN Disengagement Observer Force, which has patrolled the area since 1974, come after an Associated Press report Monday that published satellite imagery showing the extent of the works along the frontier.
The work, which UNDOF said began in July, follows the completion by the Israeli military of new roadways and what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Israel. The Israel military also has begun demolishing villages in Lebanon, where other UN peacekeepers have come under fire.
While such violence hasn’t broken out along the Alpha Line, UNDOF warned Tuesday the work risked further inflaming tensions in the region.
“Such severe violations of the (demilitarized zone) have the potential to increase tensions in the area and is being closely monitored by UNDOF,” it added.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Syrian officials have declined to comment on the construction, though UNDOF described Syrian officials as having “strongly protested” the work.
As Israel conducted the construction work, which UNDOF described as “extensive engineering groundwork activities,” it has protected earth-moving equipment with armored vehicles and main battle tanks, the peacekeepers said. Troops and earth-moving equipment have crossed the Alpha Line into the demilitarized zone in Syria, known to UNDOF as the “area of separation.”
“Violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement have occurred where engineering works have encroached into the AOS,” the peacekeepers said in a statement, using an acronym for the area. “There have been several violations by (Israel) in the form of their presence in the AoS because of these activities.”
UNDOF has repeatedly protested the work, which it described as violating the ceasefire deal over the months of construction so far.
“Based on the engagement, (Israel) has indicated that the current earthworks are being carried out for defensive purpose to prevent unauthorized crossing and violations by civilians,” the peacekeepers added.
Israel sent a 71-page letter in June to the UN outlining what it described as “Syrian violations of the Alpha Line and armed presence in the area of separation (that) occur daily.” The letter cited numerous Israeli-alleged violations by Syrian civilians crossing the line.
Syria has constantly accused Israel of launching attacks against it from territory it occupies in the Golan Heights. Israel has frequently struck Syria over the years, particularly after the start of the Mideast wars following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.
Israel seized control of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. The UN Secretary Council voted to create UNDOF to patrol a roughly 400-square-kilometer (155-square-mile) demilitarized zone and maintain the peace there after the 1973 Mideast war. A second demarcation, known as the Bravo Line, marks the limit of where the Syrian military can operate.
UNDOF has around 1,100 troops, mostly from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Uruguay, who patrol the area.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 — a move criticized by a UN resolution declaring Israel’s action as “null and void and without international legal effect.” The territory, some 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) in size, is a strategic high ground that overlooks both Israel and Syria.
Around 50,000 Jewish settlers and Arabs who are mostly members of the Druze sect of Shiite Islam live there.
In 2019, President Donald Trump unilaterally announced that the United States would “fully recognize” Israel’s control of the territory, a decision that has been unchanged by the Biden administration. However, it’s the only other country to do so, as the rest of the world views it as occupied Syrian territory.

Lebanon says five killed in Israel strike on southern village

Lebanon says five killed in Israel strike on southern village
Updated 12 November 2024
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Lebanon says five killed in Israel strike on southern village

Lebanon says five killed in Israel strike on southern village
  • Israeli warplanes hit a house between Baalshamieh and Dhour Al-Abadiyah
  • “The Israeli enemy strike on Tefahta killed five people,” the ministry said

A Lebanese security official said an Israeli strike hit a villa east of Beirut on Tuesday, with state media confirming the rare attack outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds.
The security official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the “Israeli strike caused an unspecified number of casualties.”
The National News Agency later said Israeli warplanes hit a house between Baalshamieh and Dhour Al-Abadiyah
At least five people were killed and two were injured in the strike, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Later Tuesday, the ministry added that five people were killed in another Israeli strike on a village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Israeli border, which state-run media said targeted a house.
“The Israeli enemy strike on Tefahta killed five people,” the ministry said in a statement, with the official National News Agency reporting that “enemy aircraft launched a strike a short while ago on the town of Tefahta, targeting an inhabited house.”