Arabic Media

August 31, 2023

Source: Al Rai (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Darfur Rebels Accuse Khartoum Government of Forcing Thousands to Flee

• Justice and Equality Movement said daily air raids by government forces on South Darfur led 20,000 civilians to flee their homes to the forest where they have no clean drinking water
•  JEM and SLM said their fighters stormed an army base in Kordufan on Wednesday.  They considered the base provides army supplies used in nearby Darfur. They also said the attack killed 15 soldiers, and their forces still control the base
• John Holmes, UN relief official said that “Darfur refugee camps are overrun with guns and have become a ticking bomb and a danger that could no longer be ignored”

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: 4 Difficulties Face Hybrid Force and UN Calls for more Police in Darfur

• UN official in charge of UN police force said the number of UN police deployable around the world to be limited and urged countries that call for police force in Darfur – Britain, USA, Canada, Italy, and France – to send more troops
• Rudolph Adada, who officially assumed his duties as head of AU – UN hybrid force two days ago, listed four difficulties in a memo to Sudan’s Minister of  Foreign Affairs Lam Akul: land to build barracks for the troops, buildings for the force’s headquarters, access to airports, and arrangements for the force’s planes
• Meanwhile, JEM accused Khartoum government of conducting air raids on south Darfur forcing thousands in the town of Adila to flee their homes

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Khartoum Refuses to Make Concession to the Bush Administration

• Sudanese government said it will not make any concessions to the Bush Administration during their talks in Washington
• The talks were expected to usher in a new phase between the two countries and improve their bilateral relations
• The ongoing talks in Washington were said to focus on economic sanctions, Guantanamo detainees, and Darfur crisis

Source: Asharq Al Awsat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Army Denies Claim Darfur Rebels Seized Town in Kordufan
By: Ismail Adam

• SLM and JEM claimed their forces stormed and seized the town of Wad Banda in retaliation to the army’s air raids on their positions in the border area between Darfur and Kordufan
• The movements said their forces killed many army soldiers but insisted the attack did not result in any civilian casualties
• The movements acknowledges the pledges of Arusha but blamed their attack on Was Banda on the government’s continued attacks
• Dr. Mustapha Othman Ismail, President Al Bashir’s advisor, said “Darfur rebels military actions is a negative sign that will be dealt with swiftly and is an indication these groups are not ready to reach a peace deal”
• He also reiterated the government’s commitment for peace in Darfur

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Ocampo Threatens to Issue Arrest Warrants against Harun and Kushaib and Khartoum Government Acknowledges that 46 Policemen Killed by Darfur Rebels
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• Minister of Justice, Mohamed Ali Al Mardhi, acknowledged that rebels forces killed one civilian and 46 policemen, including an officer, in an attack that destroyed the base completely
• Al Mardhi added that the rebels ransacked the base, took many of the weapons and 6 vehicles, in addition to destroying many buildings in the town of Wad Banda including the court house and UN offices
• Meanwhile, International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo complained that the Sudanese government did not show a willingness to arrest Minister Ahmed Harun and militia leader Ali Kushaib. 
• Ocampo threatened to issue red arrest warrants against the two men to around the world so that they get arrested when they travel.

Read the above in Arabic.