Arabic Media

July 18, 2023

Source:Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)

Headline: United Nations Calls for Quick Vote on Darfur Hybrid Force while Sudan Wants to Change Draft Resolution

By: Tareq Fathi

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for a quick vote this week on draft resolution authorizing Darfur hybrid force:

• To allow the deployment of over 20,000 troops, police and civilians in Darfur

Meanwhile Sudanese government reiterated its objection to the draft resolution because:

• It referred excessively to the bad humanitarian conditions in the region of Darfur
• It threatened the use of force if any party failed to live up to its signed commitment

China and other members of the Security Council also opposed authorization under chapter 7, which allows the hybrid force to use force in the area where it is deployed when deemed necessary.

Source:Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)

Headline: Darfur Immigrants Journey to Israeli Prisons

By: Mohamed Abu Attiya

For many years, “smuggling” between Egypt and Israel was about drugs and Russian girls, however recently and all of a sudden, it came to mean “smuggling of African refugees.” Most surprising, though:

• Most of the Africans who either make it into Israel or are caught by Egyptian border police are Sudanese and from Darfur
• Those interviewed once they are caught by Egyptian authorities expressed their “dream” of getting into “the promised paradise” of Israel

But their large number caused them and Israel many headaches forcing Israel to reach an agreement with Egypt to stop this illegal immigration and to return those who managed to make it through the border back to Egypt.

Source:Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)

Headline: Khartoum Objects to Darfur Hybrid Force Draft Resolution and Reaches an Agreement with Chad to deploy observers on their Common Borders

By: Annour Ahmed Annour

Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Assamani Al Wasila, told journalists in Khartoum:

• Sudan and Chad reached an agreement in Libya to deploy 1,000 observers each at 10 different observation points along their common border to prevent their respective armed opposition groups from using the border as a safe haven
• Libya International Conference on Darfur mandated the gathering of Darfur rebel groups to discuss a common negotiating strategy before determining the meeting place between the government and the rebel groups scheduled for September
• The African Union will call for appropriate punishment for any group that does not participate in this meeting or refuses to endorse a peace agreement with the government

Meanwhile, Ban Ki-Moon urged a quick vote on Darfur hybrid force draft resolution. But the Sudanese government objected to the draft resolution because:

• It referred excessively to the bad humanitarian conditions in the region of Darfur
• It threatened the use of force if any party failed to live up to its commitment
• It gave the hybrid force wide latitude to use force to ensure the safety of its troops, aid missions and aid workers, to protect civilian population when under attack, and to disarm armed groups

Read the above in Arabic.