Arabic Media

July 24, 2023

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

Headline: Al Bashir Announces Start of Negotiations with Rebels

At the end of his visit to Darfur, President Al Bashir announced that his government was conducting negotiations with a rebel group in the city of Al Jenaina, and

• Urged Sudanese people to rely on national efforts to resolve the crisis
• Welcomed any outside assistance to help resolve the conflict
• Called on remaining rebel groups to join the peace process

At the same time, United Front for Liberation and Development said it will attend Tanzania meeting and called for equal representation of all rebel groups during the negotiations.

Source:Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)

Headline: President Al Bashir Concludes Rare Visit to Darfur

At the conclusion of a rare visit to Darfur, President Al Bashir promised to end Darfur conflict by the end of the year, and

• Urged armed rebel groups to lay down their weapons and join the peace process
• Called on refugees to return to their homes
• Promised to compensate the refugees for the loss of their homes and belongings

He also accused President Bush and Prime Minister Brown of using Darfur to hide their failure in Iraq. But opposition parties pointed to the fact that he did not visit refugee camps as an indication the security situation did not improve as much as he claims and that peace is not going to happen as quickly as he said in his speeches. Meanwhile, the United States called on rebel groups to attend Tanzania meeting.

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

Headline: Al Bashir Says Security in Darfur Improved a Great Deal

By: Ismail Adam and Mustapha Sirri

At the conclusion of his rare visit to Darfur, President Al Bashir told a public rally in Al Jenaina that:

• He was confident that peace is coming to Darfur
• The conflict will be resolved soon
• Western leaders and media are using Darfur crisis to divide the Sudanese population, and
• Pointed to the failure of Western leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine

Meanwhile, United Front for Liberation and Development said it will attend Tanzania meeting and called for equal representation of all rebel groups during the negotiations.

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

Headline: Al Bashir Says Darfur is now Safe and his Minister of the Interior Blasts Prime Minister Brown and President Sarkozy

By: Annour Ahmed Annour and Raghida Durgham

At the conclusion of a rare visit to Darfur, President Al Bashir announced:

• The return of peace and stability to the region of Darfur
• Called on Western leaders to visit Darfur to see the improved security situation
• Urged armed rebel groups to join the peace process
• Called on refugees to return to their homes and promised to provide services to their towns and villages
• Blamed local and international groups for using the crisis to serve their agendas

However, a new report by UN mission in Khartoum contradicted the President’s security assertion and indicated that 1,200 families from Durra Mountain area fled their homes due to lack of security and fear of imminent attack by government forces. And at the same time, Sudanese minister of the interior launched a strong verbal attack against Prime Minister Brown and President Sarkozy and accused them of following President Bush’s lead blindly. He also indicated that his ministry will send 20,000 troops to aid the police force in establishing peace and security in Darfur.

Read the above in Arabic.