Arabic Media

October 17, 2023

Source: Al Riyadh (Government-friendly Saudi daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Egyptian Security Forces Thwart Illegal Crossing Attempt into Israel

• Egyptian border authorities thwarted attempt by a 37-year-old Sudanese women with her young son and brother to cross into Israel illegally
• Authorities said the woman said she was from Darfur region and was attempting to join family members who managed to get into Israel
• The woman also indicated that she paid a human trafficking gang $500 to take her to the border area between Sinai and Israel

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: Darfur Situation as Seen through Egyptian Eyes
By: Dr. Ijlal Rafat (Political Science and Economics Department)

• Darfur crisis has become as complicated as a spider web making it difficult to know where it begins, who is responsible for it, and how to end it. 
• At the end of the month, Libya is set to host what is called the last peace talks to resolve the crisis.  But to better understand the situation in Darfur, it is helpful to give an overview of the general situation:
• 1. Hybrid force is expected to be deployed by year’s end and UN wants it to have advanced weapons to defend itself and the population it is supposed to protect
• 2. UN Security Council approved European force in neighboring Chad and the Republic of Central Africa to protect those who fled the fighting in Darfur
• 3. US changed its position from blaming all developments in Darfur on the Sudanese government to blaming all involved parties including armed groups
• 4. Regional meddling: as Libya, Eritrea, and Chad are arming and financially supporting various rebel groups

In the meantime, the internal situation in Darfur is just as unclear:

• 1. With about 28 different groups, the rebel groups still continue to splinter
• 2. Not all rebel groups are set to attend the peace talks in Libya: Abdul Wahid Nour is opposed and Dr. Khalil Ibrahim’s position not totally clear
• 3. The rebel groups have no common agenda or strategy for the talks: some favor a federal system and others want complete independence
• 4. The government wants to use Abuja as a foundation for any agreement while rebel groups favor Arusha announcement

In addition to all of these difficulties, a dangerous effort to change the demographic make up of the region is underway, as Arab tribes are brought into the region to replace African tribes that fled their homes because of intense fighting.

All these complications work against the international community’s peace efforts.  For, divisions run deep, intensions are not honest, and everyone is working for their narrow interest with total disregard for the national interest.  This makes Darfur crisis not just an economic and political problem, but, at its core, it is also an identity crisis centered on whether everyone sees Sudan as a country to be preserved.

Read the above in Arabic.