Arabic Media

October 22, 2022

Source: Al Rai (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: UN Calls for Helicopters for Darfur Force

• UN has failed so far to convince countries to give Darfur hybrid force sophisticated equipment including helicopters
• The hybrid forces’ 26,000 troops are expected to replace an African force that suffered through poor equipment, lack of funds, and failed to end the conflict
• A UN official indicated that no troops would be deployed in Darfur without helicopters, adding that the African troops were unable to even defend themselves because of lack of such equipment
• Because no countries offered helicopters for the troops so far, Britain wants the UN Security Council to issue a new resolution urging member countries to provide helicopters for transportation and defense purposes

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: UN Forces to Face Dangerous Situations in Chad and Darfur

• Experts in humanitarian crises and political conflicts agree that European Union force heading to Chad to provide protection to Darfur refugees could find itself mired in a multi-faceted, difficult, and ever-expanding conflict
• The 3000 EU force will be deployed days after a brutal attack on African troops in Darfur and many fear that it will face similar problems
• The EU force will be tasked with protecting 400,000 Darfur refugees in a wide area that is rife with tribal fighting, banditry, cross border attacks, fighting between rebel groups seeking to topple Chadian central government
• Chadian main rebel groups threatened to attack the EU force if it were to interfere with their resistance fighting

Source: Al Rai (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Fears and Expectations Tied to Darfur Peacekeeping Force

• Humanitarian organizations working in Darfur are hopeful that Darfur peacekeeping force would provide a degree of security and protection, but at the same time they are worried if the force were to take a strong position, it might lead to increased attacks against unarmed aid workers
• The 26,000 hybrid force deployment takes place as attacks on aid workers around the world are on the rise.  In Darfur, for example, 3 drivers employed by aid groups in Darfur were killed and their vehicles and equipment were stolen
• Aid groups, which for years called for a strong international force, are more pessimistic these days due to increased violence that forced them to scale back their operations in Darfur
• And while these groups blame the Sudanese government of sabotaging their humanitarian efforts, they blame the rebel groups and bandits for most of the attacks on aid groups and AU force

Source: Addustour (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Save Darfur Coalition Calls on China to Stop Arming Sudan while Nour Accuses Sudanese Troops of Shelling Refugee Camp

• Sudan Liberation Movement founder Abdul Wahid Nour accused Sudanese army of shelling Kalima refugee camp in Darfur to scare the refugees and convince them that they are not safe in the camp
• He added that the government’s strategy is to kill, rape, burn, and imprison displaced people in the camps
• Meanwhile, Save Darfur Coalition sent the Chinese president a letter urging him to stop arming the Sudanese army and to put pressure on the Sudanese government to allow deployment of UN peacekeeping force
• The letter also urged the Chinese government to participate with transportation planes and helicopters to protect the hybrid force

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: News of Militia Attacks on Darfur Refugee Camp

• Eyewitnesses reported militia members supported by the Sudanese government attacked a refugee camp killing 6 people and wounded 14 others as they searched for rebels
• UN confirmed the fighting in Kalima refugee camp but was not sure of the identity of the attackers
• A refugee eyewitness said that the “government sent the militia to the camp to look for 6 rebels” adding they torched 50 huts
• The camp, which houses about 90,000 refugees, was the scene of tribal fighting in recent months in addition to attempts by the authorities to re-establish control there

Source: Addustour (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Three Humanitarian Organizations Urge Organizers of Afro-European Summit Not to Invite Al Bashir

• Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam urged organizers of Afro-European summit not to invite Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir
• They argued that inviting Al Bashir to the summit, which will be held in the Portuguese capital, would legitimize the atrocities committed by the Sudanese regime in Darfur
• The three organizations called for assets of the Sudanese president and other Sudanese leaders to be frozen and for more sanctions against the Sudanese regime
• The organizations indicated that the situation in Darfur continued to deteriorate

Read the above in Arabic.