Arabic Media

September 6, 2023

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: In His First Visit to Sudan, Ban Ki-Moon Promises to End Darfur Crisis
By: Abdul Wahid Libini

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon promised to end Darfur’s four-year crisis, urge international community to help the millions of refugees, spur along peace negotiations between Khartoum government and rebel groups, and deploy AU – UN hybrid force of 26,000 troops
• Sudanese UN Ambassador Abdul Mahmoud Abdul Haleem described the secretary general’s talks with Sudanese officials as “positive” and reiterated his country’s commitment to UN Security Council 1769 resolution
• The secretary general nominated Pakistani diplomat Ashraf Qadhi, who currently represents the international organization in Iraq, to replace Jan Pronk who was expelled from Sudan last year

Source: Al Riyadh (Government-friendly Saudi daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Ki-Moon: We Will Increase Pressure on Sudanese Government to Reach a Political Settlement
By: Baleegh Hasballah

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon promised to put pressure on Sudanese government to reach a political settlement to the four-year crisis in Darfur province
• President Omar Hassan Al Bashir officially nominated Nafi Ali Nafi to handle Darfur negotiations replacing late Majdoub Al Khalifa
• Ban Ki-Moon met with local officials in Al Fasher, capital of North Darfur, visited Peace camp which houses over 200,000 internally displaced people, and toured buildings that will house hybrid force headquarters
• He told journalists he will push the Khartoum government and rebel groups to make concessions in order to reach a peace deal, to prepare for the hybrid force deployment, and to speed up political settlement
• He also insisted that the force deployment must be accompanied with political settlement to ensure peacekeeping mission’s success

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Arab Tribes Warn against Deviation in Hybrid Force’s Mission

• Ban Ki-Moon told journalists in Al Fasher, where he met with local leadership and camp residents and leader, he will push the Khartoum government and rebel groups to make concessions to reach a peace deal, to prepare for the hybrid force deployment, and to speed up political settlement
• He also insisted that the force deployment must be accompanied with political settlement to ensure peacekeeping mission’s success
• Arab tribes submitted a memorandum that urged the United Nations to be a positive force in ending the crisis and not to focus on the crisis’ less important aspects, and warned against using the hybrid force got the benefit of rebel groups instead of its declared mission in the UN resolution
• The memorandum also demanded that Arab tribes be included in Darfur peace negotiations if the talks were to succeed

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: Ban Ki-Moon Calls for Political Settlement

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon concluded a one-day visit to Darfur by reiterating his commitment to achieve peace in the war-torn region and political settlement to ensure peacekeeping mission’s success
• He told journalists after visiting peace camp for internally displace people that he was “humbled after seeing the abject poverty in which camp residents live”
• He also told journalists he will push Khartoum government and rebel groups to make concessions in order to reach a peace deal; to prepare for the hybrid force deployment; and to speed up political settlement

Source: Asharq Al Awsat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Israel to Give Citizenship to Hundreds of Darfur Refugees
By: Ismail Adam and Mustapha Sirri

• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon promised to end Darfur’s four-year crisis, urge international community to help the millions of refugees, spur along peace negotiations between Khartoum government and rebel groups, and deploy AU – UN hybrid force of 26,000 troops
• The secretary general said he will put pressure on the Sudanese government to reach a political settlement to the four-year crisis in Darfur province
• Ban Ki-Moon outlined a peace process based on three main points: deployment of AU-UN hybrid force, political solution, and convincing all rebel groups to sign peace agreement
• Meanwhile, President Omar Al Bashir nominated Nafi Ali Nafi to replace late Majdoub Al Khalifa to handle Darfur peace negotiations
• And Israeli minister of the interior told journalists that “Israel as a Jewish state must help Darfur refugees” and added that “in coordination with the United Nations we hope to agree on the number of people to receive Israeli citizenship”

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-owned Pan-Arab daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Israel to Give Citizenship to Hundreds of Refugees and Demonstrations Greet Ban Ki-Moon’s visit to Darfur
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• United Nations Secretary Genral Ban Ki-Moon faced few problems as he visited Al Fasher, capital of North Darfur:
• First, governor of North Darfur refused to meet at the airport and insisted on meeting at government headquarters
• Second, the secretary general had to change a meeting place during a meeting with three representatives of refugee camp after it was overrun by demonstrators unhappy about those selected to meet with him
• And third, a scheduled journalists tour of the camp was cancelled due to lack of security, however the secretary general was able to go on a tour after “making security arrangements”
• Israeli minister told journalists that “Israel as a Jewish state must help Darfur refugees” and added that “in coordination with the United Nations, we hope to agree on the number of people to receive Israeli citizenship”

Read the above in Arabic.