Arabic Media

September 7, 2023

Source: Al Rai (Government-friendly Jordanian daily with wide circulation)
Headline: Darfur Peace Talks to Start Next Month

• Announcement read by Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akul indicated that African Union and United Nations to send invitations for resumption of peace talks in Libya on October 27, and that the Sudanese government’s participation will be positive and will respect the commitments it made
• Sudanese government also promised to work with AU and UN to facilitate deployment of hybrid force of 26,000 troops in Darfur, which will replace existing African troops that was unable to protect the peace in area the size of France because it lacks proper equipment
• The government also promised to hold free national elections in 2009 in which all Sudanese citizens will participate including Darfur citizens

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Demonstrations Disturb Meeting between Ki-Moon and Refugee Representatives in Al Fasher

• A group of demonstrators disturbed a meeting between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and three refugee representatives in city of Al Fasher
• Demonstrators wanted to join the talks because they felt they were not adequately represented
• UN spokesperson said the demonstrators were not invited and that’s why they were not allowed inside the tent where the secretary general was to hold the meeting

Source: Asharq Al Awsat (Saudi-Owned Pan Arab daily with over 1 million readers)
Headline: October 27 Decisive Darfur Peace Negotiations to Begin
By: Ismail Adam and Mustapha Sirri

• Sudanese government and United Nations announced that Darfur “decisive” peace talks to end the conflict are to start on October 27 will take place in Libya
• Sudan Liberation Movement – Nour group objected to the meeting place and threatened to boycott the peace talks
• Ban Ki-Moon said that he would do his best to have all rebel groups participate and urged all Sudanese parties involved in Darfur crisis to “take advantage of this opportunity to achieve peace in darfur”
• The secretary general expressed shock at the situation in refugee camps and promised to his best to resolve the crisis, enable displace people to return to their homes safely
• President Al Bashir promised the government will be a positive force during the peace talks, and will abide by its previous commitments

Source: Al Hayat (Saudi-Owned Pan Arab daily with over 1 million readers)
Headline: Sudan Has Unmanned Planes and Develops Missiles
By: Annour Ahmed Annour

• Sudanese minister of defense said that Sudan was able to successfully develop unmanned planes and became self-sufficient in manufacturing many conventional weapons, adding that his country in the third African country in terms of manufacturing military equipment
• The minister also indicated that Sudan purchases weapons from Russia, North Korea, Iran, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia and signed an agreement with China and Russia to modernize its air force
• Experts disagreed about the reason and the timing of this announcement: some suggested that it is a warning to the Hybrid force that Sudan is capable of monitoring their actions, and others thought that it might be a propaganda ploy for internal consumption

Read the above in Arabic.