Arabic Media

September 10, 2023

Source: Al Ahram (government-friendly, Egyptian daily with over 1 million in circulation)
Headline: Egyptian Ambassador to Sudan Checks on Egyptian Development Projects in Darfur
By: Mohamed Abd Al Mahdi

Egyptian Ambassador to Sudan, Mohamed Abdul Munim Ashadhli, visited Darfur regions to:

• Check on Egypt’s efforts to speed up peace projects to end the humanitarian crisis in the region and to provide support to regular Sudanese population in Darfur
• The ambassador met with South Darfur governor and tribal leaders, and gave a lecture at the local university about increasing academic exchange between Darfur and Egyptian universities
• Egypt announced few months back that it would build 40 wells to provide running water to the local population and participate in the hybrid force to provide much needed safety and stability to encourage investment and development projects

Source: Addustour (Government-friendly, Jordanian daily enjoys wide circulation)
Headline: Ban Ki-Moon Says Peace Progress Achieved During Visit and Calls on Neighboring Countries to Assist with Drafting of Road Map

• Ban Ki-Moon said he leaves the region after achieving some progress toward resolving Darfur crisis, but acknowledged that a lot more work is needed to achieve satisfactory results
• Ki-Moon praised Khartoum’s support for Darfur hybrid force and its willingness to facilitate its speedy deployment
• The secretary general indicated that peace talks will be held in Libya on October 27 and urged all regional governments – Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, and Libya - to use their influence with the rebels to ensure their participation in the peace talks
• He also praised Moammar Al Qaddhafi’s generosity and hospitality in hosting these important talks and his promise to “doing his best to ensure participation of all rebel groups”
• American actor George Clooney was encouraged by the secretary general’s visit and was optimistic that “for the first time, there is a nucleus of a peace agreement in which the government and all rebel groups will take part” and added “there is a great opportunity, the first of its kind in a long time, for something positive to take place”

Source: Al Khaleej (UAE daily, with over 80,000 in circulation)
Headline: Al Bashir Told Ban Ki-Moon “Libya Talks to Be the Last Peace Opportunity for Darfur Rebels”

• Sudanese Ambassador to the United Nations, Abdul Mahmoud Abdul Haleem, said that President Omar Al Bashir informed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that “Libya peace talks would be the last opportunity for Darfur rebels to join the peace process in Darfur”
• He added that the president left it up to the United Nations to use its influence to gather all rebel groups for peace talks in Libya
• He also said that the United Nations should be tough with the rebel groups that refuse to take part in the peace negotiations

Source: Al Jazeera (Leading Arabic News Channel, headquartered in Qatar)
Headline: Fear Rising Because of EU Troop Deployment in Eastern Chad
By: Imad Abdul Hadi

It seems that the international community will not rest till it controls all of Africa’s important and strategic gaps.  Darfur with all of its crises is going to be the biggest gap and therefore the entry point for all Western competing agendas:

• While the United States is trying to find a foothold in Darfur with or without the blessing of Sudanese government; European governments headed by the French thrust themselves in the region by deploying EU troops in Chad and the Republic of Central Africa in order to protect Darfur refugees there, so they claim
• EU troop deployment in Eastern Chad was categorically rejected by Chadian opposition which warned against a European plot to re-colonize the entire region, especially that the border area between the three countries is thought to be oil rich
• Meanwhile, Sudanese expert, Haydar Ibrahim, head of Sudanese Studies Center, expects that the EU force will be ready to go into Sudan whenever it were called upon to do so, and added the force deployment was another way to put more pressure on the Sudanese government
• As for political analyst, Mohamed Musa Harika, he thought the EU deployment to be the turning point that all neighboring countries feared

 Source: Annahar (Independent Lebanese daily with strong circulation)
Headline: Chad to Support Peace Efforts in Sudan and Darfur Rebels Disappointed in Ban Ki-Moon’s Visit

• Ban Ki-Moon praised President of Chad Idriss Deby for allowing the deployment of 3,000 European troops to ensure peace in Darfur and prevent violence from spilling into Chad and the Republic of Central Africa
• The arrival of Ban Ki-moon to Chad coincided with urgent plea from humanitarian organizations to provide much needed food assistance to the 400,000 Darfur refugees in Chad before the start of the rainy season, which will make it difficult to reach the refugee camps
• Meanwhile, Darfur rebels were not too pleased with the results of Ban Ki-Moon’s visit to Sudan.  Ahmed Abdul Shaffi, Sudan Liberation Movement leader, said “the visit did not satisfy the aspirations of Darfur residents…the United Nations must exert pressure on the Sudanese government to stop settling Arab tribes from neighboring countries in Darfur in order to alter the ethnic make up of the region”
• As for Abdul Wahid Nour, he complained that the secretary general did not consult with the rebels before announcing the date and place of the peace negotiations.  He added that “during the preparation phase, all parties should be consulted on the date, place, and mediators.  The rebels did not take part in the negotiations” Nour insists

Read the above in Arabic.