U.S. and European media

January 15, 2023

Reuters: Darfur rebels say clash with militias near key town. Rebels and government-backed militias clashed close to a strategic town in Sudan's South Darfur state on Thursday, insurgents and peacekeepers said, leaving an unknown number dead. The latest outbreak of fighting stoked tensions in the region ahead of a decision by the International Criminal Court on whether to issue an arrest warrant against Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur. The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) told Reuters militia fighters loyal to a former insurgent leader attacked its forces close to the south Darfur town of Muhajiriya, a town 80 km (50 miles) from south Darfur's capital, Nyala.

Reuters: Sudan Army Bombs Darfur Rebels. Sudan's army said on Wednesday it had bombed rebel positions in Darfur, a rare admission of air attacks in the western region. A statement said planes bombed near Muhajiriya in south Darfur, targeting rebels who had rejected a 2006 peace agreement and the unconditional ceasefire declared by Bashir last year. No one was immediately available from Sudan's government to comment on whether the attacks broke the ceasefire or other agreements. Bombing is forbidden under terms of the 2006 deal and U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Reuters: UN council authorizes force to replace EU in Chad. The Security Council authorized on Wednesday a 5,000-strong U.N. military force to take over peacekeeping duties in turbulent eastern Chad from European Union troops who have been there for the past year. A Security Council resolution said the new force, whose mandate will initially run for a year, would contain a maximum of 5,200 military personnel and 300 police. It will take over from the 3,300-strong EUFOR on March 15 and, like the EU force, operate in part of the neighboring Central African Republic, which has also been affected by spillover from the Darfur conflict.

Reuters: Sudan detains opposition leader after Bashir remarks. Sudanese security agents arrested an influential opposition leader late on Wednesday, his family said, two days after he called on Sudan's president to hand himself into the International Criminal Court. Hassan al-Turabi, the first significant political figure to urge Bashir to surrender, was taken from his Khartoum home just after 11 p.m. (2000 GMT) his son Siddig al-Turabi told Reuters. "He is being arrested now. It may be for interrogation. It might be for long term internment," he said, adding the security officials had not explained the reason for the arrest.

Gurnee Review: Darfur Hero. Ethan Barhydt was honored recently by The Save Darfur Coalition as a "Darfur Hero" for his efforts organizing youth to raise awareness about the ongoing genocide. Barhydt's recent endeavor helped organize a benefit concert for a Sudanese Community Center in Chicago that featured the nationally acclaimed band State Radio. The event raised more than $3,000 for the community center and collected hundreds of pounds of school supplies for local Sudanese refugee children.

The Darfur Daily News is a service of the Save Darfur Coalition. To subscribe to the Daily News, please email [email protected]. For media inquiries, please contact Ashley Roberts at (202) 478-6181, or [email protected].