U.S. and European media

November 12, 2022

The following blog by Rebecca Hamilton appeared on The New ForeignPolicy.com:  Gration and Power answer activists' questions on Sudan.  The State Department partnered with two U.S.-based advocacy organizations (Save Darfur and STAND) to launch AskUS -- a web 2.0 initiative to connect the Obama administration with citizen activists. Leaders from Save Darfur and STAND asked a selection of the citizens' questions to U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration and Director of Multilateral Affairs at the National Security Council Samantha Power. What was a concern was the administration's inability to provide concrete answers to the advocates' questions.  Gration's backtracking caused confusion among advocates who had eagerly tuned in: Despite the AskUS initiative being promoted as a forum for open dialogue, the administration was cagey on some fairly rudimentary points about its new Sudan policy.

Sudan Tribune: US send technical team to Darfur ahead of Gration's visit.  The US sent a technical team to Sudan to assess the situation on the ground in Darfur as well as aid in areas of security and stability, Sudanese media reported. The delegation led by Raja Jandahila met with Sudanese Undersecretary for foreign affairs Mutrif Sideeg and discussed the US humanitarian aid in order to evaluate it and consider what the US can provide in the domain of security and stability in Sudan within the practical implementation of Washington's new strategy towards Sudan. The team's arrival comes ahead of a visit by US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration who said in a webcast yesterday at the White House that will travel to Khartoum, Abyei and Darfur.

ISRIA: UN - Council must do more to protect civilians in armed conflict - UN rights chief. The United Nations human rights chief today called on the Security Council to put more muscle into protecting civilians in armed conflict, citing the situations in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Afghanistan as examples of the need to end impunity.  "To be effective in the protection of civilians, the Council must consistently work to ensure accountability for perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other gross violations of human rights," High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a statement delivered by Deputy High Commissioner Kyung-wha Kang.  As it began its debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the Council unanimously adopted a resolution reiterating its willingness to respond to cases where civilians are targeted or humanitarian aid to civilians is deliberately obstructed, condemning indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks and the use of the presence of civilians to render areas or forces immune from military action.  In addition, it called for an end to impunity, and noted that civilians continue to account for the vast majority of casualties in armed conflict.

AP: Red Cross concern at growth in displacement camps.  Camps for people uprooted by natural disasters or armed conflict inside their own country can stir envy among locals and become a recruiting ground for armed groups, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Thursday.  In many cases displaced people are better housed in towns and villages, the ICRC said. Creating camps that can dwarf surrounding towns should be a last resort, as the health services, food and housing provided by aid agencies may draw people who would otherwise stay in their homes. The ICRC noted that in Sudan's Darfur region, ethnic segregation inside camps was common and has entailed unwanted consequences.  "Armed opposition groups were present in some, recruiting internally displaced persons, moving weapons through them, and resorting to extortion and harassment," it said.

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].