Photo : Reuters
NIAS Area Studies
AFRICA MONITOR
Photo : Reuters
IN BRIEF
by Jerry Franklin, Ryan Marcus, Sneha Surendran, Nithyashree RB and Prearana P
Sudan: Nyala city residents killed during Sudan’s prolonged battle
On 26 July, BBC reported on the death of over 30 civilians in the Nyala city in Sudan. Several days of heavy fighting by the paramilitary, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the allied Arab militias has been taking over the country’s main army base located in Darfur. Due to the heavy artillery and shell attacks, the residents have left the village to the nearby cities. The human rights workers talked about the forced actions of RSF fighters, who took over the civilian’s cars. Since the power erupted between the army and the RSF, the western region of Darfur witnessed the worst violence. Further, the region has attempted several ceasefire acceptances. (Will Ross, “City residents killed in battle for Sudan army base,” BBC, 26 July 2023)
Niger: Soldiers group announce the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum
On 26 July, a group of soldiers calling themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the country announced that they had removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power, stating: “The defence and security forces … have decided to put an end to the regime you are familiar with.” They further informed of a nationwide curfew along with the closure of Niger’s borders. The development follows media reports that Bazoum was detained at his palace by soldiers. The US has extended its support to the “democratically elected President of Niger,” calling for his immediate release. (“Soldiers in Niger claim to have overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum,” Al Jazeera, 26 July 2023)
Ethiopia: Tigray fighters were demobilised back to their homes
On 26 July, BBC reported on the demobilisation of Tigray fighters. A senior figure of Tigray’s administration reported that more than 55,000 Tigray fighters, who took part in Ethiopia's Tigray region were demobilised back to their communities. General Tadesse Worde, the commander of the Tigray force called the fighters as the “heroes who paid sacrifices.” Over half a million were killed during the war, which caused a humanitarian crisis in the country. Additionally, the troops from the Eritrea region were accused of several abuses during the conflict. Further, the issue has worsened the hunger-related deaths, amid the suspension of aid from the UN. (Kalkidan Yibeltal, “Tigray fighters demobilised and sent home as 'heroes',” BBC, 26 July 2023)
Sudan: Peace talks in Togo discuss Darfur violence
On 24 July, peace talks conducted in Togo’s capital of Lomé discussed the de-escalation of violence in Sudan’s Darfur region. A Rapid Support Forces (RSF) representative said that they wanted an end to the violence, stating their willingness to involve in any “kind of meeting for peace and bringing people together, and stop the war in Darfur and in Sudan.” Meanwhile, a Darfur rebel group representative stated that they were attempting to stop the violence from spiralling into a civil war, stressing that “a roadmap and an action plan” were necessary to coordinate with other leaders in the region. Meanwhile, the reopening of the RSF-held El-Geneina airport in Darfur to facilitate humanitarian aid transport was also discussed. (“Peace talks for Sudan's western region of Darfur held in Lomé,” Africanews, 26 July 2023)
West Africa: ECOWAS president emphasizes rising insecurity in the region
On 25 July, President of the ECOWAS, Omar Touray, in the UNSC, highlighted that West Africa registered 1800 attacks resulting in 4593 deaths in 2023. In the first six months of 2023, 2275 attacks have been recorded in Burkina Faso, 844 in Mali, 77 in Niger and 70 in Nigeria. Touray added that 6.2 million are internally displaced due to lack of food; 42 million will face food insecurity in August 2023. He said: “The reversal of democratic gains runs parallel to insecurity that West Africa and the Sahel have been facing for some time now.” He added that ECOWAS military chiefs proposed a brigade of 5000 at an annual cost of USD 2.3 billion or deployment of troops on request at an annual cost of USD 360 million. He called for the allocation of funds from the UN's regular budget for the AU’s peace operations. (“Over 1,800 ‘terrorist attacks’ in West Africa in 2023: ECOWAS,” Al Jazeera, 26 July 2023)