PORT SUDAN: Over 55,000 internally displaced Sudanese have returned to areas across the southeastern state of Sennar, more than a month after the army recaptured the state capital from paramilitaries, the UN migration agency said Saturday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said its field teams “monitored the return of an estimated 55,466 displaced persons to locations across Sennar state” between December 18 and January 10.
Across the entire country, however, the United Nations says 21 months of war have created the world’s worst internal displacement crisis, uprooting more than 12 million people.
Famine has been declared in parts of the country, but the risk is spreading for millions more people, including to areas north of Sennar, a UN-backed assessment said last month.
In November, the Sudanese army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, said it had regained control of Sinja, the Sennar state capital and a key link between army-controlled areas of central and eastern Sudan.
The RSF had controlled Sinja since late June when its attack on Sennar state forced nearly 726,000 people — many displaced from other states — to flee, according to the United Nations.
The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands.
On Thursday, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, accusing the army of attacking schools, markets and hospitals, as well as using food deprivation as a weapon of war.
The move came just over a week after Washington also sanctioned RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accusing his group of committing genocide.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Dagalo had been designated for “gross violations of human rights” in Sudan’s western Darfur region, “namely the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his control.”
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Over 55,000 displaced Sudanese return to southeastern state: IOM
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Over 55,000 displaced Sudanese return to southeastern state: IOM
- IOM said its field teams “monitored the return of an estimated 55,466 displaced persons
- Famine has been declared in parts of the country
Hamas says technocratic committee key to consolidating Gaza truce
- A senior Hamas official on Thursday welcomed the formation of a technocratic committee to govern post-war Gaza, saying it would help consolidate the ceasefire and prevent a return to fighting
GAZA: A senior Hamas official on Thursday welcomed the formation of a technocratic committee to govern post-war Gaza, saying it would help consolidate the ceasefire and prevent a return to fighting.
Egypt, a mediator in indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, announced the formation of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee that would operate under the overall supervision of a so-called “Board of Peace,” to be chaired by US President Donald Trump.
“The formation of the committee is a step in the right direction,” said Bassem Naim, a senior leader in the Palestinian Islamist movement.
“This is crucial for consolidating the ceasefire, preventing a return to war, addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis and preparing for comprehensive reconstruction,” he said.
Hamas has exercised total control over public life in Gaza since 2007.
It has repeatedly said it does not seek a role in any future governing authority in Gaza and would limit its involvement to monitoring governance.
Naim said Hamas was ready to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to the national transitional committee and to facilitate its work.
“The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee,” he said.
He urged them to counter what he described as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to “stall or obstruct” the next stages of the ceasefire.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Gaza has been split by a so-called “Yellow Line,” marking the boundary between territory controlled by Hamas and areas under Israeli military authority.
Washington’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday the ceasefire had moved into its second stage.
Key elements of the second stage include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the demilitarization of the territory including the disarmament of Hamas, and steps to address the humanitarian crisis through accelerated aid deliveries and reconstruction.
The US-proposed Board of Peace is expected to be led on the ground by Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov, who has recently held talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Mladenov previously served as the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process from early 2015 until the end of 2020.
Media reports say Trump is expected to announce the members of the Board of Peace in the coming days, with the body set to include around 15 world leaders.
Egypt, a mediator in indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, announced the formation of a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee that would operate under the overall supervision of a so-called “Board of Peace,” to be chaired by US President Donald Trump.
“The formation of the committee is a step in the right direction,” said Bassem Naim, a senior leader in the Palestinian Islamist movement.
“This is crucial for consolidating the ceasefire, preventing a return to war, addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis and preparing for comprehensive reconstruction,” he said.
Hamas has exercised total control over public life in Gaza since 2007.
It has repeatedly said it does not seek a role in any future governing authority in Gaza and would limit its involvement to monitoring governance.
Naim said Hamas was ready to hand over administration of the Gaza Strip to the national transitional committee and to facilitate its work.
“The ball is now in the court of the mediators, the American guarantor and the international community to empower the committee,” he said.
He urged them to counter what he described as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to “stall or obstruct” the next stages of the ceasefire.
Since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, Gaza has been split by a so-called “Yellow Line,” marking the boundary between territory controlled by Hamas and areas under Israeli military authority.
Washington’s top envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Wednesday the ceasefire had moved into its second stage.
Key elements of the second stage include the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the demilitarization of the territory including the disarmament of Hamas, and steps to address the humanitarian crisis through accelerated aid deliveries and reconstruction.
The US-proposed Board of Peace is expected to be led on the ground by Bulgarian diplomat and politician Nickolay Mladenov, who has recently held talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Mladenov previously served as the United Nations envoy for the Middle East peace process from early 2015 until the end of 2020.
Media reports say Trump is expected to announce the members of the Board of Peace in the coming days, with the body set to include around 15 world leaders.
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