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Sudan Conflict Worsens, Poses Greater Danger To Civilians — UN

Published

9 months ago

January 18, 2025

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has expressed alarm over the escalating violence in Sudan, warning that the conflict is taking an “even more dangerous turn for civilians.”

Türk issued the warning in a statement on Friday, highlighting reports of ethnically targeted killings in Al Jazirah state, southeast Sudan, and an imminent battle for control of Khartoum.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in conflict since April 2023, a war Türk condemned as “senseless.” He noted that as the factions “battle for control at all costs,” direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly frequent.

“The situation for civilians in Sudan is already desperate, with evidence pointing to the commission of war crimes and other atrocities. I fear the situation is now taking an even more dangerous turn,” Türk said.

In the past week, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented at least 21 deaths in two attacks on camps in Al Jazirah, located 40 kilometers from the state capital, Wad Madani. However, the true scale of civilian casualties and attacks may be much higher.

On January 10, an assault on Taiba Camp left eight civilians dead, and at least 13 women and one man were abducted. Houses were torched, and livestock, crops, and property were looted, displacing dozens of families. A day later, 13 civilians, including two boys, were killed in an attack on Khamsa Camp.

These attacks followed the SAF’s recapture of Wad Madani and were reportedly carried out by the Sudan Shield Forces, led by former RSF commander Abu Aqla Keikal, who defected in October. The attacks predominantly targeted the Kanabi, a marginalized group composed of Nuba and other African tribes.

Sudanese authorities have pledged to investigate the attacks and prosecute those responsible, establishing a committee for this purpose. However, Türk highlighted a worrying rise in retaliatory violence, hate speech, and incitement to violence based on ethnic identity, which he stressed must urgently be stopped.

OHCHR received videos documenting violence, including unlawful killings, allegedly filmed in Wad Madani. The footage showed men in SAF uniforms dehumanizing victims and using derogatory terms such as “dirt” and “animals,” with summary executions labeled as “cleaning operations.”

Similar ethnically motivated violence persists in North Darfur, where RSF forces and allied Arab militias continue targeting African ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur.

Meanwhile, in Omdurman, a market in the Ombada Dar es Salam square – an RSF-controlled area – was hit by drone strikes on January 13, reportedly launched by the SAF. The attacks left approximately 120 civilians dead and over 150 injured.

Türk reiterated his call for an end to the fighting and urged the warring factions to adhere to international humanitarian and human rights laws. He also warned that militia recruitment and mobilization along ethnic lines risk igniting a broader civil war and inter-communal violence.

“The SAF and RSF are accountable for the actions of those fighting on their behalf,” Türk said, urging immediate measures to protect civilians and ensure investigations into all violations and abuses are independent, impartial, and transparent.

NAN

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China, US Agree To Resume Trade Talks

Published

1 hour ago

October 18, 2025

Editor

China and the United States agreed on Saturday to conduct another round of trade negotiations in the coming week, as the world’s two biggest economies seek to avoid another damaging tit-for-tat tariff battle.

Beijing last week announced sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100 percent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation.

Trump had also threatened to cancel his expected meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

In the latest indication of efforts to resolve their dispute, Chinese state media reported that Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had “candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges” during a Saturday morning call, and that both sides agreed to hold a new round of trade talks “as soon as possible”.

On social media, Bessent described the call as “frank and detailed”, and said they would meet “in-person next week to continue our discussions”.

Bessent had previously accused China of seeking to harm the rest of the world by tightening restrictions on rare earths, which are critical to everything from smartphones to guided missiles.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also participated in the call, according to the report by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Hours before the call, Fox News released excerpts of an interview with Trump in which he said he would meet Xi at the APEC summit after all.

Trump told the outlet that the 100 percent tariff on goods from China was not sustainable.

“It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is… They forced me to do that,” he said.

The high-level video call came as Washington worked to rally Group of Seven finance ministers in response to the latest Chinese export controls.

For now, the G7 ministers have agreed to coordinate a short-term response and diversify suppliers, the EU’s economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Washington.

Speaking after the grouping met this week, Dombrovskis noted the vast majority of rare earth supplies come from China, meaning that diversification could take years.

“We agreed, both bilaterally with the US and at the G7 level, to coordinate our approach,” he said on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s fall meetings.

Countries would also exchange information on their contacts with Chinese counterparts as they work out short-term solutions, he added.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told journalists he hopes that Trump and Xi’s meeting can help to resolve much of the US-China trade conflict.

“We have made it clear within the G7 that we do not agree with China’s approach,” he added, referring to the group of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva also expressed hope Friday for an agreement between the countries to cool tensions.

The US-China trade war reignited this year as Trump promised sweeping tariffs on imports soon after returning to office.

At one point, US-China tariffs escalated to triple-digit levels, effectively halting some trade as businesses waited for a resolution.

The two countries have since lowered their respective levies, but their truce has remained shaky.

AFP

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Morocco Jails Student One Year Over Gen Z Protest

Published

1 day ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

A student arrested during Morocco’s youth-led protests has been sentenced to one year in prison, his lawyer told AFP on Friday.

The case marks the first publicly known prison sentence linked to the kingdom’s Gen Z demonstrations, which have been held near-daily between late September and last week to demand social and political reforms.

The student was charged with “participating in an unauthorised and unarmed gathering” and “insulting the judicial police by providing false information”, lawyer Mohamed Nouini said.

“The ruling is unfair, and we will appeal,” he added, arguing that sit-ins did not require authorisation as per a Supreme Court precedent.

The lawyer said his client was arrested on September 30, three days after the protests erupted in the North African country.

According to a report by news website Hespress, citing another lawyer, the student’s arrest was “an unfortunate coincidence” as he was in Casablanca for a family visit.

The other lawyer, Mohamed Lakhdar, told the judge the student had “not insulted” police nor provided false information, telling them he “was just a student”, according to the report.

Hundreds were arrested during the early days of the largely peaceful demonstrations.

Some cities had seen spates of violence and acts of vandalism, while authorities have said three people were killed by police acting in “self-defence” during clashes in a village near Agadir.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) has said roughly 550 people are facing prosecution on suspicion of joining the protests, with some still in detention.

The organisers of the online-based movement behind the nationwide protests, the GenZ 212 youth collective, remain unknown.

The collective has called for “peaceful sit-ins” on Saturday and demanded the release of those arrested during the demonstrations.

The protest came after the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a hospital in Agadir.

But protesters have also demanded reforms to the education system and a change of government.
AFP

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Trump Refiles $15bn Defamation Lawsuit Against New York Times

Published

1 day ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

US President Donald Trump has refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, court documents show, weeks after it was thrown out by a federal judge.

Trump has intensified his long-established hostility toward the media since his return to the White House, and the suit is one of numerous attacks against news organizations he accuses of bias against him.

The Times’ complaint was thrown out in September because District Judge Steven Merryday took exception to its florid writing, repetitive and laudatory praise of Trump, and its excessive 85-page length.

The suit filed Thursday in Florida and seen by AFP runs to less than half the length, at 40 pages.

It takes aim at “false, defamatory, and malicious publications”, highlighting a book and two Times articles.

The lawsuit named the newspaper, three Times reporters and the publisher Penguin Random House as defendants.

It accuses them of making defamatory statements against Trump “with actual malice.”

“The statements in question wrongly defame and disparage President Trump’s hard-earned professional reputation, which he painstakingly built for decades” before entering the White House, the lawsuit says.

The court was asked to grant compensatory damages of not less than $15 billion and additional punitive damages “in an amount to be determined upon trial.”

Trump’s attacks on media outlets have seen him restrict access, badmouth journalists critical of his administration, and bring lawsuits demanding huge amounts of compensation.

In July, Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion after it reported on the existence of a book and a letter he allegedly sent to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit over election coverage on CBS News’ flagship show “60 Minutes” for $16 million the same month. He had alleged that the program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.

AFP