When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Sudan

Society

Unzipped! The African Women Breaking Taboos Of Sexuality

In countries and communities where sexuality is often kept under wraps, more and more women are taking up their microphones, pens and keyboards to talk about intimate issues without filters.

When the subject of African women's sexuality gets media coverage it's almost always a bad thing, says Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, a Ghanaian writer based in London: "through the spectrum of disease, HIV or repeated pregnancies."

While universal access to sexual and reproductive health services remains a central issue in West Africa, Sekyiamah wants to share other narratives. To do this, she co-founded the blog: Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women.

Watch Video Show less

In Sudan, A Surprise About-Face Marks Death Of The Revolution

Ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was the face of the "stolen revolution". The fact that he accepted, out of the blue, to return at the same position, albeit on different footing, opens the door to the final legitimization of the coup.

A little over a month ago, a military coup in Sudan ended a military-civilian partnership established after the 2019 revolution that removed President Omar al-Bashir after almost 30 years in power. The army arrested the Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and, along with several of his cabinet and other civil government officials, threw him in detention. In the weeks that followed, the Sudanese military and their partners in power, the Rapid Support Forces, moved quickly.

They reappointed a new government of “technocrats” (read “loyalists”), shut down internet services, and violently suppressed peaceful protests against the coup and its sabotaging of the 2019 revolution. During those weeks, Hamdok remained the symbol of the stolen revolution, betrayed by the military, detained illegally, unable to communicate with the people who demanded his return. In his figure, the moral authority of the counter-coup resided.

Keep reading... Show less

COVID Spikes In EU, Bulgaria Bus Crash, Uber Weed

👋 Tere!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where EU countries face a sharp rise in COVID cases and conflict, at least 25 die in a Bulgarian bus crash, and Uber starts delivering weed. Bogota-based daily El Espectador takes us through the return of gang violence taking over the streets of Medellín, Colombia, which became notorious during the 1970s thanks to drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.

[*Estonian]

Keep reading... Show less

Why This Sudan Coup Is Different

The military has seized control in one of Africa's largest countries, which until recently had made significant progress towards transitioning to democracy after years of strongman rule. But the people, and international community, may not be willing to turn back.

This week the head of Sudan's Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah El Burhan, declared the dissolution of the transitional council, which has been in place since the overthrow of former president Omar el-Bashir in 2019. He also disbanded all the structures that had been set up as part of the transitional roadmap, and decreed a state of emergency.

In essence, he staged a palace coup against the transitional authority he chaired.

Keep reading... Show less
Geopolitics
Nasr Eddin al-Tayib

War In Ethiopia's Tigray Region Casts Long Shadow Over Sudan

With a humanitarian crisis looming along the Sudan border, Ethiopian refugees pine for news of those they were forced to leave behind.

SUDAN-ETHIOPIA BORDER — After seizing the capital of the northern state of Tigray last weekend, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared the military incursion his forces launched at the beginning of November against the rebellious region a victory.

However, it has been anything but a victory for the civilian population of Tigray that has borne the heavy brunt of the fighting and been forced into displacement en masse. Tigray is home to an estimated six million people and is the seat of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which has consistently challenged the rule of Abiy since he ascended to office in 2018.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Roger-Pol Droit

Why Sudan Should Matter To Us All

Beyond the geopolitical ramifications, what's happening in Sudan is our problem too. Between the violence from those in charge and the meaning of citizen movements, the stakes couldn't be higher.

-Analysis-

PARIS — The situation in Khartoum over the past couple of days has marked the beginning of a major crisis, whose stakes extend well beyond the borders of Sudan. For two basic reasons, we must all care. The most visible one is geopolitics: This pivotal African country stands at a crossroads where Russian, Chinese and American interests, as well as direct spheres of influence of Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia intersect, and potentially openly clash. Then, there is also our continent, Europe, and its tendency at procrastination, now facing the situation in the context of immigration.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Jean-Philippe Rémy

The Women At The Forefront Of The Sudanese Revolution

“Kandakas” are leading the protests in Sudan, asking for more recognition and space in society.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has been in power for nearly 30 years, was ousted and arrested on April 11. Defense Minister Awad Ibn Ouf announced the army had decided to oversee a transitional period of two years before holding elections. Protests against Bashir, who took power in 1989 through a military coup, lasted several months.Le Monde correspondent Jean-Philippe Rémy talks to the women who seek more than just an end to Bashir's regime.

KHARTOUM — Sitting on the edge of the sofa with her back straight so as not to touch the backrest, her hands flat on her legs, her dress pulled down, she embodies the archetypal well-behaved Sudanese girl. Her mother, slumped on a nearby chair, keeps a watchful eye and seems satisfied. With just one look into Alia's eyes, you understand what really drives her. She is like a volcano that chooses how it will erupt: calmly, slowly, but with all the fire of the earth.

Watch Video Show less
Sources

Watch: OneShot — On Revolution Road

During the 2011 war in Libya, NOOR photographer Yuri Kozyrev wound up in the wrong place at the right time. His image of the moment a rebel position was targeted by a missile attack, on March 11, 2011 in the oil-refining town of Ras Lanuf, would win the World Press Photo first prize in Spot News, singles category.

On Revolution Road — ©Yuri Kozyrev/NOOR / OneShot

From World Press Photo:

The uprising against the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had grown out of clashes with authorities in the east-Libyan city of Benghazi, in mid-February. Anti-Gaddafi sentiment was strongest in the east of the country, and Benghazi came to be seen as the rebel stronghold. Ras Lanuf had fallen to anti-government forces on 4 March, during their initial advance west, towards the capital Tripoli. After heavy bombardment by land, sea and air, Gaddafi's forces retook the city on 10 March, and began pushing the rebels back. For some days it appeared that even Benghazi would be retaken. Gaddafi's counter-advance was halted after NATO planes began bombing Libyan military targets, following a UN resolution on 17 March. Rebel forces began moving west again and by the end of the month had recaptured Ras Lanuf, though they would not permanently occupy the city until late August. ​

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Vincent Defait

Rage And Refuge On Ethiopia-South Sudan Border

BUREBIEY — Six months ago, the brown water of the Baro River was flowing peacefully between South Sudan and Ethiopia, and the town of Burebiey was just another dot on the map in western Ethiopia.

But now, we are standing at a key crossing point for refugees of a spreading civil war. Throughout the day, boats move back and forth between the two sides of the river. On one side are South Sudan and its civil war. On the other side Ethiopia and the promise of peace, food and shelter.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Jean-Philippe Rémy

Living Among The Dead After A Massacre In South Sudan

BOR — Apart from the birds of prey gliding in the hot air, everything is as motionless as the corpse with the mummified face. It is a man, judging by his clothes, and he had curled up in a hole no bigger than a basin, hoping to be invisible in the grass.

He had clearly perished in a failed last-ditch effort to escape the ongoing manhunt along the banks of the Nile River just outside the village of Bor in December. Rebel soldiers fighting against the regime of President Salva Kiir in the South Sudan capital of Juba were responsible for the blood bath.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Worldcrunch

Battle For Jerusalem, Keystone Flops, Bob Marley's Cannabis

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

NORTH KOREA COULD FACE HUMAN RIGHTS PROBE
The United Nations’ human rights committee has called on the Security Council to refer North Korean leaders to the International Criminal Court over allegations of crimes against humanity, the BBC reports. The resolution approved late Tuesday was based on a report published earlier this year which documented state-sponsored abductions, forced labor, starvation, rape, forced abortion, infanticide, torture, and summary executions. According to CNN, Russia and China, who hold veto powers in the Security Council, said the measure was politically manipulated and could set a bad precedent.

NETANYAHU VOWS TO WIN “BATTLE FOR JERUSALEM”
After yesterday’s attack on a synagogue in West Jerusalem that left 4 worshippers and a policeman dead, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country was engaged in a “battle over Jerusalem, our eternal capital,” and vowed to “settle the score with every terrorist and their dispatchers,” The Independent reports. His Economy Minister, Naftali Bennett, who is also the leader of the far-right Zionist party Jewish Home, went further and urged Israel “to move from defense to attack” and to launch a military operation in the West Bank, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Worldcrunch

Western Journalists Attacked, South Sudan Starves, Saturn's Ocean

LAVROV HITS BACK AT UKRAINE ACCUSATIONS
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the fact that Ukraine ignored “independent ” expert assessments in its investigation of the deaths of more than 100 protesters and police officers in the last days of Kiev’s Maidan standoff Voice of Russia reports. Lavrov also said that a leaked conversation between EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton and Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, in which the two were discussing the possibility that snipers could have been provocateurs among the protesters, had fallen “on deaf ears.” This comes after Ukrainian authorities yesterday blamed Russian security agents and former President Viktor Yanukovych for the February deaths.

  • McDonald’s Ukraine announced yesterday that it would “temporarily” close its three restaurants in Crimea, citing “manufacturing reasons not dependent on McDonald's,” Ria Novosti reports. In Moscow, the leader of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky, commented, “We will close them all over the country, and then we’ll deal with Pepsi.”

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Worldcrunch

South Sudan Ferry Tragedy, Egypt Referendum, Lost Johnny Cash Song

OVER 200 DROWN IN SOUTH SUDAN FERRY ACCIDENT
Between 200 and 300 people are believed to have drowned in a ferry accident on the White Nile river, AFP reports an army spokesman as saying. The civilians were trying to flee from the town of Malakal where there is intense fighting, but the boat was overcrowded.

EGYPTIANS VOTE IN REFERENDUM
Egyptians are voting across the country today and tomorrow in a referendum on a new constitution, Al Jazeera reports. The government, which expects the constitution to be approved, has set up a massive security operation to prevent disruptions, with some 200,000 security forces deployed. Still, a man was killed this morning in clashes outside a polling station in Cairo, while a courthouse in the capital was hit by an explosion. Read more from The Guardian.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Worldcrunch

South Sudan Negotiations, Israel Shield, NYC Snow

CEASEFIRE NEGOTIATIONS OPEN IN SOUTH SUDAN
Representatives of South Sudan’s government have started negotiating a ceasefire with opposition forces in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, three weeks after the outbreak of violence in the world’s youngest nation, AFP reports.

ISRAEL SUCCESSFULLY TESTS MISSILE SHIELD SYSTEM
Israel carried out a successful test of its future missile shield system Arrow 3,The Jerusalem Post reports. The new shield, designed to intercept Iranian Shihab 3 missiles, among others, is expected to become operational in 2016.

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Worldcrunch

South Sudan Violence, Snowden And Brazil, Pope Birthday

GUNFIRE CONTINUES IN SOUTH SUDAN
Heavy gunfire continued last night and this morning in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, one day after President Salva Kiir announced he had defeated an attempted coup by military members loyal to one of his rivals, AFP reports. According to government officials, 26 people have died and another 140 have been injured in the fights since Sunday.

To learn more about the world’s youngest nation, we offer this Le Monde/Worldcrunch piece, South Sudan: A Hidden Tour Of Juba, The Newest World Capital

Watch Video Show less
Geopolitics
Johannes Dieterich

The Lone Fighter: Saving Lives Along The Border Of Sudan And South Sudan

Along the mountainous border between Sudan and the now independent country of South Sudan, a German health worker continues to treat members of the local Nuba population, even as Russian-made Antonov planes litter the war zone with bombs.

LEWERE -- Some people wash the car when they know they're going to be driving guests around. Raphael Veicht, 30, has done just the opposite, carefully smearing as much dirt as possible all over his Landcruiser. "You'll see why," says the corpulent German health worker with the Bavarian accent as he squeezes in behind the wheel.

It's noon, just 10 degrees north of the Equator, and unbearably hot. Ahead, we face a nearly 300-km drive in the Sudanese Nuba Mountains. It's going to take a good 10 hours. Even more dangerous than the rollercoaster terrain is what rains down from the sky, or more specifically, from Russian-made Antonov planes that pepper the ground with random bombs.

Watch Video Show less
EXPLORE OTHER TOPICS