Sunday, December 21, 2025

Benin Detains Ex-defense Minister Over Failed Coup Attempt

By Al Mayadeen English

20 Dec 2025 14:07

Benin's opposition figure and former defense minister, Candide Azannai, has been placed in pre-trial detention over accusations linked to a failed coup attempt.

Benin on Saturday placed former defense minister and leading opposition figure Candide Azannai in pre-trial detention as part of an investigation into a failed coup attempt earlier this month, marking the latest fallout from the foiled takeover, according to an AFP journalist.

Azannai was accused of plotting against the state and incitement to rebellion after being arrested last week at his party’s headquarters in the commercial capital Cotonou, despite having publicly condemned the attempted coup, the reporter said.

The detention comes days after around 30 people, most of them soldiers, were jailed on treason charges in connection with the attempted coup, as authorities continue a sweeping crackdown following the events, according to judicial sources cited by AFP.

Benin coup fails miserably

On December 7, soldiers appeared on national television claiming they had overthrown President Patrice Talon, but the attempt was swiftly crushed by forces loyal to the government with support from the Nigerian air force, AFP reported.

Several people were killed during the clashes, while a number of mutineers, including alleged coup leader Lieutenant-Colonel Pascal Tigri, remain at large, according to security sources.

After hours of questioning at Benin’s anti-terrorism court, Azannai was escorted away by police at dawn and taken into custody, an AFP journalist witnessed.

Talon, who is due to step down in April after reaching the constitutional two-term limit, has been credited with driving economic growth but faces criticism over what opponents describe as increasing authoritarianism, as Benin grapples with a rise in jihadist violence in its northern regions, analysts say.

Sudan Activists Arrested in Dongola, Gedaref, as Police Disperse Revolution Anniversary Protests

20 December 2025

Activist Muneeb Abdel Aziz

December 20, 2025 (DONGOLA) — Security authorities in Sudan’s Northern State arrested activist Muneeb Abdel Aziz on Friday from his home in Magaser, near Dongola, following a speech commemorating the December revolution. Security agencies also detained several activists in Gedaref, eastern Sudan, on Thursday night.

Sudanese police in Omdurman dispersed a march on Friday organized by the “Angry Without Borders” group to mark the anniversary of the December 19, 2018, revolution that ousted former President Omer al-Bashir in April 2019.

The attempt to mark the anniversary in the streets is the first of its kind since war broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.

In a statement on Saturday, the Dongola Resistance Committees Coordination denounced the arrests as a flagrant violation of fundamental freedoms and a clear targeting of activists defending the people’s aspirations for freedom, justice, and peace.

The committees emphasized that repressive policies would not deter the will of the people, who would continue to struggle for the goals of the revolution.

The statement demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Abdel Aziz, the activists detained in Gedaref, and all political detainees. It further called for an end to security pursuits and for the respect of human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly.

In Gedaref, security forces arrested journalist and political activist Omar Abu Aqila on Thursday and took him to an unknown location. The Gedaref Resistance Committees held the authorities responsible for his safety and demanded his immediate release.

In Khartoum, state police attempted to disperse a peaceful march. The “Angry Without Borders” group said two people were arrested during the police intervention, but added that “these attempts will not stop the revolutionary tide.”

RSF Release Nine Medical Workers in South Darfur

20 December 2025

Satellite photo of Kober prison, Nyala, on July 17, 2023, Maxar Technologies photo

December 20, 2025 (NYALA) – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have released nine medical workers from the Digris and Kober prisons in South Darfur, the Sudanese Doctors Network said on Saturday.

The release comes after the World Health Organization expressed concern on Dec. 16 over reports that 70 healthcare workers and 5,000 civilians were being forcibly detained in Nyala, the state capital.

“The forces in charge of guarding Digris and Kober prisons released nine medical staff out of a total of 73,” the network said in a statement. It added that the fate of the remaining detainees remains unknown.

The network described the move as a “positive step” but called for the release of all medical personnel and civilians, urging the RSF to grant international organizations access to detention sites.

The group held RSF leadership responsible for the lives of those held in what it described as “deplorable conditions,” demanding they be allowed to communicate with their families.

In November, the Emergency Lawyers group reported that detainees had died of hunger and a lack of medical care at the “Al-Khair Reformatory,” a facility 25 kilometres west of Nyala known locally as Digris prison. Witnesses have described the site as a centre for systematic abuse.

The RSF has been accused of increasing its targeting of healthcare workers. In October, the group reportedly kidnapped six medical staff in El Fasher, North Darfur, demanding a ransom of 100 million Sudanese pounds ($166,000) per person.

According to the Doctors Network, the RSF is currently holding approximately 19,000 people in Darfur, including 73 medical workers and more than 5,400 civilians.

Since the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in April 2023, the paramilitary group has detained thousands of people, including soldiers, traders, and politicians. Rights groups accuse the RSF of transferring detainees to Darfur from other regions and holding them in inhumane conditions.

Saudi Arabia, U.S. Propose Three-point Peace Plan to Sudan’s Burhan

19 December 2025

Prince Khalid bin Salman, Saudi defence minister discussed with US senior adviser for Africa regional issues on Dec 15, 2025, SPA photo

December 19, 2025 (RIYADH) – Saudi Arabia and the United States have presented Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan with a three-point plan aimed at ending the war, facilitating humanitarian aid and transferring power to civilians, sources told Sudan Tribune.

The proposal builds on the Saudi-U.S. initiative launched through the Jeddah platform in the early weeks of the conflict to broker a ceasefire and civilian protection agreement.

Burhan, who heads Sudan’s Sovereign Council, held talks in Riyadh on Monday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and later met with Massad Boulos, senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump for Africa, the sources said.

The army chief requested time to study the proposals, which are based on the Quad committee statement issued in September to unify international efforts behind a single negotiating track, according to the sources.

The U.S. administration, which President Trump is personally monitoring, may consider alternative options and pressure tactics if either party rejects a humanitarian truce and ceasefire, particularly given the escalating humanitarian crisis in Darfur and Kordofan, the sources added.

The initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to mediate between the warring parties, following its previous hosting of direct talks to formulate a roadmap to address Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.

In a related development, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on Wednesday evening with the UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the two ministers continued their discussions on Sudan and the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire.

Sudan Prime Minister, UN to Consult on War and Humanitarian Aid

20 December 2025

Kamil Idris speaks to reports after his return from Asmara on October 10, 2025

December 20, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Prime Minister Kamil Idriss left Port Sudan on Saturday for New York to hold talks with United Nations officials on the country’s ongoing war and humanitarian crisis.

The visit is Idriss’s second to New York since addressing the UN General Assembly in September. It marks his fifth foreign trip since taking office in June, following official visits to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and Turkey.

State news agency SUNA said Idriss would focus on “strengthening relations, cooperation and consultation with UN officials” regarding the consequences of the conflict and the prospects for peace.

During a stopover in Istanbul, Idriss met with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Musa Kulaklikaya to discuss economic cooperation.

The prime minister invited Turkey to participate in a trilateral investment partnership with Sudan and Qatar, specifically targeting the Al-Hawad agricultural project, one of the country’s largest farming initiatives.

Idriss also proposed Turkish involvement in building a new international airport, an administrative capital, and medical cities. Additionally, he requested a rescheduling of Sudan’s outstanding debt to Turkey.

Kulaklikaya said the Joint Economic Committee between the two nations would meet soon, adding that the body would be upgraded to be co-chaired by Idriss and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz.

Ten Killed in Drone Strike on North Darfur’s Malha Market

20 December 2025

RSF fighters pictured outside the Al Malha municipality building on March 22, 2024

December 20, 2025 (AL-MALHA) – At least ten people were killed on Saturday in a drone strike on a market in the Malha area of North Darfur, local activists said.

Malha, located about 210 kilometres north of the state capital, El Fasher, near the Libyan border, has been under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since March. The group seized the area after the Sudanese army and its allies in the Joint Force withdrew toward northern Sudan.

The town is a strategic hub in Darfur, sitting at a crossroads between Al-Debba to the north and Hamrat al-Sheikh to the east. The Sudanese Air Force has previously conducted strikes in the area to target supply trucks arriving from Libya, as the RSF uses the region as a logistics base for equipment sourced from eastern Libya.

“At least 10 people were martyred in a drone bombardment that targeted the town of Malha in North Darfur State,” the North Darfur Emergency Rooms Council said in a statement.

The council did not identify who carried out the strike.

The statement condemned the attack on the Al-Hara market, noting that the strike ignited fires in several shops and caused heavy property damage. It described the targeting of crowded markets as a “heinous crime” and a dangerous escalation against civilians, calling on humanitarian and medical groups to provide urgent aid to the wounded.

Since taking control of Malha, the RSF has faced allegations of executing several Meydob tribal leaders, civil servants, religious figures, and local volunteers.

Authorities in Eastern Sudan Arrest Hizb ut-Tahrir Members

21 December 2025

December 20, 2025 (AL-SHAWAK, Gadaref) – Authorities in eastern Sudan have arrested five members of Hizb ut-Tahrir following a mosque speech regarding a plot to separate the Darfur region, the party said on Saturday.

Hizb ut-Tahrir – Wilayah Sudan, which advocates for the restoration of an Islamic Caliphate, has been holding periodic rallies in army-controlled cities to warn against the fragmentation of the country.

The party identified the detainees as Osman, Hassan al-Amin Kanda, Mohamed Thamin Adam, Ahmed Babakir, and al-Amin Abdallah.

The arrests occurred in Al-Shawak, Gedaref state, following a demonstration in front of the town’s Great Mosque. During the event, Osman al-Amin Kanda spoke about the dangers of what he described as a U.S. plan to “tear Sudan apart” by detaching Darfur.

Kanda told the gathering that maintaining the unity of the state was a “fateful issue” and a religious obligation.

The party said the arrests show the government is moving forward with the U.S. agenda to divide the country, comparing the situation to the 2011 secession of South Sudan.

“Those like these should be honoured, not arrested, because they performed a religious obligation that many in the country, both military and civilian, have failed to carry out,” the party said in a statement.

Hizb ut-Tahrir rejects the use of force or armed action to achieve power, relying instead on “intellectual struggle” and “political strife” to persuade society and the military of its ideology.

Concerns over the secession of Darfur have grown since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized El Fasher on October 26, the last major urban stronghold in the region previously held by the central government.

Darfur Region Governor Minni Arko Minawi has rejected a government peace proposal, fearing it could lead to the region’s formal separation. The plan reportedly involves cantonment of RSF fighters followed by negotiations on an independent regional government and a UN-sponsored national dialogue.

Saturday, December 20, 2025

South Sudan’s Peace Guarantors Warn Against Renewed Violence

Patients sit outside the malnutrition ward of Bunj Hospital in Maban, South Sudan, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly, File)

12:55 PM EST, December 18, 2025

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Three governments that were central to South Sudan’s peace process urged leaders on Thursday to end renewed fighting and focus on implementing the peace agreement that ended a deadly conflict, warning against a return to violence.

In a joint statement, the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway, who were the central mediators and guarantors of the peace deal, criticized President Salva Kiir for leading a government that isn’t in line with the power-sharing principles agreed upon during the signing of the peace agreement in 2018.

The country’s former rebel leader, who became one of the vice presidents after the peace deal, Riek Machar, is currently detained and facing treason charges that he denies.

U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the U.N. Security Council last month that the crisis in South Sudan is escalating, “a breaking point” has become visible, and time is running “dangerously short” to bring the peace process back on track.

The international community on Thursday also decried the misuse of public resources, with civil servants’ salaries remaining unpaid for months.

“The leadership is continuing with destabilizing unilateral reshuffles, rather than focusing on governing the country or preparing for elections,” the statement said.

South Sudan is due to hold its first election in December 2026.

The international community further expressed concern over renewed violence in the country and urged all parties to “stop armed attacks” and resume stalled peace talks.

“All South Sudan’s friends and partners, and especially those neighboring South Sudan who have the most to lose from the prospect of renewed large-scale conflict, should be united in their messaging — that enough is enough,” the statement said.

The governments also warned against obstruction of humanitarian aid groups, which provide basic services to more than 70% of the population in the troubled East African country.

Last week, the U.S. threatened to withdraw aid to South Sudan, accusing the government of imposing exorbitant fees on humanitarian groups and obstructing their operations.

Egypt’s El-Sissi Urges UN Security Council Reforms for Africa’s Larger Role

By MOHAMED WAGDY

1:58 PM EST, December 20, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday reiterated calls for structural changes in the U.N Security Council to grant Africa a larger role in shaping global decisions.

El-Sissi made the plea for a “more pluralistic” world order at a conference of the Russia-Africa partnership held in Cairo, which was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and ministers from more than 50 African countries along with representatives from several African and regional organizations.

“The voice of Africa should be present and influential in making global decisions given the continent’s human, economic, political and demographic weight,” el-Sissi said in a statement read out by his foreign minister at the plenary session of the conference. He added that international financial institutions need to undergo similar reforms to ensure Africa an equitable representation.

Since 2005, the African Union has been demanding that Africa be granted at least two permanent seats with veto powers and five non-permanent seats in the Security Council. It has been arguing that such reforms would contribute to achieving peace and stability on the continent, which has been struggling with wars for decades. However, African countries have so far failed to reach a consensus on a mechanism to select their potential permanent representatives.

“We have decided to continue coordinating our efforts in various multilateral forums, including with the aim of promoting reform of the U.N. Security Council, taking into account the legitimate interests of African states,” Lavrov told reporters in a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart.

The Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, has not changed from its 1945 configuration: 10 non-permanent members from all regions of the world elected for two-year terms without veto power, and five countries that were dominant powers at the end of World War II are permanent members with veto power: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France.

Lavrov said earlier the ministerial conference launched talks aimed at developing an action plan for cooperation for the years 2026-2029. The plan will be presented to heads of state at the Russia-Africa summit scheduled for next year.

“We remain a reliable partner for African states in strengthening their national sovereignty, both politically and in matters of security, as well as in other dimensions,” Lavrov said at the plenary session. “We’re committed to further unlocking the existing enormous potential of our practical cooperation.”

The forum has gained momentum since the 2023 summit in the Russian city of of St. Petersburg, where President Vladimir Putin sought the support of African leaders and to break the political and economic isolation imposed on Russia by Western countries following its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has also expanded its military footprint in Africa, delivering sophisticated weaponry to sub-Saharan conflict zones, where a Kremlin-controlled military unit that replaced the Wagner mercenaries has been active.

___

Associated Press writer Noha ElHennawy in Cairo contributed to this report.

UN Urges Rwanda to Leave Eastern DR Congo and Extends Peacekeeping Mission for a Year

A MONUSCO blue helmet deployed near Kibumba, north of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Jan. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)

By JEAN YVES KAMALE, EDITH M. LEDERER and MARK BANCHEREAU

5:01 AM EST, December 20, 2025

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The U.N. Security Council has urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern Congo and extended the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, known as MONUSCO, for a year, as fighting in the region escalated despite a U.S.-mediated peace deal.

The U.N.’s most powerful body on Friday condemned an offensive by the Rwanda-backed M23, demanded Rwanda stop supporting the rebels and withdraw its troops. The Security Council also renewed the peacekeepers’ mandate, keeping about 11,500 military personnel in the country, in a unanimously adopted resolution.

The resolution comes as M23 claimed Wednesday to have withdrawn from Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo it seized last week, after pressure from the U.S. Congo’s government said the withdrawal was “staged” and that the rebels were still in the city.

U.S. deputy ambassador Jennifer Locetta told the Security Council on Friday that M23 must immediately withdraw at least 75 kilometers (47 miles) away from Uvira.

M23 took control of the city last week in a deadly offensive that came despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed earlier this month by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.

The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, the accord obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups like M23 and work to end hostilities.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the U.N.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.N. agency for refugees.

The MONUSCO force arrived in Congo in 2010, after taking over from an earlier U.N. peacekeeping mission to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel and to support the Congolese government in its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts.

However, frustrated Congolese have said that no one is protecting them from rebel attacks, leading to protests against the U.N. mission and others that have at times turned deadly.

In 2023, at Congo’s request, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to draw down the peacekeeping force and gradually hand over its security responsibilities to Congo’s government.

——

Lederer reported from the United Nations. Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

Tensions Between South Africa and US Rise Over Detention of US Officials

The United States has warned of "severe consequences" should South Africa not take action after briefly detaining "two US officials", who were providing support to the Afrikaner minority group according to Washington, on Tuesday.

It's yet another row in the series of events increasing tensions between Washington and Pretoria this year.

The United States has reacted to South Africa's brief arrest of two reportedly American officials on Tuesday, condemning the event and saying that passport information from the individuals in question had been released publicly.

According to Washington, the two officials were providing humanitarian assistance to the minority Afrikaner group. Washington has accused South Africa of discriminating against the white Afrikaner minority on several occasions without providing specific proof, and this topic has considerably contributed to rising tensions between the two countries this year.

"This can only be seen as an attempt to intimidate U.S. government personnel in South Africa on official business. The United States will not tolerate such behavior toward its government’s officials – or toward any of its citizens – who are legally and peacefully operating abroad. The public release of personal identifying information puts the official in harm’s way," read a statement by the US government.

South Africa has denied having arrested any US officials, saying on Wednesday that it had proceeded to arrest seven Kenyan citizens who were illegally working to process immigration applications for the US government.

Egypt, Sudan Presidents Meet in Cairo, Warn of ‘Red Lines’

18 December 2025

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives Sudan's Sovereign Council Chairman ABdel Fattah al-Burhan at Cairo Airport on Dec 18, 2025

December 18, 2025 (CAIRO) – Egypt warned on Thursday it would not allow “red lines” to be crossed in neighbouring Sudan, stating it is prepared to take necessary measures to protect its national security.

The warning followed talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

A statement from the Egyptian presidency expressed “grave concern” over escalating violence and “horrific massacres” against civilians, specifically highlighting the situation in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

“Egypt affirms there are red lines that cannot be crossed or compromised, as they directly affect Egyptian national security,” the statement said. It defined these boundaries as the preservation of Sudan’s territorial integrity, the prevention of secession, and the protection of state institutions.

Historical military ties

Cairo invoked its right to take all measures guaranteed by international law and the 1976 Joint Defence Agreement to ensure these limits are respected.

The 1976 agreement, signed on July 15, remains a cornerstone of the bilateral security architecture. Designed to facilitate security coordination and protect the territorial integrity of both nations, it aligns with the Arab League’s 1950 defence treaty. While the Sudanese People’s Assembly ratified the pact in August 1976, its effectiveness remained contingent on the official exchange of ratification documents.

In March 2021, the two nations further deepened these ties when the Sudanese army and its Egyptian counterpart signed a military agreement aimed at modernizing their joint approach to national security.

Diplomatic push for ceasefire

The meeting in Cairo coincides with intensified U.S. diplomatic efforts. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss the urgent need for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.

Egypt signaled its alignment with these efforts and the broader peace initiatives of U.S. President Donald Trump. Cairo expressed support for the “international Quad”—which includes the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE—to broker a humanitarian truce and establish safe corridors for aid.

However, the peace process remains strained. The Sudanese army has long opposed the UAE’s involvement in the Quad, accusing it of supplying the RSF. While the RSF declared a unilateral three-month truce in late November, fighting has persisted.

The push for a settlement gained momentum last month after President Trump announced an immediate effort to end the conflict at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Egyptian presidency reiterated its “categorical rejection” of parallel government entities. This follows the formation of a rival administration in Nyala, South Darfur, by the “Tasis” alliance, which is dominated by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a separate statement, the Sudanese Sovereign Council said the leaders also discussed Nile Basin water security. Both sides rejected “unilateral actions” in the Blue Nile—a reference to long-standing disputes over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.

SPLM-N Accuses Sudanese Army of Killing Seven Civilians in South Kordofan

19 December 2025

SPLM-N fighters shell the besieged Kadugli on August 3, 2025

December 18, 2025 (DILLING) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) accused the Sudanese army on Thursday of killing seven civilians in a drone strike, as fighting intensified across South Kordofan state.

The SPLM-N, led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, said the strike targeted Al-Natel village in Dilling county on Wednesday, mainly killing children and wounding two other people.

The allegation follows an SPLM-N heavy artillery attack on residential neighbourhoods in Dilling, the state’s second-largest city. Local sources said that shelling killed nine people and destroyed or damaged more than 10 homes, primarily in the city’s western districts.

South Kordofan has seen a sharp escalation in violence as the SPLM-N and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) coordinate attacks on government-held cities, including the state capital Kadugli, Dilling, and Al-Liri. Recent strikes have hit civilian shelters and United Nations facilities.

The Sudanese army has responded with periodic airstrikes on rebel and RSF positions across the state.

Intelligence sources say the SPLM-N is mobilizing near Al-Samasim and Al-Karakil to cut the strategic road linking Kadugli and Dilling. The army reopened the route in February, and its closure would effectively besiege both cities ahead of a potential ground assault.

Sudan Police Disperse Omdurman Protest Marking Revolution Anniversary

20 December 2025

Sudanese demonstrate in Omdurman to commemorate the 7th anniversary of December Revolution on Dec 19, 2025

December 19, 2025 (OMDURMAN) — Sudanese police in Omdurman dispersed a march on Friday organized by the “Angry Without Borders” group to commemorate the anniversary of the Dec. 19, 2018, revolution.

The attempt to mark the anniversary in the streets is the first of its kind since war broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.

Dozens of the group’s supporters gathered at Al-Khalifa Square in Omdurman before police intervened and dispersed the gathering as protesters attempted to take to the streets. The intervention led to clashes and chases in which police used tear gas.

The procession reached the Al-Shuhada transport hub and several main streets in Omdurman. Supporters also organized vigils in Port Sudan and Wad Madani, chanting slogans calling for peace.

In a joint statement marking the seventh anniversary of the revolution, the Khartoum State Resistance Committees Coordination reaffirmed its commitment to Sudan’s unity and called for a fully sovereign civilian democratic government.

“On this glorious day, Sudanese people gathered from the far north to the far south,” the statement said. “December became a beacon of unity, a lamp of freedom, and a voice of justice.”

The coordination added that the revolution was forged by the people’s will and warned that “enemies of December” have sought to extinguish its light.

The statement argued that the solution to the Sudanese crisis lies in achieving civilian rule, ensuring justice, and forming a single national army to protect the country’s territorial integrity and end armed chaos. It also stressed the need for transitional justice and accountability for those involved in the loss of life.

Separately, the Unionist Gathering stated that the revolution remains an “open battle against totalitarianism and corruption.” It added that the current war is an extension of attempts by “counter-revolutionary forces” to stage a coup against the revolution’s gains.

The Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) accused the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP) of undermining the transition, leading the country into a war that has created a massive humanitarian disaster.

The party said the revolution’s demands for peace and civilian rule remain present, noting that Sudan has become “teeming with armed militias” affiliated with the former regime’s Islamic Movement.

Two Civil Defense Members Killed in Drone Attack on Atbara Power Station

18 December 2025

Smoke rises from the Atbara power substation for the 4th time following an alleged drone strike by the RSF on April 25, 2025.

December 18, 2025 (ATBARA) – A drone attack on a central electricity transformer station in Atbara killed two civil defence personnel on Thursday, causing widespread power outages across several Sudanese states.

The facility, located in River Nile State, has come under repeated drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The strikes are part of a broader pattern of attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in government-controlled regions across northern, southern, and central Sudan.

The Media Coordination Council of the Sudanese Electricity Company confirmed the fatalities in a statement, identifying the victims as members of a civil defence team stationed at the Al-Mogran transformer station.

“The attack caused direct damage to the station’s transformers, resulting in the suspension of electricity supplies to multiple states,” the council said.

Civil defence teams were deployed to extinguish fires at the site following the strike. Technical crews are expected to conduct a full assessment of the damage before beginning repairs to restore the grid.

South Sudanese Army Officer and Soldiers Arrested Over Death of UN Staff Member

By JOSEPH FALZETTA

11:40 AM EST, December 19, 2025

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A United Nations staff member was found dead in South Sudan days after being taken into custody by security personnel, the world body said in a statement.

Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after admitting to the killing and disclosing the whereabouts of the body, said Saninto Udol, a police spokesman. The body was found in a residential area on Thursday.

Bol Roch Mayol, a South Sudanese national, was taken from a U.N. vehicle by five South Sudanese soldiers Monday following a routine patrol to a displacement camp on the outskirts of the northern town of Wau. Mayol’s U.N. vehicle had stopped on the side of a road after getting a flat tire, Udol said.

“We are devastated by the loss of our colleague,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, the deputy head of the U.N. mission in South Sudan, said in a statement Friday.

Mayol was a language assistant who had worked with the U.N mission in South Sudan, or UNMISS, since its inception in 2011.

UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said authorities and the U.N. mission are trying to establish the exact manner of death.

Chowdhury said that UNMISS does not have any indication the killing was ordered or orchestrated.

Following his arrest Monday, the U.N. contacted army commanders about Mayol’s whereabouts and U.N. officials were invited to tour the army’s detention facilities in Wau.

Gbeho said the killing was “unacceptable” and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to ensure the responsible parties are held to account.

The South Sudanese army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A motive has not been established.

South Sudan has long been one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers and attacks and abductions increased in 2025. In the first half of the year, 25 aid workers or contractors were killed or injured, up from 15 over the same period the previous year. The vast majority of aid workers who fall victim to violence were South Sudanese, the U.N. reported.

The United States warned earlier this month that it may cut foreign aid to South Sudan, accusing the government of imposing exorbitant fees on aid groups and obstructing operations.

UNMISS is scaling down following a 15% budget cut. The reduction comes amid a sharp resurgence in fighting that left more than 1,000 civilians dead, some in indiscriminate bombings or extrajudicial killings by security personnel, the U.N. Human Rights Office said.

US Awards No-bid Contract to Denmark Scientists Studying Hepatitis B Vaccine in African Babies

This 1981 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows hepatitis B virus particles, indicated in orange. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC via AP, File)

By MIKE STOBBE

4:54 PM EST, December 19, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has awarded a $1.6 million, no-bid contract to a Danish university to study hepatitis B vaccinations on newborns in Africa that is raising ethical concerns.

The unusual contract was awarded to scientists who have been cited by anti-vaccine activists and whose work has been questioned by leading public health experts. Some experts have suggested the research plan is unethical, because it will withhold vaccines that work from newborns at significant risk of infection.

The contract did not undergo a customary ethics review, The Associated Press has learned.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the grant to a research team at the University of Southern Denmark that has been lauded by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a federal notice posted this week.

One of the team’s leaders is Christine Stabell Benn, a consultant for a Kennedy-appointed committee that recently voted to stop recommending a dose of hepatitis B vaccine for all U.S. newborns.

The study is to begin early next year in Guinea-Bissau, an impoverished West African nation where hepatitis B infection is common. The researchers are funded for five years to study 14,000 newborns.

It’s to be a randomized controlled trial, with some infants given the hepatitis B vaccine at birth and some not. Children will be tracked for death, illness and long-term developmental outcomes.

Most of the children will be followed for less than two years to look for side effects, but the first 500 enrolled will be followed for five years to look for behavior and brain development problems. There is no placebo involved, according to a copy of the study protocol prepared earlier this year that was obtained by the AP.

Hepatitis B can be passed from an infected mother to a baby. It also can be spread by other infected people a baby comes in contact with.

Research and widespread medical consensus holds that the hepatitis B vaccine protects newborns, so withholding it from some babies — in this case, Black babies — has raised ethical alarms.

Medical evidence is clear that the vaccine protects infants from developing liver disease and an early death. The well-documented infection risk far outweighs hypothetical concerns about side effects, said Dr. Boghuma K. Titanji, an Emory University infectious diseases doctor.

She called the study “unconscionable,” and said it likely will exacerbate existing vaccine hesitancy in Africa and elsewhere.

“There’s so much potential for this to be a harmful study,” said Titanji, who is from Cameroon.

Benn did not respond to an email seeking comment about the proposal. An automatic response said she is out of the office until early January.

But, in a statement, the research team said the study “will be the first and likely the only one of its kind.”

They said it takes advantage of an unusual window of opportunity: Guinea-Bissau doesn’t currently recommended a birth dose of the hep B vaccine, but the nation will be implementing universal vaccination of newborns in 2027.

Vaccine skeptics and opponents have suggested that all the vaccine’s possible side effects were inadequately studied before the CDC began recommending it for newborns in 1991. Public health experts counter that over more than three decades no serious side effect has been documented.

The award is highly unusual. The CDC did not announce a research funding opportunity and invite proposals.

The proposal was unsolicited and the award did not go through customary review, said a CDC official with knowledge of the decision. Department of Health and Human Services officials told CDC officials to approve it and said HHS would provide special funding for it, the CDC official said.

In private communications channels, CDC staffers were expressing outrage about the award, said the official, who is not authorized to talk about it and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some of those CDC scientists have compared the work to the infamous Tuskegee Study, which the agency oversaw in its later stages. In that decades-long study, health workers withheld treatment from unsuspecting Black men infected with syphilis so doctors could track the horrible ravages of the disease.

Like Tuskegee, this study involves the prospect of researchers watching people grow ill when a medical intervention could have kept them healthy, Titanji echoed.

“It is an apt comparison,” she said.

The new study’s researchers say the trial was approved by a national ethics committee in Guinea-Bissau. But it did not undergo a customary ethics review within the CDC, the agency official told the AP.

In a statement, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said “we will ensure the highest scientific and ethical standards are met.”

Public health scientists noted questions have been raised in the past about research led by Benn and her husband, Peter Aaby, in their Bandim Health Project.

Other Danish researchers who reviewed Aaby and Benn’s work have described questionable research practices. Earlier this year, former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden wrote an editorial calling a 2017 study co-authored by Aaby and Benn “fundamentally flawed.”

Several researchers had harsh words about the latest award.

“Aaby and Benn are doing the Guinea-Bissau HBV vaccine depravation trial,” Carl Bergstrom, a University of Washington evolutionary biologist, wrote in a post on Bluesky. “Did RFK Jr. just call up the first name in the antivax yellow pages?”

Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virus expert at the University of Saskatchewan, said Kennedy was giving taxpayers’ money to his “cronies” for a “grossly unethical study that will expose African babies to hep B for no reason.”

UN’s Grim Week: 6 Peacekeepers and an Interpreter Killed, While 10 More Staffers Detained in Yemen

United National Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an event to mark the end of the U.N. political mission, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

By EDITH M. LEDERER

4:50 PM EST, December 19, 2025

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It’s been a grim week at the end of a tough year for the United Nations: Six U.N. peacekeepers were killed in a drone attack in Sudan. A U.N. interpreter died while in the custody of South Sudan’s security personnel. And 10 more U.N. staff were detained by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

“It’s a very worrying trend,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday. “We see all too often that the U.N. flag — the U.N. emblem — no longer offers the protection that it should to our colleagues.”

As examples, he pointed to more than 300 U.N. staff members killed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, almost all of them Palestinians, and over 300 personnel killed during the 10-year U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali. The deadliest in the world, that mission ended in December 2023.

“U.N. personnel, whether they are humanitarian, whether they are peacekeepers, whether they’re political envoys, are there for peace,” Dujarric said. “They are there for the people. They need to be respected.”

The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned “the heinous and deliberate” drone attack on a U.N. logistics base in war-torn Sudan’s South Kordofan region on Dec. 13 that killed six Bangladeshi peacekeepers and injured nine others.

The U.N.’s most powerful body said the attack represents “an egregious disregard for international law.” It called for a swift investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice, reiterating that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes.

In what Dujarric called another shocking development, the spokesman said the United Nations condemned the killing of an interpreter working for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan who was taken from a U.N. vehicle on Monday by local security forces.

The U.N. mission was engaging with South Sudanese authorities to gain his release when it was informed that he died in custody, Dujarric said.

Saninto Udol, a South Sudanese police spokesman, said Army Lt. Lino Mariak Chol and two other soldiers were arrested after admitting to the killing of Bol Roch Mayol and disclosing the whereabouts of his body. It was found in a residential area Thursday, Udol said.

Mayol, a South Sudanese national who had worked for the U.N. mission since its inception in 2011, was taken from a U.N. vehicle by five South Sudanese soldiers following a routine patrol to a displacement camp on the outskirts of the northern town of Wau. Mayol’s U.N. vehicle had stopped on the side of a road after getting a flat tire, Udol said.

The U.N. called for those responsible to be held accountable, Dujarric said.

The United Nations also had another piece of “untenable” news: Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north, detained 10 more U.N. staffers Thursday, bringing the total number being held to 69.

“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns their arbitrary detention, calls for their immediate and unconditional release along with dozens of other detainees from nongovernmental organizations, civil society and diplomatic missions,” Dujarric said.

Guterres also demanded that charges against three U.N. staffers who were recently referred to a Houthi special criminal court be dropped.

The court in late November convicted 17 people of spying for foreign governments, part of a yearslong Houthi crackdown on Yemeni staffers working for foreign organizations.

___

Associated Press writer Joseph Falzetta in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

Thursday, December 18, 2025

Military Coups and Neo-Colonial Threats in West Africa

Guinea-Bissau and Benin are latest states to experience military interventions

By Abayomi Azikiwe

Editor, Pan-African News Wire

Thursday December 18, 2025

Geopolitical Analysis

There have been two incidents which are said to have been military coups in Guinea-Bissau and yet another failed putsch in Benin. 

Both military interventions have been linked to an ongoing electoral process in Guinea-Bissau and an upcoming vote for the presidency of Benin in 2026.

In regard to Guinea-Bissau, the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had condemned the military takeover and is demanding the immediate return to civilian rule inside the country. This military arrangement has been rejected by the opposition parties in Guinea-Bissau who were contesting the elections for the presidency when a change of government was announced on November 26. 

The incumbent president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, was said to have fled Bissau in the aftermath of the announcement of a seizure of power by General Horta N’Tam the head of the presidential protection unit who announced that there was a transitional program adopted by the coup makers which would last for one year. Initially, the president went to neighboring Senegal where Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko publicly doubted the veracity of the political narrative of the ousted head-of-state.

Later it was reported that Umaro Sissoco Embalo had left Senegal for Congo-Brazzaville. Nonetheless, opposition forces in Guinea-Bissau and throughout the region have accused the authorities in the country of “staging a coup” in order to prevent the Madem G15 party administration from facing electoral defeat.

Leading up to the elections, former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, was banned from standing for the presidential elections on behalf of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). The PAIGC is the party of Amilcar Cabral, the political and military architect of the liberation struggle during the 1950s through the 1970s. 

The PAIGC candidate was detained after the coup along with Fernando Dias da Costa of the Party for Social Renewal. This candidate was endorsed by the PAIGC after its organization was banned. 

Several days after control of the government was taken over by what was described as the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order, it was reported in several news sources that the ballots from the national elections had been stolen by armed individuals. These events have raised serious questions about the character of the new government and its relationship to the former president. Guinea-Bissau for many years has been an alleged transit point for narcotics trafficking from South America into Western Europe. Obviously, the civilian government and allied military forces were committed to preventing the opposition parties from taking control of the state.

Coup Opposed by African Union (AU)

A declaration issued by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called for the resumption of what they described as democratic control in Guinea Bissau. The actions of the military rebels were in defiance of the AU charter along with that of ECOWAS.

This statement by the AU-PSC stressed that the body;

“Directs the AU Commission, in close cooperation with ECOWAS, the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) and all other international development partners to provide the requisite support to Guinea-Bissau to ensure a swift return to constitutional order, including national dialogues and reform of government institutions towards establishing national unity for peaceful resolution of the crisis in the country. Calls on the leaders of the coup to guarantee the safety and facilitate the evacuation and safe passage of all AU Election Observers and all other international election observers. Supports the strengthening of the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to continue to protect state institutions and prevent further violence. Requests the AU Post-Conflict, Reconstruction and Development Center in Cairo in collaboration with the UN peacebuilding institutions to engage with the relevant institutions in Guinea-Bissau to provide support on development activities in order to prevent the country from further relapses into political crises.” (https://www.peaceau.org/en/article/communique-of-the-1315th-meeting-emergency-of-the-peace-and-security-council-held-on-28-november-2025-on-the-consideration-of-the-emergency-situation-in-guinea-bissau)

Yet, the government in Senegal, also a member of the AU and ECOWAS as is Guinea-Bissau, seems to be taking a more nuanced approach to the military coup. Senegal elected a new youthful government during 2024 and since that time period has been attempting to reshape its domestic and international image. 

Senegal did not join the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) which has broken military and economic ties with France. In the case of Niger, a thousand Pentagon troops were forced to leave their posts and to dismantle the drone stations operating inside the uranium-rich state in West Africa. 

In a report published by the African Press Agency (APA) it says of the Senegalese position:

“Senegal is adopting a ‘realistic and moderate’ approach to the ongoing crisis in Guinea-Bissau, even as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) maintains a firmer demand for an immediate return to constitutional order. Speaking on TFM radio on Tuesday, Senegalese Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Niang, outlined Dakar’s strategy. While condemning the recent coup and calling for the restoration of the electoral process, Niang emphasized that Senegal is willing to work within the reality of the military’s proposed timeline.” (https://apanews.net/dakar-prioritizes-pragmatism-flexibility-in-guinea-bissau-crisis/)

In taking what appears to be contradictory positions on the Guinea-Bissau political crisis does not bode well for the imperatives of developing a coherent path from military to civilian rule in West Africa. Although the ideal enunciated by the AU and ECOWAS often evokes the upholding of democratic processes, in many cases those administrations which are elected violate their own constitutions and democratic norms to remain in power. 

Benin Coup Reversed with Nigeria, ECOWAS and French Assistance

On Sunday December 7, there was an attempted coup in the Republic of Benin. The military intervention was announced by the coup makers over national television.

This coup was led by a high-ranking military officer Lt.-Col. Pascal Tigri of the protection forces close to President Patrice Talon. After going on national television to announce the coup, Nigerian Air Force jets carried out strikes against the positions of the coup makers as well as a leading military base near the commercial center of Cotonou. 

There were also reports of the involvement of Ivory Coast and French special forces in the operation which reimposed President Talon. This military action was carried out under the rubric of the ECOWAS Standby Forces. The plan which was enacted in Benin was similar to what had been projected after the CNSP Revolution in neighboring Niger during July-August 2023. 

During that period, the Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the then chair of ECOWAS, was not able to gain consensus from his ruling party, the All-Progressives Congress (APC) which controlled the Senate. Other political forces were mobilized against a prospective ECOWAS intervention inside of Nigeria and other regional states.

However, during the immediate aftermath of the seizure of power by Lt.-Col. Tigri, it appears as if no public discussions were held over the veracity of a military operation to reinstall Talon with the assistance of other ECOWAS states along with the former colonial power of France, which has come under severe criticism in recent years. ECOWAS within its charter does have provisions for the restoration of civilian governments within its member-states. This has been done in past decades in Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia. 

The Communist Party of Benin (PCB) issued a statement after the attempted coup which denounced the military usurpation of political power while questioning the intervention of Nigeria, the ECOWAS forces which bolstered the French military troops already occupying the country. This opposition party pointed to the conditions inside Benin which underline the discontent among elements within the military.

An article published by Sahara Reports says of the position of the PCB:

“The PCB sharply criticized the reported involvement of French forces and Nigerian military assets in neutralizing the coup attempt. Citing unverified information, the party claimed that French President, Emmanuel Macron, requested Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to intervene under the banner of ECOWAS, with Nigerian fighter jets supporting French troops on the ground. The party alleged that additional Nigerian ground forces entered through the Sèmè border to reinforce the operation. ‘This event is extremely serious. It is an insult and humiliation to the political and military institutions of our country, the PCB said. It represents the placement of our country under supervision, a pure and simple transformation of Benin into a French colony. The PCB reiterated its longstanding stance that Benin’s internal issues should be resolved domestically without foreign interference.’” (https://saharareporters.com/2025/12/08/coup-plot-communist-party-benin-condemns-nigeria-frances-military-intervention-blames)

These instances of military interventions must be analyzed from an anti-imperialist and proletarian internationalist perspective related to the character of both the civilian and defense interests within these respective states. The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) consisting of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is led by military administrations. 

Yet, these governments have signed the Liptako-Gourma Charter which units the three states economically, politically and militarily. Whether African governments are purportedly civilian, military or a combination of both, the focus should be on building genuine independence through the empowerment of the workers, farmers and youth. 

Burkina Faso Releases Nigerian Air Force Crew Detained After Emergency Landing

By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN

10:00 AM EST, December 18, 2025

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Burkina Faso on Wednesday released 11 Nigerian Air Force personnel who were detained more than a week ago after their aircraft made an emergency landing, Nigeria’s foreign minister said.

“Through sustained dialogue, we also resolved the matter concerning Nigerian Air Force pilots and crew, reaffirming the effectiveness of diplomacy in addressing sensitive issues,” Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar said Thursday in a statement on X.

Burkina Faso’s military junta, led by Ibrahim Traoré, released the personnel after meetings with a Nigerian delegation led by Tuggar, the statement said.

The personnel detained on Dec. 8 included two flight crew members and nine passengers, officials said.

“Matters have been resolved,” Alkasim Abdulkadir, a spokesperson for Tuggar, told The Associated Press. “They are no longer detained.”

Nigeria and Burkina Faso agreed to hold regular consultations and pursue steps to deepen bilateral cooperation and regional integration, Abdulkadir said.

The Nigerian Air Force said last week that the aircraft was headed to Portugal for scheduled maintenance when it made the emergency landing in western Burkina Faso. The air force said the landing was done in accordance with international guidelines and standard safety procedures.

But Foreign Minister Tuggar said Wednesday in a televised speech on Burkina Faso’s state broadcaster that there were “irregularities concerning the overflight authorizations” and apologized for the incident.

The emergency landing had prompted the Alliance of Sahel States to place its air and anti-air defenses on maximum alert with authorization “to neutralize any aircraft that violates the confederation’s airspace,” according to a statement by Gen. Assimi Goita, leader of Mali’s military junta. The alliance includes Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The crew will now fly the aircraft to Portugal for the scheduled maintenance, Nigerian foreign ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Ebienfa said Thursday.

The emergency landing occurred at a time of fractured relations between the Alliance of Sahel States and Nigeria, which was involved in intervention efforts that helped reverse a short-lived coup earlier this month in Benin, where the Nigerian Air Force conducted airstrikes targeting the coup plotters. Burkina Faso is on the northwest border of Benin, and Nigeria is on Benin’s eastern border.

Nigeria is among 15 members of West Africa’s regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger formed the Sahel alliance after withdrawing from ECOWAS, which the alliance accuses of inhumane, coup-related sanctions and working against the interests of citizens in alliance countries.

Sudanese Paramilitary Group RSF Killed More Than 1,000 Civilians in Zamzam Camp in April, UN Says

By FAY ABUELGASIM

10:35 AM EST, December 18, 2025

CAIRO (AP) — More than 1,000 civilians were killed in a three-day attack by the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group earlier this year on the largest displacement camp in western Sudan, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report released Thursday.

RSF stormed Zamzam camp in April as part of its siege of the city of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province.

In the attack, hundreds of people were summarily executed, according to the report. People were killed in house-to-house raids and the main market, as well as in schools and health facilities. The report detailed patterns of sexual violence, “including rape and gang rape, and sexual slavery.”

The report called it “a consistent pattern of serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross abuses of international human rights law.” It comes a few weeks after Amnesty International accused the RSF of committing war crimes in their attack of the camp.

Zamzam was the largest displacement camp in Sudan with more than 500,000 people there prior to the April attacks. RSF blocked entry of food and other essential goods to the Zamzam camp for months prior to the attack, the U.N. report says.

Zamzam camp was established in 2004 to house people driven from their homes by attacks by the Sudanese Janjaweed militia. Located just south of el-Fasher, it swelled over the years to cover an area 8 kilometers (5 miles) long by about 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide.

RSF has been at war with the Sudanese military since April 2023. The conflict has killed 40,000 people — though some rights groups say the death toll is significantly higher — and has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with more than 14 million people displaced. Many areas have experienced famine, including at the Zamzam camp.

“The findings contained in this report are yet another stark reminder of the need for prompt action to end the cycles of atrocities and violence, and to ensure accountability and reparations for victims,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.

Türk warned that the patterns of violence in Zamzam are now being repeated in el-Fasher as RSF took over the city.

“These horrific patterns of violations — committed with impunity — are consistent with what my office has repeatedly documented, including during the RSF takeover of el-Fasher in late October,” Türk said.

Separately, Sudan’s top general met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo Thursday amid growing pressure to resolve the war in Sudan.

Burhan’s meeting with el-Sissi came after the Sudanese general held talks with Saudi officials in Riyadh earlier this week. U.S. envoy Massad Boulos was also in Riyadh at the same time and met with Saudi officials. There was no public announcement that Burhan met with the American official.

Boulos said on X Wednesday after meeting with Saudi officials, including Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, there was an agreement with Saudi Arabia on practical steps “toward a humanitarian truce, durable stability, and expanded humanitarian access and assistance for the Sudanese people.”

Both the United States and Saudi Arabia are mediators, part of a group known as the Quad along with Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Burhan had previously rejected a ceasefire proposal in November, calling it unacceptable and “the worst yet” — and accused the mediators of being “biased” in their efforts to end the war.

In a statement after the meeting, the Egyptian presidency affirmed its support for Sudan, but also rejected “the establishment of any parallel entities or their recognition, considering this a violation of Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity,” adding that there are “red lines” that can’t be crossed. RSF announced a parallel government in July called the Tasis Alliance.

The statement also said that Egypt affirms “its full right to take all necessary measures and actions guaranteed by international law and the Joint Defense Agreement between the two brotherly countries to ensure that these red lines are not violated or crossed.”

The fighting is now concentrated in the south, mostly in the oil-rich Kordofan states. The Sudan Doctors’ Network, a group of medical professionals tracking the war, said Thursday that 16 people have been killed in the last 48 hours by artillery shelling of the besieged town of Dilling, South Kordofan, where there is now risk of famine. The group blames RSF and allied groups for the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of international law and called for international on the group to stop the attacks.

Kenya’s Environment Court to Consider a Claim that a Lux Safari Camp Was Harming Wildebeests Routes

Umbrella acacia trees, one of the most recognizable trees of the African Savanna, appear in the Masai Mara national reserve in southern Kenya, May 27, 2025. (John Dowling via AP)

Umbrella acacia trees, one of the most recognizable trees of the African Savanna, appear in the Masai Mara national reserve in southern Kenya, May 27, 2025. (John Dowling via AP)

11:55 AM EST, December 18, 2025

NAROK, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s environment court said Thursday it will consider a case challenging the operations of a luxury safari camp in the Maasai Mara reserve amid claims it was infringing on the annual wildebeest migration corridor.

The decision came after a local conservationist, who had initially filed the suit, moved to withdraw it. The court dismissed the motion for withdrawal said it would take up the case again on Feb. 10 and decide how to proceed.

The case was filed in August following local and international condemnation over claims the location of the Ritz-Carlton Maasai Mara Camp was blocking the annual wildebeest migration, which draws thousands of tourists from around the world.

The luxury camp, operated by Marriott International, is expected to be among Kenya’s most expensive destinations, charging guests up to $3,500 per night.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to several other luxury camps that provide tourists with an opportunity to be up close with wildebeests during their annual migration to the neighboring Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

Judge Lucy Gacheru of the Environment and Land Court said that although the law allows a petitioner to withdraw a case, it is at the judiciary’s discretion whether the case should be thrown out and that, in this instance, the serious environmental impact issues raised were of significant public interest.

The Kenyan conservationist, Joel Meitamei Olol Dapash, filed the withdrawal motion on Wednesday, stating that his concerns had been addressed after consultation with the parties involved.

However, the project developers, Lazizi Mara Limited, asked the court to reject the withdrawal, stating that despite their compliance with all regulatory and statutory requirements, the developer had been portrayed negatively and should be allowed a fair hearing in a court of law.

Maryland to Consider Slavery Reparations After Gov. Wes Moore’s Veto is Overridden

By BRIAN WITTE

5:32 PM EST, December 16, 2025

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland will create a commission to study potential reparations for slavery after lawmakers voted Tuesday to override a veto by Gov. Wes Moore — currently the nation’s only Black governor — that disappointed many fellow Democrats.

Moore said in his veto letter in May that it was a difficult decision to veto the bill, which was a priority of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. But he wrote there has been enough study of the legacy of slavery, and it was now time to “focus on the work itself” to address it.

But Democrats who control both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly decided the commission was needed to better examine how to do that.

“This topic isn’t easy, but, again, without formal study, reparations risk being dismissed as symbolic or unconstitutional, regardless of moral merit,” said Sen. Charles Sydnor, a Democrat.

After his veto was overridden, Moore said that while he disagrees with the legislature’s decision, “I am eager to move forward in partnership on the work of repair that we all agree is an urgent and pressing need.”

“I believe the time for action is now -– and we must continue moving forward with the work of repair immediately,” Moore said in a statement. “That mission is especially vital given the immediate and ongoing effects of this federal administration on our constituents, including communities that have been historically left behind.”

Potential reparations outlined in the bill include official statements of apology, monetary compensation, property tax rebates, social service assistance, as well as licensing and permit fee waivers and reimbursement. Reparations also could include assistance with making a down payment on a home, business incentives, childcare, debt forgiveness and tuition payment waivers for higher education.

Maryland’s Black population is about 30%, the highest percentage of any state outside of the Deep South.

Support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. However, the issue has been a difficult one, particularly for high-profile Democrats, and comes amid a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.

“At a time of growing attacks on diversity and equity, today’s action reaffirms our shared commitment to truth-telling, accountability, and meaningful progress for Black Marylanders,” the state’s Legislative Black Caucus said in a statement.

In October, California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered a mixed bag for proponents of bills aimed at addressing racist and discriminatory policies against African Americans. He signed a law authorizing $6 million for California State University to study how to confirm an individual’s status as a descendant of an enslaved person. But he vetoed other bills the California Legislative Black Caucus championed as tools to atone for the state’s history.

Newsom, who is considering running for president in 2028, signed a law last year to formally apologize for slavery and its lingering effects on Black Californians.

Moore has said he is not planning to run for president in 2028, but he has continued to cultivate a national profile that has drawn pundits’ attention as a potential White House contender.

New York City lawmakers approved legislation last year to study the city’s significant role in slavery and consider reparations to descendants of enslaved people.

In 2021, Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, became the first U.S. city to create a reparations plan for its Black residents, using tax revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana.

As recently as a few years ago, Americans viewed the prospect of reparations mostly negatively. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2021 found that only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults said descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. should be repaid in some way, such as given land or money. About 7 in 10 said these descendants should not be repaid.

Maryland lawmakers did not take up congressional redistricting in their one-day special session. Moore has expressed interest in pursuing a new map, which could come up when lawmakers convene in January for their annual 90-day session. However, the state Senate president has said he doesn’t support moving forward with a new map. Democrats hold a 7-1 advantage over Republicans in the state’s eight congressional districts.

Western Military Presence in Ukraine in Any Format Unacceptable for Russia — MFA

Maria Zakharova stated that such pseudo-peacekeepers would become legitimate targets for the Russian army

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The deployment of Western military personnel in Ukraine "under any guise and in any format" is unacceptable for Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated at a briefing.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the so-called coalition of the willing has completed preparations for plans to deploy troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

"The deployment of Western troops on Ukrainian territory under any guise and in any format remains unacceptable for us. We have repeatedly stated that such pseudo-peacekeepers will become legitimate targets for the Russian army," the diplomat noted.

Zakharova referred to the corresponding group of individuals as a "coalition of warmongers," whose activities only cause bewilderment. "Instead of focusing on finding options for settling the crisis, given that they were all talking about peace, and doing so while taking into account the interests of all parties involved in the conflict, the countries belonging to this very coalition are essentially developing plans for the occupation of Ukraine," she concluded.

Russian Troops Strike Ukrainian Army’s Energy Infrastructure Over Past Day

According to the latest figures, Kiev loses 1,405 troops along engagement line in past day

© Alexander Reka/TASS

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russian troops struck energy infrastructure used by the Ukrainian army and enemy deployment areas over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck energy infrastructure facilities used to support the Ukrainian army’s operations, workshops for the assembly of long-range attack unmanned aerial vehicles and their storage sites, and also temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 149 locations," the ministry said in a statement.

Kiev loses 1,405 troops along engagement line in past day - latest figures

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,405 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours, according to the latest data on the special military operation in Ukraine released by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The latest figures show that the Ukrainian army lost roughly 150 troops and an armored combat vehicle in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup North, about 200 troops, a US-made armored personnel carrier and two Turkish-made armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup West and over 195 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup South.

During the last 24-hour period, the Ukrainian army also lost over 545 troops and five armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of Russia’s Battlegroup Center, roughly 245 troops and four armored combat vehicles in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup East and about 70 troops and two artillery systems in the responsibility area of the Battlegroup Dnepr, the latest figures show.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 150 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 150 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy armored combat vehicle in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of a jaeger brigade of the Ukrainian army and a National Guard regiment in areas near the settlements of Alekseyevka, Ryzhevka, Varachino and Shostka in the Sumy Region," the ministry said.

In the Kharkov direction, Battlegroup North units inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Prilipka, Vilcha, Stary Saltov, Veliky Burluk and Volchanskiye Khutora in the Kharkov Region, the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 150 personnel, an armored combat vehicle, eight motor vehicles, two artillery guns, two electronic warfare stations and an Israeli-made RADA radar station in those frontline areas over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 200 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 200 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a US-made armored personnel carrier and two Turkish-made armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian army and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Blagodatovka, Podoly, Kovsharovka, Boguslavka, Kupyansk-Uzlovoi and Nechvolodovka in the Kharkov Region and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 200 personnel, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, two Turkish-made Cobra armored combat vehicles, 13 motor vehicles and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts over 195 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 195 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units gained better lines and positions and inflicted losses on formations of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, two mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade and a National Guard brigade in areas near the settlements of Reznikovka, Zakotnoye, Kirovo, Minkovka, Konstantinovka and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 195 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, among them two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers and two electronic warfare stations in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed three ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Battlegroup Center units thwart Ukrainian army’s attempt to break through to Krasnoarmeysk

Russia’s Battlegroup Center units thwarted the Ukrainian army’s attempt to break through towards Krasnoarmeysk and continued destroying enemy forces in Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units continued destroying the surrounded enemy in the neighborhoods Vostochny and Zapadny in the city of Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They kept mopping up the settlements of Rodinskoye and Svetloye in the Donetsk People’s Republic of scattered Ukrainian army groups," the ministry said.

During the last 24-hour period, Battlegroup Center units "thwarted attempts by Ukrainian assault groups to break through to the northern outskirts of the industrial zone of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk People’s Republic from Shevchenko across forest belts. A total of 42 militants and 14 items of military equipment were destroyed," the ministry reported.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 545 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 545 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed five enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Center units inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of a mechanized brigade, an airmobile brigade, an infantry brigade, an air assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army, a marine infantry brigade, two National Guard brigades and the Azov special operations brigade [outlawed as a terrorist group in Russia] in areas near the settlements of Kutuzovka, Sergeyevka, Grishino, Volnoye, Toretskoye and Belitskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Novopavlovka and Novopodgorodnoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost more than 545 personnel, five armored combat vehicles, 10 motor vehicles and two artillery guns in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 245 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 245 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of an assault brigade, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian army and a territorial defense brigade in areas near the settlements of Andreyevka and Gavrilovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, Gulyaipole and Kosovtsevo in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost an estimated 245 personnel, four armored combat vehicles, 12 motor vehicles and three materiel depots in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminates 70 Ukrainian troops in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr eliminated roughly 70 Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy artillery systems in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted losses on formations of a mountain assault brigade and a coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian army in areas near the settlements of Tyaginka, Nikolskoye and Dneprovskoye in the Kherson Region," the ministry said.

"Up to 70 Ukrainian military personnel, 21 motor vehicles, two field artillery guns, including a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer and two materiel depots were destroyed," the ministry said.

Russian air defenses intercept 216 Ukrainian UAVs over past day

Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 216 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down 216 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 669 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 283 helicopters, 103,758 unmanned aerial vehicles, 640 surface-to-air missile systems, 26,591 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,633 multiple rocket launchers, 31,994 field artillery guns and mortars and 49,358 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.