All articles tagged with #rsf
Sudan says four drone strikes were launched from Ethiopia using UAE-supplied drones and has recalled its ambassador, accusing Addis Ababa and the UAE of backing the attacks; Ethiopia denies the charges, and the UAE denies funding the RSF. The conflict has killed more than 150,000 and displaced about 14 million, with drones central to the fighting and rising regional interference.
RSF’s World Press Freedom Index shows global press freedom at its lowest level in 25 years, with more than half of the 180 countries rated as “difficult” or “very serious” and less than 1% of people living in “good” conditions. The decline is driven by expansive national-security laws, restrictive legal tools, hostile politics, and a struggling media business model, impacting democracies as well as autocracies. The US drops to 64nd place; Russia under Putin uses anti-terror and other laws to curb reporting. Argentina and El Salvador are singled out for significant declines, and more than 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. The report calls for ending journalism criminalisation and SLAPPs, protecting reporters, and ensuring access during conflict, noting safety concerns in the UK and highlighting Syria’s notable improvement while Eritrea remains last.
RSF says global press freedom is at its lowest level in 25 years, with more than half of countries now rated 'difficult' or 'very serious' and the share of people living in 'good' conditions falling to under 1%. The United States has dropped to 64nd place amid Trump-era attacks on journalists, detention/expulsion of Salvadoran reporter Mario Guevara, and cuts to US international broadcasting funding. Russia sits at 172nd with 48 journalists jailed. Niger shows the steepest decline in 2026, while Norway remains top and Eritrea last; Syria improves to 141 but remains in the 'very serious' category. RSF calls for meaningful sanctions and stronger protections for journalists and international law.
MSF warns that sexual violence remains a daily reality in Sudan, even in Darfur areas far from active fighting. Based on 3,396 survivor testimonies (2024–25), most assaults are by armed men—primarily RSF fighters—with ethnic targeting and brutal violence. Many victims were women performing routine tasks like collecting water or traveling to markets. The report calls for accountability and says the humanitarian system has failed to adequately protect survivors.
A drone strike on El-Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed 64 people (including 13 children) and wounded 89, leaving the hospital nonfunctional, according to the WHO. The RSF blamed an army drone, while the army denied involvement. The attack comes amid Sudan's civil war, which has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced about 12 million, with calls for de-escalation and an independent investigation into attacks on healthcare.
At least 17 people, most of them schoolgirls, were killed when an explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces struck a secondary school and a health centre in Shukeiri, White Nile, injuring more than 10. The attack adds to a pattern of civilian-targeted violence amid Sudan’s war and has drawn condemnation from medical groups and rights observers.
The New York Times reports that Trump told UAE leader MBZ that Saudi Arabia asked him to sanction the UAE for backing Sudan’s RSF, a claim linked to Saudi lobbying after a White House visit; Riyadh now leans toward the Sudanese army in the conflict, while the US has already targeted RSF commanders with sanctions.
The UN Security Council imposed sanctions on four RSF leaders linked to atrocities in el-Fasher, Darfur, after a UN fact-finding mission described the October takeover as genocide; the RSF and its backers deny systematic abuses and say they evacuated hundreds of thousands of civilians, while the broader Sudanese war between the RSF and the army continues to cause massive displacement and humanitarian crisis.
Drone strikes have moved the Sudanese civil war’s focus to south-central Kordofan, where near-daily attacks on markets, health facilities and homes are driving mass displacement and famine-like conditions in besieged Kadugli and Dilling. The Sudanese armed forces have regained some ground and broken sieges, while the RSF—with SPLM-N and various regional backers—keeps pressure elsewhere. The UN and humanitarian groups are pleading for civilian protection amid growing concerns of a broader regional spillover and continued hardship for civilians.
Chad closed its eastern border with Sudan until further notice to prevent the conflict from spreading after fighting near al‑Tina, saying exceptions may be granted for humanitarian reasons. The move comes as almost a million Sudanese have crossed into Chad since 2023, with casualties reported in border clashes; Chad denies aiding the RSF and warns it may retaliate against aggression.
Chad closed its eastern border with Sudan after weekend clashes in the town of Tine killed five Chadian soldiers and three civilians, with authorities saying the border will stay closed until further notice to prevent spillover and protect civilians and refugees as more troops are deployed to the frontier.
Sudan condemned Uganda for hosting RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and meeting with President Museveni, saying the move violates international law and is an affront to humanity, as the RSF and the Sudanese army wage a brutal conflict with atrocities and genocide accusations, while regional mediation continues.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a lengthy complaint to UAE national security adviser Tahnoon bin Zayed, accusing Abu Dhabi of backing Yemen’s RSF and supporting Sudan’s civil war in ways Riyadh cannot tolerate, while offering mediation through Khalid bin Salman. The letter, which framed Yemen as a Saudi sphere of influence and stressed national security, underscores a growing rift with the UAE even as the two sides describe their ties as brotherly and seek behind‑the‑scenes mediation in Washington.
UN-backed human rights experts say the RSF’s October siege of el-Fasher in Darfur shows hallmarks of genocide, citing ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, and destruction aimed at non-Arab communities such as the Zaghawa and Fur. The report estimates thousands killed and many more displaced, and calls for accountability and civilian protection.
The United Nations says more than 6,000 people were killed over three days during the RSF’s offensive to capture el-Fasher in Darfur, including mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, and detentions; the toll inside the city includes about 4,400 killed between Oct. 25–27 and another 1,600 fleeing, with overall figures likely higher, prompting calls for accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.