Interestingly, Twitter has decided that today my "For You" should highlight tweets from SAF fans that criticize this @valent_projects social media monitoring analysis on #Sudan. Many of the tweets highlighted have few likes or replies, so unclear why.
Following up on the new #Sudan sanctions authority President Biden issued on May 4 (E.0. 14098), the White House announces targeted sanctions and visa restrictions against actors perpetuating the violence in the country. whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…
The US Treasury Dept has designated 4 companies identified as generating revenue from, and contributing to, the conflict in #Sudan:
🔹️Al Junaid (RSF)
🔹️Tradive General Trading (RSF)
🔹️Defense Industries System (SAF)
🔹️Sudan Master Technology (SAF) home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
Al Junayd is a holding company controlled by Hemeti & his brother, Abdel Rahim Dagolo. It operates in the gold mining sector and is identified by Treasury as a vital source of revenue for the Dagolo family & the RSF.
Unclear where the 2M reportedly reached with aid during the "ceasefire" are, but the situation for many Sudanese has worsened, and INGOs still face serious obstacles moving aid into the worst affected areas. dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/ar…
13 babies died in an orphanage in #Sudan's capital city on Friday. The death toll in Khartoum, Geneina, El Obeid, El Fashir, and other parts of the country has risen while the "ceasefire" was being "imperfectly observed" by the SAF & RSF. reuters.com/world/africa/d…
Today, Secretary Blinken has announced the findings of the State Department's review of atrocities reported during the war in northern #Ethiopia:
🔹all parties to the conflict committed war crimes
🔹the ENDF, EDF, and Amhara forces committed crimes against humanity in Tigray
🔹Amhara forces committed the crime against humanity of deportation or forcible transfer, and committed ethnic cleansing through their treatment of Tigrayans in Western Tigray.
Blinken cited "murder, rape, and other forms of sexual violence and persecution" in the @StateDept's determination that members of the ENDF, EDF and Amhara forces committed crimes against humanity in #Tigray.
While high-level US & EU diplomatic visits drew int'l press attention to #Ethiopia this week, most of the focus was on diplomatic relations, $, and the #Tigray peace deal. There was little coverage of the dangerous undercurrents that continue to threaten the country's stability.
On Mar 15, while the intl press was focused on Blinken's visit, Ethiopia's election board issued a statement condemning the persecution of some political parties by the govt & its security forces, citing illegal detentions, intimidation & harassment. m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
The day prior, the Mayor of Addis -Ethiopia's culturally diverse capital city- made highly controversial comments alleging that youth from "some regional states" were trying to flood the city to overthrow the govt. Addis's police chief claimed most of the youth were from Amhara.
Two weeks after forces in Puntland killed IS-Somalia's head of ops, Abu-Albara Al Amani of Ethiopia, US forces conduct a rare raid in #Somalia targeting Bilal al-Sudani, a top Islamic State figure seen as a key facilitator for ISIS's global network. 🧵
Bilal al-Sudani, aka Suhayl Salim Abd el-Rahman of #Sudan, was designated under the US #Somalia sanctions program in 2012 for facilitating the travel & financing of foreign fighters for #AlShabaab since 2007. He later joined the IS splinter faction. home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
Al-Sudani was linked to a South Africa-based ISIS facilitator, Abdella Hussein Abadigga, that was designated for sanctions in early 2022. home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
Tigray authorities say they are ready to abide by an immediate cessation of hostilities, to create a conducive atmosphere for AU-led talks under *mutually-acceptable" mediators, with int'l observers to help build trust, instill confidence in the process & support implementation.
These are all fairly standard components of peace processes. The Govt of Ethiopia has been resistant to calls for int'l observers, however. Will they accept them now? This would notionally require granting them access to Tigray & conflict-affected parts of Amhara & Afar.
What Tigray authorities are proposing was presumably part of the discussions between AU & US officials in recent days, and appears to be the result of the reported talks in Djibouti.