TAMBOUL, Sudan: On a street corner in the Sudanese town of Tamboul, dozens of people tap feverishly on their phones, calling loved ones and moving money through online apps.
At the center of their huddle is a bright white dish that connects to the Internet via Starlink, the satellite system owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company.
Starlink has become a lifeline for some in a country where the Internet has gone down regularly since war erupted last April between Sudan’s army and paramilitary force.
But the system, which can bring connectivity where there is no land-based network, is not officially available in Sudan.
Instead, the kits have made their way into the country “illegally via Libya, South Sudan and Eritrea,” one device reseller told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The cost for dishes and subscriptions can run into the hundreds of dollars, well out of reach for most Sudanese.
The fees are paid by Sudanese overseas or entrepreneurs like Mohamed Bellah, who runs an Internet cafe in a village some 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Khartoum.
“You can make your money back in three days,” he told AFP, saying the investment was worth every penny.
The conflict between the army of Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has displaced millions and killed many thousands.
The banking system has collapsed and millions can now access money only via the Bank of Khartoum’s app, Bankak.
Officials have not offered an explanation for the blackouts, though a near-total shutdown in February was widely blamed on the RSF.
Now people like Issam Ahmed, huddled around the dish in Tamboul, some 140 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Khartoum, are reliant on Starlink.
He has been anxiously waiting for family news and financial support from his son, who works in Saudi Arabia.
“He sent me money through the bank app and I just transferred it to a currency dealer who will give me cash,” Ahmed told AFP.
Starlink, which is available in more than 70 countries, allows users on high-cost tariffs to take their dishes with them across national boundaries.
Musk made a big play of deploying the system in war-torn Ukraine and during protests in Iran in 2022.
But he has made no such gesture on Sudan and none of the tariffs advertised on Starlink’s website would allow the kind of usage seen there. SpaceX has not responded to AFP’s requests for clarification.
The Sudanese government, which is loyal to the army, banned Starlink devices in December.
But by that stage, the RSF had already started exploiting the business opportunities.
In Qanab Al-Halawein, a village southeast of Khartoum, RSF forces charge for access to their own dish.
They “set up the dish in the square every morning and leave in the evening with all the money they have made,” one resident told AFP on condition of anonymity.
An Internet cafe owner in another village said RSF personnel came “every day” and took 150,000 Sudanese pounds ($140 for currency dealers) in exchange for allowing the cafe to offer Starlink.
The army caught on and partly backtracked on its ban, announcing in late February it would donate some Starlink dishes to residents in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum.
But the vast region of Darfur in Sudan’s west, home to around a quarter of its 48 million people, has been particularly hit by the war-time blackout.
Huge areas have been without any connection for nearly a year and use of the dishes has spread rapidly in a region largely controlled by the RSF.
“Without (Starlink) we could have never figured out how to receive money,” Mohammed Beshara told AFP via text message from the Otash camp in South Darfur.
But for Beshara and thousands like him, it takes money to get money.
He pays roughly $3 an hour for the connection and currency dealers take commissions for every Bankak transaction.
For desperate Tamboul residents like 43-year-old Arij Ahmed, paying commissions is a necessary sacrifice.
She walks five kilometers (three miles) with her 12-year-old son to the Starlink dish “every week, when my husband in Qatar gets his pay cheque and he sends us a transfer,” she told AFP.
And every week, she hopes to get enough money to survive until her next connection.
Smuggled Starlink dishes throw lifeline to some in war-torn Sudan
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Smuggled Starlink dishes throw lifeline to some in war-torn Sudan
- Starlink has become a lifeline for some in a country where the Internet has gone down regularly since war erupted last April between Sudan’s army and paramilitary force
- The kits have made their way into the country “illegally via Libya, South Sudan and Eritrea,” one device reseller told AFP on condition of anonymity
UAE FM discusses humanitarian crisis in Gaza with Israeli counterpart
- Sheikh Abdullah emphasized the need for concerted efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire and prevent the expansion of conflict in the region
DUBAI: The UAE’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan received his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Emirates News Agency reported.
The meeting addressed the latest developments in the region, particularly the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, WAM said.
Discussions also covered regional and international efforts aimed at achieving a sustainable ceasefire in the enclave.
Sheikh Abdullah emphasized the need for concerted efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire and prevent the expansion of conflict in the region. He said that the priority is to end tension and violence, protect civilian lives, and make every effort to facilitate the flow of urgent humanitarian aid.
The foreign minister said the Middle East was experiencing unprecedented tension and instability, and requires international efforts to end extremism, tension, and escalating violence.
He reiterated the UAE’s support for the mediation efforts of Qatar, Egypt, and the US to broker a prisoner exchange agreement that could lead to a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the safe and sustainable delivery of adequate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
Sheikh Abdullah reaffirmed the UAE’s unwavering commitment to supporting the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination, highlighting the country’s longstanding solidarity with Palestinians over the decades.
Lebanon prime minister to visit Syria soon: minister
- Lebanese politicians have been divided over ties with Damascus, especially after Hezbollah fighters fought alongside Bashar Assad’s forces in the Syrian civil war
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s prime minister is to visit Damascus “soon,” the information minister said on Tuesday — the first such visit since militants seized power in Syria last month.
“There will be a visit to Syria soon, headed by Prime Minister (Najib) Mikati,” Ziad Makary told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
Last week, Syria imposed new restrictions on the entry of Lebanese citizens, two security sources from Lebanon told AFP, following what the Lebanese army said was a border skirmish with armed Syrians.
Lebanese nationals had previously been allowed into Syria without a visa, using just their passport or ID card.
Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi told AFP at the time that Lebanon was working to find a solution with Syria.
The Lebanese army said the border skirmish saw its soldiers clash with armed Syrians after they tried to “close an illegal crossing.” It said five soldiers were wounded.
Lebanon’s eastern border is porous and known for smuggling. It was unclear who the armed Syrians were.
Mikati’s office said at the time that he had a phone call with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, during which they discussed bilateral relations as well as the border skirmishes.
He also said Sharaa had invited him for an official visit.
Lebanese politicians have been divided over ties with Damascus, especially after Hezbollah fighters fought alongside Bashar Assad’s forces in the Syrian civil war.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem admitted that with Assad’s fall, his group can no longer be supplied militarily through Syria.
Last month, Syria’s new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa told visiting Lebanese Druze leaders that his country would not negatively interfere in Lebanon and would respect its sovereignty.
For three decades, Syria was the dominant power in Lebanon after intervening in its 1975-1990 civil war.
Syria eventually withdrew its troops in 2005 under international pressure after the assassination of Lebanese ex-prime minister Rafic Hariri.
Palestinian, Jordanian officials condemn ‘greater Israel’ map
- PA urges incoming US administration to halt all provocative Israeli policies
- Jordan says Israel will not undermine its sovereignty
LONDON: Officials from Palestine and Jordan on Tuesday condemned an Israeli map that claimed Palestinian, Jordanian, Syrian and Lebanese territories as part of so-called “greater Israel.”
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority, described the map shared by Israeli social media accounts this week as a blatant violation of all international resolutions and laws, the WAFA news agency reported.
He said that Israeli occupation policies, attacks by illegal settlers and the relentless storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound require “an urgent international stance to stop what the Palestinian people are being subjected to from war and destruction.”
Abu Rudeineh urged the incoming US administration to halt all Israeli policies that undermine security and peace in the Middle East.
Parts of Jordan were included in the Israeli map. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry described the document as “provocative and baseless,” and that it “falsely claims that it is an Israeli historical map.”
The ministry said that Israeli actions and remarks based on racism would neither undermine Jordan’s sovereignty nor change the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
It added that the Israeli government must “immediately cease these provocative actions and stop the reckless statements made by Israeli officials, which are only fueling tensions and contributing to the instability of the region.”
The ministry said that publishing the map coincided with “racist statements” made by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich regarding the annexation of the Occupied West Bank and the construction of illegal settlements in Gaza, Petra news agency reported.
In March 2023, Smotrich spoke at an event in Paris and stood next to a map of “greater Israel” that depicted Jordan as part of his country.
US determines Sudan’s RSF committed genocide, imposes sanctions on leader
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the RSF and aligned militias had continued to direct attacks against civilians
- The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping conflict, Blinken said
WASHINGTON: The United States determined on Tuesday that members of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan and it imposed sanctions on the group’s leader over a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the RSF and aligned militias had continued to direct attacks against civilians, adding that they had systematically murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis and had deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of sexual violence.
The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping conflict, Blinken said.
“The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities,” Blinken said.
Washington announced sanctions on the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, barring him from traveling to the United States and freezing any US assets he might hold.
“For nearly two years, Hemedti’s RSF has engaged in a brutal armed conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan, killing tens of thousands, displacing 12 million Sudanese, and triggering widespread starvation,” the Treasury Department said in a separate statement.
Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in conflict for more than 18 months, creating a humanitarian crisis in which UN agencies have struggled to deliver relief.
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.
US envoy says Israeli forces begin pullout from 2nd south Lebanon town
- “The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqura... and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line,” Hochstein told reporters
- “These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely, and as the Lebanese army continues to deploy into the south and all the way to the Blue Line,”
BEIRUT: Visiting US envoy Amos Hochstein said Israeli forces began withdrawing on Monday from a south Lebanon border town more than halfway into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
It is the second such pullout since a November 27 ceasefire, and came after United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanon’s prime minister late last month called on the Israeli army to speed up its withdrawal from Lebanon’s south.
“The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqura... and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line,” Hochstein told reporters, referring to the UN-demarcated boundary between the two countries.
“These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely, and as the Lebanese army continues to deploy into the south and all the way to the Blue Line,” he added after meeting with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
“I have no reason not to expect that all parties — all parties — will remain committed to implementing the agreement that they agreed to,” he added after meeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and following accusations from Israel and Hezbollah that each side was violating the deal.
Israel in September stepped up its bombing campaign and later sent troops into Lebanon following nearly a year of exchanges of cross-border fire initiated by Hezbollah over the war in Gaza.
Under the terms of the ceasefire which Hochstein helped broker, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah is to pull its forces north of the Litani River — about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
Mikati called for “a clear timetable to complete the Israeli withdrawal before the end of the 60-day deadline,” according to a statement released by his office.
It added that any “talk of Israel’s intention to extend the ceasefire deadline is firmly rejected.”
The Lebanese military said that “army units have stationed around the town of Naqura... and began deploying there in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” referring to UNIFIL, whose headquarters is in Naqura.
The deployment came “in parallel with the Israeli enemy’s withdrawal,” the statement said, and coincided “with a meeting of the five-member committee” overseeing the ceasefire that was also attended by Hochstein.
The Israeli army told AFP that it “operates according to the directive of the political echelon and is committed to the understanding in regards to the ceasefire conditions.”
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and US delegates alongside a UNIFIL representative is tasked with ensuring any ceasefire violations are identified and dealt with.
Hochstein said he co-chaired the third meeting of the committee on Monday together with United States Major General Jasper Jeffers, adding that “the mechanism is working well.”
He said that while the ceasefire implementation may not have proceeded “as quickly as some wanted... what I heard in Naqura today gives me hope that we’re on the right track.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday accused Hezbollah of not withdrawing “beyond the Litani River” as stipulated, and of not meeting other terms of the ceasefire, after Hezbollah accused Israel of violations.
On December 11, Lebanon’s army said it deployed around the border town of Khiam in coordination with UNIFIL, also following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area.
The US military said it was the first such Israeli force withdrawal and subsequent Lebanese army deployment under the ceasefire.
During Monday’s visit, his first since the truce, Hochstein also urged political consensus in Lebanon ahead of a presidential vote this week.
Lebanon has been without a president for more than two years amid bitter divisions between Hezbollah and its opponents.
“These are critical times for Lebanon... not just to implement this agreement, but to come to political consensus, to focus on Lebanon for Lebanese people,” Hochstein said ahead Thursday’s vote.
“This is an opportunity... to really just focus on rebuilding the economy,” on implementing “reforms that will allow for investment, and returning the country to economic growth and prosperity for all,” Hochstein added.
The Lebanese army said Hochstein and Jeffers also met with army commander Joseph Aoun on Monday, discussing the ceasefire.
Aoun’s name has been floated as a potential presidential candidate.
