Hamdok to Visit Juba to Present Roadmap for Sudan’s Crisis

A Sudanese woman fleeing violence in Darfur carries her belongings before crossing into Chad, Nov. 10. (Reuters)
A Sudanese woman fleeing violence in Darfur carries her belongings before crossing into Chad, Nov. 10. (Reuters)
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Hamdok to Visit Juba to Present Roadmap for Sudan’s Crisis

A Sudanese woman fleeing violence in Darfur carries her belongings before crossing into Chad, Nov. 10. (Reuters)
A Sudanese woman fleeing violence in Darfur carries her belongings before crossing into Chad, Nov. 10. (Reuters)

The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exchanged artillery shelling in the capital’s neighborhoods and the city of Omdurman.

Eyewitnesses said that the army carried out intense artillery strikes on the positions of the RSF in the neighborhoods of southern and eastern Khartoum and central Omdurman, noting that violent explosions were heard near the Armored Corps, south of the capital.

Army drones also launched strikes on RSF positions south of Khartoum in conjunction with artillery shelling.

The pace of ground battles between the army and the RSF has decreased over the past weeks in the three cities of the capital, as both sides are now relying on artillery and air strikes.

Meanwhile, the command of the Civil Democratic Forces (Taqaddum) said that its president, Abdullah Hamdok, received an invitation from the government of South Sudan to hold a meeting next week to present proposals and a “road map” to resolve the crisis in the country.

Taqaddum’s executive office announced, in a statement on Wednesday, “the approval of a road map to end the war, achieve peace, and establish a sustainable democratic civil transition.”

“The roadmap came after extensive discussions that took place over the past few days, aimed at coming up with practical visions that would accelerate the end of fighting in our country and stop the humanitarian catastrophe that befell millions of our people,” the statement read.

It continued: “The roadmap presented practical proposals on how to support the ongoing efforts in the Jeddah Platform, in order to reach a cessation of hostilities an to develop a comprehensive ceasefire with effective monitoring mechanisms, in addition to linking these efforts to an inclusive political process....”



Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
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Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006

Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)
Rescuers and aid workers search for survivors at the site of an Israeli airstrike in eastern Lebanon (AFP)

A comparison of the current human and material losses from the ongoing Hezbollah-Israel conflict with those from the July 2006 war shows that current losses have doubled.

Experts warn that the reconstruction funds and aid pledged to Lebanon 18 years ago may have limited impact once the war ends.

Total Losses

Mohammad Shamseddine, a researcher from Information International, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the death toll has risen from 900 in 2006 to 2,865 in the current conflict (as of October 31, 2024), with the number increasing daily. The number of wounded was 4,000 in 2006, but it has now exceeded 13,047.

In 2006, 600,000 people were displaced, while today that number has surpassed 1.2 million. Of these, 189,174 are in shelters. A total of 358,133 Syrians and 172,604 Lebanese have fled to Syria, and 120,000 have sought refuge in other countries.

Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amin Salam estimated that Lebanon’s total economic losses from the current conflict have reached $20 billion. However, economic associations report direct losses between $10 billion and $12 billion, covering damage to key sectors, homes, buildings, and infrastructure.

These figures align with estimates from Shamseddine, who believes direct and indirect losses are around $10 billion.

Of this, $4 billion occurred from October 8, 2023, to September 17, 2024 (when the conflict was mostly limited to the south), and $7 billion from September 17 to October 31, 2024, after Israel expanded the war. For comparison, losses during the 2006 war totaled $5.3 billion.

In 2006, infrastructure damage was valued at $900 million, higher than the current war's $570 million in infrastructure losses.

Housing losses in 2006 totaled $2.2 billion, while they have now surpassed $4.26 billion. Mohammad Shamseddine points out that commercial losses were similar in both conflicts, at $4.7 million.

Agricultural and environmental losses in 2006 were $450 million, but now exceed $900 million. Indirect economic damages were $1.2 billion in 2006, while they have now surpassed $3.38 billion.

One notable difference is the number of airstrikes: from October 8, 2023, to October 31, 2024, there were 11,647, compared to just 3,670 during the 33-day 2006 war.