Sudanese Minister Accuses Bashir’s Regime of ‘Fueling Tribal Conflicts’

A procession for the Hausa tribe in Kordofan to protest the events of the Blue Nile, July 19 (AFP)
A procession for the Hausa tribe in Kordofan to protest the events of the Blue Nile, July 19 (AFP)
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Sudanese Minister Accuses Bashir’s Regime of ‘Fueling Tribal Conflicts’

A procession for the Hausa tribe in Kordofan to protest the events of the Blue Nile, July 19 (AFP)
A procession for the Hausa tribe in Kordofan to protest the events of the Blue Nile, July 19 (AFP)

The Minister of Federal Government in Sudan, Buthaina Dinar, accused the regime of ousted president Omar al-Bashir of fueling bloody conflicts between civil societies in the country’s states.

In a Sunday press conference in Khartoum, Dinar said that the government and security services should conduct a transparent investigation into all statements of “known personalities who contributed to fueling the conflict in the Blue Nile and hold them legally accountable.”

She pointed out that none of those involved in the bloody events in the region were arrested, which left dozens dead and wounded and thousands of displaced people.

Dinar belongs to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement led by Malik Agar, a member of the Sovereignty Council.

Blue Nile parties had accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement of involvement in the bloody tribal conflicts in the region.

Dinar said that there will be no stability in the states of Darfur, East and Blue Nile, unless the “Juba Peace Agreement” is implemented.

Other conditions to stability include disarming militias and integrating armed movements into Sudan’s armed forces, said Dinar.

The minister also called for the formation of commissions, including a commission on land ownership.

In other news, a new political alliance “Forces for Radical Change (FRC)” led by the Sudanese Communist Party (SCP) and comprising several civil and trade union groups was announced in Khartoum on Sunday.

The FRC includes a number of labor movements and civil society groups such as the Sudanese Professionals Association, the Union of Farmers in Al-Jazirah and Managuel, and the Sudanese Women’s Union.

The goals of the new umbrella aimed at bringing down the coup and achieving a radical revolutionary change, said SCP Political Secretary Mohamed Mokhtar al-Khatib.



Reduced to Rubble: Palestinians Return to ‘Unrecognizable’ Gaza

Gazans tour their destroyed neighborhood on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Gazans tour their destroyed neighborhood on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Reduced to Rubble: Palestinians Return to ‘Unrecognizable’ Gaza

Gazans tour their destroyed neighborhood on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Gazans tour their destroyed neighborhood on Sunday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza were shocked at the extent of the destruction and devastation left behind by the Israeli war machine after 15 months of war and as a ceasefire took effect on Sunday.

Asharq Al-Awsat accompanied residents of Jabalia as they returned to their homes and assessed the extent of the destruction.

“Where are our homes?!” asked Amal al-Asakry in despair as she arrived at Jabalia camp, which has been reduced to rubble by Israel. Her house and others have been razed to the ground.

“We have nothing left. Our lives and future... they destroyed our homes and the future of our children,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“I returned to Jabalia hoping to find something left of my house, my clothes and my furniture, but I found nothing. The house has been completely destroyed,” she lamented.

Israel carried out a military operation in Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun for over a hundred days, using its entire military might to carry out air strikes, ground operations and bomb houses, hospitals and other buildings.

Another resident, Mahmoud al-Sahhar, believed that his house would still be standing after he came across a photograph taken by an Israeli soldier that showed that his house was partially damaged.

When he returned to Jabalia, he was shocked to find out that it had been totally destroyed. “I built this house brick by brick so that I can secure my family’s future,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat, pointing to his home that may have been destroyed shortly before the Israeli withdrawal.

Asharq Al-Awsat's tour of the area showed that no party could come up with a close estimate of the extent of the damage given how massive it is. The area has become unrecognizable due to the destruction and damage.

Plans to remove the rubble from the streets are no longer viable because it is just everywhere. Jabalia has effectively been turned into Gaza’s largest pile of rubble.

Residents couldn’t even get their vehicles and carts to move across the area because roads have been destroyed.

Nemr al-Nimnim told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I was raised in the camp, but I couldn’t recognize any of its roads. It will take years to remove the rubble from Gaza, especially Jabalia and the nearby areas. Reconstruction may take decades.”

He said he was hoping to make a quick return to the camp, “but the area is unlivable. There’s no water or any place that can shelter us. It’s as if an earthquake had destroyed the camp.”

It appears that Israeli forces had deliberately sought to destroy UNRWA centers and other facilities offering services. Infrastructure was also completely destroyed to prevent people from resuming their lives any time soon.

Confronted with the devastation, the residents urged their loved ones to avoid returning to Jabalia and instead head to other areas.

Another resident, Duaa Munir, told Asharq Al-Awsat that she urged her relatives to head to southern Gaza because there is nothing to return to in Jabalia. “There isn’t even any space to set up camps” because of the rubble, she said.

Over a million people are internally displaced in Gaza with the majority seeking refuge in camps along the coast and in central and southern parts of the enclave.

The United Nations has said that Gaza’s reconstruction could take more than 350 years if it remains under an Israeli blockade. Using satellite data, the United Nations estimated last month that 69% of the structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including more than 245,000 homes. With over 100 trucks working full time, it would take more than 15 years just to clear the rubble away.