Sudan Lions Reserve Warns Running Low on Food

Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
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Sudan Lions Reserve Warns Running Low on Food

Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
Lions seen in an enclosure at the Sudan Animal Rescue Center south of the capital Khartoum. AFP

Heavy fighting in Sudan, which has plunged the nation into chaos and killed hundreds, has also raised fears about the fate of 25 lions and other animals in a wildlife reserve.

The facility said it is without electricity to power safety fences around enclosures and running low on food for the felines, which each require five to 10 kilograms (11 to 22 pounds) of meat a day.

Violence broke out in the capital and across Sudan on April 15 between forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces.

The clashes have killed more than 400 people, wounded thousands and threatened a descent into wider turmoil in the northeast African country, already one of the world's poorest.

"Firstly, may Allah protect Sudan and the people of Sudan," said a statement by the Sudan Animal Rescue Center, which went on to warn that the situation at the sanctuary had also become "critical".

It said it no longer had a permanent staff presence at the sanctuary, located an hour's drive southeast of Khartoum near a military base that had been rocked by "deadly clashes on a daily basis".

The sanctuary houses 25 lions and various other animals including gazelles, camels, monkeys, hyenas and birds, AFP reported.

"We are under tremendous pressure due to the current power outage, and our stocks of food and drink are beginning to run out," it said, adding that one of its vehicles had been stolen.

The power outage had become "a real threat" because the facility relies on electricity to power equipment for the animal enclosures.

"We therefore appeal to all officials and those with the ability to help with the need to intervene ... as soon as possible," it added in the statement.



Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana’s 1997 Trip

Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
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Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana’s 1997 Trip

Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)

Prince Harry visited the African nation of Angola on Tuesday with a land mine clearing charity, repeating a famous trip his mother made in 1997.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met with Angolan President João Lourenço on Tuesday at the start of his trip, according to a statement from the Halo Trust, an organization that works to clear land mines from old warzones.

Princess Diana visited Angola with the Halo Trust in January 1997, just seven months before she was killed in a Paris car crash. Diana was famously photographed on that trip wearing protective equipment and walking through an active minefield during a break in fighting in Angola's long civil war.

Her advocacy helped mobilize support for a treaty banning land mines later that year.

This is not the first time Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps by raising awareness for the Halo Trust's work. He also visited the southern African country in 2019 for a land mine clearing project. British media reported that Harry traveled to Angola this week without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Halo Trust CEO James Cowan said in a statement Tuesday that he and Harry met with Lourenço to discuss continued demining efforts in Angola and thanked the president for his support for that work.

Angola was torn apart by a 27-year civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, with some brief and fragile periods of peace in between.

The Halo Trust says there are estimates that around 80,000 Angolans have been killed or injured by land mines during and after the war, although there are no exact figures. The organization says just over 1,000 minefields covering an estimated 67 square kilometers (26 square miles) still needed to be cleared at the end of 2024.

Angola had set itself a goal to be land mine-free by 2025.