Darfur Region Research Articles

Social Justice and Human Rights Violations in Sudan in Light of the Criminal Law

The study came under the title Social Justice and Violations of Human Rights in Sudan in the Light of the Sudanese Criminal Law (concepts - protection - obstacles and solutions), the problem of the study was to answer these questions: Why are human rights violations increasing in Sudan? Do dictatorial and military regimes have a role in human rights violations and threaten the security and stability of society? What are the human rights obstacles and proposed solutions? The study objectives are: knowing the concepts of social justice and the impact of human rights violations in Sudan on the stability of society, familiarity with the principles and provisions of the Sudanese criminal law related to the protection of human rights, as well as the contribution of the study to suggesting solutions that contribute to reducing human rights violations in Sudan. The researcher used the descriptive and analytical approach to find out the concepts of the human rights, social justice and the reasons for the violation of human rights and the provisions and principles related to the legal protection of human rights in the Sudanese criminal law. The study showed violations of human rights such as killing, violence, and illegal detention continue in Sudan to a very large extent during the transitional period, crimes and ethnic conflicts have spread alarmingly in Sudan, especially in the Darfur region, threatening local and international peace and security. One of the most important recommendations is that the State must stop human rights violations and carry out reconciliations between the conflicting tribes to achieve justice in the country, guarantee basic rights and freedoms, and implement the principle of the rule of law and respect of human rights.

Unfolding the Landscape of Conflict

This study aims to examine the role of the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in upholding women's rights by helping victims of sexual violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. By extension, it explores whether the organisation provided an effective example of a feminist groups in the face of this issue. This research is descriptive, using qualitative methods. The data taken is based on relevant books, academic journals, and online material. The analytical tools used are the concepts of feminism and international cooperation. The results of this research show that, when attempting to solve the problem of sexual violence in Darfur, UNIFEM came to the aid of victims, collaborating with local institutions in the area. This resulted in positive outcomes for sexual violence victims in Darfur, though UNIFEM continues to face several challenges.
 
 Keywords: Feminism, Sexual Violence, Conflict, UNIFEM

An Appraisal of Nigeria Peace Keeping Process in Darfur –Sudan

The art of external intervention as a strategy for conflict resolution and crisis management has been prominent among nations of the world. In Africa, Nigeria has been championing the course of peace in this respect since her independence. Peace keeping is a third party intervention which operates with a set of guiding principles that include the consent of the parties in conflict, impartiality and non use of force except on self defense. Again, foreign policy of any nation serves as a mirror of its domestic reality. It begins with identification and articulation of national interests. Nation’s interest represents and serves the principal consideration in the formulation and execution of national policies especially in international relations. It’s against this background that Nigeria maintained that ‘Africa is the centre peace and security’ in her foreign policy. Consequently, this paper is focused on the appraisal of Nigeria peace keeping efforts in Darfur region of Sudan from 2004-2015. Content analyses were used and system theory was adopted as a foundation to the research. Some of findings made are: 1. Nigeria’s much engagements in peacekeeping operation are affecting her domestic affair. 2. Nigeria lack understanding of the nature of the conflict among parties, various forces at play and psychology/beliefs of the combatants before involving in the conflict process. 3. Terrain, climatic conditions as well as other challenges in Darfur has advert effect on the peace keepers. Recommendations proffered are 1. Nigeria should make adequate operational plans, mandate and focus that are well spelt out with achievable objectives before engaging in future peacekeeping operation. 2. Nigeria should understand understanding of the nature of the conflict among parties, various forces at play and psychology/beliefs of the combatants before involving in the conflict process. 3. Nigeria should adequately make necessary provision that will enable the peace keepers perform their duties appropriately and professional.

The Perils of Pro-Government Militias in African Transition Democracy: Case of RSF in the Sudan’s Conflict

Sudan has never experienced peace since it attained its independence from Britain in 1956. Most of the causes of the conflicts in Sudan are related to political domination, economic deprivation, and Islamization. The regime of former President Omar al Bashir since it took power from 1989-2019, it adopted a counter-insurgency strategy of using militias in the peripheral areas to confront alongside its army on the rebellious activities. The review literature on pro-government militias in the context of the unstable Sudan provides debates pertains violent atrocities committed by militias against innocent civilians in the name of counterinsurgency. The 2003 crisis in Darfur region clearly outlines the state strategy of employing the Janjaweed militia who later metamorphosed into Rapid Support Force, a paramilitary group who committed genocide and crime against humanity in the name of fighting the two rebel groups: the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The RSF has grown a powerful paramilitary force that are now battling the State Army for the takeover of the government militarily. The militia group which was once built up by the state now turning a real danger to the transitional democracy. This paper argues that the RSF are the direct beneficiary of the state and are closely linked to its structures, its people, its wealth, and foreign partners. This paper draws a conclusion that amicable solution ought to be sought for the benefit of the marginalized peripheral areas of Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile or Sudan with this unstoppable conflict risks to fragment into different autonomous states.

Evaluating cereal market (dis)integration in less developed and fragile markets: The case of Sudan

This paper evaluates spatial market integration in cereal markets in Sudan, focusing on wheat and sorghum, two major cereal crops. Sudan’s context provides important insights on the functioning of markets in economies marred by sanctions, conflicts, soaring inflation, and macroeconomic imbalances. We use long-ranging monthly cereal price data and a vector of error-correction cointegration model (VECM) to characterize both short-term and long-term spatial price adjustment across cereal markets. Among the 15 wheat and 18 sorghum markets considered, we can only detect significant spatial market integration among 6 wheat and 11 sorghum markets. Despite some strong spatial market integration among a few neighboring markets, there is no spatial market integration between several markets, including between major wheat consumption and production hotspots. For example, cereal markets in Darfur are not integrated with cereal markets in the rest of the country, despite exhibiting some level of spatial integration within the Darfur region. Finally, we also observe relatively stronger spatial market integration in sorghum markets than in wheat markets. These findings have important policy implications for improving the efficiency of cereal markets in Sudan and other comparable settings.

Influence of rainwater harvesting practices on the sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) grain yields in the sub-tropical deserts of Sudan ​

Food security is climate dependent in the Darfur region, Sudan; ultimately, the extreme drought events have derailed the region into “the world’s first climate change conflict”. Most of the ongoing climate resilience efforts in the region depend on rainwater harvesting (RWH) practices. The objective of this study is to be better understanding of the variability in the performance of the adopted RWH practices in the Darfur region. Datasets of 148 farmers were collected during the year 2022 through a structured questionnaire in the South Darfur state and analyzed based on two different modeling frameworks in the R package: the deep machine learning (the Bagging algorithms) and the logit models. The dependent variable is the rainfed sorghum grain yield, and the independent variables were RWH practices, education level, family size, and distance to the farm. The standardized precipitation index (SPI) explained that every two years the region is experiencing a drought event (1980-2015), with an annual rainfall of 396 mm ± 100 mm. About 82% of farmers mainly adopted RWH for food security in face of the decreased rainfall. The adopted RWH practices (mainly terracing) have increased sorghum grain yields by 72% - 147%. The best grain yield is associated with spate irrigation, and the poorest with illiteracy. The large family size ( greater than 9 people) and good education level offset the negative impacts of both illiteracy and the longer distance to the farm. The terracing and terracing + mulching + deep tillage (as a single package) practices were the most laborious and unsustainable practices in the Darfur region, and are not recommended, especially when the farm distance is greater than 5 km

Development of the Sudan agricultural sector model for policy impact analysis

AbstractAn agricultural sector model is developed for Sudan to study the impact of different policy interventions on enhancing agricultural productivity and efficient water use for irrigation. The model considers three farming systems (irrigation, mechanized and traditional rainfed systems). The country is divided into five geographic regions (central, eastern, northern, Kordofan and Darfur regions). The input to the model consists of six key agricultural inputs: land, water, labour, machinery, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. The model is designed to optimize the production activities for 10 major crops that include cotton, wheat, sorghum, millet, groundnut, sesame, sugar cane, banana, beans and dates. The General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS) optimization engine is used to optimize the allocation of resources with the objective of maximizing the net economic returns from agricultural production activities. The model is calibrated using long‐term average historical records for the period 1970–2018. The results showed good model prediction capability in meeting the domestic demand and in explaining the key variables that influence the farming activities across the regions.

Misconceptions and associated factors of COVID-19 infection among internally displaced persons in Sudan.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health threat that has spread rapidly and caused morbidity and mortality worldwide. Reducing the myths about infectious diseases is vital for controlling transmission. This study explored the level of misconceptions and associated factors of COVID-19 among internally displaced persons in Sudan. This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive design and community-based study. We collected the data using a self-administered questionnaire via the convenience sampling technique among internally displaced persons in the camps of Zalingei town in the central Darfur region of Sudan. The total mean score of the respondents’ misconception was 3.1725 (SD=0.59) with 63.2%, indicating moderate misunderstanding of COVID- 19. Multiple linear regression revealed the independent variables together had a significant impact on a misconception, F(14,116)=2.429, p<0.005. The regression model explains 22.7% of the variance in misunderstanding. Analysis of the influence of single factors on the dependent variable showed that people aged 31–40 years had significantly higher levels of misconception, 0.381 (t=2.116, p<0.037), than those aged over 60 years, and university graduates had considerably lower levels of misunderstanding, −0.061 (t=−2.091, p<0.03) than non-graduates. This study found a moderate level of misconception of COVID-19. Non-graduates had higher levels of misunderstanding than graduates. The results suggest that an education campaign should focus on people with low levels of education to correct their misconceptions regarding the prevention of COVID-19 infection.

Lessons Learned and Best Practices in the Implementation of Post Conflict Community Stabilization Measures in the Darfur Region, Sudan

Lessons Learned and Best Practices in the Implementation of Post Conflict Community Stabilization Measures in the Darfur Region, Sudan

Yellow Fever Outbreak in Darfur Region-Sudan 2012, a Response to Health Crisis

Yellow fever is highly infectious diseases and infect human through the bite of mosquitoes. So, yellow fever needs more efforts to control its transmission in both human and mosquitoes. Sudan is a limited resource and finds difficulties in controlling emerging diseases. This paper explains the situation during a yellow outbreak in the Darfur region, where long lasting conflict was occurring. This conflict is affected on the health system and it was become unable to detect infectious diseases at earlier stages. Also, we discussed the efforts that were made by world community towards controlling this disease.&#x0D; In November 2012, Yellow fever outbreak has been reported in the Darfur region in Sudan. The Yellow fever disease outbreak affected 35 localities in four out of five states that comprise the Darfur region December 2012. According to the ministry of Health, 849 people have been infected and 171 (4.96%) died due to this outbreak. The objective is to study the response of different partners in controlling yellow fever outbreak in the Darfur region in Sudan. This is descriptive study, reviews the information regarding yellow fever, and collected data from different sources. Response to this outbreak was made by contribution from different sectors including the federal ministry of health and the international community. Health authorities provided the technical and partial financial assistances to stop disease spread, while the international community, representing in United Nation agencies and NGOs was provided the essential funding to vaccinate population in the Darfur region. Long lasting conflict in countries with limited resources weakened the health system and makes the surveillance unable to detect disease outbreak. Diseases outbreak such as yellow fever need rapid response in order to diagnose and control the disease. Yellow fever outbreak needs contribution of all sectors to control it.

Epidemics of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Sudan between 2010 and 2020.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic arboviral disease that poses a great threat to global health in the Old World, and it is endemic in Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Sudan. In this retrospective study, we reviewed previous epidemiological reports about the major epidemics of CCHF throughout Sudan between 2010 and 2020. During these epidemics, the infection of humans with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), the causative agent of CCHF, was diagnosed using qRT-PCR. We have identified 88 cases of CCHF, including 13 fatalities reported during five epidemics that occurred in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2020. The two epidemics in 2010 and 2011 were by far the largest, with 51 and 27 cases reported, respectively. The majority of cases (78%) were reported in the endemic region of Kordofan. Here, we document that the first emergence of CCHFV in the Darfur region, West Sudan, occurred in 2010. We were not able to investigate outbreak dynamics through phylogenetic analysis due to the limited diagnostic capacity and the lack of sequencing services in the country. These findings call for establishing a genomic-based integrated One Health surveillance and response system for the early preparedness, prevention, and control of CCHF in the country.

The Impact of Conflicts on Natural Resources – The Case of Sudanese Darfur Region

The Impact of Conflicts on Natural Resources – The Case of Sudanese Darfur Region

Trachoma Prevalence in Four Localities of Darfur Region, Sudan, following One Round of Antibiotic Mass Drug Administration

ABSTRACT Introduction The prevalence of trachomatous inflammation—follicular (TF) in 1–9-year-olds and of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) in ≥15-year-olds in four endemic evaluation units (EUs) of Darfur region, Sudan, was measured more than a year after the required single round of antibiotic mass drug administration (MDA). Methods Surveys were conducted using highly standardised, World Health Organization-recommended methodologies. Individuals aged ≥1 year, resident in selected households, were chosen for the survey using a two-stage cluster sampling process. Consenting adults and children were examined for the signs TF and TT by graders trained to international standards. Prevalence of disease in key indicator groups was calculated and weighted to the underlying population structure. Results A mean of 1,415 (range: 1,253–1,611) children aged 1–9 years were examined in each EU. The age-adjusted prevalence of TF in 1–9-year-olds in each of the four surveyed EUs was <5%. A mean of 1,139 people aged ≥15 years (range: 1,080–1,201) were examined in each EU. The estimated age- and gender-adjusted prevalence of TT in ≥15-year-olds was <0.2% in all four EUs. In general, the proportion of households with access to improved WASH facilities was generally lower in this study than in corresponding baseline studies. Conclusions No further MDA should be conducted in these four EUs for the next 2 years, at which point they should be re-surveyed to determine whether the prevalence of TF in 1–9-year-olds has remained <5%. Active TT case-finding is also not indicated. Environmental improvement and promotion of facial cleanliness measures should continue to be implemented to prevent disease recrudescence.

Exploring Challenges to COVID-19 Vaccination in the Darfur Region of Sudan.

ABSTRACT.The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected the ability of health systems to provide essential services globally. The Darfur region, located in the western part of Sudan, has been largely devastated by the war that began in 2003 and has been drawing considerable attention from the international community. The war, which erupted as a result of environmental, political, and economic factors, has led to tragic outcomes. Collapsing health-care infrastructures, health workforce shortages, lack of storage facilities for medicines and medical products, and inadequate access to health services are some of the effects of the war. After Sudan received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facility, significant challenges have been implicated in the delivery, storage, and use of the vaccine in the Darfur region. Lack of vaccine storage and transportation facilities, vaccination hesitancy, inequity in the distribution to health facilities, and shortage of health-care professionals resulting from insecurity and instability have added an extra layer of burden on local authorities and their ability to manage COVID-19 vaccinations in the region adequately. Addressing the impact of COVID-19 requires an effectively managed vaccination program. In the face of current challenges in Darfur, ensuring a fully vaccinated population might remain far-fetched and improbable if meaningful efforts are not put in place by all stakeholders and actors to address some of the challenges identified.

Neyo: A katabatic dry wind

The objective of this study is to explain how the Neyo wind stream develops and how it can damage crops and endanger people’s lives in the Darfur Region of Sudan. Due to lack of official meteorological observations, the data was retrieved from NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) used by the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT). Three scenarios for katabatic flow were formulated. Forces acting on air parcels were calculated for different slope angles. HYSPLIT vertical soundings revealed a reservoir of dry air over the area. Air parcels moving down slope allow dry air to flow across the thermal inversion layer. Due to the moisture deficit between the down flowing air and the humid grass surface, the leaves get dehydrated.

Knowledge and Practice Regarding Coronavirus Disease Prevention (COVID-19) Among Internally Displaced Persons in Camps in Central Darfur Region, Sudan

Background: The lacking healthcare system services in conflict areas and the emergence of infection with a pandemic of coronavirus disease may exacerbate the humanitarian crisis among the camp residents in the central Dafur region of Sudan. Adequate knowledge and practices are vital to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the knowledge and practice regarding COVID-19 among internally displaced persons in Sudan.&#x0D; Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected through an online survey using a self-administered questionnaire. Convenience sampling method was used for the internally displaced persons in two camps of Zalingei town, central Darfur region, Sudan.&#x0D; Results: In total, 143 participants responded; 75 (52.4%) of them were female, while 68 (47.6%) were male; 49 (34.3%) were between the age of 50 and 60 years; 78 (54.5%) were formally uneducated; 126 (88.1%) did not have a chronic disease; and 56 (39.2%) knew about COVID-19 from their relatives and friends. The overall mean of participants’ knowledge toward COVID-19 was 3.68 (SD ± 0.60(, denoting good with a rate of 73.6% and that of the practice was 2.65 (SD ±1.08), denoting moderate with a rate of 53%. A positive correlation was seen between knowledge and practice (r = 0.700, p &lt; 0.000). Statistically significant differences were observed between the mean score of knowledge and practice with age, education, and information sources (p &lt; 0.0001). While graduates showed a higher knowledge (116.29, p = 0.000), secondary respondents showed a higher practice (115.04, p = 0.000) than others.&#x0D; Conclusion: This study suggests educational intervention and awareness programs for uneducated and older people.

International Criminal Court and Darfur Region Case.

International Criminal Court and Darfur Region Case.

China Factor in the Sudan Crisis: A Politico-Economic Perspective

China has recognized a more far-reaching factor in Sudan for the last two decades and so, during that it has developed into a blend of lasting ferocious inner volatility and prolonged outward misfortune that has described the political affairs of the central government since 1989. China factor among two inter-linked politico-economic trajectories of Sino-Sudan engagements is studied in this research article. The foremost concerns China’s relationships with Sudan’s national government in integrating China into its national political affairs and international relations over long established crisis in Darfur region of Sudan, to which China has reacted over a more affianced political character. The other provokes the practical precincts of China’s independence principle and limited dependence over dealings with the Sudan’s national government. Following the uncertain events since 2003 in Darfur, China has established a new relationship with Sudan, thus pursuing to place herself to circumnavigate Sudan’s crisis. This research article effort to review a specific context of China factor in Sudan crisis with more focus over the recent politico-economic engagement with Sudan.

Genocide in the human security discourse and rhetoric of Sudan's Darfur : an Asantean view

Genocide is horrible. It is an abomination of the human species, which is totally unacceptable. This is a common denominator among international lawyers, political scientists and other scholars and practitioners with an interest in the study of conflict and its implications on human existence. It is an obscenity, the evil of our time that all people must work to eradicate and this, in itself, is enough to explain why the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is obligatory to all states, including those who are no party to other related international legal instruments such as the Rome Statute of 2002. Thus, genocide is operationally referred to as the general practice of mass extra-judicial executions. To this end, this article seeks to achieve the following two central objectives: (1) interrogate the historical (and/or rhetorical) use of the term ‘genocide’ to refer to the security situation in Darfur region of Sudan during the year 2009 and (2) determine if genocide did take place in Darfur or it was simply a rhetoric. This is informed by the fact that this has been a matter of disagreement among policy makers, academics, political commentators and diplomats. Using the blend of Afrocentric perspective and interdisciplinary critical discourse analysis in its broadest form, we base our argument on the past developments about the Darfur conflict. The major finding of this article partly confirms the Euro-American claim of the occurrence of genocide in Darfur around the year 2009.

The Most Important Agricultural Products that Sudan Exports and the Mechanisms to Develop

This study is dealing with the most essential agricultural products that Sudan exports them abroad and looks for the mechanisms of developing and improving for those products. The purpose of this paper is to find out the agricultural products that Sudan should depend on them as alternative export goods (instead of petrol which has gone with South Sudan after the separation), also this research aims to discover the mechanisms that used in increasing and expanding the production of those products. This paper is depending on the literature review and uses descriptive approach in order to describe the most substantial agricultural products that Sudan exports as alternative goods. The paper selected this method, because it is suitable. Data and information of this work have been gathered from different sources such as books, journals, newspapers, websites, government reports and other documents that are relevant to the title. The findings of this study are: the results indicates that, more than 65% of the population of Sudan depend on the cultivation, also, it shows that oil seed such as sesame seed, Cotton and Gum Arabic are the most substantial farming products that supply Sudan with hard currency, after the secession of South Sudan which was very rich part of Sudan with petrol. In addition to that, the paper has come out with the mechanisms that will be used in improving and increasing those products, these tools are; implementation of genetic engineering system in the areas of agriculture in Sudan, application of cultivation without tillage system and choosing the suitable time of agriculture. Cultivation development is one of the sustainable development goals, which targeting the increasing of productivity in rural areas, countryside is suffering from the lack of fresh water and the negative effects of climate change. Agriculture in Sudan, particularly Darfur and Kordofan regions is seasonable system that depend on the rain in autumn specifically the growing of millets, sorghum, oil crops for instance sesame seeds and water-melon. In Sudan, 80 percent of nonpatrol exports are from the agriculture and its derivations, therefore it contributes in narrowing the gap of unemployment.