Sudan: Mounting tensions in Darfur August 13

Event

Tensions recently increased in Darfur as militia groups refused to cooperate with the Sudanese government's plan to collect illegal weapons and reorganize militia groups on Sunday, August 13. The Border Guards Force (BGF) which includes 3000 militiamen drawn from several nomadic Arab tribes in Darfur's five states, refused to follow orders to merge with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and stated that they would only hand over illegal weapons to a committee agreed upon by all militia groups and community leaders.

Clashes are possible in the coming weeks as negotiations over militia reorganization begin.

Context

The Darfur region, located in the west of the country, is affected by extremely poor security conditions. Fighting between rebel groups and government forces has been ongoing since 2003. Despite various peace agreements, the number of rebel groups in the region continues to grow, fueling violence and creating one of the most alarming humanitarian crises in the world. Ethnic clashes are also increasingly frequent.

Advice

Many Western governments advise against nonessential travel to Sudan and against all travel to certain regions, including the five Darfur states, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, certain areas of North Kordofan, the Djebel Ouanat region, Dinder National Park, and Sennar state. Due to a high risk of terrorist activity, always be on guard when visiting sites that are potential terrorist targets (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, markets, hotels and restaurants frequented by foreigners/Westerners, festivals, etc.).