Sudan’s RSF paramilitaries overrun army’s last stronghold in Darfur region • FRANCE 24 English

Sudan’s RSF paramilitaries overrun army’s last stronghold in Darfur region • FRANCE 24 English

Thanks very much for staying with us. Time now for Eye on Africa with me, Georgia Calvin Smith. Tonight, Sudan’s armies forced out of its stronghold in Darur by the RSF paramilitary. There’s fierce worry for the fate of the quarter of a million civilians who’ll be affected by the fall of Alasia. It’s one of the world’s most brutal wars. Also, several are killed in crackdowns on protests in Cameroon in the run-up to Monday’s confirmation that the world’s oldest president has been reelected for an eighth term. Paul Be’s opponents call the October 12th vote a masquerade. And it looks like Ivory Coast’s president also held on to his job. Provisional results from the weekend’s election suggest that as expected, President Alisan Watara has won a fourth term. But first, Sudan’s army chief says that soldiers have pulled out of the capital of North Darur. There is deep concern that a quarter of a million civilians trapped in Alasia for over a year will suffer an even greater escalation of violence in the fall of the city to the RSF. Now, the paramilitary fighters have been locked in a brutal war with the army since 2023. Now fascia was the last stronghold in the region not yet under its control. The RSF forces seized a key military base from the army on Sunday and military chief Abdel Fata Alberhan as has already acknowledged reports of civilian abuses in the city itself. We have agreed to withdraw the army from Alaser to a safer location to spare the citizens and the rest of the city from destruction. We are determined to take revenge for all of our martyrs for what happened to our people in Alaser. The crimes that are being committed there and that were committed before that in all parts of Sudan in full view of the world. Well, Sudan’s conflict has already created the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, and both the army and the RSF have over the course of the years since 2023 been accused of brutal treatment of the Sudin civilians caught in the middle of the fighting. However, Alash’s fall could still be a crucial milestone in the conflict. Naba Mohedin brings us more from Sudan. Since RSF controlled Alfasir city or part of Alfasir city starting with the military brigade on Sunday morning, uh many videos were posted by the militia and the militants of the RSF showing no mercy in killing civilians uh hundreds or we can say thousands of civilians including women, elderly people and even children uh in uh uh the capital of North Dur in Alasir. The people were fleeing the violence. Innocent people and unarmed civilians were killed in the roads and there were killed in their way to flee the violence in Alfasir. This was expected uh Georgia since the RSF has been besieing the city of Al Pashir for 17 months and using starvation as a weapon and we’re bombarding uh mosque neighborhoods uh markets and public places including hospitals. So it was expected that genocides and war crimes will be committed the time or the minute that the RSF will control Alfasia city. But what it is not expected is the silence of the international community or we can say the slow response. uh we saw many condemnation by people and by movements uh saying that the international community has not pushed enough on the RSF to end the siege of Alfasir city and now amid the atrocities and lack of information and also the absence of communications there is uh fears of u uh ethnic-driven killings and the war there can morph into a civil war. Uh it’s really sad to see another war in Darur that started in 2003 and not stopped at the Abils war. Now uh the capital of North Dur Alasir is a new stage of the Sudin war. Of course it has a moral importance for the RSF and it has strategic importance for the RSF and their supporters. as alasir is close to the Libyan border where mercenaries and weapons are sent to the RSF militia from their supporters there and also mercenaries are using the Libyan borders and the fragile situation in Libya and Sudan to fuel the war in Sudan are also close to northern state um so it will be important for uh RSF and it’s important in the context of the war but it’s really uh very early to predict whether alas Asher will still be under the control of RSF or the Sudanese military will regain control uh of the city. But what is important right now is any way to protect the civilians, innocent civilians especially that alas the homeland for hundreds of thousands of people IDBs who were there since 2003 and also uh the number has increased uh due to the Ables war. The situation is beyond catastrophic and needs an urgent intervention by any enemy by international community to help those in need. Ma Moahedin there reminding us of the dangers being faced by civilians in El Fascia uh since the city has fallen to the RSF paramilitary. Well, at least four people have been killed in post-electoral unrest in Cameroon following October 12th voting that delivered an eighth term for the world’s oldest president. On Monday, the constitutional court announced that 92year-old Paul Beer would stay put after winning 53.7% of the vote. Runner up Issa Chioma though says that he won and that the vote was rigged. His supporters have been protesting since last week. Indira Aayuk gets us up to speed. Hours after he was declared winner of highly disputed presidential elections, Paula has thanked those who he said once again placed their trust in him. In a release on social media, he expressed regrets over the unrest which have already claimed about six lives since Sunday. Protests erupted in several towns across the country when opposition supporters demanded credible results. In Yawundi, Duala, Bafusam, and Gowa, followers of opposition candidate Isachma Bakari took to the streets after partial results suggested he was on course to win the October 12 vote. Now while the protesters chanted the name of their candidates carrying plackets and banners, they were intercepted by security forces who use tears to disperse the crowds. Things escalated and live bullets were fired at the protesters in the city of Duala in particular. Streets were largely deserted in the capital Yaundi prior to the proclamation of the results and most businesses remained closed. Anti- riot police deployed across the city are still present, ready to disperse any more disgruntled crowds. Indira there. Meanwhile, it looks like Ivory Coast’s incumbent has also held on to his his top job. Provisional results from the weekend’s vote suggest that as expected, President Alisan Watara has won a fourth term by a landslide. Not really a surprise as his strongest opponents had been deemed to be ineligible in the race. Justice BU tells us more. Mr. Alasani Watara secured a total of 3.759 million30 votes representing approximately 89.77% of the total valid vote cast. leaving the four other contenders who stood in this election with under 15% of the vote cast. Voter turnout was around 15 50% across the country. It was really high to the north of the country where Mr. Watara Hills from he secured there was around 99% voter turnout in Kong for example which is his hometown. The contrast was the case to the south and to the west of the country where opposition parties draw their support base. In places like Abjan for example, there were polling stations that recorded around 90 19% voter turn out. It’s been relatively quiet in places like Abjan. Not much of celebrations. Life is slowly returning to normal as many shops were closed over the weekend for the election. The constitutional council would have over the next 5 days opening itself up to uh any um opposition that anybody may have in petitions against the numbers as announced by the electoral commission. It would then spend another 7 days to validate the numbers and go on to confirm President Alasani Watara as the new presidentelect for Ivory Coast. Well, the household health sector in South Africa is in a mess. Domestic work is a lifeline to many, but an estimated 400,000 jobs have disappeared in the field over the last 5 years amidst an economic slowdown. Those who are laid off are often unaware of their rights and where they can find help for themselves. Tom Ketti met up with one woman in Cape Town trying to come to terms with having having been dropped by her employers. Nikiway is a single mother of three children. The only bread winner in her small Kylie home, she relied on her job as a domestic worker. So when she was let go in April, she lost everything. Now I just go to the loan shark to the loans. I don’t know. I just go to the loans. But now as a result, there’s no one now who’s willing to give me the money because I don’t know if where I’m going to pay it. I’m struggling a lot. A lot like sometimes I feel like crying. Sometimes I feel like I don’t know what must I do even about my life, but I’m thinking about my kids. Domestic workers are often paid in cash without job security. The Domestic Workers Union in Cape Town educates workers of their rights and has offered Nikiway help at a time when the entire industry is suffering. How are you? I’m good, thank you. And you? Thank you. Okay. The union learns that Nikiway’s employer didn’t register her as a worker. I’m struggling. It’s it’s bad even in in at home. Sometimes we can sleep without food, just drinking water. If you are retrenched by the employer, you need to have a a retrenchment package where you get your seance pay, your notice and your holiday money. A recent poll by an online platform found that 400,000 domestic workers lost their job during the last 5 years caused by South Africa’s stagnant economy and the increase of remote working postco. Domestic work is a very elastic product. So when households are under pressure that’s one of the first um areas that they cut. So it’s a it’s it’s a it’s a form of the economic conditions and consumer pressure. And then coupled with that uh postco a lot of families have the option to work from home there’s hybrid work policies. So instead of getting a domestic worker in to do the laundry while you’re at work now people are putting like a bundle of laundry in while they work. The survey found that 82% of domestic workers are the main breadwinners of their homes and 40% of them are paid under the minimum wage. That report by Tom Ketti. Well, that’s it for Iron Africa for now. Thanks very much for joining us though. Do so again if you can. Till then, take care. [Music]

In tonight’s edition: The paramilitary force RSF has ousted the Sudanese army from El-Fasher, its last stronghold in Darfur, after months of fighting. Also: Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving ruler, secures an eighth term in office, after days of protesters’ clashes with security forces as opposition supporters demanded credible results. Plus Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara has won a fourth term in power.
#El-Fasher #Sudan #Cameroon

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