News

Bodies Pile Up Without Burials In Sudan’s Capital, Marooned By A Relentless Conflict

Published

9 months ago

2023-08-12

KHARTOUM, Sudan —In the capital of Sudan, Nobody could have predicted the funeral: Sadig Abbas’ dead body was hurriedly put into a small, unmarked grave in Khartoum.

According to Awad el-Zubeer, a neighbor of the deceased, even the few family members and neighbors who could attend were preoccupied, scanning the cemetery’s environs for signs of an approaching fire.

Thank goodness none did.

Funerals in Khartoum are impossible due to the nearly four months of bloody street fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Residents and local medical organizations claim that bodies are rotting in the city streets, marooned by a conflict showing no signs of abating.

“Given these circumstances, if you asked me exactly where his body was buried, I couldn’t tell you,” El-Zubeer stated.

Information about Sudan’s casualties is scarce. The violence has claimed more than 3,000 lives, according to the country’s health minister, Haitham Mohammed Ibrahim, but there hasn’t been any new information since. According to campaigners and local doctors, the number is probably much higher.

The number of unburied bodies has also not been estimated by a medical organization, despite mass graves and widespread ethnic massacres being discovered in the southern Darfur region of the country.

According to the country’s doctors association, most people from the capital have been killed in the crossfire as the formerly tranquil metropolis has become urban warfare. Some reportedly starved to death while being imprisoned by the gun battles that raged outside, while others perished because they could not receive basic medical care.

Their burials would have been elaborate affairs lasting days in times of peace. In Sudan, memorial services for the departed frequently draw large crowds. By Islamic practice in Sudan, bodies are typically cleansed and blessed before being buried in family-dug graves at cemeteries.

Nobody could have predicted the funeral in the Sudan capital: Sadig Abbas’ dead body was hurriedly put into a small, unmarked grave in Khartoum.

According to seven former and current inhabitants of the capital region, the conflict between the country’s two highest generals, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has shattered this tradition. Three people spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

Several people claimed that getting to the roughly twenty cemeteries in the capital was impossible when they tried to bury family members, friends, or people they were detained with.

When the crisis started on April 15, almost 100 university students were trapped inside Khartoum University. A fellow student reported that Khaled, a student, was struck in the chest by a stray bullet and passed away soon after.

He spoke anonymously out of concern for his safety since he didn’t want to be singled out. “We dragged his dead body to the lower levels (of a building) to stop it rotting,” he added.

After getting permission from Khaled’s family, he and others covered Khaled’s body in an improvised Islamic burial shroud and buried him on the university grounds beneath a tree.

A resident of Omdurman’s Beit al-Mal neighborhood, near the Nile River from Khartoum, Gasin Amin Oshi, claimed that RSF soldiers barred a neighboring family from interring a loved one in a local cemetery. Instead, they interred the woman on a school’s grounds after she passed away naturally.

Nobody could have predicted the funeral in the Sudan capital: Sadig Abbas’ dead body was hurriedly put into a small, unmarked grave in Khartoum.

Most locals claimed RSF troops, who govern substantial portions of the city, frequently create disruption. The army bombarded RSF camps in the capital during the early stages of the battle, forcing the RSF soldiers to flee and take over abandoned residences as bases. The army then used artillery and aircraft to attack civilian neighborhoods. U.N. statistics show that more than 2.15 million people have subsequently left Khartoum State.

El-Zubeer claimed that after RSF soldiers raided Abbas’ home and discovered that one of his brothers was an army officer and the other an intelligence officer, Abbas was shot and died. He claimed that once Abbas’ body was taken to a hospital, the RSF first forbade the burial without justifying but finally gave in to the family’s appeals.

However, according to el-Zubeer, most people either didn’t know about the funeral on June 30 or were too terrified to go. Since the start of the conflict, the nation has seen frequent power outages and internet shortages.

Mobile phones are just as beneficial for communication as a pack of cigarettes, according to el-Zubeer.

The RSF’s principal spokesperson, Youssef Izzat, told the AP that the leadership had not instructed to stop civilian burials. He said that the only reason any were stopped was because there was fierce combat nearby.

Nobody could have predicted the funeral in the Sudan capital: Sadig Abbas’ dead body was hurriedly put into a small, unmarked grave in Khartoum.

Contrarily, locals viewed the paramilitary as lawless and frequently driven by boredom and enjoyment. But occasionally, they claimed, there were good deeds.

One South Khartoum resident claimed that despite robbing individuals in his uncle’s neighborhood, a group of RSF militants unexpectedly offered to transport and bury the uncle after he passed away in July from natural causes.

Sudan’s Red Crescent has gathered and buried bodies throughout the capital since June. The group said it has discovered and buried at least 102 remains, most of whom are unidentified warriors from both sides, taking advantage of brief lulls in the battle.

A Red Crescent employee reported that after the bodies were gathered, they were photographed and given an identity number.

According to the international charity Save the Children, thousands of bodies may still be unburied in the city because many battle-torn areas are unreachable. A community organization from the Bahri neighborhood of the capital’s north requested last month that medical organizations pick up the bodies of roughly 500 RSF militants lying in wait on the streets. In recent weeks, an AP journalist in south Khartoum counted at least 26 bodies lying on the streets, mostly civilians and RSF fighters.

Nobody could have predicted the funeral in the Sudan capital: Sadig Abbas’ dead body was hurriedly put into a small, unmarked grave in Khartoum.

One victim had been lying in the open for so long in Khartoum’s al-Sahafa neighborhood, according to el-Zubeer, that the bones could be seen.

Unidentified bodies are typically transported to mortuaries. According to Dr. Atia Abdalla Atia, president of the Sudan Doctors Union, only five of the city’s roughly twenty hospitals are still in operation, and at least four have been abandoned due to fighting in the capital region.

International organizations and rights organizations worry that the rainy season in Sudan will result in more fatalities and infrastructural damage. Numerous people were killed by flooding last year.

Water supplies can become contaminated by decaying bodies.

According to el-Sadig el-Nour, the director of the Islamic Relief Worldwide for Sudan, many “people now drink from wells or the River Nile” out of desperation.

SOURCE – (AP)

News

Cinco de Mayo Parade in Chicago Cancelled Over Gang Violence

Published

4 hours ago

2024-05-05

Geoff Thomas

Cinco de Mayo Parade in Chicago Cancelled

Chicago Cancelled Cinco de Mayo on May 5: Getty Images

The Cinco de Mayo parade that was scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Chicago has been canceled for safety reasons. The long-running event was scheduled to start near Damen and Cermak at noon in the Little Village neighborhood.

According to FOX 32 the Chicago Police Department, the decision to cancel the event was made by the 10th District, local officials and parade organizers due to gang violence in the area. Police said multiple arrests were made, including gun arrests.

Many Americans commemorate Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican festival honoring their 1862 victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. Today is September 16, not Mexico’s Independence Day, as many Americans believe.

Why the U.S. celebrates Cinco de Mayo and its beginnings

In the US, Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican-American culture rather than history. Major celebrations take place in Mexican-populated cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. Fun includes parades, celebrations, mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing, and traditional dishes and drinks.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates-what? Starting with 1862 battle. Mexican Independence Day (Día de la Independencia) commemorates the country’s independence from Spain on September 16, 1810..

After 50 years, Napoleon III intended to claim Mexico on Cinco de Mayo.

French troops evicted Mexico’s President Benito Juárez and government from Veracruz.At dawn on May 5, 1862, 2,000 Mexican soldiers met 6,000 French troops in Puebla, east-central Mexico.Juárez declared May 5 a national holiday after Mexico declared victory by evening.y.

The battle affected the American Civil War. After the French left North America, the Confederacy couldn’t use them as allies to win.

Despite Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Mexico, especially in Puebla, they pale in comparison to Día de la Independencia, according to García.d.

De Mayo is now a Mexican American holiday

Cinco de Mayo began as a late-19th-century resistance to the Mexican-American War. The Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s popularized the festival.

“It becomes a Chicano holiday, in many ways, linked to the Chicano movement, because we discover Mexicans resisting a foreign invader,” he said.They link Chicano struggle to Cinco de Mayo.”

businesses began commercializing Cinco de Mayo in the 1980s, especially beer businesses and restaurants offering deals and cocktails. García calls it “Corona Day” in jest.”

On Cinco de Mayo, García hopes everyone enjoys Coronas, but with a history lesson to complement..

U.S. events

San Diego: Old Town San Diego will host events May 4 and 5. Live music, folklorico, eating, and drink specials.

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Denver hosts a community parade and a taco eating contest on May 4. Denver Civic Center Park will host 10 a.m.–8 p.m. events May 4-5.

St. Paul, Minnesota: One of Minnesota’s major Latino festivals, St. Paul’s West Side de Mayo fiesta. This year’s parade, car, bike, and dog shows will begin at 10 a.m. on May 4.

San Antonio, Texas: From May 4-5, the Historic Market Square will host de Mayo celebrations with live music, Folklorico dancers, Mariachi, food vendors, and more.

Day Of Bloodshed in Southwest Mexico Kills At Least 19 People

Day Of Bloodshed In Southwest Mexico Kills At Least 19 People, Including Police And Officials

Politics

As Putin Begins Another 6-Year Term, He Is Entering A New Era Of Extraordinary Power In Russia

Published

9 hours ago

2024-05-05

Kiara Grace

AP News - VOR News Image

Just a few months shy of a quarter-century as Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, will sign a copy of the constitution on Tuesday, ushering in another six-year term as president with unparalleled powers.

Since becoming acting president on December 31, 1999, Putin has shaped Russia into a monolith, crushing political opposition, expelling independent journalists, and promoting an increasing adherence to prudish “traditional values” that push many in society to the margins.

His authority is so strong that other leaders could only stand on the sidelines while Putin began a war in Ukraine, despite predictions that the invasion would bring worldwide condemnation and harsh economic penalties, as well as cost Russia dearly in the blood of its men.

With that amount of control, it is difficult to predict what Putin will accomplish during his next term, both at home and abroad.

AP – VOR News Image

As Putin Begins Another 6-Year Term, He Is Entering A New Era Of Extraordinary Power In Russia

The war in Ukraine, in which Russia is making gradual but continuous battlefield advances, is the primary issue, and he shows no signs of reversing direction.

“The war in Ukraine is crucial to his current political ambition, and I see no reason to believe that will change. “And that affects everything else,” Brian Taylor, a Syracuse University professor and author of “The Code of Putinism,” told The Associated Press.

“It affects who’s in what positions, it affects what resources are available and it affects the economy, affects the level of repression internally,” he said.

In his February State of the Union address, Putin vowed to carry out Moscow’s objectives in Ukraine and do everything necessary to “defend our sovereignty and the security of our citizens.” He stated that the Russian military has “gained a huge combat experience” and is “firmly holding the initiative and waging offensives in several sectors.”

That will come at a high cost, potentially depleting funds for the massive domestic projects and changes in education, welfare, and poverty alleviation that Putin detailed in his two-hour presentation.

Taylor believed such initiatives were included in the address primarily for show rather than to indicate a genuine commitment to implement them.

Putin “thinks of himself in the broad historical terms of Russian territory, putting Ukraine back to where it belongs, and things like that. And I believe them outweigh any more socioeconomic-type programs,” Taylor added.

Suppose the battle does not result in absolute loss for either side, with Russia maintaining some of the territory it has already conquered. In that case, European governments fear Putin will be tempted to engage in additional military adventurism in the Baltics or Poland.

AP – VOR News Image

As Putin Begins Another 6-Year Term, He Is Entering A New Era Of Extraordinary Power In Russia

“It’s possible that Putin does have vast ambitions and will try to follow up on a costly success in Ukraine with a new attack somewhere else,” Harvard international relations expert Stephen Walt wrote in Foreign Policy. “But it is also entirely possible that his ambitions do not extend beyond what Russia has won — at enormous cost and that he has no need or desire to gamble for more.”

However, he said, “Russia will be in no shape to launch new wars of aggression when the war in Ukraine is finally over.”

Others argue that such a sensible worry may not prevail. According to Maksim Samorukov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, “Moscow is likely to make self-defeating mistakes driven by Putin’s whims and delusions.”

In a Foreign Affairs column, Samorukov stated that Putin’s age may influence his judgment.

“At 71, his awareness of his death undoubtedly influences his decision-making. A rising awareness of his short time influenced his catastrophic choice to attack Ukraine.

Overall, Putin may be entering his new term with less influence than he appears to have.

Russia’s “vulnerabilities are concealed in plain sight. “Now more than ever, the Kremlin makes decisions in a personalized and arbitrary manner, with no basic controls,” Samorukov stated.

“The Russian political elite have grown more pliant in implementing Putin’s orders and more obsequious about his paranoid worldview,” he stated in the letter. The country’s leadership “is at permanent risk of crumbling overnight, as its Soviet predecessor did three decades ago.”

Putin is certain to maintain his hostility against the West, which, he stated in his State of the Nation speech, “would like to do to Russia the same thing they did in many other regions of the world, including Ukraine: to bring discord into our home, to weaken it from within.”

Putin’s hostility against the West stems not only from its backing for Ukraine but also from what he perceives as the erosion of Russia’s moral compass.

Russia banned the fictitious LGBTQ+ “movement” last year, labeling it extreme in what officials claimed was a fight for traditional values such as those promoted by the Russian Orthodox Church against Western influence. Courts also prohibited gender transformation.

“I would expect the role of the Russian Orthodox Church to continue to be quite visible,” Taylor said. He also mentioned the social media anger that erupted during a party held by TV presenter Anastasia Ivleeva, in which guests were urged to arrive “almost naked.”

AP – VOR News Image

As Putin Begins Another 6-Year Term, He Is Entering A New Era Of Extraordinary Power In Russia

“Other actors in the system understand that that stuff resonates with Putin. … There were people interested in exploiting things like that,” he went on to say.

Although the opposition and independent media have nearly evaporated as a result of Putin’s repressive actions, there is still room for future movements to dominate Russia’s information space, such as continuing efforts to construct a “sovereign internet.”

The inauguration takes place two days before Victory Day, Russia’s most important secular festival honoring the Soviet Red Army’s seizure of Berlin in World War II and the war’s terrible difficulties, which cost the USSR around 20 million people.

The defeat of Nazi Germany is important to modern Russia’s character, as is Putin’s justification of the war in Ukraine as an analogous conflict.

SOURCE – (AP)

News

China Launches Long March-5 to the “Dark Side of Moon”

Published

1 day ago

2024-05-04

Geoff Thomas

China Launches Long March-5 Spacecraft: Getty Images

China has launched an unmanned spacecraft on a nearly two-month journey to gather rocks and soil from the moon’s far side, becoming the first country to undertake such an ambitious task.

China’s heaviest rocket, the Long March-5, lifted off at 5:27 p.m. Beijing time (0927 GMT) from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the southern island of Hainan, carrying the Chang’e-6 probe weighing more than 8 metric tons.

China’s Chang’e-6 is entrusted with landing in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the moon’s far side, which is continuously facing away from Earth, and retrieving and returning samples.

The launch is another significant milestone in China’s lunar and space exploration mission.

“It is a bit of a mystery to us how China has been able to develop such an ambitious and successful programme in such a short time,” said Pierre-Yves Meslin, a French researcher working on one of the Chang’e-6 mission’s scientific objectives.

In 2018, Chang’e-4 made China’s first unmanned moon landing on the far side. Chang’e-5 returned lunar samples for the first time in 44 years in 2020, and Chang’e-6 has the potential to make China the first country to retrieve samples from the moon’s “hidden” side.

Scientists, diplomats, and space agency officials from France, Italy, Pakistan, and the European Space Agency all attended the launch, which carried moon-study payloads on Chang’e-6.

However, no US groups requested for a payload place, according to Ge Ping, deputy director of the China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) Lunar Exploration and Space Program.

U.S. law prohibits China from collaborating with the United States’ space agency, NASA.

The Dark Side of the Moon

The far side of the moon, also known as the “dark side of the moon” despite receiving sunlight, is the hemisphere that always faces away from Earth. The Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft made the first observation of this strange region in 1959.

Unlike the near side, the far side lacks enormous, dark basins known as marias. Instead, hundreds of craters produced by asteroid collisions over billions of years blanket it.

The South Pole-Aitken Basin, an immense crater more than 1,500 miles wide and several miles deep, is one of the most visible landforms on the far side. This ancient impact basin is among the largest known crater formations in our solar system. The far side likewise has many mountains, ridges, and other harsh topography formed by cosmic collisions.

Studying the far side provides insights into the moon’s genesis and early history because it maintains impact records from the solar system’s turbulent childhood.

Scientists also intend to investigate it for potential resources and future lunar bases. With no atmosphere or magnetic field, the far side displays the wounds of endless meteor bombardments, exposing information about Earth’s only natural satellite that the near side lacks.

Source: Reuters