Thousands of children saw horror unfolding in their homes in Myanmar and they fled to safety in Bangladesh after walking through jungles and hills for days. However, around 40,000 of the little souls lost contact with either or both of their parents, according to a survey by the social welfare ministry. Of the children, 8,882 have lost track of both of their parents. They are now staying with their relatives, said Md Ali Noor, additional secretary of the ministry, quoting findings of the two-month survey carried out on the Rohingya slums in Cox's Bazar from September 23 last year. All these Rohingya children do not know what exactly happened to their parents. Many of them fear their parents are dead. As many as 655,000 Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh since violence erupted in Rakhine State in August last year. According to estimates, the refugees include around three lakh children. Save the Children says another 48,000 are likely to be born in the squalid camps in Teknaf and Ukhia this year. Children living in those camps are vulnerable to various diseases as a large number of them suffer from malnutrition. Aid workers have expressed concerns over their safety as well as a lack of educational facilities available for them. In such a situation, the social welfare ministry in collaboration with the Unicef has taken up a project to provide the children with educational and psychosocial support. The Tk 17.22 crore project aims at giving financial support to around 9,000 "orphan" children. As many as 100 child-friendly spaces, 90 adolescent clubs and 90 child protection committees will also be formed to supervise around 34,000 children. “We are now further cross-checking the survey results," Ali said, adding that the verification process would start on January 27. “The child-friendly spaces and the clubs will remain open every day from 9:00am to 5:00pm and the children will get all sorts of support from there," Jamila Akhter, child protection specialist of Unicef, told The Daily Star. Two volunteers would be recruited from the Rohingya community for each of the child-friendly spaces. A total of 50 social workers would be recruited to monitor the clubs and the committees, he said. Under the project, each of the 9,000 orphans would be given Tk 2,000 in cash every month . “We will identify the children who need the cash most and would give them the amount for the next six months," she said. Apart from the financial aid, the 90 child protection committees would provide recreational support to Rohingya children aged 14 and above. "The centres will educate the children about various issues, including reproductive health. Those will also raise awareness among the children about child trafficking,” said additional secretary Ali Noor. “The project was taken up to protect all children from violence. We know that the children are already traumatised,” said Jamila adding that “The project might be extended if the repatriation of the Rohingyas takes time.” Smartcards would also be given to the Rohingya "orphans," she added. The Ministry of Social Welfare had asked the deputy commissioner in Cox's Bazar to allocate 200 acres of land in Balukhali for building shelters for those children. The initiative, however, did not progress. Contacted, Cox's Bazar DC Md Ali Hossain said, “The ministry has already identified the orphan children. They are all living with their close relatives. "There was a proposal to keep them separated and relocate them to a designated place. But as far as my knowledge goes, there was no progress in the work." Bangladesh had seen influx of Rohingyas from Myanmar also in 1978, 1991 and 2016. Now, more than one million Rohingyas are staying in the country. Myanmar's treatment of its Muslim Rohingya minority appears to be a “textbook example” of ethnic cleansing, says the United Nations human rights body UNHRC. http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/orphan40000-1519507 (c) 2018 The Daily Star

Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called the military’s investigation into the deaths of Rohingya Muslims found in a mass grave a “positive indication,” state media reported Saturday. “It is a positive indication that we are taking the steps to be responsible,” Suu Kyi said according to the report in the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. “However, some may worry. But I believe that our investigation will prevent such things from happening again.” Suu Kyi made the comments Friday during a joint news conference with Japan’s foreign minister. Suu Kyi is Myanmar’s foreign minister as well as the government’s de facto leader. The military launched “clearance operations” against ethnic Rohingya in August, prompting more than 650,000 to flee into neighboring Bangladesh in what the United Nations has called “ethnic cleansing.” The U.N. and other groups accuse the military of widespread atrocities against Rohingya, including killings, rapes and the burning of homes. But the military has insisted that there has been no wrongdoing by any security forces. On Wednesday the military acknowledged that security forces and villagers were responsible for the deaths of 10 people found in a mass grave in December. It said the 10 were “Bengali terrorists” who threatened villagers, but that the military would “take action” against those who “broke the rules of engagement.” The government of Buddhist-majority Myanmar does not acknowledge Royingya as a minority group even though they have lived in the country for generations. It calls them “Bengalis” and accused them of migrating illegally from Bangladesh. Neither the military nor Suu Kyi has said what action will be taken against those responsible for the deaths linked to the mass grave in Rakhine state. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/suu-kyi-says-rohingya-mass-grave-investigation-positive/2018/01/13/4bb5a690-f86d-11e7-9af7-a50bc3300042_story.html?utm_term=.d3a47d41b399 (c) 2018 The Washington Post

Since the start of the year, Nigerians have been served bloody reminders that Boko Haram is no longer the country’s biggest internal security threat. States in Nigeria’s middle belt have been rocked by attacks from suspected Fulani herdsmen in a new wave of violence which primarily stems from disputes over grazing areas for cattle. Attacks in villages in Benue state since the start of January have left 73 people dead. With communities razed and buildings destroyed, the state emergency agency says 40,000 people have been displaced by the attacks. In a somber event, the 73 victims of the killings were laid to rest in a mass burial sponsored by the state government yesterday (Jan. 11). Human rights group Amnesty International says the violence is “reaching a boiling point of total anarchy.” In truth, the threat of violent herdsmen is not new: in 2016, pastoral conflicts accounted for more deaths in Nigeria than Boko Haram. The escalation of pastoral conflicts in recent years have been triggered by the effects of climate change in Nigeria’s north with lower rainfall and increased desertification of grazing land forcing herdsmen to look farther south to farmlands in a region often described as Nigeria’s food basket. Farmers who are keen to protect their means of livelihood and their crops from being damaged by thousands of cattle have often clashed with herdsmen. But the recent violence has been markedly brazen and seemingly unprovoked with villages and communities attacked and razed at night leading some to describe the attacks as a genocide. Similar attacks have been seen in Taraba and Adamawa states this month. Collins Uma, a Benue-based journalist shares similar sentiments. “No farmers clashed with herdsmen—they were attacked at night in their homes,” he tells Quartz. Cheta Nwanze, head of research at SBM Intelligence, an Africa-focused geopolitical analysis firm, agrees that recent attacks have been “certainly targeted” but “won’t go so far as to call it genocide just yet.” The slow response of the Nigerian government has been criticized by civil society groups. As a consequence, in a new report, SBM Intelligence says “many communities believing that they are left with little choice than to resort to self-help.” In response to public backlash over recent killings, the presidency has ordered the country’s police chief to go to Benue and investigate the crisis but even that’s not seen as being enough. A stronger move, Uma says, would be to deploy the might of the military as the government has done in response to other regional crises. “All we have heard have been platitudes and press releases being regurgitated but there has been no action,” he tells Quartz. “The general feeling is that the government is not ready to stop this.” (c) 2018 Quartz

A senior general revealed that Vietnam has developed a 10,000-strong force of “core-fighters” ready to combat “wrongful views” in cyber-space “every second, minute and hour.” “This is a new attack on the freedom to inform in a country that continues to apply its tight media censorship model online,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “At a time when 25 Vietnamese bloggers are in prison, this announcement has explicitly confirmed that Vietnam is bent on tracking down and silencing citizen-journalists without compunction.” Vietnam is one of the world’s top users of Facebook. Unlike China, the Vietnamese government does not block access to Facebook. Instead it uses online propaganda to control and censor social media. Using troll army disinformation to censor journalists At least 30 countries have set up similar troll armies of government-paid commentators to combat online dissident, according to the Freedom of the Net 2017 report by the NGO Freedom House. One of the methods used is “astroturfing” in which orchestrated comments create the illusion of spontaneous grass-roots support for the government and its authoritarian policies. “The increase in the number of troll armies that identify, target and attack journalists is very disturbing,” said Elodie Vialle, the head of RSF’s Journalism and Technology Desk. “Disinformation by authoritarian governments using methods such as online harassment and the massive circulation of false informations is a new form of censorship that aims to discredit journalists and create confusion, and directly threatens the freedom to inform.” Behind the screen, activists and poorly-paid hired hands are being exploited by press freedom predators who want to turn the Internet into a digital public space that serves their totalitarian ambitions. In the Philippines, for example, people are paid just ten dollars a day to spend their time on social networks posting content in support of the president. These new online mercenaries include Russia’s troll factories, China’s Internet red brigades, Narendra Modi’s yoddhas in India, Erdogan’s AK trolls in Turkey and the revolutionary cyber-guards for a Halal Internetin Iran. In Thailand, more than 100,000 students have been trained as “cyber scouts” to monitor and report online behavior liable to threaten national security, while government supporters have been waging a campaign to identify and report Facebook users expressing the least criticism of the monarchy. Vietnam is ranked near the very bottom of RSF’s 2017 World Press Freedom Index – 175th out of 180 countries. https://rsf.org/en/news/vietnams-cyber-troop-announcement-fuels-concern-about-troll-armies (c) 2018 Reporters Without Borders

A Rohingya woman and three children perished when a fire gutted their tent shelter in a UN camp in Bangladesh, authorities said Friday. Police and a Red Crescent official said a candle sparked the fire late Thursday at a UN-run transit camp for refugees in Ghumdum border village. "Seven people were severely burnt. They were shifted to a Red Crescent field hospital where two people died last night and another two died this morning (Friday)," Ikram Elahi Chowdhury, a regional head of the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, told AFP. The victims had only arrived from Myanmar in the past week and were waiting at the transit centre to be shifted to a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar district. Joseph Tripura, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said an investigation had been started. "We are working closely with the Bangladeshi authorities to ascertain how the fire started and how tragedies like this can be prevented in the future," he said in a statement. More than 650,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25 after Myanmar's security forces launched what the UN and US officials have called ethnic cleansing in the country's Rakhine state. Many refugees start at transit centres set up along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border before they are brought to the main refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Aid workers have warned that flimsy tents and bamboo and tarpaulin shelters set up to house the refugees are potential fire traps. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5263151/Four-Rohingya-killed-Bangladesh-camp-fire.html (c) 2018 Daily Mail

A High Criminal Court of Istanbul has defied a Constitutional Court’s ruling that the rights of journalists Mehmet Altan and Sahin Alpay to liberty and freedom of expression have been violated and the two journalists should be released from custody. The lower court said the judgment was a “usurpation of authority” and therefore could not be accepted. Initially, the lower courts impacted by the ruling said the detentions would be reviewed after the top court’s reasoned decisions were formally communicated. In turn, the Turkish Constitutional Court then released its judgments and posted notes on social media saying that they are available and accessible online. Nevertheless, the journalists remain in detention. The reaction from the deputy prime minister and government spokesperson, Bekir Bozdağ on 12 January, was disturbingly similar to the reasoning of the lower court issued later in the day. He objected to the decision, claiming that the Constitutional Court had “exceeded” its authority. Bozdağ, who served as justice minister for several years until the latest cabinet reshuffle last July tweeted, “The Constitutional Court has acted as a first instance court by making an assessment of the case and the evidence. (…) The Constitutional Court cannot act as a Supreme Court of Appeals”. PEN International, ARTICLE 19, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, European Federation of Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Index on Censorship, International Press Institute and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), who have campaigned on Altan’s and Alpay’s cases since their detentions and submitted third party interventions on the cases to the European Court of Human Rights, expressed dismay that the decision has not been carried out and the implications for the rule of law in Turkey. “We are profoundly concerned about the lower courts’ lack of implementation of this historic decision by the Constitutional Court and that it is the direct result of political pressure on the court, which would amount to interference with its independence. Together, this gravely undermines the separation of powers and the rule of law in Turkey,” said Carles Torner, executive director of PEN International. “Basic principles of justice, both legal and moral, require the lower courts to implement this decision and release these journalists – who have languished in prison for over a year – without delay.” These were the first rulings that the Constitutional Court had made involving detained journalists since the attempted coup of July 2016, following which scores of journalists have been detained. Ruling on individual applications filed on behalf of Alpay and Altan, the court said their detentions led to violations of the “right to personal liberty and security” protected under article 19 of the Constitution and “freedom of expression and the press” protected under articles 26 and 28. The court stated that “press freedom as a specific element of freedom of expression has vital importance in democracies. It includes not only the dissemination of ideas and information, but also society’s access to those ideas and information,” dovetailing the European Court of Human Rights’ jurisprudence on the role of journalism and the importance of press freedom in a democratic society. The decision was taken by an 11-6 majority vote. It was widely expected that the ruling would set the precedent for the release of other journalists in the country. Under the Turkish Constitution’s article 153, all Constitutional Court rulings enter into force immediately and are binding for the legislative, executive and judicial organs, including the administration and officials. “The EFJ is demanding that journalists be freed immediately following the decision of the Turkish Constitutional Court. The refusal of the 13th and 26th Criminal Courts to implement the decision of the upper court is a direct attack on the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary”, said Ricardo Gutierrez, General Secretary of the EFJ. Altan, a professor of economics and newspaper columnist, was arrested on September 10, 2016, along with his brother, Ahmet Altan, on charges stemming from their alleged links to a network led by Fethullah Gülen, which the government accuses of maintaining a terrorist organization, “Fetullahist Terrorist Organization/Parallel State Structure (FETÖ/PDY)”, and orchestrating the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016. He was jailed pending trial on September 22, 2016 and is currently charged with “attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order,” a crime which carries an aggravated life sentence. Lawyers for Altan filed applications before the Constitutional Court on November 8, 2016, complaining that his rights were violated and seeking his release. Alpay, a 73-year-old journalist, was arrested on July 27, 2016 as part of an operation targeting former columnists and executives of the shuttered Zaman daily and was imprisoned pending trial on July 31. He is accused of “attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order, the government and Parliament,” charges carrying three aggravated life sentences, and an additional prison term of up to 15 years for “membership in a terrorist organization.” PEN International, RSF and others have been monitoring Mehmet and Ahmet Altans’ criminal court proceedings and have intervened in the Altans’ and in Sahin Alpay’s cases before the European Court of Human Rights concerning their detention. https://rsf.org/en/news/turkey-implement-constitutional-court-decision-free-journalists (c) 2018 Reporters Without Borders

Leading experts discuss the state of atrocity prevention as a growing field of peacebuilding theory and practice.In 2017, a half-million Rohingya fled attacks on their homes in Burma. Eight million face starvation amid Yemen’s war. Atrocities against civilians continue in Syria, South Sudan and elsewhere. What lessons did we learn from the Holocaust – if any? And how can we strengthen norms and institutions to prevent future atrocities more effectively? Join us on January 30 for a discussion on the state of atrocity prevention with leading experts. In recent decades we have seen new commitments to protect civilians from mass atrocities. Still, policymakers face obstacles. They may lack access to areas at risk, or leverage over possible perpetrators. So how can we translate political commitments into timely and effective practice? Is it possible to identify risk and prevent mass violence before it erupts? How can justice mechanisms help ensure accountability and prevent future mass violence? Follow the conversation online at #SwissIHRAseries. Speakers Ambassador Martin Dahinden, Opening Remarks Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America Carla Koppell, Opening Remarks Vice President, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, U.S. Institute of Peace Jonas Claes, Moderator Senior Program Officer, U.S. Institute of Peace Mô Bleeker Special Envoy for Dealing with the Past and the Prevention of Atrocities, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Woocher Research Director, Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Menachem Rosensaft General Council, World Jewish Congress Connect with us! Embassy of Switzerland in the United States of America Instagram: @swissembassyusa Twitter: @SwissEmbassyUSA United States Institute of Peace Instagram: @USIPeace Twitter: @USIP DETAILS Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2018 Time: 9:00am - 11:00am Location: U.S. Institute of Peace 2301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20037 https://www.usip.org/events/preventing-atrocities-21st-century (c) 2018 United States Institute for Peace

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed serious concern to his Myanmar counterpart Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday over the plight of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence by the military in northern Rakhine state. During a meeting in the capital Naypyidaw, Kono urged Aung San Suu Kyi to ensure the safe and voluntary return of Rohingya refugees who fled to neighboring Bangladesh during a military crackdown and to allow humanitarian and media access to the region, Japan’s Kyodo news agency said. Myanmar’s military launched a brutal campaign against the Rohingya in three townships in northern Rakhine after a Muslim militant group carried out deadly attacked on police outposts in August 2017. The violence has driven about 655,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh where some have accused soldiers of committing random killings, rape, and arson in their villages. “We have discussed with the Japanese foreign minister the development of Rakhine state, the repatriation of Muslim refugees, and possible areas of cooperation with the Japanese government to help stabilize the situation in Rakhine state,” Aung San Suu Kyi, who also serves as Myanmar’s de facto leader in her other capacity as state counselor, said during a joint news conference with Kono in the capital Naypyidaw. Kono also asked Aung San Suu Kyi to implement the recommendations issued last year by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, a group led by former U.N chief Kofi Annan. The commission called for reviews of the country’s Citizenship Law, under which the Rohingya are ineligible for citizenship, and an end to restrictions on the Muslim minority group to prevent further violence in the ethnically and religiously divided region. Kono also met with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s armed forces, and will visit Rakhine state, the online journal The Irrawaddy said. Millions pledged for Rohingya Separately, Japan announced an emergency grant aid of 330 million yen (U.S. $3 million) to assist Rohingya refugees who voluntarily return to Myanmar when repatriations begin. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on Nov. 23, 2017, to repatriate Rohingya refugees who wish to return to Myanmar and who can prove prior residency in the country. “We have decided to provide the aid in response to the agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh to represent an international message of support so that the repatriation can be carried out promptly,” said Foreign Ministry official Shinobu Yamaguchi in a statement. Myanmar has said that it will begin accepting the Rohingya refugees on Jan. 22, but the process could be delayed because Bangladesh has yet to send the completed repatriation forms to Myanmar. During his meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, Kono also said Japan, a major donor of development aid to Myanmar, will grant the country roughly U.S. $20 million more to improve humanitarian conditions and development in Rakhine state, the Associated Press reported. “To achieve development in Rakhine state, it is critically important to solve the root causes of the problems facing all the people in Rakhine state,” he was quoted by The Irrawaddy as saying. Military probe ‘encouraging’ Also during the news conference on Friday, Aung San Suu Kyi said she was encouraged by the Myanmar military’s investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya at a village in Rakhine’s Maungdaw township and its plan to take action against those who committed the crime. The armed forces issued a rare admission on Wednesday that some of its troops had killed what it said were Muslim “terrorists” in September and buried their bodies in a mass grave in Inn Din village in Maungdaw township. Maungdaw, along with neighboring Buithdaung and Rathedaung townships, was the epicenter of recent violence against the Rohingya. “There were killings in Inn Din village, and it is a step forward that the Tatmadaw [Myanmar military] has investigated and said that those responsible will be held accountable,” said Aung San Suu Kyi. “At last, a country has to assume responsibility for its own rule of law.” A military investigation team began a probe of the killings after the remains of the bodies were unearthed on Dec. 19. It found that both security forces and ethnic Rakhine villagers were involved in the murders of the Rohingya men who the army says were affiliated with Muslim militants who carried out previous attacks in the state. A statement issued by the military earlier this week said action would be taken against the villagers and soldiers who confessed to the murders as well as against officers to whom the soldiers reported. Protest in Ramree In a related development, about 500 protesters in Rakhine’s Ramree township demanded on Friday that officials conduct thorough screenings of Muslim residents under Myanmar’s Citizenship Law, so that the Rohingya are not classified as Kaman Muslims and granted citizenship. The law does not recognize the Rohingya as one of Myanmar’s 135 official ethnic groups, thereby denying them citizenship as well as access to basic services such as education and health care. By contrast, the government formally recognizes the Kaman who are classified as one of the seven ethnic groups comprising the Rakhine national race. They are considered indigenous and are widely acknowledged as citizens who have national identity cards. A citizenship process for Muslims who live in the Kyauknimaw village tract has been under way since last week, protesters said. Protesters said they have doubts about the process because some Rohingya are listed under the Kaman Muslim ethnic category, and they have demanded that officials check them carefully. “We are protesting to demand that officials check the citizenship process for Muslims in the Kyauknimaw village tract and not grant citizenship to [Rohingya] Muslims who are under the [Kaman] category,” protest leader Phyu Lone told RFA’s Myanmar Service. “We don’t want Kofi Annan’s recommendation that citizenship be granted to Bengalis who are not one of Myanmar’s official ethnic groups,” he said, using a derogatory term for the Rohingya who are viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Earlier this week, Zaw Htay, director-general of State Counselor’s Aung San Suu Kyi’s office, said the government has been working on a citizenship process for undocumented people in Rakhine state, and that everybody must be checked to determine whether they are eligible for citizenship. To become citizens, the Rohingya must obtain national verification cards before they will be granted a status according to the law, such as guest citizens or people who can apply for citizenship, he said. Phyu Lone went on to say that authorities have issued family lists, detailing members of all households, to Rohingya residents, erroneously listing them as ethnic Kaman. If the Rohingya who live in the village tract are granted citizenship, all of them will become Kamans, he said. Last April, the Rakhine state government agreed to close down three internally displaced persons camps housing Kaman Muslims, ethnic Rakhine people, and Rohingya Muslims in the towns of Ramree, Kyaukphyu, and Sittwe, per the Annan commission’s recommendations. The groups had been living in the camps since 2012 when they were displaced by communal violence in the state. http://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/japans-top-diplomat-takes-myanmar-to-task-over-treatment-of-rohingya-01122018160528.html (c) 2018 Radio Free Asia

January 27 is the day the international community observes Holocaust Remembrance Day by recalling the horrors committed during World War II by Nazi Germany and the bravery of those who risked their lives to save persecuted Jews and others from Nazi death camps. Tatiana Vorozhko and Kostiantyn Golubchyk of VOA's Ukrainian Service tell the amazing story of a Jewish boy who was saved by a Ukrainian family and later grew up to be a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. https://www.voanews.com/a/holocaust-jewish-boy-saved-ukrainian-family-nobel-laureate/4205593.html (c) 2018 VOA News

Rohingya Muslims who fled a village where Myanmar has admitted its forces helped massacre 10 people said Thursday the victims were all civilians, not fighters as asserted by the army. The Myanmar army chief's office confirmed Wednesday that security forces took part in killing "Bengali terrorists" on September 2 in the village of Inn Din in Rakhine state, using a pejorative term for Rohingya. It was the first time Myanmar had admitted abuses during an army-led crackdown on Rohingya militants from late August that sparked a mass exodus of the Muslim minority. But displaced Rohingya inside Bangladesh have angrily denied the army's account, with survivors who fled Inn Din insisting those killed were not militants but civilians murdered in cold blood. Inn Din villager Wal Marjan, 30, said they were attacked by Buddhist mobs flanked by soldiers, who later "selected 10 to 15 men to attend a meeting". They were never seen again, said Marjan, who was later told by another man that her husband and the others were slaughtered. "He said his body was thrown into a mass grave with the other men," Marjan told AFP at a refugee camp in southeast Bangladesh, adding her husband had no connections with Rohingya rebels. In its account of the massacre the army chief's office said security forces captured 10 Rohingya militants before killing them as violence engulfed the village and its surrounding area. The post on Facebook also gave the first confirmation of a mass Rohingya grave inside Rakhine state. But Inn Din villager Hossain Ahammad said the slain men were "fishermen, farmers, lumberjacks and clerics". "They were not part of any movement. They are simply victims of the Burmese army's wrath," he told AFP. Refugees who have fled in their hundreds of thousands to Bangladesh have given consistent accounts of massacres, rape and torture by Myanmar security forces flanked by ethnic Rakhine mobs. Those allegations, which have been cross-checked by media and rights groups, have seen Myanmar accused of ethnic cleansing by the US and UN and prompted questions over whether the crackdown may have amounted to genocide. Until Wednesday, Myanmar army has vigorously denied any abuses, instead locking down access to Rakhine state and accusing critics -- including the UN -- of pro-Rohingya bias and spreading "fake news". The army chief's office said "action" would be taken against villagers and security members involved in the violence at Inn Din. Last month Doctors Without Borders said at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the first month of the army crackdown on rebels in Rakhine -- the highest estimated death toll yet of violence that erupted on August 25. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-5259167/Survivors-say-victims-Rohingya-killings-civilians-not-fighters.html (c) 2018 Daily Mail

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes today’s constitutional court decision finally ordering the release of two journalists, Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay, and calls for the release of all the other journalists who are unjustly detained in Turkey. The ruling has ended a year and a half of silence by the constitutional court. Decapitated by the arrests of three judges and paralysed by the collapse in the rule of law, the court had not issued any decision since the government proclaimed a state of emergency in July 2016. Today’s decision came as the European Court of Human Rights was close to issuing its own ruling on the petitions filed by Altan and Alpay, which were backed by RSF and other NGOs. Altan has been held since September 2016 and Alpay since July 2016. “Finally! We have waited too long for this moment,” said Erol Önderoğlu, RSF’s Turkey representative. “The arbitrary detention of Mehmet Altan and Şahin Alpay was a real scandal and we are relieved it’s finally over. This ruling must now serve as precedent. We call on the courts to immediately release all the other journalists who have been unjustly imprisoned.” The constitutional court also recognized that Turhan Günay, the Cumhuriyet newspaper’s books editor and a former member of its board, was detained illegally. Arrested in October 2016, he was released provisionally in July 2017. Although Altan and Alpay should now be released, they are still being tried on charges of “trying to overthrow the government” and links with “terrorist organizations” and are still facing the possibility of life imprisonment. Altan’s trial is due to resume on 12 February, Alpay’s on 5 April. Altan is being tried with two other journalists who are still in prison. Alpay has 29 co-defendants who are all still detained. Aged 73, Alpay has cardiac problems and has lost nearly 50% of his hearing since his arrest. Turkey is ranked 155th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2017 World Press Freedom Index. The already worrying media situation has become critical under the state of emergency proclaimed after the July 2016 coup attempt. Around 150 media outlets have been closed, mass trials are being held and Turkey now holds the world record for the number of professional journalists detained. https://rsf.org/en/news/turkeys-constitutional-court-orders-release-two-journalists (c) 2018 Reporters Without Borders

Violence, especially sexual violence against girls and women, remains unchecked in Darfur; violence associated with the ruthless Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its campaign of “disarmament,” also remains a threat throughout Darfur. The militia force is undisciplined and given a free hand to steal, intimidate, extort, rape, and murder. Much of this occurs under cover of Khartoum’s ghastly “disarmament” campaign for Darfur. The UN/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), which took up its civilian protection mandate exactly ten years ago, has never seemed more impotent and unresponsive to civilian needs. It has proved utterly impotent in halting the predations of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Khartoum’s primary militia force in Darfur. Having been officially incorporated into the Khartoum regime, the RSF enjoys total impunity in committing its massive and widespread predations. And yet UNAMID is all the international community is willing to offer to protect the 3 million people internally displaced in Darfur or refugees from Darfur in eastern Chad.Coupled with declining humanitarian resources and continuing regime hostility to international relief efforts, the future looks unspeakably grim for the non-Arab/African people of Darfur who make up the overwhelming majority of those displaced—and the some 600,000 people who have died from the direct and indirect consequences of violence over the past fifteen years. The new budget proposed by the National Islamic Front/National Congress Party regime—promising catastrophic effects on poorer civilians throughout Sudan, and in certainly Darfur—has led to the beginning of countrywide protests. Two have been killed so far (the first a secondary student in el-Geneina, West Darfur), many have been injured, and there have also been a great many arrests. Violence in recent weeks has been especially prominent in Central and South Darfur (UNAMID has of course not established the base at Golo that was part of the withdrawal agreement with the Khartoum regime made last June; there are no signs that it will become active anytime soon in this extremely volatile part of Central Darfur). But violence is pervasive, if largely unseen in Darfur; Radio Dabanga is our only regular, detailed source of information, and it can only be partial in its coverage. It is difficult to recall that ten years ago Darfur was a cause célèbre among activists, human rights groups, anti-genocide campaigners, journalists, and even politicians. Today Darfur’s agony is shamefully, disgracefully invisible… Dispatches from Radio Dabanga, December 28, 2017 – January 11, 2018 (many dispatches report multiple violent incidents against civilians) • Darfuri student killed in Sudan protests against price hikes | January 8, 2018 | EL GENEINA / NYALA / ED DAMAZIN / KHARTOUM On Sunday, the third day of demonstrations against the 300% price increases that hit the country last week, a student was killed in the West Darfur capital of El Geneina.Other parts of the country witnessed protests as well, When demonstrators in El Geneina set fire to the local headquarters of the ruling National Congress Party in the city, government forces opened fire on the crowd. Secondary school student El Zubeir Ibrahim Sikiran was killed instantly. Eight others were wounded. Dozens were detained. The West Darfur authorities ordered the formation of committee to investigate the killing. All schools are closed for a week. Sudan imports many food items and most of the medicines needed. In 2015, Sudan imported more than two million tons of wheat at a cost of $1.5 billion. The recurrent flour crises during the past few years have been attributed to the scarcity of foreign currency. Rapid Support Forces On Sunday morning, secondary school students demonstrated also in Nyala, capital of South Darfur. They chanted slogans against the doubling of the bread price. Others blocked the main three streets in the city with burning tyres for several hours. The South Darfur authorities deployed large numbers of militiamen belonging to the Rapid Support Forces in the centre of the capital to support the state police. In Ed Damazin,people took to the streets on Saturday morning. The security forces used tear gas and excessive force to break up the demonstrations that moved from various neighbourhoods of the Blue Nile State capital to the city market. A student reported to this station that two houses in El Zuhour district burned down during the violence. Dozens of demonstrators, among them a number of students of the Blue Nile University, were held, and have been taken to an unknown destination. On Friday and Saturday, Khartoum, Atbara, and Sennar witnessed small protests in a number of neighbourhoods as well. A demonstration of students of the University of Khartoum on Sunday afternoon was immediately halted by police forces who closed the nearby streets, and used tear gas to disperse the protesters. Students told this station that many of them suffered from breathing problems because of the excessive use of tear gas. An unknown number of students were wounded. Dozens were detained. “Sabotage” On Sunday, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Babikir Digna, told the press in Khartoum that his Ministry “will not hesitate to crack down on any subversive demonstration against the price hikes.” “We will suppress any sabotage attempts,” he stressed, and added that peaceful demonstrations are permitted after obtaining a permission from the authorities in advance, “just as in any other country in the world.” [This comment about “allowing peaceful demonstrations” is of course a cruel joke, but one that the international community seems inclined to credit, at least partially—ER] • Central Darfur: Military Intelligence detain five, firewood collector killed | January 8, 2018 | NIERTETI Members of the Military Intelligence in Nierteti in Central Darfur detained five people last week. A resident of the Northern Nierteti camp for the displaced was shot dead while collecting firewood on Saturday. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a camp sheikh said that on Tuesday, Haydar Idris Suleiman, a 25-year-old secondary school student living in the Northern Nierteti camp for the displaced was taken by Military Intelligence agents to the town’s army garrison without providing a reason. “On Saturday, they returned and took Hafiz Abdelrahman (24) and Adam Khamis (21) with them.” A listener reported that a camp resident named Siddig and a resident of Nierteti were detained by Military Intelligence agents from the town’s market on Saturday as well. [Military Intelligence remains the ultimate security forces authority in Darfur, as it has from the beginning of the genocide; the RSF is the militia “muscles” of Military Intelligence—ER] Shot The Northern Nierteti camp sheikh also reported that camp resident Adam Abdeljabbar was shot dead on Saturday afternoon. “Adam was collecting firewood together with his wife nearby the camp when a group of gunmen riding on horses suddenly opened fire at them. He was killed instantly. His wife suffered no injuries,” the sheikh said. Camp residents reported the incident to the police. When no action followed, they staged a protest in front of the police station. The police dispersed them with tear gas and firing in the air. • Nine injured, 20 detained in South Darfur RSF raid | December 28, 2017 | GIREIDA Nine people were injured and 20 others detained during a raid by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) government militia on the Sadoun area of Gireida locality in South Darfur. A large force of RSF is currently assigned to collect illegal weapons and vehicles in Darfur. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that a force of the rapid support militia surrounded Sadoun area from all sides on Saturday. They drove men, women, and children into one place, and beat them with whips and sticks, seized the amount of SDG 7,000 and 14 mobile phones. [Having been officially incorporated into the Khartoum regime, the RSF continue to enjoy total impunity in Darfur and elsewhere; they have proved utterly ruthless in their treatment of civilians–killing, raping, stealing, and torturing. The UN/African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has consistently proved completely helpless in controlling the RSF—ER] Among those detained include Ahmed Gamar, Jedo Mohamed Ahmed, Bashir Abakar, Abdelrahim Yagoub, El Ghali Haroun, Adam Yagoub, Azrag Mohamed, Adam Daoud and others whose names were not identified. The residents of Gireida called on the authorities to form a committee of inquiry into these violations and return the seized items and money. Central Darfur In Wadi Saleh locality in Central Darfur, the RSF attacked Abuja market at camp Aradeiba in Garsila, and robbed the displaced people of money and a number of mobile phones. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that elements of the RSF in a Land Cruiser led by a lieutenant named Sabour raided Abuja market, beat the displaced people and wounded Abdelmahmoud Ibrahim with a bullet, seized the amount of SDG 7,000 from merchant Ahmed and 17 mobile phones from the displaced people. Residents of Tullus have complained of being beaten and tortured by RSF militiamen to force them to confess to weapons possession. They said 11 people had been subjected to torture during a raid by the militia on a number of markets. • RSF militiamen beat up, detain community leaders in South Darfur | January 7, 2018 | FALLUJA On Friday, members of the Rapid Support Forces, Sudan’s main government militia, beat and detained two community leaders in South Darfur’s East Jebal Marra locality. Witnesses told Radio Dabanga that paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces riding in four Land Cruisers raided the area of Fallujah in East Jebel Marra on Friday afternoon. They accused Abakar El Rashid and Ismail Ahmed of being behind the disappearance of a number livestock in the area ten days ago, and severely beat them. The militiamen took El Rashid with them to El Malam. The sources could not give information about the whereabouts of Ahmed. • Darfur returnees forced to remain in insecure area | January 1, 2018 | EL MALAM On Thursday, members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan’s main government militia, prevented dozens of formerly displaced South Darfur villagers to flee again. Two weeks ago, about 300 people returned from the Shangil Tobaya camps for the displaced in Tawila locality to their home villages in the area of El Malam in northern South Darfur. When they discovered that militiamen and other gunmen are still roaming in the area, dozens of them decided to return to the relative safety of the camps. RSF troops, however, prevented them from leaving, and detained four village sheikhs who protested their action. “Ismail Azhari, Yagoub Younis, Adam Hamid, and Adam Suleiman are now being held at the prison of El Malam,” a returnee told Radio Dabanga from the town. “The South Darfur governor will decided on their fate, as well as the fate of 71 villagers who were prevented from leaving.” The source said that the area of El Malam is “devoid of any security.” • Man killed near factory in Tawila, North Darfur | January 11, 2018 | TAWIL A factory worker was killed west of Tawila in North Darfur on Wednesday. On Wednesday, armed herders killed Mohamed Ahmed Hussein at Dulu district, west of Tawila. Hussein was working in a charcoal factory in Dulu. A relative one of the deceased told Radio Dabanga that the gunmen shot Hussein and that he was killed on the spot. “This incident was the third of its kind this week. Armed herders have also threatened to beat or kill anyone who comes to this area to collect wood or go farming,” the relative reported. [In addition to the RSF, irregular militia forces continue to present intolerable risks to civilians throughout Darfur. They have not been disarmed in the current “disarmament” campaign, and as long as they pose no threat to Khartoum’s interests in Darfur, are free to continue their assault on non-Arab/African farmers attempting to return to or work their lands—ER] A week ago, gunmen killed two brick factory workers in El Adradib El Ashara in Tawila. • Firewood collector abducted in North Darfur | January 7, 2018 | TAWILA Armed herders kidnapped a 35-year-old woman in Tawila locality in North Darfur on Friday. “Hawa Adam Ishag was collecting firewood together with three other women in Mashrou Abuzeid near Dubbo El Omda, when a group of three armed herdsmen attacked them,” an eyewitness reported to Radio Dabanga. “The three other women managed to escape, but Hawa was not that lucky,” she said. “The janjaweed seized her and took her with them to an unknown destination.” • Three people wounded in Central Darfur weapons search | January 11, 2018 | NIERTETI / TUR Three people were seriously wounded in house-to-house searches by the paramilitary Rapid Support Force in Nierteti camp for displaced people in Central Darfur on Wednesday. In the past weeks, several Nierteti villagers have been detained for unknown reasons. The raid on Wednesday morning in Nierteti camp was led by three officers of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Sudanese soldiers carried out the raid under the command of a military lieutenant named Musab and police was also present at the scene, sheikhs reported to Radio Dabanga. The joint force entered the northern Nierteti camp and conducted house-to-house searches and raided shops for three continuous hours, until 10am. “They found no weapons in the camp,” according to the sheikhs. “After the searches the force accused the displaced people of supporting the rebels and hiding their weapons,” he said. A number of people were beaten, and three of them sustained serious injuries. The three wounded have been taken to the hospital. Hassan Ahmed El Tahir was in a coma when he was transferred to Nierteti Hospital, a sheikh reported. Abdelrahman Abdelaziz, Mustafa Mohamed El Tahir and a woman who was not identified, were taken to the same hospital in a critical condition. Large amounts of cash and mobile phones were seized, amounting to an estimated 100 phones. Victims have reported the incident to the police. Weapons search in Tur Another force of RSF, driving dozens of vehicles, searched the area of Tur in Nierteti for illegal weapons, starting at 3 pm on Wednesday. Witnesses reported to Radio Dabanga that a number of residents were beaten by the paramilitary forces. “They stole goods in the town market and houses.” A source said that the RSF was still in the area until late Wednesday. During the past two weeks, the Military Intelligence unit in Nierteti detained 25 people, including a sheikh. A reason was not provided. Arms campaign In the past weeks, people in Darfur repeatedly reported that soldiers of the RSF used violence while carrying out the collection campaign of illegal weapons in the region. The Sudanese government announced the campaign in July, to begin with in Darfur and Kordofan. RSF and the army began collecting illegal arms and unlicensed vehicles from civilians in the regions the following month. The campaign has entered the stage of compulsory collection of weapons by the reinforcements of RSF and the Sudanese army. In North Darfur alone, 12,500 RSF and police have been deployed to assist with the arms collection and the controls of unregistered vehicles. • Camel herders kill two policemen in South Darfur | January 10, 2018 | TULLUS On Monday, two policemen were shot dead in Tullus locality in South Darfur. Speaking to Radio Dabanga, a farmer reported from Sargeila in Tullus that a group of militant herdsmen wanted to graze their camels on the land of his neighbour, and threatened to kill him if he would chase away the amimals. After having received a complaint from the farmer, the police of Sargeila sent a lieutenant-led force to the site of the incident, which ordered the herders to leave the farm. The gunmen however refused to comply on the grounds that they were members of the Rapid Support Forces militia, and started shooting. The force commander and a policeman were killed instantly, the farmer said. [Whether actually members of the RSF or not, Arab militia forces, however irregular in organization, act with the same impunity—here feeling free to shoot and kill local police—ER] • Darfur Military Intelligence continues detention campaign in Nierteti | January 10, 2018 | NIERTETI During the past two weeks, the Military Intelligence unit in Nierteti, Central Darfur, detained 25 people. A reason was not provided. Multiple sources told Radio Dabanga from Nierteti that members of the Military Intelligence held seven people, including three displaced people, from their homes on Tuesday morning. “They seized Sheikh Hamed Mohamed Ali, from his house in Garsila district, along with Abaker Mohamed, and the brothers Abbas and Ishag Idris,” a source said. A camp sheikh reported that Suleiman Abdelrasoul, Mohamed Abaker, and Omar Hasan were detained on Tuesday morning from the Garsila camp for the displaced in the town. The detainees were taken to the Nierteti military garrison. Another 18 people are being held at the military garrison, an activist informed this station on Tuesday. “They were all detained within the past two weeks. Reasons for their arrest have not been given and their families or lawyers have not been allowed to visit them,” he said, and called for their immediate release. [Arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture are all tools fully available and regularly used by Military Intelligence, the most fearsome security force in Darfur—ER] • South Darfur market stalls demolished in surprise RSF raid | January 4, 2018 | KASS A contingent of the main Sudanese government militia, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has demolished market stalls and subjected displaced people to abuse in a surprise raid on the market of Kass in South Darfur. The RSF were reportedly under the supervision and guidance of the Commissioner of Kass locality, Abakar Mohamed. Callers told Radio Dabanga “the RSF broke dozens of shops in the southern market, the majority of which are owned by displaced people without any announcement or notification.” Witnesses said the RSF raid was also accompanied by widespread abuses against the residents and shoppers who happened to be in the market. The RSF reportedly ripped the young men’s trousers with knives on the pretext that their trousers were “indecent and not commensurate with the public order.” They also subjected women to abuses. Those affected said the campaign on the market has caused severe losses to the merchants without compensation. [The intent to humiliate non-Arab/African Darfuris could not be clearer than in this cruel vignette—ER] Camps The displaced in Kass and activists said that the RSF also inspected some camps under the pretext of searching for weapons without coordinating with UNAMID or the presence of the mission’s troops. The activists confirmed to Radio Dabanga from Kass that the inspection was accompanied by violations, including seizing of property such as cash, blankets, telephones, and light weapons, this along with ripping the identity documents of some people. The activists also explained that on Monday evening the locality commissioner visited the camp south of Kass and threatened the displaced that he would evacuate more than 10 schools and move them, which is threatening with a humanitarian disaster in the event of non-intervention of international entities to stop what they called “the locality commissioner’s absurdity.” The displaced people of the Kass camps confirmed that they are in favour of collecting weapons, provided that it should in a legal manner under UN supervision and UNAMID participation, so that the collection process would not be a sham as it is now. They also pointed to the absence of coordination with UNAMID as many of the spots that pose a security threat to Kass and Shattaya localities have not witnessed any weapons collection process. [UNAMID has proved utterly worthless in constraining the abuses that define the “disarmament campaign,” and so regularly reported by Radio Dabanga—ER] On Wednesday activists from Saraf Omra reported to Radio Dabanga that the RSF in Saraf Omra in North Darfur have threatened to arrest and imprison any travel agent transporting more than two sacks of millet or sorghum outside the locality. Merchants have considered the decision unfair and contrary to the policy of price liberalisation announced by the government. In the same context, the locality Commissioner Abdallah Abdallah Bilal charged a fee of SDG 2,645 for each shopkeeper as a renewal of the license for the year 2018 and retroactive royalty charges for two years. Activists in Saraf Omra said the Commissioner had given merchants a week to remove the umbrellas and the cottage shops built with local materials. They pointed out that the fees and royalties they collect are not spent on services but on the commissioner and his affiliates. [Gross corruption and self-enrichment are the specialty of all who enjoy power by virtue of their support of Khartoum’s policies—ER] • Darfur crimes: Two men killed, villagers beaten | January 5, 2018 | TAWILA / WADI SALEH / UM KEDDADA Gunmen killed two factory workers in Tawila locality [North Darfur] on Wednesday. In Central Darfur, people were beaten and forced by militiamen to keep food inside their town. Armed men killed Adam Osman and Rayeldin Mohamed Adam in El Adradib El Ashara in North Darfur’s Tawila locality on Wednesday. A relative of one of the dead reported to Radio Dabanga that armed herders, riding camels, opened fire on the two men while they were working at a brick factory. Beatings Members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have subjected residents of Amarjadeed market in Wadi Saleh locality to severe beatings, witnesses in Central Darfur said. A RSF group that was led by Maj. Mohamed Bonjos raided Amarjadeed’s weekly market and ordered the owners of crops not to sell millet or sorghum for more than SDG 700. [The RSF is now part of Khartoum’s violent economic price controls—the foolishness of this effort is surpassed only by its destructiveness–ER] They also ordered people not to take these crops out of the area. A witness said that when the merchants and owners of crops protested against the decision, they were beaten and expelled from the market. Some of them were robbed of their belongings. “People filed reports against the RSF members with the police in Garsila,” he concluded. Robbery Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle that belongs to the state’s medical supplier and wounded the director of a hospital and his driver in Hijer Jabir in Um Keddada locality on Wednesday. The medical director of Jabir hospital in northern El Taweisha, Mohamed Adam, and the driver of the vehicle, Hadi Yagoub, were hit by the bullets and had to be transferred to El Fasher Hospital. They were on an official mission to El Taweisha, Um Keddada and El Lait clinics for periodic supervision and also to open pharmacies in Hijer Jabir and El Taweisha hospitals. • Two injured in South Darfur market shooting, women beaten by herders | January 3, 2018 | OTASH CAMP At least two people were injured when two members of the Rabid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan’s main government militia, opened fire at market in Otash camp near Nyala, capital of South Darfur on Monday. Seven women were severely beaten by herders north of the camp. One of the sheikhs of the camp told Radio Dabanga that two RSF militiamen raided Komboi market where they threatened the shoppers to hand over their money and mobile phones. However, when one of the displaced people confronted them, one of them opened fire on him and seriously wounded two people.The sheikh said the displaced people pursued the attackers, arrested them, and handed them over to the authorities. [The RSF is completely out of control and acts with total impunity throughout Darfur–ER] Herders In a separate incident near Otash camp, armed herders beat and injured a number of displaced women. One of the camp sheikhs told Radio Dabanga that five herders attacked seven displaced women who went out to collect firewood north of the camp, beat them with sticks, them and caused them varying injuries. Two of them, Fatima Juma and Makkah Mohammed were taken to Nyala Hospital. • Family of ‘tortured’ Darfuri student turn to Sudan’s Human Rights Commission | January 2, 2018 | KHARTOUM Relatives and friends of Darfuri student Nasreldin Mukhtar, detained by the Sudanese security apparatus for more than four months, have submitted a memorandum to Sudan’s National Human Rights Commission demanding his immediate release or referral to a court. The memorandum, submitted on Sunday, said that since Mukhtar’s detention in front of the gate of the University of the Holy Koran in Omdurman on August 22. The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have allowed his relatives to visit him twice. The first time was after two months. Mukhtar’s brother told Radio Dabanga after his visit to Mukhtar that he noticed clear marks of torture on his relative. He had lost sight in his left eye and sustained severe injuries in his legs as a result of beatings. The reason for his detention is unknown. His family called for his immediate release or a fair trial. They have appealed before, to international organisations including Amnesty International and civil society organisations, to intervene to save him. They have also raised memoranda to the Attorney-General, the Minister of Justice, and the NISS. Mukhtar is the former head of the Darfur Students Association branch of the University of the Holy Koran. He was detained earlier by the NISS, in 2015, for months, and released when his health deteriorated. • Grenade blast kills West Darfur drug police, 11 dead in Sudan road carnage| December 29, 2017 | EL GENEINA / ATBARA / WAD MADANI Two anti-drug policemen were killed and three other people injured in a blast when a suspect threw a grenade at them during a chase in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, on Wednesday afternoon. Two other members of the combat forces were injured as well as the owner of a cart. Ibrahim Idris (23), and Kaltoum Adam (43), were wounded by members of the Border Guards at Dankoj area, 10 km east of Zalingei in Central Darfur. The sources told Radio Dabanga that two Border Guards’ members opened fire in the direction of a gathering in the market area after a verbal clash between them and restaurant owner, Kaltoum Adam over the bill for a meal. • Fires destroy dozens of houses in Darfur towns | January 11, 2018 | KUTUM / AZUM Fires have destroyed dozens of houses in Kutum and Azum localities this week, affecting villagers and people who recently returned from camps for displaced. North and Central Darfur have witnessed fires that destroyed dozens of houses in Teital, Kutum locality (North Darfur), and Balali, Azum locality (Central Darfur). In Teital 33 houses were destroyed and large quantities of food, including cash crops, went up in flames. 76 houses burned to the ground in Balalali. The press office of the Governor of Central Darfur, Jaafar Abdelhakam, said that the governor has promised every affected family in Balali a compensation of SDG 2,000, as well as a sack of millet. Activists in Teital appealed to the neighboring villages in Kutum and to be generous and provide food and shelter to the affected families. The village of Balali hosts more than 370 families who returned from camps for displaced people under the voluntary repatriation programme in Sudan. http://sudanreeves.org/2018/01/11/8415/ (c) 2018 SUDAN Research, Analysis, and Advocacy