Global Village Today: Sudan Agrees to Ceasefire, Governments Evacuate Citizens, and Russia Attacks Ukrainian Museum

It is ‘Global Village Today’ that delivers major news from various countries around the world.

Host) What news do you have today?

Reporter) Sudan’s government forces and the paramilitary organization’Rapid Support Forces (RSF)’ agreed to an additional 72-hour ceasefire, and governments around the world are hurrying to evacuate their citizens. Russian forces launched a missile attack on a Ukrainian museum, killing one person and injuring several others.

Host) Global village today, let’s start with news from Sudan. Government forces and the Rapid Support Force (RSF) have agreed to an additional ceasefire?

Reporter) Yes. Sudan’s government forces and the Rapid Support Forces have agreed to a further ceasefire for 72 hours starting on the 25th. US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln announced the news of this agreement through a statement released late on the 24th. The agreement was reached through active mediation between the United States and Saudi Arabia over the past two days.

Moderator) Were there any announcements from both sides?

Reporter) Yes. The Sudanese government forces, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the RSF, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, issued statements on the 25th and confirmed the ceasefire agreement. “This ceasefire aims to establish a humanitarian corridor to evacuate diplomatic missions while allowing citizens and residents access to essential resources, medical care and safe areas,” RSF said in a statement.

Host) What did the government forces say?

Reporter) The government forces also contained similar content that this ceasefire agreement was a humanitarian decision. However, it did include wording that the ceasefire would be observed “on condition that the rebels commit to a cessation of all hostilities.”

Moderator) The Sudanese government forces and the Rapid Support Forces have agreed to a ceasefire before, but they have broken it, right?

Reporter) That’s right. The Sudanese government forces and the Rapid Support Forces have agreed to several one-off ceasefires since armed conflict began on the 15th. However, it was not implemented properly every time. The two sides signed a 72-hour ceasefire just a few days ago to commemorate Eid al-Fitr, one of the biggest holidays in the Islamic world. However, sporadic engagement continued on the 21st, the first day of the agreement. Eid al-Fitr is a holiday that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Moderator) I don’t know how you’re keeping it properly this time?

Reporter) It is said that the ceasefire agreement between the two sides has not been properly followed this time. Major media such as the AP and Reuters reported residents saying that fierce gunfire and explosions are still heard in the capital Khartoum and the largest city, Omdurman, and fighter jets are flying overhead. “They only stop fighting when they run out of bullets,” said Sudanese residents in an interview with the Associated Press.

Moderator) It is said that there have been many new casualties in the past few days, right?

Reporter) Yes. The fighting started on the 15th, so it’s been a little over 10 days now. In the meantime, more than 420 people have lost their lives. About 290 of them are known to be civilians. More than 3,700 people were injured.

Moderator) As hostilities between the two sides intensify, governments around the world are in a hurry to evacuate their citizens. How is the situation going now?

Reporter) Yes. On Sunday, the 23rd, the US government quickly developed the process of withdrawing diplomats from Sudan, and from the 24th, it has been helping Americans residing in Sudan leave the country. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said intelligence and reconnaissance assets were deployed along the evacuation route from Khartoum to the port city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea. But he added that there are no US troops on the ground. The US government says there are about 16,000 US nationals residing in Sudan.

Moderator) Let’s look at the movements of governments in other countries.

Reporter) Germany said it had evacuated about 500 people so far, and sent another transport plane earlier on the 25th. The French government announced that as of the 25th, a total of 538 people had been evacuated. Among them, there are about 209 French nationals, and France is actively evacuating not only its own citizens, but also people from other countries.

Host) What about the British government?

Reporter) The UK also mobilized a transport plane over the weekend to withdraw diplomats from Sudan. However, like many countries, the UK does not carry out civilian airlifts, which is subject to criticism from public opinion. Currently, there are about 4,000 British nationals in Sudan, according to British officials. Of these, about 2,000 people have completed the registration process for evacuation. On the 25th, the British government started a large-scale transportation operation by mobilizing military aircraft. It is a policy to evacuate children and the elderly in priority order.

Moderator) Please tell us about the movements of the Korean and Japanese governments.

Reporter) South Korea also announced that all 28 Koreans living in Sudan returned home on the 25th. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also said on the 25th that all Japanese nationals who wish to leave Sudan have been evacuated.

Moderator) It is said that there are many Sudanese citizens who want to escape Sudan, right?

Reporter) Yes. Many Sudanese have been leaving for Egypt, Chad and South Sudan in the past few days. It takes about 15 hours by car to Port Sudan, a border city on the Red Sea coast that serves as an escape route to Egypt and other places. Bus stops throughout the city of Khartoum were crowded with people from early in the morning on the 25th.

Host) Are you trying to get out of Khartoum?

Reporter) Yes. Those who cannot go abroad are in an evacuation procession in Sudan to go to a place where there is less fighting. It is because of concerns that the situation could get worse after the three-day ceasefire ended. Sudan has been ruled by the military since the 2021 coup. However, a power conflict between the government forces’ General Abdel Fattah Burhan and the RSF’s General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo led to the armed conflict.

A resident of Kupyansk, Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, stands at the ruins of a museum destroyed by a Russian missile bombardment on the 25th.

Host) Global village today, this time it’s news from Ukraine. Russia attacked a museum in Ukraine?

Reporter) Yes. On the 25th, Russian forces carried out a missile attack on a museum in the city of Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast, in northeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian government officials said Russian forces attacked the museum with S-300 air defense missiles.

Host) Did any casualties occur?

Reporter) Yes. So far, it has been confirmed that at least one person has been killed, a museum employee. And 10 people were injured. Three of them were taken to the hospital, local officials said. And it is said that there are still two people under the rubble of the building. Emergency rescue teams are currently conducting rescue operations.

Moderator) Kupiansk was recaptured by Ukraine, right?

Reporter) That’s right. It was captured by the Russian army at the beginning of the war last year, but was recaptured in September when the Ukrainian army launched a massive counterattack. However, amid fears that Russian troops might recapture Kupiansk, the Ukrainian government last month issued an evacuation order for residents, including the elderly and infirm.

Host) How did the President of Ukraine react to the attack?

Correspondent) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a post accompanying a video showing a building in ruins and emergency services working on the site, called Russia a terrorist state and accused Russia of destroying Ukraine’s history, culture and people. He condemned them for killing them completely in a barbaric way.

Moderator) By the way, at the UN headquarters in New York, the Security Council meeting was held under the presidency of Russia, right?

Reporter) Yes. On the 24th, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov presided over an open meeting of the Security Council attended by 15 Security Council members under the theme of ‘Maintaining International Peace and Security’ at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Moderator) The chair of the Security Council rotates every month, right?

Reporter) That’s right. The circuit presidency this month is Russia. Coincidentally, Russia was also the circuit chair when it launched an all-out war against Ukraine in February last year. Russia has been criticized for using its circuit presidency, which it took over after more than a year, as a means of promoting its position on the war in Ukraine.

Moderator) Let’s listen to the story from the meeting in detail.

Reporter) UN Secretary-General António Guterres, sitting next to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, who chaired the meeting in April, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “caused great suffering and destruction to Ukraine and its people.” He also criticized it for aggravating the economic turmoil around the world triggered by the corona crisis. In addition, as tensions between major powers are higher than ever, they are concerned that the risk of wrong thinking or misjudgment is just as high.

Moderator) Shall we listen to Minister Lavrov’s story?

Reporter) Yes. Lavrov said the world is in a gravely dangerous situation, even worse than it was during the Cold War. Lavrov also targeted the United States and the European Union (EU), saying that no one has ever allowed a minority of Western countries to represent humanity as a whole, and stressed that “they must treat all members of the international community with respect and courtesy.” .

Host) In the midst of this, the Black Sea Grain Agreement between Russia and Ukraine is now in danger of being suspended, right?

Reporter) Yes. Russia has made it clear that it will no longer extend the Black Sea Grain Agreement. The Black Sea Grain Agreement between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United Nations and Turkey, ends on the 18th of next month unless both sides agree. President Guterres and Minister Lavrov held a separate meeting on the 24th for about 90 minutes. Guterres sent Lavrov a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is known that the letter urged the extension of the agreement and included improvement plans.

Host) I will listen to the global village today.