Mark Townsend

London

Senior Reporter at The Guardian

Senior reporter at the Guardian covering global development and human rights. DM's open. [email protected]

Articles

‘Multiple casualties’ reported after attack on UN aid convoy in Darfur

3 days ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

A UN aid convoy carrying critical food supplies to a famine-threatened city in western Sudan has been targeted in a brutal attack that appeared to have caused “multiple casualties”. A number of trucks belonging to the UN’s food and children’s agencies were attacked as they headed towards El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, which has been besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than a year.
Exclusive: Somaliland president says recognition of state ‘on the horizon’ following Trump talks

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

The new president of Somaliland says his state, which broke away from Somalia in 1991, is on the brink of securing international recognition – a development that would inflame tensions in the already tumultuous Horn of Africa.
Middle East crisis live: Trump pledges ‘good things to happen’ in Gaza as scores die in Israeli strikes

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Helen Livingstone |Tom Ambrose |Amy Sedghi |Mark Townsend |Jason Burke |Maya Yang | +1 more

Trump backs aid for Palestinians, saying 'a lot of good things are going to happen over the next month'Donald Trump on Friday backed aid for the Palestinians, saying people in Gaza are starving and adding that he expected “a lot of good things” in the next month. According to Reuters, when asked whether he supported Israeli plans to expand the war in Gaza, the US president told reporters: I think a lot of good things are going to happen over the next month, and we’re going to see.
Almost 300m people at risk of death through starvation - report

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

Acute food insecurity continues to rise at an alarming rate, with almost 300 million people at risk of death through starvation, new analysis reveals. Escalating conflict and cuts to humanitarian aid along with climate and economic shocks forced an additional 13.7 million people into chronic food insecurity last year.
Dossier of alleged Sudan war crimes handed to Metropolitan police

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

Scotland Yard has received a dossier of evidence documenting myriad alleged war crimes committed by a paramilitary group during the conflict in Sudan. Lawyers have submitted a 142-page file of evidence to the war crimes unit of the Metropolitan police containing details of numerous atrocities perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Compiled by a London-based team of barristers specialising in international law, it documents killings, torture and mass rape.
Trump’s first 100 days supercharged a global ‘freefall of rights’, says Amnesty

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency have “supercharged” a global rollback of human rights, pushing the world towards an authoritarian era defined by impunity and unchecked corporate power, Amnesty International warns today. In its annual report on the state of human rights in 150 countries, the organisation said the immediate ramifications of Trump’s second term had been the undermining of decades of progress and the emboldening of authoritarian leaders.
Leaked UN experts report raises fresh concerns over UAE’s role in Sudan war

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

Pressure is mounting on the United Arab Emirates over its presence at a crucial conference in London aimed at stopping the war in Sudan after a leaked confidential UN report raised fresh questions over the UAE’s role in the devastating conflict. The UAE has been accused of secretly supplying weapons to Sudanese paramilitaries via neighbouring Chad, a charge it has steadfastly denied.
Atrocities mount daily. Promised aid does not arrive. Why has the west turned its back on Sudan?

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

A friend had gone missing. Nothing unusual in Sudan’s ruinous war, but Hitham Mohund knew it was vital to act quickly. However, in an abandoned home near the Nile River he stopped searching after making a grisly discovery: wedged inside a bathroom were three bodies. Hands tied, eyes staring upwards. “They were shot in the chest,” said the 28-year-old, as he walked towards Maigoma Street, a dusty thoroughfare in north Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.
Sudan rejects US request to discuss taking in Palestinians under Trump’s Gaza plan

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Jason Burke |Mark Townsend

Sudanese officials say they have rejected a request from the US to discuss taking in Palestinians displaced from Gaza under Donald Trump’s plan to turn the territory into a “Riviera on the Mediterranean”. According to an Associated Press report, the US and Israel contacted officials in Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland about resettling uprooted Palestinians.
Drone attacks killing hundreds of civilians across Africa, says report

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Mark Townsend

Almost 1,000 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured in military drone attacks across Africa as the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles continues unchecked on the continent, according to a report. At least 50 separate deadly strikes by armed forces in Africa have been confirmed during the three years up to November 2024, with analysts describing a “striking pattern of civilian harm” with little or no accountability.