Saudi Arabia and US note improved respect for Sudan ceasefire agreement – statement

The statement noted there were still some breaches of the ceasefire taking place. (AFP/FILE)

Short Url

https://arab.news/6v9me

Updated 26 May 2023

Arab News

May 26, 2023 12:55

Follow @arabnews

Saudi Arabia and US note improved respect for Sudan ceasefire agreement – statement

Previous breaches appear to have ceased, statement reads

Updated 26 May 2023

Arab News

May 26, 2023 12:55

Follow @arabnews

The situation in Sudan has improved since Wednesday, May 24 when there had been serious breaches of the ceasefire, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a joint statement with the US released via Twitter on Friday.

“In their capacity as facilitators, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America noted improved respect for the Agreement on a Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements in #Sudan on May 25,” the statement reads.

Both sides agreed to the ceasefire signed on May 20, 2023, following talks in Jeddah but in the days that followed there was a succession of violent clashes – with gunfire echoing through Sudan’s capital on Tuesday.

But on Wednesday the Saudi foreign ministry said they and the US facilitators were concerned that neither side had observed its commitment “not to seek military advantage during the 48-hour period after the agreement was signed.”

Friday’s statement went on to explain that “Although there was observed use of military aircraft and isolated gunfire in Khartoum, the situation improved from May 24 when the ceasefire monitoring mechanism detected significant breaches of the Agreement.”

The breaches included the “observed use of artillery and military aircraft and drones,” the statement added, explaining there had been “credible reports of airstrikes, sustained fighting in the heart of the Khartoum Industrial Area,” adding that there had also been clashes in Zalingei, Darfur.

The statement explained that following the serious violations of May 24 both the US and Saudi representatives told the warring parties that the lives of civilians were being placed at risk by the breaches that were also obstructing humanitarian assistance.

The US and Saudi Arabia went on to say they had cautioned both sides against committing further violations and to respect the ceasefire “which they did.”

The statement goes on to explain that on May 25, “humanitarian actors delivered some urgently needed medical supplies to several locations in Sudan.”

Maitenance crews were also able to carry out essential repair work to restore telecommunications services in Khartoum and other areas of Sudan.

“The facilitators urge the parties to carry forward the positive progress of May 25 for the remainder of the short-term ceasefire and uphold their commitments under the May 11 Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan,” the statement added.

And it appealed to both sides to “put the needs of the Sudanese people first and abide by the terms they agreed to just a few days ago.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States implore the parties to adhere to their obligations under the ceasefire agreement and take the steps necessary to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services,” the statement concluded.

#Statement | In their capacity as facilitators, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America noted improved respect for the Agreement on a Short-Term Ceasefire and Humanitarian Arrangements in #Sudan on May 25. pic.twitter.com/uiQ7J8kA5w

— Foreign Ministry (@KSAmofaEN) May 26, 2023

Follow @arabnews

Erdogan positioned to extend rule in Turkiye runoff election

Updated 10 sec ago

Reuters

May 28, 2023 02:04

Follow @arabnews

Erdogan positioned to extend rule in Turkiye runoff election

Turkiye is the world’s largest host of refugees, with some 5 million migrants, of whom 3.3 million are Syrians, according to Interior Ministry data

Updated 10 sec ago

Reuters

May 28, 2023 02:04

ANKARA: Turks vote on Sunday in a presidential runoff that could see Tayyip Erdogan extend his rule into a third decade and intensify Turkiye’s increasingly authoritarian path, muscular foreign policy and unorthodox economic governance.
Erdogan, 69, defied opinion polls and came out comfortably ahead with an almost five-point lead over his rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the first round on May 14. But he fell just short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff, in a race with profound consequences for Turkiye itself and global geopolitics.
His unexpectedly strong showing amid a deep cost of living crisis, and a win in parliamentary elections for a coalition of his conservative Islamist-rooted AK Party (AKP), the nationalist MHP and others, buoyed the veteran campaigner who says a vote for him is a vote for stability.
Kilicdaroglu, 74, is the candidate of a six-party opposition alliance, and leads the Republican People’s Party (CHP) created by Turkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. His camp has struggled to regain momentum after the shock of trailing Erdogan in the first round.
The election will decide not only who leads Turkiye, a NATO-member country of 85 million, but also how it is governed, where its economy is headed after its currency plunged to one tenth of its value against the dollar in a decade, and the shape of its foreign policy, which has seen Turkiye irk the West by cultivating ties with Russia and Gulf states.
The initial election showed larger-than-expected support for nationalism — a powerful force in Turkish politics which has been hardened by years of hostilities with Kurdish militants, an attempted coup in 2016 and the influx of millions of refugees from Syria since war began there in 2011.
Turkiye is the world’s largest host of refugees, with some 5 million migrants, of whom 3.3 million are Syrians, according to Interior Ministry data.
Third-place presidential candidate and hard-line nationalist Sinan Ogan said he endorsed Erdogan based on a principle of “non-stop struggle (against) terrorism,” referring to pro-Kurdish groups. He achieved 5.17 percent of the vote.
Another nationalist, Umit Ozdag, leader of the anti-immigrant Victory Party (ZP), announced a deal declaring ZP’s support for Kilicdaroglu, after he said he would repatriate immigrants. The ZP won 2.2 percent of votes in this month’s parliamentary election.
A closely-watched survey by pollster Konda for the runoff put support for Erdogan on 52.7 percent and Kilicdaroglu on 47.3 percent after distributing undecided voters. The survey was carried out on May 20-21, before Ogan and Ozdag revealed their endorsements.
Another key is how Turkiye’s Kurds, at about a fifth of the population, will vote.
The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) party endorsed Kilicdaroglu in the first round but, after his lurch to the right to win nationalist votes, it did not explicitly name him and urged voters rather to reject Erdogan’s “one-man regime” in the runoff.

’MORE ERDOGAN’
Polls will open at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) and close at 5 p.m. (1400 GMT). By late on Sunday there should be a clear indication of the winner.
“Turkiye has a longstanding democratic tradition and a longstanding nationalist tradition, and right now it’s clearly the nationalist one that’s winning out. Erdogan has fused religious and national pride, offering voters an aggressive anti-elitism,” said Nicholas Danforth, Turkiye historian and non-resident fellow at think tank ELIAMEP.
“More Erdogan means more Erdogan. People know who he is and what his vision for the country is, and it seems a lot of them approve.”
Turkiye’s president has pulled out all the stops on the campaign trail as he battles to survive his toughest political test. He commands fierce loyalty from pious Turks who once felt disenfranchised in secular Turkiye and his political career has survived the failed coup and corruption scandals.
Erdogan has taken tight control of most of Turkiye’s institutions and sidelined liberals and critics. Human Rights Watch, in its World Report 2022, said Erdogan’s government has set back Turkiye’s human rights record by decades.
However, if Turks do oust Erdogan, it will be largely because they saw their prosperity, equality and ability to meet basic needs decline, with inflation that topped 85 percent in October 2022.
Kilicdaroglu, a former civil servant, has pledged to roll back much of Erdogan’s sweeping changes to Turkish domestic, foreign and economic policies.
He would also revert to the parliamentary system of governance, from Erdogan’s executive presidential system, narrowly passed in a referendum in 2017.

Follow @arabnews

Topics: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Miseries pile up for West Bank refugees as UNRWA workers’ strike continues

Updated 28 May 2023

Mohammed Najib

May 27, 2023 23:21

Follow @arabnews

Miseries pile up for West Bank refugees as UNRWA workers’ strike continues

Environmental and health disaster feared as piles of garbage accumulate on streets
The UNRWA administration requires urgent intervention to resolve the dispute with the staff and restore life to normal in the camps

Updated 28 May 2023

Mohammed Najib

May 27, 2023 23:21

RAMALLAH: Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank face a summer littered with waste due to an ongoing strike, sparking fears about disease outbreaks.

Piles of garbage have accumulated as more than 3,600 UN Relief and Work Agency workers have been on strike since Feb. 20.

Camp residents, who number about 960,000, continue to complain about their dire living conditions, which has also affected healthcare provision and impacted the education of 50,000 students.

The UNRWA claims that it does not have enough funds to raise the salaries of its workers and meet their demands.

The lack of garbage collection, combined with the halting of healthcare services, could lead to an environmental and health disaster with summer approaching, locals fear.

Youssef Baraka, from the Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah, told Arab News: “The refugee always pays the bill ... and we live in difficult conditions due to the continuation of the strike.

“Our children are without education, and our patients are without treatment.”

He said that individual efforts were being made to help patients with treatment and provide medical supplies, and that residents were trying to rid camps of garbage themselves where possible.

Taysir Nasrallah, from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, told Arab News that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had set up a committee to meet with the UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to find a quick solution to the crisis.

“The UNRWA administration requires urgent intervention to resolve the dispute with the staff and restore life to normal in the camps,” he told Arab News.

The UNRWA was set up in 1949 by the UN General Assembly to assist and protect Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Walid Masharqa, from the Jenin camp, said rubbish was piling up and sewage was seeping into the streets, while many basic medicines for chronic diseases are not currently available to residents.

“What is the fault of the Palestinian refugee, in the existence of wars and other humanitarian disasters in the world, for UNRWA to spoof its services to the Palestinian refugees?” Masharqa said to Arab News.

The Palestinian Authority is not allowed to provide services to refugees in the camps, he added.

Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UNRWA in the Middle East, told Arab News that talks were continuing with the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization to solve the strike problem.

Abu Hasna expects all parties to reach a solution soon.

He said that the UNRWA had approved an allowance of $268 for 300 of its employees in East Jerusalem due to its high prices, and employees in the West Bank were demanding the same.

But he said the UNRWA budget was unable bear the additional cost, as its funds have an annual deficit of $70 million.

Abu Hasna referred to the tremendous Saudi support for UNRWA, as it funded it for over 10 years with $1 billion, built entire cities and neighbourhoods and dozens of schools in the Gaza Strip, and saved UNRWA several times from collapse.

“King Salman personally established support for UNRWA since he was the governor of the Riyadh region and president of the Association for the Support of the Palestinian People, and the position of Saudi Arabia in strong support for UNRWA is considered a motivating factor for other countries to support UNRWA,” Abu Hasna told Arab News.

Follow @arabnews

Topics: Palestine West Bank UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)

Iraq unveils $17bn transport project linking Europe and Mideast

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani attends a meeting with Transport Ministry representatives in Baghdad on Saturday.

Updated 27 May 2023

AFP

May 27, 2023 22:22

Follow @arabnews

Iraq unveils $17bn transport project linking Europe and Mideast

Once completed, the $17 billion project known as the ‘Route of Development’ would span the length of the country, stretching 1,200 km from the northern border with Turkiye to the Gulf in the south

Updated 27 May 2023

AFP

May 27, 2023 22:22

BAGHDAD: Iraq on Saturday presented an ambitious plan to turn itself into a regional transportation hub by developing its road and rail infrastructure, linking Europe with the Middle East.
Once completed, the $17 billion project known as the “Route of Development” would span the length of the country, stretching 1,200 km from the northern border with Turkiye to the Gulf in the south.
Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani announced the project during a conference with Transport Ministry representatives from Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates.
“We see this project as a pillar of a sustainable non-oil economy, a link that serves Iraq’s neighbors and the region, and a contribution to economic integration efforts,” Al-Sudani said. While further discussions are required, any country that wishes “will be able to carry out part of the project,” the Iraqi parliament’s transport committee said, adding the project could be completed in “three to five years.”
“The Route of Development will boost interdependence between the countries of the region,” Turkiye’s ambassador to Baghdad Ali Riza Guney said, without elaborating on what role his country would play in the project.
War-ravaged and beset by rampant corruption, oil-rich Iraq suffers from dilapidated infrastructure.
Its roads, riddled with potholes and poorly maintained, are in terrible condition.
Those connecting Baghdad to the north cross areas where sporadic attacks are still carried out by remnants of the Daesh group.
Al-Sudani has prioritized the reconstruction of the country’s road network, along with upgrading its failing electricity infrastructure.
Developing the road and rail corridor would allow Iraq to capitalize on its geographical position, with the aim of making the country a transportation hub for goods and people moving between the Gulf, Turkiye and Europe.
Work has already started to increase capacity at the commercial Port of Al-Faw, on the shores of the Gulf, where cargo is to be unloaded before it embarks on the new road and rail links.
The project also includes the construction of around 15 train stations along the route, including in the major cities of Basra, Baghdad and Mosul, and up to the Turkish border. The Gulf, largely bordered by Iran and Saudi Arabia, is a major shipping zone, especially for the transportation of hydrocarbons extracted by countries of the region.
Zyad Al-Hashemi, an Iraqi consultant on international transport, cast doubt on the plan to develop the country into a transportation hub, saying it lacks “fluidity.”
“Customers prefer to transport their goods directly from Asia to Europe, without going through a loading and unloading process,” that would see containers moved between ships and road or rail, he said.
Transport is a key sector in the global economy and Iraq’s announcement is the latest in other planned international megaprojects, including China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” announced in 2013 by its President Xi Jinping.
The planned works in that project would see 130 countries across Asia, Europe and Africa connected through land and sea infrastructure providing greater access to China.

Follow @arabnews

Topics: Iraq

Officials: UN chief ‘shocked’ by letter from Sudan’s military ruler demanding removal of UN envoy

Updated 27 May 2023

May 27, 2023 17:22

Follow @arabnews

Officials: UN chief ‘shocked’ by letter from Sudan’s military ruler demanding removal of UN envoy

“The Secretary-General is shocked by the letter he received this (Friday) morning,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said
According to the official, Burhan accused Perthes of “being partisan,” and that his approach in pre-war talks between the generals and the pro-democracy movement helped inflame the conflict

Updated 27 May 2023

May 27, 2023 17:22

CAIRO: The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “shocked” by a letter from Sudan’s military ruler, demanding the removal of the UN envoy to the country, Sudanese and UN officials said Saturday.
The letter by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, Sudan’s top military official and head of the ruling Sovereign Council, comes as Sudan plunged into further chaos after worsening tensions between military rivals exploded into an open fighting last month.
“The Secretary-General is shocked by the letter he received this (Friday) morning,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General is proud of the work done by (UN envoy) Volker Perthes and reaffirms his full confidence in his Special Representative.”
Dujarric didn’t reveal the contents of the letter. However, a senior military official said Burhan’s letter asked Guterres to replace Perthes who was appointed to the post in 2021.
According to the official, Burhan accused Perthes of “being partisan,” and that his approach in pre-war talks between the generals and the pro-democracy movement helped inflame the conflict. The talks had aimed at restoring the country’s democratic transition which was derailed by a military coup in Oct. 2021.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media.
Perthes declined to comment neither on the letter.
Burhan accused Perthes last year of “exceeding the UN mission’s mandate and of blatant interference in Sudanese affairs.” He threatened to expel him from the country.
The ongoing fighting broke out in mid-April between the military and the powerful Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Both Burhan and Dagalo led the 2021 coup that removed the western-backed government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The fighting centered in the capital of Khartoum, which was turned into a battleground along with its sister city of Omdurman. The clashes also spread elsewhere in the country, including the war-wracked Darfur region.
The conflict has killed hundreds of people, and wounded thousands of others, and pushed the country to near collapse. It forced more than 1.3 million out of their homes to safer areas inside Sudan, or to neighboring nations.
Sexual violence including rape of women and girls, a common practice in Sudan’s wars and political upheavals, were reported in Khartoum and Darfur since the fighting began.
The Combating Violence Against Women Unit, a government-run group, said on Friday it received reports of at least 24 cases of sexual attacks in Khartoum, and 25 other cases in Darfur.
The unit, which tracks violence against women across the country, said most of survivors reported that the attackers were in RSF uniform and in areas in Khartoum controlled by RSF checkpoints.
The RSF didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Both warring parties have agreed on a weeklong cease-fire, brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia. However, the truce, which is scheduled to expire Monday night, did not stop the fighting in parts of Khartoum and elsewhere in the county.
Residents reported sporadic clashes Saturday in parts of Omdurman, where the army’s aircrafts were seen flying over the city. There was also fighting reported in Al-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur.
Burhan’s letter came after the UN envoy accused the warring parties of disregarding the laws of war by attacking homes, shops, places of worship and water and electricity installations.
In his briefing to the UN Security Council earlier this week, Perthes blamed the leaders of the military and the RSF for the war, saying that they have chosen to “settle their unresolved conflict on the battlefield rather than at the table.”

Follow @arabnews

Topics: Sudan Unrest UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan

Yemeni government resumes airlifts from Sudan

Updated 27 May 2023

Saeed Al-Batati

May 27, 2023 20:13

Follow @arabnews

Yemeni government resumes airlifts from Sudan

Crackdown on Bahai community condemned by human rights organization
Thousands of Yemenis, including students, have been stuck in Sudan since April 15, when violence erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Updated 27 May 2023

Saeed Al-Batati

May 27, 2023 20:13

AL-MUKALLA: A Yemenia Airways plane carrying 192 Yemeni evacuees landed at Sanaa airport on Saturday as the Yemeni government resumed emergency flights to evacuate more than 1,200 Yemenis stuck in war-torn Sudan.
The Yemen embassy in Sudan said that the plane carrying 192 people, including 14 newborns, departed Port Sudan at 8:38 a.m., bound for Houthi-held Sanaa. Another plane carrying roughly the same number of people was scheduled to travel to government-controlled Aden later on Saturday.
Thousands of Yemenis, including students, have been stuck in Sudan since April 15, when violence erupted between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The first set of stranded Yemenis were evacuated by the Saudi navy and transferred to Jeddah, where they were provided with free lodging for two nights before being transported to Yemen by bus.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry said that seven Yemenia planes would transport 1,250 stranded Yemenis from Sudan to Yemen between Friday and Monday, adding that 750 Yemenis had already been airlifted from Sudan, while 800 were transported from Port Sudan to Saudi Arabia on Saudi ships. The Yemeni government said it would cover all flight costs and assist citizens in extending their passports, obtaining birth certificates for their children, and having their university and high-school certificates authorized.
Thrilled Yemenis published photos on social media as they exited Port Sudan airport.
“After one month and one day of exhaustion in Port Sudan, we are eventually evacuated from Sudan to Sanaa airport,” Fawzy Jamoom wrote on his Facebook page while boarding the plane to Sanaa on Saturday.
Separately, Yemeni government officials and human rights activists criticized a Houthi attack on a gathering of Bahais — a Yemeni religious minority — in Sanaa on Friday and urged the militia to immediately release them and end their persecution of religious minorities and opponents.
Yemen’s Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani said in a tweet that the Houthis attacked a Bahai sect’s annual gathering in Sanaa, arresting 17 people, including five women, and raiding Bahai homes.
“This heinous crime verifies that the Houthi militia, under Iranian direction, continues its escalation, targeting, and systematic terrorism of religious minorities, particularly the Bahai community, and persecution of its adherents on the basis of their faith,” the minister said.
Since late 2014, he added, the Houthis have arbitrarily abducted Bahais, tortured them, ransacked their homes, seized their offices and other properties, and incited the public against them.
A video that circulated online showed armed and masked Houthis storming a gathering. Women’s screams can be heard in the video.
The Geneva-based SAM Organization for Human Rights and Liberties also condemned the Houthis’ “barbaric and brutal” assault on a group of Bahais, as well as the militia’s other violations of human rights in Sanaa and other areas of Yemen under their control.
“The Houthi group’s daily violations, the most recent of which was the assault on the Bahai community meeting, are merely a microcosm of the deteriorating human rights situation in the areas it controls,” the organization said.

Follow @arabnews

Topics: Sudan Unrest Yemen Yemeni evacuees

Saudi Arabia and US note improved respect for Sudan ceasefire agreement – statement

Saudi Arabia and US note improved respect for Sudan ceasefire agreement – statement

Sudan unrest: Clashes reported in Khartoum on second day of ceasefire

Saudi Arabia, US urge Sudan generals to stick to ceasefire commitments

Erdogan positioned to extend rule in Turkiye runoff election

Erdogan positioned to extend rule in Turkiye runoff election

Turkiye begins work on 240,000 homes to repatriate refugees in northern Syria

Turkiye’s forex reserves turn negative ahead of critical runoff vote

Miseries pile up for West Bank refugees as UNRWA workers’ strike continues

Miseries pile up for West Bank refugees as UNRWA workers’ strike continues

Israeli military: Palestinian man killed after alleged stabbing attempt in West Bank settlement

Protesters strike in Nablus amid outrage over killing of 3 Palestinians in northern West Bank

Iraq unveils $17bn transport project linking Europe and Mideast

Iraq unveils $17bn transport project linking Europe and Mideast

Iraq’s Kurd regional government opposes changes in budget

Turkish strike kills 3 Yazidi militiamen in northern Iraq, local officials say

Officials: UN chief ‘shocked’ by letter from Sudan’s military ruler demanding removal of UN envoy

Officials: UN chief ‘shocked’ by letter from Sudan’s military ruler demanding removal of UN envoy

Truce reduces fighting in Sudan, but little relief for humanitarian crisis

UN backs Sudan envoy as army seeks to bolster ranks

Yemeni government resumes airlifts from Sudan

Yemeni government resumes airlifts from Sudan

UN backs Sudan envoy as army seeks to bolster ranks

Thousands of exhausted South Sudanese head home, fleeing brutal conflict

Latest updates

Saudi climate envoy meets Panama deputy environment minister

Erdogan positioned to extend rule in Turkiye runoff election

Saudi Arabia, US urge Sudan’s warring parties to discuss truce extension

NATO urges Kosovo to de-escalate tension with Serbia

What We Are Reading Today: Fortune’s Bazaar

Recommended

The humanitarian at the helm of Philippine migrant workers’ affairs

Why Henry Kissinger’s career is a masterclass in diplomacy and statecraft

‘We want to participate in the thriving change in Saudi Arabia,’ Czech Republic FM tells Arab News

Search form

Print Edition

Search form

Search form

You are here

Saudi Arabia and US note improved respect for Sudan ceasefire agreement – statement

Saudi Arabia and US note improved respect for Sudan ceasefire agreement – statement

Related

Erdogan positioned to extend rule in Turkiye runoff election

Related

Miseries pile up for West Bank refugees as UNRWA workers’ strike continues

Related

Iraq unveils $17bn transport project linking Europe and Mideast

Related

Officials: UN chief ‘shocked’ by letter from Sudan’s military ruler demanding removal of UN envoy

Related

Yemeni government resumes airlifts from Sudan

Related

Latest updates

Recommended

Search form

Print Edition