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Thousands Rally in Sudan on Anniversary of April 6 Revolution

Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi addresses his supporters in Khartoum, Sudan December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi addresses his supporters in Khartoum, Sudan December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
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Thousands Rally in Sudan on Anniversary of April 6 Revolution

Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi addresses his supporters in Khartoum, Sudan December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi addresses his supporters in Khartoum, Sudan December 19, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Thousands of people were marching towards Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's residence and the defense ministry in central Khartoum on Saturday, witnesses said, part of anti-government protests that began in December.

They said security forces were using tear gas to try to disperse the demonstrators, who had converged on the compound from three directions.

Earlier, Head of the National Umma Party (NUP) Sadiq al-Mahdi called on Bashir to end the state of emergency and resign, urging his followers to participate in the rallies on the occasion of the 6 April 1985 uprising that ousted Jafar Numari.

Mahdi called for setting up a 25-member council to govern Sudan. "I call on all our people to participate in widespread rallies tomorrow, on April 6, to meet the call of their homeland," Mahdi told worshippers during the weekly Muslim prayers at a mosque in Omdurman, according to a statement issued by his party.

"I call on President Bashir to resign, dissolve all constitutional institutions and form a council of 25 people to govern the country," he added, stressing that the protests are peaceful and that the dream is stronger than weapons.

Worshippers then staged a small demonstration outside the mosque but were quickly dispersed by police who fired teargas.

Bashir called off a speech that the press was invited for a few hours before Saturday protests. Presidential Affairs Minister Fadl Abdullah Fadl denied that the president had such an intention.

Sudanese Professionals Association, spearheading protests with the Freedom and the Change Coalition, said in a joint statement on Friday that rallies will kick off from Kosti, Rabak, El-Obeid, Zalingei, Singa, al-Manaqil, Al-Fashir, Atbara, and others.

The rallies concurring with April’s anniversary are considered the biggest coordinative work between the Sudanese Professionals Association and the Freedom and the Change Coalition since the protests emerged on Dec. 19, 2018.

The veteran leader has remained defiant however, imposing emergency rule and other tough measures that have seen protesters, opposition leaders, and activists arrested.

Officials say 31 people have died in protest-related violence so far, but Human Rights Watch has put the death toll at 51, including children and medics.

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Arab World

Israeli Strikes Kill Five in Gaza, Say Local Health Authorities

Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Strikes Kill Five in Gaza, Say Local Health Authorities

Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)

Two Israeli airstrikes killed five people, including a 16-year-old, in Deir al-Balah on Thursday, said local health authorities.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the attacks, which were in areas outside the control of Israeli forces in the strip.

More than 400 Palestinians ‌and three Israeli ‌soldiers have been reported ‌killed ⁠since a ‌fragile ceasefire took effect in October.

Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain. Nearly all of the territory's more than 2 million people now live in ⁠makeshift homes or damaged buildings in a sliver of ‌territory where Israeli troops have withdrawn ‍and Hamas has ‍reasserted control.

The United Nations children agency ‍said on Tuesday that over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.

Israel and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire and remain far apart ⁠from each other on key issues, despite the United States announcing the second phase of the ceasefire on Wednesday.

Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by Hamas-led fighters on October, 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's assault has killed 71,000 people, according to health authorities in the strip, ‌and left much of Gaza in ruins.

Arab World

Türkiye Says Syrian Government Could Use Force Against Kurds

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Türkiye Says Syrian Government Could Use Force Against Kurds

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)

The Syrian government army could use further force against Kurdish militants after a flare-up in violence in northern Syria, the foreign minister of neighboring Türkiye, a strong backer of the Syrian authorities, said on Thursday.

More than 150,000 people have fled from two Kurdish-run pockets of Syria's northern city of Aleppo during five days of fighting between government forces and ‌Kurdish fighters. ‌Syria's health ministry says at least 23 ‌people ⁠have died.

Türkiye has itself threatened a potential military operation against the Syrian Kurdish groups it calls terrorists.

It says the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) must integrate into the central government under a nearly year-old agreement that has stalled.

"I hope it doesn't come to ⁠that point ... but when problems are not solved through dialogue, unfortunately, I see from ‌here that the use of force is ‍also an option for the ‍Syrian government," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference in ‍Istanbul.

The violence in Aleppo has deepened one of the main faultlines in Syria, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa's promise to unify the country under one leadership after 14 years of war has faced resistance from Kurdish forces wary of his government.

Syria's military has declared a handful of Kurdish-held towns in the north as a "military zone" ⁠and said all non-state factions stationed there should leave the area.

On Wednesday and Thursday, it dispatched fighters and military equipment to the zone and opened a humanitarian corridor for people to flee.

Fidan said that the SDF must show good intentions and break out of a cycle of violence. Türkiye says the SDF is aligned with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party militant group, which is involved in a peace process with Ankara.

Fidan added that the peace process with the PKK should not become a missed opportunity, and Ankara hopes it ‌will continue.

Arab World

Sudan Food Aid Could Run Out as Peace Efforts Stall

According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)
According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)
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Sudan Food Aid Could Run Out as Peace Efforts Stall

According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)
According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)

Food aid in Sudan is set to run out by the end of March unless new funding is secured, the United Nations said Thursday, raising fears for millions caught up in the world's largest hunger crisis.

Nearly three years of fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have left tens of thousands dead, 11 million displaced and repeated attempts at peace blocked.

Efforts led by the US and regional mediators -- Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, known as the Quad -- have failed to secure a ceasefire, as both sides wrestle for territorial gain.

A high-level meeting on Wednesday in Cairo brought together officials from the Quad countries, as well as the UN, European Union and regional organizations to discuss peace efforts, which have seen little progress.

"By the end of March, we will have depleted our food stocks in Sudan," said Ross Smith, the World Food Program's Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

"Without immediate additional funding, millions of people will be left without vital food assistance within weeks."

According to the UN, more than 21 million people -- almost half of Sudan's population -- are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance.

The UN's children agency UNICEF said last week that millions of children have been pushed "to the brink of survival" and humanitarian aid remains "far from sufficient" amid funding shortfalls and ongoing hostilities.

- 'Absolute minimum' -

In December, outgoing UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said a wave of "drastic, irresponsible" aid cuts inflicted unnecessary suffering on those in need.

Smith said WFP has been forced to cut rations to the "absolute minimum for survival" and warned that previous "hard-earned gains" in hard-to-reach areas risk being reversed.

WFP says it urgently needs $700 million to continue its operations through June.

A UN-backed assessment confirmed last year that famine had taken hold in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which was overrun by the paramilitary forces in October.

On Wednesday, US senior advisor for Arab and African affairs Massad Boulos said the UN delivered more than 1.3 metric tons of humanitarian supplies to el-Fasher, the first such delivery since the city was besieged in May 2024.

But aid agencies warn that a deteriorating security situation across Darfur continues to jeopardize the delivery of desperately needed assistance.

Famine has also been confirmed in Kadugli, in neighboring Kordofan, now a key battleground in the conflict.

In Dilling, around 130 kilometers (80 miles) north, the UN says civilians are likely experiencing famine conditions, though insecurity has prevented formal declaration.

The UN warned that 20 more areas across Darfur and Kordofan are at risk.

- Renewed peace talks -

In November, US President Donald Trump pledged to help end the conflict, but his promise has yet to materialize.

In Egypt, the UN Secretary General's Sudan envoy Ramtane Lamamra met Wednesday with Boulos and other diplomats as part of the fifth meeting of the Consultative Mechanism to Enhance and Coordinate Peace Efforts.

Lamamra called it "a key and timely opportunity for international actors to align efforts and renew collective engagement", but a diplomatic source told AFP there are no new truce proposals currently on the table.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday that there was a consensus on a humanitarian truce and the rejection of "foreign interference".

But he also emphasized what he described as Egypt's "red lines" and readiness to defend its southern neighbor's territorial integrity.