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US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit

US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit
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US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit

US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit

US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer will attend the 41st Extraordinary Summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Assembly Heads of State and Government in Sudan and meet with Djiboutian officials.

The US Embassy in Sudan announced that Hammer will support regional and international efforts in Sudan to end the conflict, promote a democratic transition, press for unhindered humanitarian access, and support justice and accountability for victims of the violence.

According to the statement, the Ambassador will participate in the Doha Forum and discuss regional and international efforts with Qatari officials to end the ongoing violence in Sudan and advance stability in the Horn of Africa.

Hammer is also scheduled to visit Ethiopia and intends to meet with African Union (AU) officials to coordinate efforts on Sudan and other regional priorities.

- Gebeyehu-Hammer

IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu met with the US envoy on Friday ahead of the 41st Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly in Djibouti.

They discussed issues of common concern and the partnership contributing to regional development, peace, and security.

The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, will also participate in the summit.

During his visit to Djibouti in November, the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council and the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, agreed with the IGAD secretary to hold an emergency summit to develop a clear road map to end the crisis.

- Salva Kiir - Hamdok

South Sudan Prime Minister Salva Kiir Mayardit met with Sudan’s former premier Abdullah Hamdok in UAE. The meeting discussed peace and stability in Sudan.

South Sudan’s Minister of Presidential Affairs, Joseph Bakosoro, said that the meeting focused on finding a peaceful settlement to the current crisis in Sudan.

- The division of Sudan

In the meantime, the leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Khalid Omar Yousif, warned of the worst scenario that may face the country in light of the ongoing war between Sudan’s National Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since last April.

Yousif said in a political forum on the Clubhouse application that the negotiated political solution is the only way to end the war. Otherwise, the country could face worse scenarios, such as the division of Sudan into failed states and turning the country into a hotbed for terrorist groups.

He asserted that the peaceful, negotiated solution is highly complex and may succeed or fail, pointing out that the continuation of the war will lead to the destruction and collapse of Sudan.

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Arab World

UN Experts Urge Israel to Protect West Bank Olive Farmers

Palestinian volunteers douse an olive tree set on fire by Israeli settlers, near the village of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 16, 2026. Ahmad Gharabli, AFP
Palestinian volunteers douse an olive tree set on fire by Israeli settlers, near the village of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 16, 2026. Ahmad Gharabli, AFP
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UN Experts Urge Israel to Protect West Bank Olive Farmers

Palestinian volunteers douse an olive tree set on fire by Israeli settlers, near the village of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 16, 2026. Ahmad Gharabli, AFP
Palestinian volunteers douse an olive tree set on fire by Israeli settlers, near the village of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on October 16, 2026. Ahmad Gharabli, AFP

UN rights experts on Monday called on Israel to protect Palestinian farmers in the West Bank as settler attacks worsen with the annual olive harvest.

"Palestinian farmers must be protected and able to access their land safely. Yet, year after year, the violence, destruction and restrictions intensify," the experts said in a statement.

"The olive harvest should be a time when farmers can enjoy, in safety and dignity, the food and livelihoods their nature and land provide, not another season of fear, loss, violence and destruction."

The experts urged Israel to ensure that its forces protect Palestinian farmers from settler attacks and refrain from interference with their access to land. They also urged the international community to "exercise maximum pressure to protect Palestinian civilians", reported AFP.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. About 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, alongside three million Palestinians.

Violence is surging in the territory ahead of Israel's bitterly fought October 27 elections. The vote coincides with Palestinians' annual olive harvest which has been repeatedly disrupted by Israeli settlers as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to shore up his pro-settlement right-wing base.

According to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, 178 settler attacks related to the 2025 olive harvest were recorded in the West Bank, affecting 88 Palestinian communities.

More than 6,000 trees and saplings were "vandalised", it said -- nearly double the number in 2024 and the highest figure in six years.

"The olive harvest is an essential source of food, income and livelihood for thousands of Palestinian families," the UN experts said.

"Olive trees take years to mature and can sustain families for generations. Their destruction deprives families of far more than a single harvest: it undermines local food systems, cultural practices and ways of life, as well as the right to food and the food sovereignty of Palestinian communities."

The seven signatories to the statement include Sofia Monsalve Suarez, special rapporteur on the right to food; and Francesca Albanese, special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council. They do not speak for the United Nations itself.

Arab World

UK Urges Firms Not to Take Part in E1 Settlement Tender or Risk Sanctions

Israeli settlers (foreground) harvesting olives confront a Palestinian family outside the settlement of Alei Zahav, near the Palestinian town of Kafr al-Dik in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 13, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli settlers (foreground) harvesting olives confront a Palestinian family outside the settlement of Alei Zahav, near the Palestinian town of Kafr al-Dik in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 13, 2026. (AFP)
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UK Urges Firms Not to Take Part in E1 Settlement Tender or Risk Sanctions

Israeli settlers (foreground) harvesting olives confront a Palestinian family outside the settlement of Alei Zahav, near the Palestinian town of Kafr al-Dik in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 13, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli settlers (foreground) harvesting olives confront a Palestinian family outside the settlement of Alei Zahav, near the Palestinian town of Kafr al-Dik in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 13, 2026. (AFP)

British foreign minister Ed Miliband on Monday urged companies and individuals not to proceed with bids for the E1 West Bank settlement project on Monday, warning those involved in the ‌construction of ‌illegal settlements could face ‌sanctions.

"We ⁠urge businesses and ⁠individuals not to proceed with bids for E1 construction tenders," Miliband said in a statement. "They should be ⁠aware of legal ‌and ‌reputational consequences, including the risk ‌of involving themselves in ‌serious breaches of international law."

The E1 project would bisect the Israeli-occupied West Bank and ‌cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting ⁠the ⁠land Palestinians hope will form the heart of a state.

Many Western states and campaign groups have opposed the project over concerns that it could undermine a future peace deal with the Palestinians.

Arab World

Syrian State Media: Armed Groups Ban UN Delegation from Entering Sweida

Members of the National Guard affiliated with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri in Sweida (File photo: Sweida 24). 
Members of the National Guard affiliated with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri in Sweida (File photo: Sweida 24). 
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Syrian State Media: Armed Groups Ban UN Delegation from Entering Sweida

Members of the National Guard affiliated with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri in Sweida (File photo: Sweida 24). 
Members of the National Guard affiliated with Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri in Sweida (File photo: Sweida 24). 

Groups described by Syrian state media as operating outside the law prevented a joint UN humanitarian delegation from entering the southern Syrian city of Sweida on Sunday, citing a lack of coordination with them, according to Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya television channel.

The delegation included representatives of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and international organizations. Its visit had been coordinated with the Sweida branch of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, whose team was expected to accompany the delegation on field visits to Sweida city, Shahba and the village of Ara.

Al-Ikhbariya reported that the groups stopped the delegation at the Umm al-Zeitoun checkpoint for two to three hours before informing its members that entry was prohibited.

The delegation had earlier passed through the Al-Matouna checkpoint, operated by the Sweida Security Directorate.

The broadcaster also recalled that groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri had blocked commercial trucks carrying essential goods and fuel from entering Sweida province on September 10.

According to Al-Ikhbariya’s correspondent at the time, the restrictions on commercial convoys coincided with the groups preventing approximately 12,000 students from reaching examination centers to sit special make-up exams for students in Sweida.