Mauritanian President Urges ‘Joint Arab Action’ Against Terrorism

The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 
The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 
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Mauritanian President Urges ‘Joint Arab Action’ Against Terrorism

The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 
The Mauritanian President in front of the permanent delegates to the Arab League. (Mauritanian Presidency) 

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani said Monday before the Arab League in Cairo that the development of the joint Arab action is essential to restore security and stability in the Arab region and defeat terrorism and extremism.

Ghazouani was on a visit to Egypt where he held discussions with his Egyptian counterpart President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

"If we want to restore security and stability in the Arab arena, defeat terrorism and extremism, and lay the foundations for sustainable and comprehensive development, then the Arab League and the development of joint Arab work are essential," the President stressed.

The first step on this path is to end the conflicts in the Arab world, said Ghazouani, adding that his country backs all international and Arab efforts aiming at resolving the current conflicts in Yemen, Syria, Sudan, and Libya, in a way that guarantees these countries’ territories integrity and unity and their people’s right in stability, security, and development.

He noted that the security, environmental, and economic crises affect the Arab countries’ social and economic fabric.

The Mauritanian President showcased his country’s strategy in fighting terrorism and the joint action among the Sahel countries in combating extremism and uprooting poverty.

Commenting on the President’s call to reinforce joint Arab action, Abdel Samad Mubarak, President of the Atlas Center for Development and Strategic Research and Professor at Nouakchott Modern University, said that these calls are essential at a time when there is a deterioration in the joint Arab action.

Mubarak told Asharq Al-Awsat that the President’s speech before the AL came from the Mauritanian tripartite approach to tackle the security and developmental issues.

He added that his speech indicates that he has decided to use his power and Mauritania’s diplomatic and political status for the sake of a joint Arab framework.



Humanitarian Corridors and Pauses Needed in Sudan, US Envoy Says

The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Humanitarian Corridors and Pauses Needed in Sudan, US Envoy Says

The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)
The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, attends a press briefing on the sidelines of Sudan peace talks at the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, August 23, 2024. (Reuters)

More and faster aid deliveries are needed in Sudan, the US special envoy to the war-weary country told Reuters, ideally through the implementation of humanitarian corridors and pauses as discussed with government leaders in a visit on Sunday.

"We are pleased that there has been some progress, but we need to see much more," Tom Perriello said in an interview, following the approval of flights to hunger-striken South Kordofan and the extension of permission to use the Adre border crossing into Darfur by the Sudanese army.

The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a 19-month conflict that has caused acute hunger and disease across the country. Both sides are accused of impeding aid deliveries, the RSF by looting and the army by bureaucratic delays.

Proposals including humanitarian corridors and pauses were shared with Sudanese sovereign council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and others on a trip to Port Sudan on Monday and progress was made, Perriello said.

In October, the sovereign council approved flights into Kadugli to provide assistance to rebel-held regions of South Kordofan state, where people have gone hungry without aid deliveries, through an agreement with the South Sudanese government.

"I think if we can see that same attitude on the ability to get corridors into places like Khartoum, Omdurman, El-Gezira, al-Fasher, Sennar I think we could get a lot of life-saving aid to some of the most desperate Sudanese," he said.

In a speech on Tuesday, however, Burhan cast doubt on the speed of progress.

"Our vision is clear to all those who want to help us. The war must stop first and the rebels must leave the areas they have occupied," he said.

"Once civilian life is back, relief can return and be available to all Sudanese," he added.

US-led efforts to bring the army and RSF to the negotiating table have not succeeded so far.

"We do remain in active lines of communication with RSF leadership on the negotiations around both humanitarian access and peace," Perriello said.