Burhan’s Deputy in Moscow to Ask for Help in Ending the War

People flee as smoke billows on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday in Wad Hamid, about 100 kilometers north of Sudan's capital, on June 28, 2023. (AFP)
People flee as smoke billows on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday in Wad Hamid, about 100 kilometers north of Sudan's capital, on June 28, 2023. (AFP)
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Burhan’s Deputy in Moscow to Ask for Help in Ending the War

People flee as smoke billows on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday in Wad Hamid, about 100 kilometers north of Sudan's capital, on June 28, 2023. (AFP)
People flee as smoke billows on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday in Wad Hamid, about 100 kilometers north of Sudan's capital, on June 28, 2023. (AFP)

Deputy head of the Sudanese transitional council Malek Akar was in Moscow to ask for help to end the war in his country.

He met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

Akar explained to the minister the root of the problem in Sudan, reported Russia’s Sputnik news agency.

They also discussed bilateral relations between their countries.

Lavrov said he hopes Russia would be able to use its connections with all concerned parties to resolve the conflict in Sudan.

Akar revealed that head of the transitional council, army commander Abdul Fattah al-Burhan will attend the Russian-African summit that will be hosted by St. Petersburg in late July.

War erupted between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in mid-April. It has caused a major humanitarian crisis and displaced nearly 2.8 million people, of which almost 650,000 have fled to neighboring countries.

The three cities that make up the wider capital around the confluence of the River Nile - Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman - have seen more than 10 weeks of heavy clashes and looting, while the conflict has triggered a resurgence of ethnically motivated killings in the western region of Darfur.

Multiple ceasefire deals have failed to stick, including several brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States at talks in Jeddah that were suspended last week.



More than 14 Syrian Police Killed in Ambush as Unrest Spreads

Soldiers stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous earlier this month (AFP)
Soldiers stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous earlier this month (AFP)
TT

More than 14 Syrian Police Killed in Ambush as Unrest Spreads

Soldiers stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous earlier this month (AFP)
Soldiers stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartous earlier this month (AFP)

More than 14 members of the Syrian police were killed in an "ambush" by forces loyal to the ousted government in the Tartous countryside, the transitional administration said early on Thursday, as demonstrations and an overnight curfew elsewhere marked the most widespread unrest since Bashar al-Assad's removal more than two weeks ago.

Syria's new interior minister said on Telegram that 10 police members were also wounded by what he called "remnants" of the Assad government in Tartous, vowing to crack down on "anyone who dares to undermine Syria's security or endanger the lives of its citizens."

Earlier, Syrian police imposed an overnight curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported, after unrest there linked to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shi’ite Muslim religious communities.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the demands of the demonstrators nor the degree of disturbance that took place.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to pressure and violence in recent days aimed at members of the Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to Assad, who was toppled by opposition factions on Dec. 8.

Spokespeople for Syria’s new ruling administration led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, a former al Qaeda affiliate, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the curfew.

State media said the curfew was being imposed for one night, from 6 pm local time (1500 GMT) until 8 am on Thursday morning.

The country's new leaders have repeatedly vowed to protect minority religious groups, who fear the former rebels now in control could seek to impose a conservative form of Islamist government.

Small demonstrations also took place in other areas on or near Syria’s coast, where most of the country’s Alawite minority live, including in Tartous.

The demonstrations took place around the time an undated video was circulated on social networks showing a fire inside an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo, with armed men walking around inside and posing near human bodies.

The interior ministry said on its official Telegram account the video dated back to the rebel offensive on Aleppo in late November and the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding whoever was circulating the video now appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.

The ministry also said some members of the former regime had attacked interior ministry forces in Syria’s coastal area on Wednesday, leaving a number of dead and wounded.