Sudan Looks Forward to Resumption of Jeddah Negotiations

Smoke columns rise as a fire engulfs a gas warehouse near the Yarmouk factory, south of Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP)
Smoke columns rise as a fire engulfs a gas warehouse near the Yarmouk factory, south of Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP)
TT

Sudan Looks Forward to Resumption of Jeddah Negotiations

Smoke columns rise as a fire engulfs a gas warehouse near the Yarmouk factory, south of Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP)
Smoke columns rise as a fire engulfs a gas warehouse near the Yarmouk factory, south of Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP)

The Sudanese people are eagerly awaiting the announcement of a new date for the resumption of negotiations in the Saudi city of Jeddah, hoping to bring an end to the raging war that has been ongoing since mid-April between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Sources confirmed that the army delegation has returned to Jeddah, ready to begin a new round of talks that had been suspended for weeks due to the failure of the warring parties to abide by a number of ceasefires mediated by Saudi Arabia and the US.

As the war enters its fourth month without either side being able to decisively win the battle, calls have instensified in Sudan and by regional and international powers for the need to hold negotiation to end the war.

The UN has warned that the conflict is escalating and transforming into a civil war that may surpass Sudan’s borders and threaten the security of the entire region.

In a statement, Saudi Arabia and the US underlined their commitment to ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the army, emphasized the importance of the Jeddah platform, expressing gratitude to the Saudi and US governments for facilitating the negotiations.

Leader of the RSF, Mohammed Dagalo, known as “Hemedti,” announced the formation of a communication committee with political forces and armed movements to reach a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in the country.

Meanwhile, the fifth Coordination Summit of the African Union, which began on Sunday in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, witnessed extensive discussions on the ongoing crisis in Sudan.



Yemen’s Houthis Move Weapons to Saada to Avoid More US Attacks

A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
TT

Yemen’s Houthis Move Weapons to Saada to Avoid More US Attacks

A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)
A protester carries a mock rocket during a rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people, at Sanaa University, in Sanaa, Yemen, 15 January 2025. (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias have moved large amounts of their weapons to their main stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen to protect them against US strikes that have intensified on the Amran province in a bid to destroy the militias’ underground arms caches.

Informed Yemeni sources said the Houthis have moved rockets and drones from Amran to Saada in the north, fearing they may be targeted by US strikes.

Western strikes have already destroyed several arms depots.

The US conducted its latest strikes against Houthi positions on Friday, targeting the Harf Sufyan district in northern Amran bordering Saada.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi “weapons engineers and military maintenance” personnel moved sophisticated rockets and drones and other types of weapons to fortified caches throughout Saada.

The process was carried out in utmost secrecy and in stages to avoid detection, they added.

In Amran, the Houthis carried out a series of kidnappings against the local population, even its own supporters, on suspicion the people were collaborating with the US and Israel.

The US has carried out dozens of attacks on military positions in Harf Sufyan, destroying facilities that have been used to launch attacks against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Harf Sufyan is considered the Houthis’ second major stronghold after Saada given its large area that spans around 2,700 square kms. It also borders four other provinces: Hajjah, al-Jawf, Saada and Sanaa.

Moreover, sources in Amran told Asharq Al-Awsat that Harf Sufyan is a major recruitment center for the Houthis, including the forced recruitment of Yemenis.

They revealed that the US strikes in the area dealt the Houthis heavy blows because they directly targeted their military positions, including a drone factory.

The sources suspected that the Americans intensified their strikes on Harf Sufyan after receiving intelligence information that the Houthis had dug tunnels and underground facilities there to hold meetings and recruit new members.