Hemedti: We Want Establishment of a Unified Professional Sudanese Army

Smoke billows in the distance north of the Khartoum Bahri district on July 17, 2023, as fighting continues in war-torn Sudan. (AFP)
Smoke billows in the distance north of the Khartoum Bahri district on July 17, 2023, as fighting continues in war-torn Sudan. (AFP)
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Hemedti: We Want Establishment of a Unified Professional Sudanese Army

Smoke billows in the distance north of the Khartoum Bahri district on July 17, 2023, as fighting continues in war-torn Sudan. (AFP)
Smoke billows in the distance north of the Khartoum Bahri district on July 17, 2023, as fighting continues in war-torn Sudan. (AFP)

Commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday the war in his country, which erupted in mid-April, has compounded the suffering of the people, mainly in Khartoum and Darfur.

“We are working hard at home and abroad to mitigate it as much as possible,” said General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, in an audio statement.

“Our commitment to the principles of the glorious revolution and the establishment of democratic civil rule and the building of a new military institution and one professional army is not a tactic or a maneuver,” he stressed.

“Peace and stability in Sudan have always been and still are our choice... Yet, we are prepared for war and ready to sacrifice ourselves to ensure a decent life for our people,” he declared.

Moreover, he stated that there can be no going back to the era of extremism, terrorism and hostility with Sudan’s regional and international surroundings that led to the country’s isolation and ensuing political and economic blockade against it.

Separately, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received on Monday a phone call from his Norwegian counterpart Anniken Huitfeldt to discuss the latest developments in Sudan.

The officials stressed their countries’ determination to strengthen bilateral relations in various fields, said Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesperson of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Huitfeldt praised Egypt's initiative to hold a summit for Sudan’s neighbors last week that was aimed at finding ways to resolve the conflict.

For his part, Shoukry highlighted Egypt’s efforts to reach a ceasefire in Sudan since the eruption of the crisis.

The gatherers at the summit had underscored respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs.

They stressed the importance of reaching a political solution to end the fighting.



France Highlights Its Role in Brokering Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

 Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
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France Highlights Its Role in Brokering Lebanon Ceasefire Deal

 Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)
Lebanese soldiers ride in a convoy in Mansouri, as they head to southern Lebanon, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP)

France’s foreign minister underlined his country’s role in brokering an agreement that ended fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group alongside the US, saying the deal wouldn’t have been possible without France’s special relationship with its former protectorate.

“It’s a success for French diplomacy and we can be proud,” said the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking hours after the ceasefire went into effect Wednesday.

“It is true that the United States have a privileged relationship with Israel. But with Lebanon, it’s France that has very old ties, very close ties,” the minister added. “It would not have been possible to envisage a ceasefire in Lebanon without France being involved on the front line.”

France will be involved in monitoring the ceasefire, Barrot noted, with 700 French soldiers deployed as part of the 10,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, that has been patrolling the border area between Lebanon and Israel for nearly 50 years.

The minister said France will also work to strengthen Lebanese troops that will deploy in the south of the country as part of the ceasefire, although he didn’t specify what that might include.