UN: Half of Sudan's Population Needs Urgent Humanitarian Assistance

Displaced people who fled the conflict in the Darfur region inside the Adre temporary camp in Chad (Reuters)
Displaced people who fled the conflict in the Darfur region inside the Adre temporary camp in Chad (Reuters)
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UN: Half of Sudan's Population Needs Urgent Humanitarian Assistance

Displaced people who fled the conflict in the Darfur region inside the Adre temporary camp in Chad (Reuters)
Displaced people who fled the conflict in the Darfur region inside the Adre temporary camp in Chad (Reuters)

The UN said that about half of the population of Sudan, about 20 million people, are in need of urgent humanitarian aid.

The UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) confirmed in a press circular on its Facebook page that the number of internally and externally displaced persons due to the conflict has risen to 3.3 million.

The ongoing battles between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces hinder the arrival of humanitarian aid to thousands of civilians stranded in conflict areas in Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan.

The two warring parties did not abide by the Declaration of Principles and the truce and cease-fire agreements signed in Jeddah with Saudi-US mediation, which include humanitarian arrangements for delivering aid and protecting civilians and aid workers.

Thousands of Sudanese suffer from catastrophic humanitarian conditions, and over half of the hospitals and medical facilities are out of order in Khartoum following the attacks and clashes.

On Thursday, 16 people were killed and dozens of civilians injured in a drone attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the families of the victims, who described the incident as a "horrific massacre."

Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that the massacre occurred after citizens gathered to celebrate and salute the army forces after clashes with RSF in the al-Azouzab suburb in Khartoum. They reported that a drone targeted the gathering, and the number of victims is expected to increase.

The Sudanese army stated that the RSF targeted citizens who gathered to greet the forces, killing 14 civilians and wounding 15 civilians.

- Clashes in Khartoum

Khartoum, Omdurman, and Bahri witnessed many bloody clashes, resulting in the killing and wounding of hundreds of citizens due to the exchanged bombardment and artillery shelling between the two warring parties.

On Thursday, air strikes, street battles, and artillery fire shook the major southern city of el-Obeid, witnesses told AFP.

A resident of El-Obeid told the agency that artillery shelling targeted paramilitary bases of the Rapid Support Forces. Army jets were striking paramilitaries responding with anti-aircraft fire, said another El-Obeid resident.

Since its outbreak on April 15, the war between the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, the RSF commander, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, killed at least 3,000 people and displaced over 3.3 million.

Burhan appeared Tuesday in rare video footage shortly after an audio recording of Daglo was released.

In the video clip, Burhan is seen in the army headquarters as he greets the army top brass.

The headquarters of the army's general command in central Khartoum is still witnessing clashes, and Al-Burhan has stayed in this headquarters since the start of the war.

Neither side has confirmed complete control of the headquarters yet.

Daglo was last seen in a short video clip the paramilitaries shot in the early days of the conflict. Since then, he has only released audio recordings, and it is widely rumored that he was killed or even injured in the battles.

Meanwhile, relief organizations and other international groups confirmed the occurrence of atrocities in Darfur, including sexual violence.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened a new probe into alleged war crimes in Darfur, its chief prosecutor Karim Khan said last week.

He warned against "allowing history to repeat itself" in Darfur, where 300,000 people were killed in a conflict in 2003.



Trump Says He Will Ease Sanctions on Syria, Moves to Restore Relations with New Leader

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Says He Will Ease Sanctions on Syria, Moves to Restore Relations with New Leader

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 07 May 2025. (EPA)

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will move to normalize relations and lift sanctions on Syria's new government to give the country “a chance at peace."

Trump was set to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who last year led the overthrow of former leader Bashar Assad. He said the effort at rapprochement came at the urging of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed,” Trump said of Syria, adding, “I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

The developments were a major boost for the Syrian president who at one point was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 US-led invasion of the country.  

Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by opposition groups led by his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or HTS that stormed Damascus ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family.

The US has been weighing how to handle Sharaa since he took power in December.  

Then-President Joe Biden left the decision to Trump, whose administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad also remain in place.

“The President agreed to say hello to the Syrian President while in Saudi Arabia tomorrow,” the White House said before Trump's remarks.

The comments marked a striking change in tone from Trump, who had until now been deeply skeptical of Sharaa.

Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Sharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaeda insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.

Sharaa, whom the US once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al-Qaeda, came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011 where he led al-Qaeda’s branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and cut links with al-Qaeda.

Sharaa is set to become the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since the late Hafez al-Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.