Egypt Calls on 'Sudan’s Neighbors' to Take 'Immediate' Measures to Solve Crisis

Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
TT

Egypt Calls on 'Sudan’s Neighbors' to Take 'Immediate' Measures to Solve Crisis

Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Meeting of the Ministerial Mechanism of Sudan’s Neighboring Countries (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on Sudan’s neighboring countries to put forward “immediate measures” to respond to the “crippling humanitarian crisis” in Sudan.

During the first meeting of the ministerial mechanism of Sudan’s neighboring countries, which was held on Monday in N'Djamena, Shoukry briefed the participants on the situation in the country, pointing to the “complete ambiguity in the course of the political process.”

He also stressed “the importance of concerted efforts to convince the two parties to the conflict of the need for an immediate end to the fighting.”

The Sudan’s Neighboring Countries Summit was held last month in Cairo, to discuss a solution to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The summit was attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, Chad, Central Africa, Eritrea, Libya and South Sudan, in addition to the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

The participants agreed to form a mechanism at the level of foreign ministers, to meet for the first time in Chad.

In a speech during Monday’s meeting, Shoukry stressed that the initiative of Sudan’s neighboring states was evidence of the “serious political will to help the country overcome its crisis and put an end to the devastating war.”

The Egyptian diplomat underlined the need to strengthen the resilience of the displaced communities in neighboring states, calling at the same time the donor community to support the capabilities of host countries to provide the required rapid response to the Sudanese people.

According to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighboring countries discussed the Sudanese crisis, with all its security, political and humanitarian dimensions, its effects on the people and its regional and international repercussions, with the aim to put forward practical proposals to reach solutions that would put an end to the crisis, and preserve the unity and territorial integrity of Sudan.



Ex-Tunisian Minister Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Ex-Tunisian Minister Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Criminal Chamber specialized in financial corruption cases at the Court of First Instance of Tunis, sentenced on Friday former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher to three years in prison, the Tunisian official news agency, TAP, reported.
The ruling is part of a corruption case related to breaches in a transaction carried out by the former minister for the purchase of several vehicles.
Investigation showed that the tender conditions were allegedly manipulated in favor of one particulate supplier.
In addition to Mouakher, the Chamber condemned a civil protection executive, seconded to the Environment Ministry, to two years in prison.
The two defendants are found guilty of abusing their functions to obtain an undue advantage, and therefore causing harm to the administration and contravening the regulations in force.
On Thursday, the Criminal Chamber specialized in corruption cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced a security officer to three years in prison and four others to four years in prison on charges of abusing their functions to obtain an undue advantage and harm others.
The five security officers had formed a group for the purpose of attacking property and exploiting a public employee.
According to documents related to the case, surveillance activities revealed that the five defendants, who work at a central department, were involved in seizing private funds, giving night jobs to some department agents, and transferring the profits to their personal accounts.
Their case was first examined by the Financial Chamber, which decided to sentence the five security guards to prison.
The case was later referred to the Criminal Chamber that examines financial corruption cases. The chamber had earlier kept the five defendants at liberty, before issuing late on Thursday the prison sentences.