Sudanese Army, Rapid Support Forces Representatives Meet in Addis Ababa

Smoke rises above buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum (Reuters)
Smoke rises above buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum (Reuters)
TT

Sudanese Army, Rapid Support Forces Representatives Meet in Addis Ababa

Smoke rises above buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum (Reuters)
Smoke rises above buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum (Reuters)

The director of the Sudanese General Intelligence Service, Lt-Gen Ibrahim Mufaddal, and the legal advisor to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohammad al-Mokhtar, have met in Addis Ababa and discussed the ongoing war in Sudan, according to several sources.

The sources reported that the two officials held serious talks about the local developments and the impact of the ongoing war, which could threaten the security and safety of the entire country.

They stated that Mufaddal informed Mokhtar that the army leaders want to open channels of communication with the RSF, aiming to end the war that has been raging since mid-April.

Press sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Sudanese intelligence director visited the Ethiopian capital last week on a secret visit and then headed to Cairo, which coincided with the RSF advisor’s visit to Addis Ababa.

Asharq Al-Awsat interviewed Mokhtar over the phone, but he refused to provide any information about his recent trip to the Ethiopian capital and whether he had met the RSF official.

The sources said several military officials are displeased with the interference and influence of the former regime’s Islamist leaders in decisions within the army, especially their rejection to end the war.



Syria's Foreign Minister Calls for Lifting of Sanctions

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani attends a meeting on Syria, following the recent ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani attends a meeting on Syria, following the recent ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
TT

Syria's Foreign Minister Calls for Lifting of Sanctions

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani attends a meeting on Syria, following the recent ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani attends a meeting on Syria, following the recent ousting of president Bashar al-Assad, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Syria’s new foreign minister has called for a lifting of sanctions that were imposed on his country during former President Bashar Assad’s rule.
In an interview with Turkish state broadcaster TRT that aired Thursday, Asaad al-Shibani also said Syria’s new leadership wanted to “open a new page” in its diplomatic relations with countries that had cut diplomatic ties with Damascus during the Syrian civil war.
“The economic sanctions are one of the problems that the old regime left us,” al-Shibani said in the interview, which aired a day after he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish officials in Ankara. “We are saying that there is no longer any need for them. The old regime is gone.”
“These sanctions must be lifted in order for people to live in better economic conditions and for security and economic stability to be achieved,” he added.