Sudan: Clashes Renew Around Air Base South of Khartoum

The Sudanese army is deployed in the capital, Khartoum (File photo: AFP)
The Sudanese army is deployed in the capital, Khartoum (File photo: AFP)
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Sudan: Clashes Renew Around Air Base South of Khartoum

The Sudanese army is deployed in the capital, Khartoum (File photo: AFP)
The Sudanese army is deployed in the capital, Khartoum (File photo: AFP)

Clashes between Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued on Monday around Jebel Aulia in southern Khartoum.

Eyewitnesses reported violent clashes near the army’s air base and the adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Jebel Aulia Emergency Room said on Facebook that the violent clashes between the army and the RSF on Sunday killed many victims and caused great destruction. It urged citizens to stay indoors and close doors and windows carefully.

On Sunday, army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said in a report that the Rapid Support Forces attempted to attack army forces in Jebel Aulia and were utterly defeated.

Abdullah denied reports that the RSF took control over the air base or even approached its vicinity, stressing that the army forces confronted the enemy, and they retreated, suffering heavy losses.

The RSF announced that they had taken control of the al-Nujoumi Air Base after clashes lasting long hours on Sunday.

The paramilitary showed videos of some of its soldiers inside the base, near helicopters and several tanks.

Clashes also renewed between the two sides in el-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan in the center-west of the country.

Local sources said that the Rapid Support Forces fired heavy artillery shells at the western neighborhoods, and the army responded with similar bombardment.

The sources indicated that shrapnel of fiery projectiles caused injuries among civilians.

For its part, the RSF, led by Lt-Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accused the army intelligence of planning to kill civil leaders in the Ardamata area in West Darfur, saying it carried out forced displacement.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Mission in Sudan recently revealed that it had received reliable resources saying the RSF and affiliated tribal militias committed ethnic violence and crimes.

It indicated that human rights officers are investigating the veracity of these reports.

In its latest report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that Sudan is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history, with civilian displacement continuing within the country and into neighboring countries.

The report stated that more than six million people have been displaced within and outside Sudan since mid-April 2023.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), about 4.9 million people have been displaced inside Sudan and have taken refuge in thousands of locations throughout the country’s 18 states, of whom 33,000 people were newly displaced over the past week.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, welcomed the agreement between the two warring sides on the Statement of Commitments adopted in Jeddah, under the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia, the US, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the African Union (AU).



Hezbollah Shuffles its Cards, Adheres to Weapons Control

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Shuffles its Cards, Adheres to Weapons Control

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem. (Reuters)

The rhetoric of Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief on Saturday reaffirmed the party's commitment to its weapons and contradicted the positive atmospheres prevailing in the country after the election of General Jospeh Aoun as President, and the designation of international judge Nawaf Salam to form the new government.

On Saturday, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, stated that "the resistance in Lebanon will remain resilient against the American-Israeli project, continuing to be strong, ready, and loyal to the blood of the martyrs in its mission to liberate the land and Palestine".

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict parallel to the Gaza war in November. That ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.

Both sides have since accused each other of breaching the ceasefire.

"Don't test our patience and I call on the Lebanese state to deal firmly with these (Israeli) violations that have exceeded 100," Qassem said in a speech delivered during the 13th International Conference titled "Gaza, Symbol of Resistance".

He added saying that the party emerged from the war “with our heads held high”, and that plans to utilize the resistance and its weapons should be discussed within the defense strategy and through dialogue.

He emphasized that "no one will be able to exploit the results of the (Israeli) aggression for internal political gains, as the political process is separate from the status of the resistance".

Qassem's stance comes just days before Israel is set to withdraw from the south, a move that, according to Ghayas Yazbek, a member of the Lebanese Forces bloc, is "dangerous" and will lead to negative consequences for Lebanon. He “is provoking a new Israeli war on Lebanon", he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“Qassem’s remarks about insisting on holding on to weapons and to the separation of Resolution 1701 between the southern and northern parts of the Litani River contradict the ceasefire agreement, mainly that these statements come just days before Israel’s planned withdrawal from the areas it occupied in southern Lebanon on January 27, and on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President. This could trigger a dangerous escalation from Israel”, Yazbek said.

Qassem’s statement is also an attempt to undermine the credibility of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who had conveyed positive vibes regarding the formation of the new government. The President and the Prime Minister-designate had affirmed that no party in Lebanon will be excluded from the upcoming government.

“Qassem’s rhetoric is a severe blow to the new presidency and premiership”, Yazbek stated, describing it as "an act of blackmail” akin to the tactics Hezbollah employed before the war.

The Secretary-General's remarks coincided with the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Beirut and came just hours after the official visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon.

"Naim Qassem's speech raises concerns among friendly and sisterly countries that have pledged to provide full support to the Lebanese state, and it represents a negative message toward President Macron, who spoke on behalf of the international community”, said Yazbek.

The MP added that the rhetoric “reflects narrow, sectarian agenda of the Shiite community, which has once again entangled the country in crises from which it is desperately trying to extricate itself”.

Sami Nader, Director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, downplayed the impact of Qassem’s rhetoric on the positive atmospheres prevailing in Lebanon.

Qassem’s remarks are "an attempt to absorb the setback the party faced, a preemptive move regarding the ministerial statement and its potential participation in the new government, as well as a way to gauge the contents of the ministerial statement and interpret the issue of restricting weapons to the state”, Nader told Asharq Al-Awsat.