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RSF Seize Fourth Sudanese Army Division in Darfur

A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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RSF Seize Fourth Sudanese Army Division in Darfur

A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A snapshot from a video broadcasted by the RSF depicting their forces at the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division in El Daein, Darfur (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan announced on Tuesday their successful takeover of the 20th Infantry Division, a unit belonging to the Sudanese Army that is located outside the city of El Daein in the state of Darfur.
This marks the fourth military division which has been subdued by the RSF in the western part of the country.
“We assure the people of East Darfur and all of Sudan that El Daein will remain secure under the protection of our brave forces, following the expulsion of the forces loyal to Al-Burhan,” the RSF said in a statement released on “X.”
El-Daein had witnessed intense clashes on Monday between the Sudanese Army and the RSF, following days of tension between the two parties.
However, media reports quoted witnesses confirming that the army forces withdrew from the 20th Infantry Division in accordance with an agreement with tribal leaders in East Darfur.
This withdrawal was aimed at safeguarding the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians who had fled the region’s cities after the RSF insisted on attacking the division.
The RSF announced that their forces “achieved a new victory in their continuous string of triumphs by liberating the 20th Infantry Division in the city of El Daein in East Darfur.”
There has been no official comment from the army amid circulating reports about the withdrawal of its forces from the military standoff.
Unexpectedly, a sudden outbreak of fighting erupted between the Sudanese Army and the RSF in mid-April, following weeks of escalating tensions between the two factions.
This conflict unfolded at a time when military and civilian entities were finalizing the details of an internationally-supported political process.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.