Darfur Governor Warns of Sudan War Getting Out Control

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Darfur Governor Warns of Sudan War Getting Out Control

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minnawi, said the war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was the “largest explosion” in the country’s history, warning of the possibility of the situation getting out of the control of the two sides.

During a press conference in Addis Ababa, Minnawi stressed that he maintained contact with both the Army and the RSF, pointing to his phone call with RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) on Tuesday.

The head of the Darfur Regional Government expressed fears about the future of the conflict, saying: “We do not know whether Sudan will remain one country, or whether it will be divided into states, emirates, or cantons.”

He continued: “We are all seeking to reach a single future for Sudan, because the conflict can slide in directions that may get out the control of the warring parties.”

Minnawi urged the civil political parties and figures with influence to unify ranks for the sake of the country’s unity and sovereignty.

He also called for an inclusive national dialogue to establish permanent solutions to the country’s problems.

Describing the situation in the Darfur region as “dire,” the governor said: “There is no state. The four regions are in the grip of the Rapid Support Forces, and the army is absent, which made the camps for the displaced safer than the cities.”

He added: “There are about four million displaced people, and the capital, El Fasher, has turned into a large displacement camp.”

Minnawi held the RSF primarily responsible for the violations committed during the war, but stressed that the army was also blamed for bombing with artillery and planes.

He confirmed that the authorities were avoiding a clash in Darfur, and calling on both sides to implement a ceasefire. But he warned: “If citizens are attacked, we will not remain neutral, and we hope such attacks will not occur.”



Cyprus Leader Becomes First Foreign Dignitary to Visit Lebanon’s New President

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) meets with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (L), at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, 10 January 2025. (EPA)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) meets with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (L), at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, 10 January 2025. (EPA)
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Cyprus Leader Becomes First Foreign Dignitary to Visit Lebanon’s New President

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) meets with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (L), at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, 10 January 2025. (EPA)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) meets with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (L), at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, 10 January 2025. (EPA)

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has become the foreign head of state and first foreign dignitary to pay an official visit to Lebanon's new President Joseph Aoun.

Aoun, the former commander of the Lebanese army, was elected Thursday by the Lebanese parliament to fill a more than two-year vacuum in the presidency.

“I wanted to be the first to visit President Aoun and show, not in words but in actions that Cyprus stands by Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” Christodoulides told reporters afterward.

They discussed energy, security, trade and shipping, his office said in a written statement.

Cyprus and Lebanon have had close relations for decades. In recent years the two countries have been involved in intense discussions over border control, as many Syrian refugees living in Lebanon — and an increasing number of Lebanese since the country's major economic crisis began in 2019 — sought to reach Cyprus by sea in smuggler boats.

Cyprus is less than 200 kilometers (130 miles) from the Lebanese capital Beirut and they share maritime borders in waters where undersea natural gas deposits are believed to lie.