Hemedti on Official Visit to Ethiopia, Holds Talks with PM on Sudan’s Stability 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he had received Dagalo and his delegation "for a discussion on securing peace and stability in the Sudan", posting pictures of them seated around a restaurant table. (Ethiopian PM on X)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he had received Dagalo and his delegation "for a discussion on securing peace and stability in the Sudan", posting pictures of them seated around a restaurant table. (Ethiopian PM on X)
TT
20

Hemedti on Official Visit to Ethiopia, Holds Talks with PM on Sudan’s Stability 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he had received Dagalo and his delegation "for a discussion on securing peace and stability in the Sudan", posting pictures of them seated around a restaurant table. (Ethiopian PM on X)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he had received Dagalo and his delegation "for a discussion on securing peace and stability in the Sudan", posting pictures of them seated around a restaurant table. (Ethiopian PM on X)

The leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces visited Ethiopia on Thursday where he said he discussed the need for a swift end to the war between the RSF and the Sudanese army, during the second leg of a rare publicly-announced foreign tour.

RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, whose whereabouts since the war began in mid-April were previously unknown, landed in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa after meeting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at his country home on Wednesday.

Diplomatic efforts, including Saudi and US-led talks in Jeddah, have made little visible progress towards halting the conflict in Sudan. The RSF has recently made military gains, taking control of Wad Madani, one of Sudan's major cities, and consolidating its grip on the western region of Darfur.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he had received Dagalo and his delegation "for a discussion on securing peace and stability in the Sudan", posting pictures of them seated around a restaurant table.

Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen earlier met Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, at Ethiopia's Bole International Airport. Hemedti posted pictures of his arrival and a meeting with Demeke on social media platform X.

"We discussed the need to bring a swift end to this war, the historical crisis in Sudan, and how to best alleviate the hardships of the Sudanese people," Hemedti said.

War between Sudan's regular army and the RSF broke out amid disputes about the future powers and status of the army and the RSF under a planned transition from military rule to a civilian democracy through free elections.

The conflict has devastated the capital Khartoum, forced more than seven million people to flee their homes and triggered waves of ethnic killings in Darfur.

Earlier this month, East African regional body IGAD said it had secured an agreement for a meeting between Hemedti and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and a commitment to a ceasefire, but both sides distanced themselves from the assertion.



US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
TT
20

US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a Houthi-linked petroleum smuggling and sanctions evasion network across Yemen and the United Arab Emirates in fresh action targeting the Iran-backed militant group.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said the two individuals and five entities sanctioned on Tuesday were among the most significant importers of petroleum products and money launderers that benefit the Houthis.

"The Houthis collaborate with opportunistic businessmen to reap enormous profits from the importation of petroleum products and to enable the group’s access to the international financial system," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender.

"These networks of shady businesses underpin the Houthis’ terrorist machine, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt these schemes."

Among those targeted on Tuesday was Muhammad Al-Sunaydar, who the Treasury said manages a network of petroleum companies between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates and was one of the most prominent petroleum importers in Yemen.

Three companies in his network were also designated, with the Treasury saying they coordinated the delivery of approximately $12 million dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum products with a US-designated company to the Houthis.

Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

In January, Trump re-designated the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization, aiming to impose harsher economic penalties in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime area.

In May, the United States announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.

The Israeli military attacked Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday in its latest assault on the militants, who have been striking ships bound for Israel and launching missiles against it.