Sudan's Hamdok Calls for Urgent Meeting with Army After RSF Agreement

Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo with Kenyan President William Ruto (RSF media office)
Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo with Kenyan President William Ruto (RSF media office)
TT
20

Sudan's Hamdok Calls for Urgent Meeting with Army After RSF Agreement

Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo with Kenyan President William Ruto (RSF media office)
Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo with Kenyan President William Ruto (RSF media office)

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok invited the Sudanese army leadership for an "urgent meeting" to halt the ongoing conflict and prevent further disintegration of the country.

Hamdok, in his capacity as head of the leadership body of the Coordination of Civilian Democratic Forces (Taqaddum), signed an agreement with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the "Addis Ababa Declaration," after the meetings.

A joint statement from the delegations emphasized their commitment to ending the conflict.

Hamdok expressed optimism about the agreement, stating, "Its outcomes will undoubtedly contribute to the efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Sudan."

The former Prime Minister highlighted key outcomes of the Addis Ababa meetings, including RSF's full readiness for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, measures to protect civilians, facilitating the return of citizens to their homes, delivering humanitarian aid, and cooperating with the fact-finding committee.

A Taqaddum delegation, led by Hamdok, began a visit to Djibouti. He met President Ismail Omar Guelleh, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) chair.

IGAD is seeking a meeting between the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Hemedti to stop the war.

A source told Asharq Al-Awsat that during the meeting with Guelleh and his Foreign Minister, the Taqaddum delegation introduced the Coordination and the civilian forces it represents and its agreement with the RSF leadership.

They expressed their desire to hold a similar meeting with the army leadership.

The source explained that the delegation urged IGAD to intensify its efforts to ensure the success of the planned negotiation between the army commanders, with a focus on involving civilians in the process, as outlined in the Addis Ababa Declaration.

Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Commander held discussions with Kenyan President William Ruto, addressing recent developments in Sudan, the root of the conflict's causes, ways to resolve the crisis, and ways to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.

Hemedti said he arrived in Nairobi as part of a broader tour to Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya. The visits will consist of other African, Arab, and regional countries, which he did not specify.

He presented President Ruto with his vision for a ceasefire and negotiations to achieve a comprehensive solution to achieve a just peace in the country.

Hemedti sensed an understanding and desire from the Kenyan President to collaborate with all parties to find a way out of the crisis that would restore security and stability to Sudan.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
TT
20

Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.