SNC Voices Desire to Hold Constitutional Committee Meeting in Riyadh

UN envoy Geir Pedersen during the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva in June (United Nations)
UN envoy Geir Pedersen during the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva in June (United Nations)
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SNC Voices Desire to Hold Constitutional Committee Meeting in Riyadh

UN envoy Geir Pedersen during the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva in June (United Nations)
UN envoy Geir Pedersen during the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva in June (United Nations)

The Syrian Negotiating Committee (SNC) expressed its wish that the next meeting of the Constitutional Committee be held in the Saudi capital. This came as Damascus and its supporter, Moscow, asked UN envoy Geir Pedersen to change the location of the scheduled meetings in Geneva.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the head of the SNC, Badr Jamous, said: In my capacity as Chairman of the Negotiating Committee, I asked the United Nations and informed the brothers in Saudi Arabia of our desire for the meetings to be held in Riyadh, especially since the Negotiating Committee was formed in the Saudi capital.

He continued: “We will be honored to hold the meetings in Riyadh, which represents our Arab depth and has supported the Syrian people since the first day of the revolution.”

Jamous criticized the Syrian regime delegation for “trying to play the game of the place and have the meeting held in Baghdad.”

“But what is more important: Does it really want to discuss the constitution and the political solution, or continue the game by moving meetings from one place to another?” He asked.

For his part, Pedersen said in a briefing before the Security Council at the end of February that the Russian Federation “no longer considers Switzerland a neutral venue, and the Syrian Government did not accept Geneva as a result.”

“With no consensus among the Syrian parties, [Pedersen] issued formal invitations for a ninth round in Geneva in late April, appealing to them to respond positively — and to all key international stakeholders to support the UN as a facilitator and refrain from interfering regarding a venue the Syrian parties themselves had formally agreed,” a UN press release said.

On Sunday, the UN envoy renewed his call on the Syrian government to go to Geneva to participate in the next meeting of the Constitutional Committee, at the end of April, warning that things were going “in the wrong direction.”

Following his meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Miqdad, Pedersen said that he informed the latter that “as long as there is no agreement between the opposition and the government, we must continue to meet in Geneva, develop the Constitutional Committee, and work in a way that can give hope to the Syrian people.”



Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

 People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

 People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)

Commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, issued on Saturday strict orders to his forces to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid in line with the commitments his delegation made at the recent peace talks in Geneva.

In a post on the X platform, he said he issued an “extraordinary administrative order to all the forces” to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He called on all commanders to abide by the orders in line with international humanitarian law. Any violators will be held accountable.

The RSF has been accused of widespread violations against civilians in areas under their control. They have also been accused of committing massacres in Gezira state in central Sudan. The RSF have denied the accusations.

Hemedti announced in August the formation of a “civilian protection force” that immediately assumed its duties in the Khartoum and Gezira states.

According to head of the RSF delegation to the Geneva talks, Omar Hamdan, the force is formed of 27 combat vehicles, backed by forces that have experience in cracking down on insubordination.

Hemedti stressed last week his commitment to all the outcomes of the Geneva talks, starting with ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need.

The RSF and army agreed to open two safe routes for the deliveries and to protect civilians to ease their suffering after nearly a year and a half of war.

The mediators in Geneva received commitments from the RSF that it would order the fighters against committing any violations against civilians in areas under their control.

Meanwhile, aid deliveries continued through the Adre border crossing with Chad. They are headed to people in Darfur in western Sudan.

Fifty-nine aid trucks carrying aid supplies crossed from Chad to Darfur, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday.

“The supplies are estimated to reach nearly 195,000 people in acute need in different parts of the country,” it added.

“About 128 aid trucks carrying supplies for an estimated 355,000 people are being prepared to cross into Sudan in the coming days and weeks to ensure a steady flow of supplies. Despite the surge of supplies through Adre, humanitarian partners have warned that ongoing rains and floods have damaged three major bridges in the region, limiting movements within Darfur,” it revealed.

“While progress has been made on the Adre border crossing, funding resources are depleting, and humanitarian funding is urgently required to sustain the supplies chain,” it urged.