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Iraq and Syria Sign Memorandum for Security Cooperation

Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari welcomes his Syrian counterpart, Muhammad Khaled Al-Rahmoun in Baghdad (Iraqi Interior Ministry)
Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari welcomes his Syrian counterpart, Muhammad Khaled Al-Rahmoun in Baghdad (Iraqi Interior Ministry)
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Iraq and Syria Sign Memorandum for Security Cooperation

Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari welcomes his Syrian counterpart, Muhammad Khaled Al-Rahmoun in Baghdad (Iraqi Interior Ministry)
Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari welcomes his Syrian counterpart, Muhammad Khaled Al-Rahmoun in Baghdad (Iraqi Interior Ministry)

Iraq and Syria inked on Sunday a memorandum of understanding for security cooperation in various areas, including combating terrorism.
“The agreement included a number of articles related to cooperation in combating drug trafficking, border control, extradition of wanted persons, combating organized crime, and money laundering,” said Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari.
His remarks came in a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Muhammad Khaled Al-Rahmoun.
In January, Iraq built a concrete wall of 160-km -- 3 meters deep and 3 meters across -- along part of its border with Syria to stop people and vehicles crossing the vast, sparsely populated desert that joins western Anbar province to Syria.
On Sunday, Al-Shammari spoke of a “good” intelligence cooperation between Baghdad and Damascus, saying the two countries “have joint work in exchanging information.”
For his part, the Syrian Minister said: “Cooperation in all fields, especially security, was discussed, as we suffered from terrorism in our countries. There is a criminal phenomenon managed by drug trafficking and human trafficking gangs, so we signed a memorandum of joint security cooperation.”
In a related security development, the Security Media Cell, an affiliate of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, announced in a statement that Iraqi security forces have successfully dismantled two international networks engaged in human and drug trafficking and arrested 40 foreigners across the country.
Security forces arrested the suspects in Baghdad and several other Iraqi provinces based on intelligence reports, the statement read.
“The Iraqi National Intelligence Service, in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, arrested 40 foreigners suspected of being involved in crimes of kidnapping, extortion, forgery, as well as human and drug trafficking,” it added.
The statement said the majority of the victims targeted by these two rings were foreigners residing in Iraq.

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UN Seeks $4.2 Billion to Face Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)
Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)
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UN Seeks $4.2 Billion to Face Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)
Sudanese refugees in Chad on October 6, 2024 (AP)

The United Nations has launched the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), seeking $4.2 billion to address the urgent needs of nearly 21 million vulnerable people whom the international community is failing to adequately support.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan (OCHA), emphasized that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached unprecedented levels.

“The humanitarian crisis in Sudan has reached unprecedented proportions, with more than half of the population in need of urgent humanitarian and protection assistance, including 16 million children - the future of this country,” she said.

Salami added that acute food insecurity has reached historic levels, particularly in conflict-affected regions of Darfur, Khartoum, and Kordofan.

After over 20 months of conflict, Sudan has become one of the world's largest humanitarian emergencies.

Ongoing armed conflict and attacks against civilians, displacement, hunger, malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and climate shocks have left nearly two-thirds of the population in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.

Salami said given the scale and gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the humanitarian community calls for urgent conflict de-escalation and unrestricted humanitarian access, including across borders and conflict lines, to fight famine and enable effective humanitarian action.

“We call on all parties to facilitate this access and ensure the protection of humanitarian operations and aid workers on the ground,” she said.

“We also urge the international community to provide immediate and flexible funding.”

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator added that this support is crucial for scaling up and expanding the reach of critical lifesaving aid, including cash assistance, and protection services to millions of people who need them most.

According to Salami’s statement, the 2025 HNRP is underpinned by a joint analysis of humanitarian needs in Sudan based on three key shocks – conflict, floods, and disease outbreaks – and their impact on the population and essential services.

The analysis encompasses the entire country, recognizing the widespread impact of these three identified shocks affecting a significant portion of the population in Sudan, although the severity of impact varies across different geographic areas.

An earlier OCHA statement said the humanitarian appeal for Sudan is significantly underfunded, with only $1.5 billion of the required $2.7 billion received.

The Sudanese government, which has Port Sudan as its temporary capital, denies there is a famine in Sudan.

Army Commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said that the Sudanese government had met all humanitarian needs and facilitated aid delivery.

In a televised address marking Sudan’s 69th Independence Day, Burhan said that “what is being circulated about famine is pure fabrication and intended to interfere in Sudanese affairs.”

According to Sudanese organizations, 28.9 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing civil war.

A staggering 30.4 million people in Sudan - approximately 64% of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance humanitarian assistance in 2025, according to the latest OCHA report.