US Envoy Says Islamists Are ‘Problem for Us and Sudanese’

US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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US Envoy Says Islamists Are ‘Problem for Us and Sudanese’

US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello stressed on Friday that his country will continue to use sanctions to pressure the Sudanese warring parties to stop the fighting and reach a solution in the country.

He added that sanctions will not be limited to institutions, but will target individuals so that their work will be affected in various countries.

Speaking at a meeting with Sudanese people in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, he stressed that Islamists – supporters of the ousted regime – are a “major problem for us and the Sudanese.”

He stated that Washington is aware that some Islamists are members of the army and that others had come from abroad to Sudan to join the war.

Moreover, the envoy revealed that the American administration was in contact with all countries that support the war in Sudan. It is urging them to take a positive position towards the Sudanese people, not interfere their country’s internal affairs that is only prolonging the war.

The United Arab Emirates needs to be part of the ongoing discussions in Jeddah, Perriello went on to say.

The Sudanese army had accused the UAE of supporting its rival, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in the conflict. Abu Dhabi has denied the claim.

Perriello predicted that the next round of talks in Jeddah would be different due to new factors and to the UAE and Egypt joining the discussions.

The goal is for these countries to play a role in stopping the war, he explained.

The US has also made strong warnings to the RSF against military intervention in al-Fasher, he continued, adding that such a move would have dire consequences.

He underlined the importance of the Jeddah platform because it enjoys the agreement of all parties, including the European Union and African Union. Several countries want to see the end of the war.

On the proposed initiatives to end the conflict, Perriello said the outcomes of the Jeddah and Manama meetings will be examined so that a unified vision can be declared.

Furthermore, the envoy ruled out that the US may intervene militarily in Sudan, but he acknowledged that discussions are ongoing at the African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for them to play a greater role in protecting civilians in the conflict.

The US and regional countries support these steps, he added, while warning that the spillover of the war into the region will have severe consequences.

The countries are already being affected by the conflict, he noted.



Erdogan: Türkiye Stands with Lebanon Amid Tensions with Israel

A smoke plume billows during Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in south Lebanon near the border with Israel on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
A smoke plume billows during Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in south Lebanon near the border with Israel on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
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Erdogan: Türkiye Stands with Lebanon Amid Tensions with Israel

A smoke plume billows during Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in south Lebanon near the border with Israel on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
A smoke plume billows during Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in south Lebanon near the border with Israel on June 26, 2024. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Türkiye stood in solidarity with Lebanon in light of growing tensions with Israel, and called on regional countries to also support Beirut.

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to spread the Gaza war to the region and that this would lead to a "catastrophe", adding the Western support for Israel was "pitiful.”

Israel’s low-level conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah has escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of an all-out war.

A senior Israeli official said Tuesday Israel and the United States will devote an unspecified number of weeks to trying to reach a new arrangement with Hezbollah before resorting to other means to bring calm to the Israel-Lebanon border.

“We will now dedicate long weeks ... in an attempt to reach an arrangement” along the border, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said.

Hezbollah began attacking northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas shortly after the Palestinian militants’ Oct. 7 attack triggered the war in Gaza. Israel has responded with airstrikes.