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Blinken Discusses Need to End Sudan War With Top General

FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
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Blinken Discusses Need to End Sudan War With Top General

FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the need to urgently end the war in Sudan with Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in a phone call on Tuesday, the State Department said.
The two also addressed ways to "enable unhindered humanitarian access, including cross border and cross line, to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people", it said.
Sudan has been gripped since April 2023 by a civil war between the Sudanese army, led by Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Reuters reported.
Thousands of civilians are estimated to have died.
Blinken discussed a resumption of peace negotiations with Burhan and the need to protect civilians and defuse hostilities in al-Fashir, North Darfur, the State Department said.
Recent attacks around al-Fashir have shattered a local truce that protected it from the wider war.
Egypt will host a conference next month bringing together Sudan's civilian political groups with other regional and global parties, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The conference aims to produce an agreement between Sudan's civilian groups on ways to build a comprehensive and permanent peace, it added.

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Arab World

Muted Responses to Deadly Houthi Escalation and Rising Insurance Costs

The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 
The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 
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Muted Responses to Deadly Houthi Escalation and Rising Insurance Costs

The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 
The Greek ship Magic Seas sank in the Red Sea as a result of Houthi attacks (Reuters). 

As the Houthi threat to international shipping grows ever more serious - most recently with the sinking of two Greek vessels, killing three sailors and leaving twelve missing - there has been little substantial reaction from major world powers. The United States, Germany’s foreign minister, and the UN envoy to Yemen were among the few to voice concern and call for de-escalation.

While Houthi attacks intensify across the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, insurance premiums for commercial ships in these waters have surged to as much as 1% of a vessel’s value, according to leading global insurers. This underscores the scale of the risk and the declining confidence in protecting this vital maritime corridor.

The two assaults targeted the cargo ships Magic Seas and True Confidence between Sunday and Tuesday last week. According to the EU naval mission Aspides, tasked with safeguarding Red Sea navigation, the attacks killed at least three sailors, wounded others, and left a dozen unaccounted for.

The strike on the Liberian-flagged Greek-operated True Confidence marked a dangerous escalation. The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying they used an explosive-laden drone boat and six ballistic and cruise missiles. They alleged the ship was heading to Israel’s port of Eilat, though independent verification was lacking.

Despite the scale of the violence, most global capitals limited their responses to brief statements. Only the US ambassador to the UN issued a pointed condemnation, along with remarks from a State Department spokesperson and a statement by UN envoy Hans Grundberg.

The US denounced the attacks as “terrorist and unjustified,” describing them as evidence of the “ongoing threat posed by Iranian-backed Houthis to regional maritime security and commerce.” The US ambassador stressed Washington’s commitment to denying the Houthis resources to fund such operations and called on the UN Security Council to remove obstacles blocking its expert monitoring teams in Yemen.

The State Department likewise condemned the attacks as a threat to the freedom of navigation and economic stability. “We will continue to take necessary steps to protect commercial shipping,” the statement warned, urging the broader international community to condemn the Houthis’ actions.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Iran must use its influence to halt Houthi attacks. Speaking in Vienna alongside his Israeli and Austrian counterparts, he declared: “We strongly condemn these attacks and expect Iran to act to stop them.”

UN envoy Grundberg expressed deep concern about the sinking of True Confidence, warning of the humanitarian and environmental consequences of such operations, which violate international law and Security Council Resolution 2722. He urged the Houthis to provide sustainable guarantees to end attacks and build on prior understandings with the United States.

Oman had brokered a limited agreement last May under which the Houthis pledged to stop targeting American ships in return for a suspension of broad US-led military action - though the deal excluded Israel.

A Dangerous Precedent

Yemeni officials say the tepid reactions from much of the world send the Houthis the wrong message, reinforcing their sense of impunity. On Thursday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi boasted in his weekly address about sinking the vessels, calling it a “clear lesson” to any shipping company doing business with Israel.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out over 150 attacks, disrupting global trade flows through the Red Sea. Their operations have sunk British and Greek ships and damaged many more, including hijacking the Galaxy Leader and holding its crew for over a year.