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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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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)

Pakistan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain sparked controversy when he revealed that 50,000 Pakistanis have gone missing in Iraq over the years.

He urged the Baghdad government to immediately launch a probe into how the Pakistanis entered Iraq to visit religious sites during the month of Muharram, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Ummat newspaper.

Islamabad is investigating how people have traveled outside Pakistan through illegal means, he remarked.

The permanent committee for religious affairs and interfaith harmony has since proposed new policies for trips to holy sites in foreign countries, including Iraq.

In Iraq, the minister’s comments drew mockery and condemnation on social media and sparked renewed debate over illegal workers in the country.

Politician Mishaan al-Juburi urged the government to make a statement over Hussain’s comments, warning that they may impact security and the labor force.

Hussain’s comments coincided with Iraqi police announcing the arrest of six Pakistanis in Baghdad on charges of theft.

Previously, military intelligence also announced the arrest of a nine-member Pakistani kidnapping and extortion gang in Baghdad. The gang had kidnapped foreigners for ransom.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi expressed his concern and condemnation over the increasing number of illegal workers in Iraq.

He said his ministry will investigate the disappearance of the Pakistanis.

He confirmed that several tourists, including Pakistanis, have flocked to Iraq in recent days, and many have taken up employment without the necessary legal permits.

He warned that this phenomenon is negatively impacting the national economy.

The ministry will not be lenient in taking the necessary legal measures against the violators, he vowed.

Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether they are here on a religious visit or otherwise, but they must respect local laws and regulations, declared Asadi.

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala.