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Sudanese Sovereignty Council Member: Jeddah Platform Key for Peace

Representatives of the Sudanese conflict parties during the signing of the Jeddah Agreement in May 2023 (Reuters)
Representatives of the Sudanese conflict parties during the signing of the Jeddah Agreement in May 2023 (Reuters)
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Sudanese Sovereignty Council Member: Jeddah Platform Key for Peace

Representatives of the Sudanese conflict parties during the signing of the Jeddah Agreement in May 2023 (Reuters)
Representatives of the Sudanese conflict parties during the signing of the Jeddah Agreement in May 2023 (Reuters)

Sudan’s new Sovereignty Council member, Salaheddin Adam Tour, said on Friday he was assigned his role under “extremely complex” circumstances and is waiting to officially take over his duties.
In an exclusive interview with the Arab World News Agency, Tour denied any existing peace plan between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“There is no sign of peace yet,” he said. “However, the state has a comprehensive plan to achieve peace,” referring to the agreements from the “Jeddah Platform.”
Tour said he doesn't yet know which tasks he’ll be given, as this decision rests with the state.
Regarding his goals as a council member, Tour said: “We aim to improve living conditions and reduce the suffering of people in camps and those displaced abroad.”
“Our government is working hard to support the armed forces, restore stability in Sudan, and bring back refugees and displaced people forced to flee due to the war,” he added.
On Thursday, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decree appointing Tour to the Sovereignty Council, representing the Sudan Liberation Movement - Transitional Council (SLM-TC).
This appointment is part of the Juba Peace Agreement implementation.
On Friday, the Sudanese government reaffirmed its commitment to the Jeddah Declaration and international humanitarian law, emphasizing the protection of civilians.
It stated that the armed forces are dedicated to their constitutional role in defending the country and respecting international rules of engagement.
Sudan’s Foreign Ministry announced that the government will facilitate visas for UN personnel and humanitarian workers.
The ministry also pledged to work with the international community to ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need, following national and UN guidelines.
Additionally, the ministry dismissed concerns about an imminent famine, citing reports from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Sudan’s Ministry of Agriculture that confirm the country’s food reserves are sufficient to meet citizens’ needs.

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Israel ‘Pause’ in Gaza Had No Impact on Aid Supplies, Says WHO

Gaza municipality employees and some civil defense workers inspect the site following the Israeli military bombardment of the Gaza Municipality garage on al-Wahda Street, in the al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on June 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
Gaza municipality employees and some civil defense workers inspect the site following the Israeli military bombardment of the Gaza Municipality garage on al-Wahda Street, in the al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on June 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
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Israel ‘Pause’ in Gaza Had No Impact on Aid Supplies, Says WHO

Gaza municipality employees and some civil defense workers inspect the site following the Israeli military bombardment of the Gaza Municipality garage on al-Wahda Street, in the al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on June 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)
Gaza municipality employees and some civil defense workers inspect the site following the Israeli military bombardment of the Gaza Municipality garage on al-Wahda Street, in the al-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City on June 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)

A daily "pause" the Israeli military declared in Gaza to facilitate aid flows has had no impact on deliveries of badly needed supplies, the UN's health agency said on Friday.

More than eight months of war, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, have led to dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory and repeated UN warnings of famine.

"We did not see an impact on the humanitarian supplies coming in since that... unilateral announcement of this technical pause," said Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in the Palestinian territories.

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned in a statement that "without a significant refill of medical supplies in the coming days" the NGO may have to "stop or drastically reduce some of its medical activities in Gaza".

Over the weekend, the Israeli military announced a daily humanitarian "pause" in fighting on a key road in southern Gaza.

Days later, however, a United Nations spokesman said: "This has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need".

According to the WHO, as of May 17, only 750 people remained in the city of Rafah.

There were between 60,000 and 75,000 in the Al-Mawasi area in the south of the Gaza Strip, where many Palestinians have taken refuge since the start of the Israeli offensive in Rafah.

Dr Thanos Gargavanis, a trauma surgeon and emergency officer at the WHO, said the UN in Gaza was trying to "operate in an unworkable environment".

"We have patients with severe burns, open fractures, and we don't even have enough painkillers to alleviate their suffering," said MSF medical coordinator Guillemette Thomas.

Thomas said that in Nasser and Al Aqsa hospitals, MSF teams had been forced to reduce the "frequency of dressing changes for patients with severe burns due to the lack of sterile compress gauzes", which could lead to more infections.

MSF has 400 local Palestinian employees and between 20 and 30 international staff in Gaza.

- Medical evacuations -

MSF and the WHO are calling for the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to be reopened for humanitarian aid and medical evacuations.

Another alternative for medical evacuations would be the Kerem Shalom crossing in Israel, Peeperkorn said, adding that it should only be done when safe.

It would be "for a sustained transfer of patients from Gaza to the West Bank and East Jerusalem referral hospitals. Just like it was prior to the war," he said.

"We have six trucks, filled with 37 tons of supplies, the vast majority of which are essential medical items that have been waiting since June 14," MSF's Thomas said, adding that the situation was "incomprehensible and unacceptable".

According to the WHO, only 17 of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are operational, and even then, only partially.

Some 4,900 patients have been evacuated from Gaza for war-related or chronic medical reasons since October 7, and the WHO currently estimates that at least 10,000 more people need to be evacuated.

No patients have been evacuated since the closure of the Rafah crossing on May 7, the WHO added.

The October Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The fighters also seized hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza although the army says 41 of whom are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 37,431 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.