African Peace and Security Council Proposes Sudan Roadmap

 Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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African Peace and Security Council Proposes Sudan Roadmap

 Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has proposed a roadmap to resolve the war in Sudan.

A delegation from the council is visiting the interim Sudanese capital, Port Sudan, for the first time since the eruption of the war in the country in April 2023.

The delegation informed Sudanese officials that the African Union is seeking a ceasefire in line with a roadmap proposed by its Peace and Security Council. The details of the roadmap were not disclosed.

Sudanese officials, for their part, briefed the delegation on the conflict.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello told Asharq Al-Awsat that contacts are ongoing with the African Union over a mechanism to monitor the implementation of current and future agreements.

It is best to remain prepared, he added. The international community must assess the options to support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities.

Moreover, he noted that elements that support the ousted regime of President Omar al-Bashir are within the army and opposed to the democratic civilian rule in the country.

He accused them of seeking to prolong the war and returning to rule against the will of the people.

The envoy also said the conflict cannot be resolved through a military solution.

Over the months, the army has wasted opportunities to end the war through negotiations that could restore peace and civilian rule, he noted.

The latest escalation between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will cost countless lives among civilians, warned Perriello.



France Expels Algerian Diplomats in Tit-for-tat Decision

This photograph shows the national flag of Algeria flying at the Algerian Embassy in Paris on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Kiran RIDLEY / AFP)
This photograph shows the national flag of Algeria flying at the Algerian Embassy in Paris on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Kiran RIDLEY / AFP)
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France Expels Algerian Diplomats in Tit-for-tat Decision

This photograph shows the national flag of Algeria flying at the Algerian Embassy in Paris on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Kiran RIDLEY / AFP)
This photograph shows the national flag of Algeria flying at the Algerian Embassy in Paris on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Kiran RIDLEY / AFP)

France said Wednesday it will expel Algerian diplomats in response to Algeria’s decision to do the same.

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement it had summoned Algerian officials to inform them of the decision, describing it as “strict reciprocity” after 15 French officials were expelled from Algiers on Sunday.

France called on Algerian authorities to “demonstrate responsibility and to return to a demanding and constructive dialogue that had been initiated by our authorities, in the interest of both countries.”

“The Algerians wanted to send back our agents; we are sending theirs back,” French Foreign Minister Noël Barrot said on Wednesday, speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV.

Algeria said it expelled French officials on Sunday because France had broken procedures, including in how it assigned new diplomats to replace a different set that were expelled last month.

Despite economic ties and security cooperation, France and Algeria for decades have clashed over issues ranging from immigration to the painful legacy of French colonialism.

Wednesday’s decision came as Kabyle opposition figure Aksel Bellabbaci walked free after a Paris appeals court shunned Algeria’s request to extradite him on terrorism charges.

The 42-year-old vice president of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabyle (MAK) has lived in France since 2012.