Civilian Groups Demand Int’l Intervention to Stop Violations in Sudan

Smoke billows from fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP file)
Smoke billows from fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP file)
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Civilian Groups Demand Int’l Intervention to Stop Violations in Sudan

Smoke billows from fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP file)
Smoke billows from fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. (AFP file)

The Sudanese Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces (Tagadum) condemned on Tuesday the army’s series of strikes on a number of regions in the country that left nearly 500 people dead.

The military carried out raids on the central city of al-Hasaheisa in the al-Jazirah state, Hamra al-Sheikh in North Kordofan, and Kutum and Mellit in North Darfur. Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fired artillery at the army-held region of al-Hatana in Omdurman.

The Emergency Lawyers group said around 100 people, including women and children, were killed in the army raids on al-Hasaheisa.

It strongly condemned the strikes on al-Jazirah, Sennar, White Nile, West and North Darfur and North Kordofan, deeming the continued attacks a war crime and flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

It called on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the violations, save civilian lives and pressure the army to stop targeting markets and other civilian areas.

The army says it is targeting RSF locations. The RSF, meanwhile, says it is using artillery to attack army units. However, witnesses and videos shot by the people, contradict the claims, with the recordings showing the corpse of women, children and the elderly in areas that are being targeted by the warring parties.

The National Umma Party, one of Sudan’s largest parties, slammed in a statement on Tuesday the “horrific” violations in the war, demanding the army and RSF to fulfill their past commitments – a reference to the Jeddah Humanitarian Declaration signed in May 2023 through Saudi and American mediation.

Tagadum regretted that the warring parties continue to target civilians, calling on them to “seriously and sincerely” return to negotiations to end the war and suffering of the people.



Syrian Christians Celebrate Christmas in Damascus Amid Tight Security

An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Syrian Christians Celebrate Christmas in Damascus Amid Tight Security

An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
An aerial picture shows a view of a crowd around a Christmas tree in Damascus on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

Syrian Christians gathered at churches in the country's capital Damascus on Wednesday amid tight security measures to celebrate their first Christmas after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

"Today there is a large deployment of security to protect the churches, fearing sabotage, but things are normal," Nicola Yazgi told dpa, while attending a mass in eastern Damascus.

Security forces affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is now leading Syria's interim government, were deployed outside churches and in the streets in Christian-majority neighborhoods in the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

According to the UK-based war monitor, churches across Syria - including in the southern city of al-Sweida, and in the northern cities of Aleppo and Idlib - opened their doors for Christmas celebrations.

Yazgi said he was celebrating two things this year: "Christmas and the victory of the revolution and the fall of the tyrant. We hope that today will be the day of salvation from the era of al-Assad family injustices."

Suad al-Zein, an engineer, also joined the mass in Damascus. She expressed her joy despite the lack of decorations in the streets: "For us, joy is in our hearts."

Civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 following pro-democracy protests against al-Assad's regime.

In late November, HTS and other opposition groups launched a rapid offensive, making major territorial gains before capturing Damascus earlier this month. Al-Assad fled to Russia with his family.

Since then, HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has tried to reassure minorities in Syria, promising moderation and respect for all religious sects.

A group of people burnt a Christmas tree in Hama province on Monday evening, prompting hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in several cities.