MWL Hails Efforts of Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group

 People stranded in an inundated area in Tokar in the Red Sea State following recent heavy flooding in eastern Sudan, sit in front of their tent on September 5, 2024. (AFP)
People stranded in an inundated area in Tokar in the Red Sea State following recent heavy flooding in eastern Sudan, sit in front of their tent on September 5, 2024. (AFP)
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MWL Hails Efforts of Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group

 People stranded in an inundated area in Tokar in the Red Sea State following recent heavy flooding in eastern Sudan, sit in front of their tent on September 5, 2024. (AFP)
People stranded in an inundated area in Tokar in the Red Sea State following recent heavy flooding in eastern Sudan, sit in front of their tent on September 5, 2024. (AFP)

The Muslim World League praised on Saturday the relentless efforts of the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) group aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people, saving lives, and achieving a permanent cessation of hostilities.

In a statement, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa who is also Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, expressed the league's full support and deep appreciation for the efforts of the ALPS group.

The group is comprised of Saudi Arabia, the United States, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the African Union, and the United Nations. It operates under the Jeddah Declaration and the patronage of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al-Issa emphasized the urgent need for the Sudanese parties to respond to the group's call for opening additional border crossings, as more than 25 million people are facing severe hunger and starvation.

The MWL praised the group's commitment to rescuing the Sudanese people and continuing efforts to deliver humanitarian aid and protect civilians, noting that aid reached nearly 300,000 people in Darfur last week. It also highlighted its initiatives for a ceasefire and ending the war in Sudan.



Putin Thanks Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince for Helping Major US-Russia Prisoner Swap

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walk during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 6, 2023. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walk during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 6, 2023. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Putin Thanks Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince for Helping Major US-Russia Prisoner Swap

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walk during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 6, 2023. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walk during a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia December 6, 2023. Sputnik/Aleksey Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS/ File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was grateful to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for helping to organize the biggest US-Russian prisoner swap since the Cold War.

"Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince played an active role in the initial stages of this work. We are very grateful to him, as it resulted in the return of our citizens to the homeland," Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum.

Putin and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have fostered a close personal relationship since 2015 when the prince visited Russia for the first time.

The relationship has helped the leaders of the world's two biggest oil exporters conclude and maintain the OPEC+ energy deal.

US journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-US Marine Paul Whelan returned to the United States on Aug. 1, hours after being freed from Russian detention in the biggest prisoner exchange between the two countries since the Cold War, according to Reuters.

The swap deal, worked on in secrecy for more than a year, involved 24 prisoners - 16 moving from Russia to the West and eight sent back to Russia from the West.

Putin also thanked Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for providing the venue for the exchange. He mentioned that several other Arab countries facilitated the swap but did not name them.