Bashir Asks for Russia’s Protection against 'Aggressive' US

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir met with Vladimir Putin in Russia (AFP Photo/Mikhail KLIMENTYEV)
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir met with Vladimir Putin in Russia (AFP Photo/Mikhail KLIMENTYEV)
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Bashir Asks for Russia’s Protection against 'Aggressive' US

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir met with Vladimir Putin in Russia (AFP Photo/Mikhail KLIMENTYEV)
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir met with Vladimir Putin in Russia (AFP Photo/Mikhail KLIMENTYEV)

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on Thursday in Sochi with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

The Kremlin said the two presidents exchanged views on the development of bilateral relations and pressing international issues, including the situation in the Middle East.

Speaking at the beginning of the talks in the Sochi resort on the shores of the Black Sea, Bashir underlined the importance his country accords to relations with Russia and expressed appreciation for Russia’s continuous support for Sudan.

“We are thankful to Russia for its position on the international arena, including Russia’s position in the protection of Sudan. We are in need of protection from the aggressive acts of the United States,” he stated.

Pointing to the convergence of views between the two countries on a range of issues, the Sudanese president said: “First and foremost, we are against American interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries”. He also blamed the United States for the crises facing the region.

He went on to say: “We see that what is happening in our country, especially in Darfur and South Sudan, is a result of American policies… Our country was divided into two parts, which led to the deterioration of the situation.”

Bashir’s visit to Russia came a month after the United States lifted a trade embargo it imposed on the African state in 1997 over Khartoum’s alleged backing of terrorist groups.

For his part, Putin expressed his confidence that Bashir’s visit to Moscow would be very fruitful and would contribute to the development of bilateral relations, pointing out that it was the first visit by the Sudanese President to Russia.

He also touched on the economic relations between two countries, which had grown by 66 percent last year.

While noting that those relations were not significant, he stressed that he was satisfied with the pace of their growth, which had reached over the past months over 80 percent.

The Sudanese president also held talks at the Russian Defense Ministry, where he said that his meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu was positive.



Syrian Authorities Announce Closure of Notorious Desert Camp

 A boy carries bricks as he helps to restore a home in al-Qaryatayn, eastern part of Syria's Homs province, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
A boy carries bricks as he helps to restore a home in al-Qaryatayn, eastern part of Syria's Homs province, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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Syrian Authorities Announce Closure of Notorious Desert Camp

 A boy carries bricks as he helps to restore a home in al-Qaryatayn, eastern part of Syria's Homs province, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
A boy carries bricks as he helps to restore a home in al-Qaryatayn, eastern part of Syria's Homs province, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

A notorious desert refugee camp in Syria has closed after the last remaining families returned to their areas of origin, Syrian authorities said on Saturday.

The Rukban camp in Syria's desert was established in 2014, at the height of Syria's civil war, in a de-confliction zone controlled by the US-led coalition fighting the ISIS group, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq.

Desperate people fleeing ISIS extremists and former government bombardment sought refuge there, hoping to cross into Jordan.

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government rarely allowed aid to enter the camp and neighboring countries closed their borders to the area, isolating Rukban for years.

After an opposition offensive toppled Assad in December, families started leaving the camp to return home.

The Syrian Emergency Task Force, a US-based organization, said on Friday that the camp was "officially closed and empty, all families and residents have returned to their homes".

Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said on X on Saturday that "with the dismantlement of the Rukban camp and the return of the displaced, a tragic and sorrowful chapter of displacement stories created by the bygone regime's war machine comes to a close".

"Rukban was not just a camp, it was the triangle of death that bore witness to the cruelty of siege and starvation, where the regime left people to face their painful fate in the barren desert," he added.

At its peak, the camp housed more than 100,000 people. Around 8,000 people still lived there before Assad's fall, residing in mud-brick houses, with food and basic supplies smuggled in at high prices.

Syrian minister for emergency situations and disasters Raed al-Saleh said on X said the camp's closure represents "the end of one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies faced by our displaced people".

"We hope this step marks the beginning of a path that ends the suffering of the remaining camps and returns their residents to their homes with dignity and safety," he added.

According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.87 million Syrians have returned to their places of origin since Assad's fall, after they were displaced within the country or abroad.

The IOM says the "lack of economic opportunities and essential services pose the greatest challenge" for those returning home.