Macron Does Not Rule out Dialogue with Syria’s Assad

French President Emmanuel Macron. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron. (Reuters)
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Macron Does Not Rule out Dialogue with Syria’s Assad

French President Emmanuel Macron. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron. (Reuters)

French President Emmanuel Macron once against revealed his “political pragmatism” when he announced during a recent televised appearance that he does not rule out dialogue with Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad.

Macron said: “Bashar Assad will be present because he is protected by those who won the war, whether Iran or Russia. Therefore, we can’t say that we don’t want to talk to him or his representatives.”

Once again, Macron favors the concept of “political realism” and the role of Paris in this regard.

His statements can be summed up in three points.

First, the end of war on ISIS in Syria is imminent. It should end by mid or late February at the latest. Second, Macron sees that Russia and Iran actually won the war, therefore, Assad is still in his position.

The French president however reiterated the violations committed by the regime and which cannot be ignored. From this, Macron, who considers ISIS France’s enemy while “Assad the enemy of Syrian people”, called for holding Assad accountable for his crimes both before his people and the international justice.

The third matter is the dual message Macron wanted to deliver through his televised interview. When the French president spoke about a specific date for the end of war against ISIS, he wished to draw attention to the French military and the practical role they played.

The second message tackles the role which France seeks to play in the peace process in Syria given its role in the war against ISIS.

The peace process it seeks to launch next year will bring together Assad and opposition representatives, said French sources. The opposition will include figures who left Syria to escape regime persecution, not ISIS, explained Macron.

On Tuesday, Assad declared: “France spearheaded support for terrorism and their hands are soaked in Syrian blood from the first days and we do not see they have changed their stance fundamentally.”

“Those who support terrorism have no right to talk about peace,” he told a Russian delegation.



Crops Wither in Sudan as Power Cuts Cripple Irrigation

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
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Crops Wither in Sudan as Power Cuts Cripple Irrigation

FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa
FILED - 27 August 2024, Sudan, Omdurman: Young people walk along a street marked by destruction in Sudan. Photo: Mudathir Hameed/dpa

Hatem Abdelhamid stands amid his once-thriving date palms in northern Sudan, helpless as a prolonged war-driven power outage cripples irrigation, causing devastating crop losses and deepening the country's food crisis.

"I've lost 70 to 75 percent of my crops this year," he said, surveying the dying palms in Tanqasi, a village on the Nile in Sudan's Northern State.

"I'm trying really hard to keep the rest of the crops alive," he told AFP.

Sudan's agricultural sector -- already battered by a two-year conflict and economic crisis -- is now facing another crushing blow from the nationwide power outages.

Since the war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023, state-run power plants have been repeatedly targeted, suffering severe damage and ultimately leaving farms without water.

Like most Sudanese farms, Abdelhamid's depends on electric-powered irrigation -- but the system has been down "for over two months" due to the blackouts.

Sudan had barely recovered from the devastating 1985 drought and famine when war erupted again in 2023, delivering a fresh blow to the country's agriculture.

Agriculture remains the main source of food and income for 80 percent of the population, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Now in its third year, the conflict has plunged more than half the population into acute food insecurity, with famine already taking hold in at least five areas and millions more at risk across conflict-hit regions in the west, center and south.

The war has also devastated infrastructure, killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced 13 million.

A 2024 joint study by the United Nations Development Programme and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found that nearly a third of rural households have lost irrigation and water access since the war began.

Without electricity to power his irrigation system, Abdelhamid -- like thousands of farmers across the country -- was forced to rely on diesel-powered pumps.

But with fuel scarce and prices now more than 20 times higher than before the war, even that option is out of reach for many.

"I used to spend 10,000 Sudanese pounds (about four euros according to the black market rate) for irrigation each time," said another farmer, Abdelhalim Ahmed.

"Now it costs me 150,000 pounds (around 60 euros) because there is no electricity," he told AFP.

Ahmed said he has lost three consecutive harvests -- including crops like oranges, onions, tomatoes and dates.

With seeds, fertilizers and fuel now barely available, many farmers say they won't be able to replant for the next cycle.

In April, the FAO warned that "below average rainfall" and ongoing instability were closing the window to prevent further deterioration.

A June study by IFPRI also projected Sudan's overall economic output could shrink by as much as 42 percent if the war continues, with the agricultural sector contracting by more than a third.

"Our analysis shows massive income losses across all households and a sharp rise in poverty, especially in rural areas and among women," said Khalid Siddig, a senior research fellow at IFPRI.