Griffiths Chooses Aden as First Stop Before Meeting Insurgents

TT
20

Griffiths Chooses Aden as First Stop Before Meeting Insurgents

United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths was in the country’s temporary capital, Aden, on Saturday for the first time since his appointment as successor to Mauritania's Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, informed Yemeni government sources said.

The UN envoy will meet with a number of government officials and other Yemeni leaders in Aden before heading to the capital Sana’a to hold talks with Houthi leaders and other forces loyal to the insurgents in areas that fall under their control.

Griffiths began his new mission from Riyadh, where he met with the leadership of Yemeni legitimacy, represented by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, Prime Minister Ahmed Obaid bin Daghr, in addition to other Gulf officials.

This came in the context of the consultations he is leading to resume the stalled negotiations between the government and the Houthi militias.

In the first meeting with the UN envoy, the leaders affirmed the adherence to a peaceful solution based on the three principles: the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the national dialogue and Security Council Resolution 2216, the same references that Griffiths said he would need to reach a peace agreement.

The legitimate government demanded the militia to stop firing rockets into Saudi territories and release the prisoners and detainees in the context of proving good intentions and seriousness in reaching a peace that ends the coup.

In his first statement, the British envoy pledged to launch a comprehensive political process among Yemeni parties, starting with where his predecessor has stopped in the negotiations that were hosted by Kuwait and were thwarted by the militias, who did not agree to sign a proposed peace agreement by Ould Cheikh at the end of the talks.

Notably, all international parties concerned with the Yemeni file are optimistic, especially Western officials, that this year will mark the end of the Houthi coup against the legitimate government through a peace agreement sponsored by the new UN envoy.

The legitimate government accuses the Houthi rebels of investing only in the negotiations process to prolong the war, without seriously reaching an agreement, in implementation of Iran’s agenda, which provides them with weapons and logistical support.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
TT
20

Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.