Sudan Deploys Additional Forces to Enhance Security in Conflict Areas

 Archival photo of displaced people near El Fasher city in South Darfur state (AFP)
Archival photo of displaced people near El Fasher city in South Darfur state (AFP)
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Sudan Deploys Additional Forces to Enhance Security in Conflict Areas

 Archival photo of displaced people near El Fasher city in South Darfur state (AFP)
Archival photo of displaced people near El Fasher city in South Darfur state (AFP)

Sudan’s Security and Defense Council announced taking measures to face the current security situation, in light of tribal conflicts in some areas, which have left dozens dead and wounded.

The Security Council, chaired by President of the Sudanese Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, listened to detailed reports from the police, military intelligence, and the General Intelligence Service on the security situation in the country.

It mainly focused on the cities of El-Geneina, Nyala, Port Sudan, and the capital, Khartoum.

A senior source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Council has taken several decisions, including the deployment of additional forces in some areas and boosting the police presence on the roads.

The Council also ordered the formation of an investigation committee from the central government in the attacks on the United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) headquarters in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, the source noted.

He pointed to orders issued to the leaders of the security services to submit detailed reports on the security situation in all parts of the country during the upcoming meeting of the Security and Defense Council.

Meanwhile, UNAMID reported new statistics for the numbers of dead and injured in the incidents that had taken place in El Geneina city last week.

It said it is deeply concerned about reports of intercommunal violence in West Darfur that left 65 people dead and approximately 54 injured, displaced thousands of civilian population, destroyed shelters and burnt villages.

“UNAMID condemns the violence and stresses the importance of resolving all disputes peacefully and amicably and calls on all parties to restrain from the use of force, especially against the civilian population, including women and children,” it said in a statement.

It highlighted the egregious intercommunal clashes that have deteriorated the security and humanitarian situation in El Geneina and the surrounding area.

It also acknowledged the efforts exerted by the Government to contain the situation and called upon relevant government authorities to maximize their efforts to establish a protective environment and restore peace and order in and around the greater El Geneina community.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.