عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions

Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions
TT
TT

Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions

Southern Sudanese Govt Signs ‘Rome Declaration’ With Alliance of Opposition Factions

An alliance of opposition factions signed on Monday a peace agreement with South Sudanese government to stop the hostilities and continue the political dialogue in order to participate in the ongoing peace process in the country.

The Rome Declaration on the Peace Process in South Sudan was signed in Rome between the government and South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance (SSOMA).

The SSOMA is an opposition coalition that refused to sign the 2018 peace agreement.

Talks were organized by the Roman Catholic Sant’ Egidio peace group and in presence of the SPLM/A-10 and NDM and the IGAD.

Signatories of the agreement reaffirmed their desire to promote political dialogue in order to facilitate reconciliation and achieve stability by addressing what they called "the root causes of the conflict in South Sudan."

It was signed by Barnaba Marial Benjamin, who headed the government delegation, leaders of the opposition alliance including Thomas Cirillo Swaka, Paul Malong Awan Anei, and Pagan Amum Okiech as well as the leaders of the three other groups.

They stressed they “are now convinced that the current conflict in the country requires comprehensive political participation in order to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable peace with non-signatories of the peace agreement.”

“We have agreed that the dialogue would continue under the auspices of the Catholic Church in consultation with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) and with the support of regional organizations and the international community,” they added.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)

The US on Monday eased some restrictions on Syria's transitional government to allow the entry of humanitarian aid after opposition factions ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month.

The US Treasury issued a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.

The move does not lift sanctions on the nation that has been battered by more than a decade of war, but indicates a limited show of US support for the new transitional government.

The general license underscores America's commitment to ensuring its sanctions “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance,” a Treasury Department statement reads.

Since Assad's ouster, representatives from the nation's new de facto authorities have said that the new Syria will be inclusive and open to the world.

The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaeda, and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster. The US and UN have long designated HTS as a terrorist organization.

HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.

Much of the world ended diplomatic relations with Assad because of his crackdown on protesters, and sanctioned him and his Russian and Iranian associates.

Syria’s infrastructure has been battered, with power cuts rampant in the country and some 90% of its population living in poverty. About half the population won’t know where its next meal will come from, as inflation surges.

The pressure to lift sanctions has mounted in recent years as aid agencies continue to cut programs due to donor fatigue and a massive 2023 earthquake that rocked Syria and Türkiye. The tremor killed over 59,000 people and destroyed critical infrastructure that couldn’t be fixed due to sanctions and overcompliance, despite the US announcing some humanitarian exemptions.