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Palestinians Protest against Trump's Middle East Peace Plan

Palestinian protesters confront Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the West Bank against US President Donald Trump's peace proposals, on January 29, 2020. (AFP)
Palestinian protesters confront Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the West Bank against US President Donald Trump's peace proposals, on January 29, 2020. (AFP)
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Palestinians Protest against Trump's Middle East Peace Plan

Palestinian protesters confront Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the West Bank against US President Donald Trump's peace proposals, on January 29, 2020. (AFP)
Palestinian protesters confront Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the West Bank against US President Donald Trump's peace proposals, on January 29, 2020. (AFP)

Palestinians protested Wednesday against President Donald Trump's controversial peace plan that gives Israel a US green light to annex key parts of the occupied West Bank.

The protests, including isolated clashes, underscored the depth of frustration with a proposal seen as overwhelmingly supportive of Israeli objectives that was drafted with no Palestinian input.

Trump, who unveiled the plan on Tuesday at the White House standing alongside Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with no Palestinian representatives on hand, said his initiative could succeed where others had failed.

But it grants Israel much of what it has sought in decades of international diplomacy, namely control over Jerusalem as its "undivided" capital, rather than a city to share with the Palestinians.

It also offers US approval for Israel to annex the strategically crucial Jordan Valley -- which accounts for around 30 percent of the West Bank -- as well as other Jewish settlements in the territory.

Those terms have been roundly rejected by Palestinian leaders.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the deal should be confined "to the dustbin of history".

Hamas, the movement that controls the Gaza Strip, said it could never accept anything short of Jerusalem as capital of a future state of Palestine.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the Palestinians to "come up with a counter offer".

"I know the Israelis would be prepared to sit down and negotiate on the basis of the vision that the president laid out," Pompeo said, as he headed to Britain on a five-nation tour.

Teargas

In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, demonstrators threw rocks at Israeli border guards who responded by firing tear gas.

Three protesters were hospitalized after being hit by Israeli fire in clashes near Ramallah in the central West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

In Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, protesters set tires alight, while others hoisted banners vowing they were "united against the deal of the century", in a jibe against Trump's proposals.

Trump's plan foresees the creation of a "contiguous" Palestinian state but under strict conditions, including a requirement that it be "demilitarized".

The Palestinians would only be allowed to declare a capital in outer parts of east Jerusalem beyond an Israeli security wall.

Welcomed in Israel

Those terms were warmly received by some in Israel.

"History knocked on our door last night and gave us a unique opportunity to apply Israeli law on all of the settlements in Judea (and) Samaria," said Israel's rightwing Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, using the Israeli term for the West Bank.

The Blue and White party led by Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's main election rival in March 2 polls, embraced Trump's proposals as offering "a strong, viable basis for advancing a peace accord with the Palestinians".

But the head of Israel's leftwing coalition Labor-Gesher-Meretz, Amir Peretz, condemned Netanyahu's expected move towards "unilateral annexations".

Meanwhile, on the streets of Tel Aviv, some residents voiced concern that Trump had paid no attention to what the Palestinians actually want.

"It sounds like an excessive implementation of Israel's ambitions, with harsh, aggressive ignorance of Palestinian ambitions," said Tel Aviv resident Uri, according to AFP.

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Arab World

Syria's Kurds to Try ISIS Militants after their Home Countries Refused to Repatriate them

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands near Kurdish internal security special forces during a security operation in al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands near Kurdish internal security special forces during a security operation in al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
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Syria's Kurds to Try ISIS Militants after their Home Countries Refused to Repatriate them

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands near Kurdish internal security special forces during a security operation in al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter stands near Kurdish internal security special forces during a security operation in al-Hol camp which holds displaced people and families of ISIS militants, in Hasaka governorate, in northeast Syria August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

The Kurdish-led authority in northeast Syria announced Saturday that hundreds of militants with ISIS held in prisons around the region will be put on trial after their home countries refused to repatriate them.

The statement by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria said it still calls for the creation of an international tribunal to put those fighters on trial. It called on the United Nations, international rights groups and local organizations to help facilitate the trials.

The US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, is holding over 10,000 captured ISIS militants in around two dozen detention facilities — including 2,000 foreigners whose home countries have refused to repatriate them. The statement said the fighters from about 60 nationalities had entered Syria years ago and were captured in battles against the extremists.

“The terrorist organization carried out horrific crimes and mass massacres against people in the region,” it said, adding that such acts are considered crimes against humanity and war crimes. It said the trials will be “fair and transparent in accordance with international and local laws related to terrorism.”

The SDF and the local Kurdish police force known as Asayesh also oversee some 51,000 family members of ISIS militants, mostly women and children in the al-Hol camp. Many of those family members remain die-hard ISIS supporters, and killings by militants have taken place in the camp over the years.

The Kurdish-led authority did not say where exactly the trials will be held or when they will start. They are believed to take place in areas controlled by the SDF in northeast and eastern Syria.

Arab World

Sudanese Capital Quiet as 24-Hour Ceasefire Takes Hold

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/
A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/
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Sudanese Capital Quiet as 24-Hour Ceasefire Takes Hold

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/
A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/

The Sudanese capital Khartoum was relatively calm on Saturday morning as a US and Saudi-brokered 24-hour ceasefire took effect, providing a window for humanitarian assistance and giving the public a break from the pressure of intense fighting.

The short ceasefire follows a string of violated truces between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), whose power struggle erupted into violence eight weeks ago, sparking a humanitarian crisis.

The US and Saudi Arabia said they shared "frustration" over the violations in a statement announcing the latest truce, and they threatened to adjourn the talks, which have continued indirectly recently, if fighting continues.

The fighting which began on April 15, has turned the metropolitan area including Khartoum and its sister cities Bahri and Omdurman into a war zone, and led to conflict in Sudan's Darfur and Kordofan regions to the west, Reuters reported.

Before the start of the truce at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT), residents reported anti-aircraft missiles firing in southern Khartoum and the Sharg el-Nil district across the Nile, which also saw air strikes.

In the week since the last ceasefire lapsed on June 3 there has been intense fighting, including around crucial army bases, with the RSF claiming to have taken control of an arms manufacturing complex in southern Khartoum.

The US State Department said late on Friday it was supporting a platform called the Sudan Conflict Observatory which would release results of satellite monitoring of the fighting and ceasefires.

An initial report by the observatory documented "widespread and targeted" destruction of water, power and telecom facilities.

It also documented eight "systematic" arson attacks that razed villages in Darfur and several attacks on schools, mosques and other public buildings in El Geneina, the country's westernmost city, which has seen fierce militia attacks amid a telecom blackout.

More than half of Sudan's population will require aid this year due to the fighting, the UN has said, as most hospitals in conflict areas have stopped functioning and food supplies in many areas are dwindling.

Previous ceasefires had allowed some humanitarian access, but aid agencies reported still being impeded by the fighting, bureaucratic control and looting.

The fighting has displaced more than 1.9 million people, more than 400,000 of whom have crossed into neighbouring countries.

It also derailed the launch of a transition towards civilian rule four years after a popular uprising ousted strongman President Omar al-Bashir.

Sudan's army and the RSF, a parallel force that has operated legally since 2017, fell out over plans to integrate their troops and reorganise their chain of command as part of the transition.

Arab World

Algerian President to Sign 'Strategic Partnership Agreement' with Russia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)
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Algerian President to Sign 'Strategic Partnership Agreement' with Russia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov (Algerian Presidency)

Algeria and Russia are preparing to sign a "strategic partnership agreement," which includes all sectors of economic cooperation during President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's upcoming visit to Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Tebboune in May 2020 to visit Russia, which never occurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. He renewed the invitation last July.

The Algerian side has yet to confirm that the visit will take place soon, which means that the country's authorities are keen to complete the arrangements for the agreement before announcing its exact date.

Last November, the Russian President's Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, stated that the government was awaiting a proposal from the Algerian side to set the date, noting that it will likely to take place at the end of the year."

For his part, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said last month that he hopes Tebboune's visit to Moscow will take place before the end of the year, reiterating its importance for both countries.

Lamamra said they have a broad cooperation program between Algeria and Russia, adding that the two countries are partners and essential to each other.

"We are conducting a high-level political dialogue. We hope President Abdelmadjid Tebboune's visit to Russia will begin a new phase in our relations", Lamamra added.

Observers said Tebboune's absence from the US-Africa summit in Washington expresses Algeria's rejection of US pressure on countries to isolate Russia against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis.

Algeria prefers to coordinate with Russia on major international issues, but it is keen to avoid anything disturbing its relations with Washington, given the interests that unite them.

Media sources said negotiations are underway to conclude an agreement framing Russian military supplies to Algeria for the next ten years.

According to the sources, the Algerian military leadership is interested in acquiring submarines, aircrafts, and new air defense systems.

The 2023 Budget Law has set the defense budget at $23 billion, the largest since independence in 1960.

The remarkable military rapprochement between the two countries angered members of the US Congress.

Last October, they demanded their government impose sanctions on Algeria under the pretext of arms deals linking it to Russia.

Arab World

Italian PM Says EU Will Send Aid Package to Tunisia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Tunisian PM (File photo: EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Tunisian PM (File photo: EPA)
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Italian PM Says EU Will Send Aid Package to Tunisia

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Tunisian PM (File photo: EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Tunisian PM (File photo: EPA)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that the leaders of Italy, the Netherlands, and the European Commission would likely announce an EU aid package for Tunisia during an upcoming visit during the weekend.

Meloni, her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte, and President of EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Tunisia Sunday to discuss removing obstacles hindering Tunisia's access to International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans.

She said that the expected EU aid package would pave the way for obtaining IMF funding.

"It seems to me that important steps forward are being taken," Meloni said.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting in Rome with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Meloni said she was confident a deal could be reached between the IMF and Tunisia.

Meanwhile, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense announced Friday that four Tunisian soldiers died in a military helicopter crash into the sea on Wednesday.

The ministry said it had lost contact with the helicopter after it went missing while on a flight mission on Wednesday near Bizerte.

According to the Ministry, the units are still searching for the dead soldiers after they recovered two bodies and parts of the helicopter's wreckage.

Also, President Kais Saied discussed the incident with the Minister of Defense, Imed Memmiche.

The President called for the necessity of renewing the Tunisian military equipment, considering that such incidents, which can occur in any country, unfortunately, occur in Tunisia due to the erosion of the equipment, which led to and continues to lead to such tragedies.

In October 2021, three soldiers were killed when an army helicopter crashed during a night exercise in the southern province of Gabes.

A year early, a soldier was killed when his warplane crashed in the Remada region, in the far south of Tunisia. In 2018, two soldiers were killed when a training plane crashed in Sfax, east of Tunisia.

The most significant accident dates back to 2002, when a military helicopter carrying the military leaders crashed, killing 13 Tunisian soldiers in the Medjez el-Bab area.

Arab World

Türkiye Calls on Int’l Community to Contribute to Voluntary Return of Syrian Refugees

After winning the elections, the Turkish president reiterated his intention to work on the voluntarily return of the displaced Syrians to their country. (AP)
After winning the elections, the Turkish president reiterated his intention to work on the voluntarily return of the displaced Syrians to their country. (AP)
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Türkiye Calls on Int’l Community to Contribute to Voluntary Return of Syrian Refugees

After winning the elections, the Turkish president reiterated his intention to work on the voluntarily return of the displaced Syrians to their country. (AP)
After winning the elections, the Turkish president reiterated his intention to work on the voluntarily return of the displaced Syrians to their country. (AP)

Türkiye has called on the international community to cooperate in achieving the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Syrian refugees on its territory. At the same time, it confirmed that it would continue its operations targeting terrorist organizations at home and across borders.

The country’s National Security Council emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the issue of refugees, saying that it would contribute to achieving their voluntary, safe and dignified return to their homeland.

This came in a statement issued on Thursday evening, at the end of the first meeting of the newly-established council, after the recent presidential and parliamentary elections.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had confirmed, after the first meeting of his new government on Tuesday, that Türkiye would return the Syrian refugees to their country in a safe, voluntary and honorable manner, saying: “We will encourage our brothers, who sought refuge in our country fleeing the war and the attacks of terrorist organizations, to voluntarily return to their homeland safely and honorably.”

During his electoral campaign, Erdogan pledged to return more than a million Syrian refugees to safe areas established by Türkiye in northern Syria, where it is building residential villages with services to accommodate them in conditions suitable for life and work.

“We will contribute to peace and stability on a global scale by maintaining our pioneering foreign policy and active humanitarianism,” he stated.

Türkiye places the return of refugees among the three main goals of negotiations to normalize relations with Syria, which also include cooperation in combating terrorism and advancing the political process to achieve stability and preserve the country’s unity.

Meanwhile, Ankara announced the arrest of a female official in the Kurdish People’s Protection Units in a joint operation of its intelligence with the pro-Turkish Syrian National Army, while she was trying to infiltrate from Manbij into Turkish territory.

On Friday, the official Anadolu Agency quoted security sources as saying that members of the Syrian National Army had arrested an official of the People’s Protection Units in the city of Manbij, after obtaining information from Turkish intelligence about her movements. She was later handed over to the Turkish security authorities.

Arab World

Lebanese Army Takes Combat Positions amid Tension at Border with Israel

A Lebanese soldier in combat position facing an Israeli patrol. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A Lebanese soldier in combat position facing an Israeli patrol. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Lebanese Army Takes Combat Positions amid Tension at Border with Israel

A Lebanese soldier in combat position facing an Israeli patrol. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A Lebanese soldier in combat position facing an Israeli patrol. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) urged Lebanon and Israel to effectively use the coordination mechanisms to prevent misunderstandings and violations, and to contribute to maintaining stability in the border area.

The area witnessed tension, as members of the Lebanese army took combat positions against the Israeli forces, following an attempt by Lebanese civilians to intercept Israeli bulldozers that tried to level their lands in an overlapping border area that Lebanon says belongs to it.

On Friday, the Lebanese army announced its deployment to the border area in Kfar Shuba, in southeastern Lebanon, after the Israeli forces dispersed the demonstrators.

Israeli army spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said on his Twitter account that demonstrations erupted in the Jabal Rus area on the Lebanese border. He added that the protesters threw stones at an Israeli military force, which responded using what he called “means” to disperse the demonstrations.

“We will not allow security breaches on the border with Lebanon,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti announced that the interim forces were following closely the recent events in the border village. He called for employing coordination mechanisms to diffuse the tense situation to prevent any violations.

“UNIFIL is in contact with the parties, and is striving to find solutions,” he said, calling on both sides to “exercise restraint and avoid actions that might lead to an escalation of tension along the Blue Line.”

Tensions erupted on Wednesday, when Israeli bulldozers began razing Lebanese lands in the Kfar Shuba hills, located on a border triangle between Lebanon, the Golan Heights and Israel, and approached the so-called withdrawal line, prompting Lebanese civilians to stand in front of them.

Sources said that the Israeli bulldozers were confronted inside the occupied Lebanese territories.

They added that residents of the area “removed barbed wire placed by Israel,” while “Israeli forces responded by throwing tear gas, trying to disperse the crowd.”

Arab World

Palestinian Couple Brace for East Jerusalem Eviction

Palestinian couple Nora and Mustafa Sub Laban pose for a picture in their home in the walled Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which they are set to lose of Jewish settlers after a 45-year legal battle © MENAHEM KAHANA / afp/AFP
Palestinian couple Nora and Mustafa Sub Laban pose for a picture in their home in the walled Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which they are set to lose of Jewish settlers after a 45-year legal battle © MENAHEM KAHANA / afp/AFP
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Palestinian Couple Brace for East Jerusalem Eviction

Palestinian couple Nora and Mustafa Sub Laban pose for a picture in their home in the walled Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which they are set to lose of Jewish settlers after a 45-year legal battle © MENAHEM KAHANA / afp/AFP
Palestinian couple Nora and Mustafa Sub Laban pose for a picture in their home in the walled Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, which they are set to lose of Jewish settlers after a 45-year legal battle © MENAHEM KAHANA / afp/AFP

In the walled Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, Nora and Mustafa Sub Laban are counting down the last days before a court decision that has hovered over them since 1978 is carried out.

After decades of legal wrangling, they are set to be evicted from their home in the Muslim Quarter to make way for Jewish settlers.

"These days, I'm like a prisoner waiting to be put to death. I don't sleep like other people," Nora Sub Laban told AFP.

The east Jerusalem residents have been embroiled in a 45-year legal battle with authorities and Israeli settlers.

The settlers are part of an organization called Atara Leyoshna and are represented by Eli Attal, according to both the Sub Laban family and Ir Amim, an anti-settlement watchdog.

The Israeli plaintiffs claim that Jews lived in the building before the division of the holy city into Israeli and Jordanian sectors following the proclamation of the Jewish state in 1948.

They invoke an Israeli law from the 1970s that allows Jews to reclaim property owned by Jews before 1948, even if they are not related.

The Sub Labans say they were designated "protected tenants" by Jordan in the 1950s, before Israel captured east Jerusalem in 1967 and proceeded to annex it in a move regarded as illegal by the United Nations.

The family showed AFP a Jordanian rental contract dating back to 1953, as well as Israeli court rulings recognizing their status as "protected tenants".

Yet the courts said that the couple do not currently live permanently in the building, so their "protected tenants" status no longer applies and the eviction can go ahead.

Nora said the judgment refers to a period when she was not living in the apartment daily because of a hospitalization.

"Legally speaking, within the Israeli system, nothing more can be done," said Rafat Sub Laban, the couple's son and an employee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

According to Ir Amim, some 150 Palestinian families in Jerusalem's Old City and nearby neighbourhoods are currently threatened with eviction because of "discriminatory laws and state collusion with settler organisations".

The group says such evictions are part of "a strategy to cement Israeli hegemony of the Old City basin, the most religiously and politically sensitive part of Jerusalem and a core issue of the conflict".

Over the years, settlers have opened several yeshivas -- Jewish seminaries -- on the street where the Sub Laban family lives.

Their nearest Israeli neighbour lives just a few steps from their home -- they share a landing.

But it is not a peaceful cohabitation.

"We do not live in freedom and security," said Nora.

Inside the apartment, photos have been taken down and objects of sentimental value removed. The Sub Labans know that when the police come, they will have only a few moments to clear out their things.

"When unfortunately that happens, we will bring our parents to my sister and me" in another neighbourhood of east Jerusalem, their son Rafat said.

"It's the only option."

Messages scribbled on the wall in black marker by their grandchildren are one of the few things left in the almost empty apartment.

"Palestine will be free", "We will return" and "This is our home," they read.

"I lived my childhood in this house, I grew up here, I lost my father and my mother here", said Nora Sub Laban.

"People think that a house is just walls, but it's also memories, it's my whole life," the 68-year-old added.

"But (the settlers) don't care about that."

Arab World

Saudi, US Mediators Announce 24-Hour Sudan Truce

Black smoke billows amid ongoing fighting in the capital Khartoum on June 9, 2023. (AFP)
Black smoke billows amid ongoing fighting in the capital Khartoum on June 9, 2023. (AFP)
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Saudi, US Mediators Announce 24-Hour Sudan Truce

Black smoke billows amid ongoing fighting in the capital Khartoum on June 9, 2023. (AFP)
Black smoke billows amid ongoing fighting in the capital Khartoum on June 9, 2023. (AFP)

Sudan's warring generals have agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire from Saturday, Saudi and US mediators said, acknowledging that previous attempts to pause a conflict now nearing its third month had proved abortive.

Multiple truces have been agreed and broken since fighting erupted on April 15, and Washington had slapped sanctions on both rival generals after the last attempt collapsed at the end of May, blaming them for the "appalling" bloodshed.

"Representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a 24-hour countrywide ceasefire beginning on June 10 at 6:00 am (0400 GMT)," said a joint statement from the mediators released by the Saudi foreign ministry on Friday.

"Should the parties fail to observe the 24-hour ceasefire, facilitators will be compelled to consider adjourning" talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah which have been suspended since late last month, the mediators said.

The fighting has gripped the capital Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, killing upwards of 1,800 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

Nearly two million people have been displaced, including 476,000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries, the United Nations says.

The Saudi and US mediators said they "share the frustration of the Sudanese people about the uneven implementation of previous ceasefires".

The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said it has "agreed to the proposal", adding in a statement it "declares its commitment to the ceasefire".

The paramilitary RSF, commanded by Burhan's former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has yet to make an official statement on the latest truce.

"If observed, the 24-hour ceasefire will provide an important opportunity... for the parties to undertake confidence-building measures which could permit resumption of the Jeddah talks," the US-Saudi statement said.

'Immense needs'

Friday's announcement came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, where he held discussions on Sudan with top Saudi officials.

On Thursday, Sudanese authorities loyal to Burhan declared UN envoy Volker Perthes "persona non grata", accusing him of taking sides.

The fighting has sidelined the envoy's efforts to revive Sudan's transition to civilian rule, which was derailed by a 2021 coup by the two generals before they fell out.

A Sudanese government official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said the decision was taken "because he sided with certain political parties" and sought to "exclude others" from the transition process.

The United Nations has yet to comment on the announcement but UN chief Antonio Guterres has repeatedly defended Perthes, who is currently in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for a series of talks.

A former academic who has headed the Sudan mission since 2021, Perthes has staunchly defended the UN against accusations of inflaming the conflict, saying those responsible are "the two generals at war".

The fighting has complicated the coordination of international efforts to deliver emergency relief to the 25 million civilians that the United Nations estimates are in need.

Alfonso Verdu Perez, outgoing head of the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Sudan, warned on Friday that "health care may collapse at any moment".

"The needs are immense and much more remains to be done" in both Khartoum and Darfur, he told reporters in Geneva, describing the many challenges to delivering aid as fighting continues.

About one fifth of medical facilities in the capital are still functioning but face "severe shortages" of water, food and electricity, and "are running low on essential medical supplies", he added.

Witnesses reported hearing clashes on Friday near the Yarmouk weapons manufacturing and arms depot complex in Khartoum, from where plumes of smoke were seen rising for a second successive day.

Air strikes were also carried out in eastern parts of the capital and the sound of anti-aircraft guns was heard.

Those unable to leave have been forced to camp out for weeks as supplies of food and other vital goods run low.

Arab World

Palestinian President to Visit China Next Week

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been invited to China. AFP
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been invited to China. AFP
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Palestinian President to Visit China Next Week

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been invited to China. AFP
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been invited to China. AFP

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit China from June 13-16 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

"At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, president of the state of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from June 13 to 16," foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

"He is the first Arab head of state received by China this year, fully embodying the high level of China-Palestine good relations, which have traditionally been friendly," ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing later.

Abbas is an "old and good friend of the Chinese people", he added.

"China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights."

Arab World

Cairo Intensifies Consultations to Achieve Stability in Sudan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrives in Zambia as part of an African tour. (Facebook/Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrives in Zambia as part of an African tour. (Facebook/Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency)
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Cairo Intensifies Consultations to Achieve Stability in Sudan

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrives in Zambia as part of an African tour. (Facebook/Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrives in Zambia as part of an African tour. (Facebook/Spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt has intensified its efforts aiming at resolving the crisis in Sudan.

“Egypt is assuming its responsibilities as a direct neighboring country by making all endeavors, with the active parties and international partners, and engaging in existing mechanisms to ensure coordination between them in order to reach a secure and stable Sudan,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stressed on Thursday.

His comments came at the 22nd Summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in Zambia.

Sisi added that Egypt continues to host the Sudanese and called on all countries to provide the necessary support to them in this “delicate historical moment.”

During a meeting with his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenço on Wednesday in Luanda, Sisi noted that the conflict in Sudan impacted Egypt. “During the past eight weeks, around 200,000 Sudanese were displaced to the Sudanese borders,” according to the Egyptian President.

Since the start of the war in Sudan, Egypt has engaged in intensive calls with relevant parties in an attempt to resolve the crisis. Egypt constantly reiterates that it exerts relentless efforts to pave the way for a peaceful dialogue.

In early June, Egypt and Qatar announced an initiative to provide support to the Sudanese people.

Advancing economic integration in Africa is key to achieving peace and security on the continent, Sisi said.

“Egypt has assumed the leadership of the COMESA over the past two years, during a very delicate period that witnessed important developments at the international and regional levels.”

The President highlighted the challenges facing the African countries to sustain peace and security.

“Such challenges require countries to adhere to a number of principles, especially the need to respect the right of all peoples of African States to life and to settle disputes, conflicts, and issues that threaten this right,” he stressed.

Preserving any country's national institutions is paramount as they represent its "backbone of stability and security," Sisi added.

“Now, after the end of Egypt's chairmanship of the COMESA, I reiterate my pledge to you to continue to work in coordination with all our brothers towards the implementation of the objectives of the African Development Agenda 2063, particularly with Egypt assuming the chairmanship of the African Union Development Agency, NEPAD, over the next two years,” the President added.

The President announced Egypt's candidacy to the African and Peace Security Council for 2024-2026, stemming from its belief that it has a role to play in supporting peace and security in the continent.