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PSP Calls For Investigations Into Wheat, Diesel Oil Smuggling to Syria

Members of Lebanon's joint border security force stop a truck near the official Arida crossing point on the border with Syria, November 17, 2008. REUTERS/ Alistair Lyon
Members of Lebanon's joint border security force stop a truck near the official Arida crossing point on the border with Syria, November 17, 2008. REUTERS/ Alistair Lyon
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PSP Calls For Investigations Into Wheat, Diesel Oil Smuggling to Syria

Members of Lebanon's joint border security force stop a truck near the official Arida crossing point on the border with Syria, November 17, 2008. REUTERS/ Alistair Lyon
Members of Lebanon's joint border security force stop a truck near the official Arida crossing point on the border with Syria, November 17, 2008. REUTERS/ Alistair Lyon

The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and its Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc called for investigating the file of wheat and diesel oil smuggling into Syria and holding the perpetrators accountable.

MP Hadi Abul Hassan submitted a report to the Public Prosecution about smuggling supplies out of Lebanon, especially subsidized diesel and flour.

In a statement, the Democratic Gathering deputy called for “opening a judicial investigation and the prosecution and arrest of smugglers and those who cover them.”

“We submitted a report to the State Prosecution, and we urged Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, whom we trust, to open an investigation into what’s happening,” he remarked.

“We call on the judiciary to stop political interference. We also ask politicians not to intervene to cover the smugglers,” he underlined.

Abul Hassan noted that putting an end to smuggling was at the top of reforms requested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to address the squandering of public funds.

Meanwhile, a patrol from the General Administration of Customs in Tripoli seized two trucks carrying tanks filled with diesel (about 22,000 liters), which were “heading towards a border area,” according to the National News Agency (NNA).

“While escorting the two trucks to the Customs checkpoint, the patrol was attacked by a large group of people, which allowed the two vehicles to flee,” the NNA noted. Those were then re-captured by a Lebanese army checkpoint.

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Estimates of Hunger, Disease Claiming 990 Lives in Sudan’s Darfur

Sudanese displaced arrive in El Gedaref city in the east on Sunday, fleeing from Sennar state to the south (AFP)
Sudanese displaced arrive in El Gedaref city in the east on Sunday, fleeing from Sennar state to the south (AFP)
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Estimates of Hunger, Disease Claiming 990 Lives in Sudan’s Darfur

Sudanese displaced arrive in El Gedaref city in the east on Sunday, fleeing from Sennar state to the south (AFP)
Sudanese displaced arrive in El Gedaref city in the east on Sunday, fleeing from Sennar state to the south (AFP)

Over 50,000 people fled by foot from intense fighting between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Sudanese city of El Fashir, North Darfur. They walked more than 60 kilometers to Tawila town in scorching temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Some died from hunger and thirst, as reported by local media.

Displaced individuals in Tawila and other Darfur towns endure dire conditions, with 991 deaths recorded between April 15 and May 15 due to famine and disease outbreaks, according to Adam Rijal, spokesperson for Darfur’s Coordination of Displaced Persons and Refugees.

“The displaced in Tawila are starving, with children crying from hunger,” Rijal told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The little milk they receive isn’t enough for their small stomachs,” he added, underscoring Tawila’s critical lack of basic essentials.

Eyewitnesses described dire conditions faced by refugees fleeing war on their long journey to Tawila, where scorching temperatures worsened their plight.

Asylum seekers in Tawila affirm that the displacement journeys are unsafe, with vulnerable refugees at risk of being robbed by armed gangs. Those reaching Tawila considered themselves lucky to have avoided such attacks.

Sudanese human rights activist Adam Idris told Asharq Al-Awsat that indiscriminate shelling in El Fashir claimed hundreds of lives, forcing many to flee to Tawila and areas controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement.

Idris noted that some displaced persons died en route due to hunger and thirst, urging humanitarian organizations to swiftly provide aid in the town.

In a related development, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday that over 402,000 Sudanese refugees are now registered in Egypt, with more expected in the coming months.

In a statement, UNHCR noted that over 38,000 Sudanese refugees arrived in Egypt in May alone. Libya and Uganda have recently joined the Regional Refugee Response Plan, along with the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.

UNHCR emphasized that only 19% of the needed funds for refugee assistance have been received so far, insufficient to meet the urgent needs of displaced people.

In Libya, more than 20,000 Sudanese refugees have arrived since April, with many settling in the eastern regions.

Uganda, hosting the largest number of refugees in Africa, has received over 39,000 Sudanese refugees since the conflict began, including 27,000 this year. This number is nearly three times higher than anticipated.

After 14 months of conflict, thousands continue to flee Sudan due to violence, violations, death, disrupted services, and limited humanitarian aid access, with the threat of famine looming.