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Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks

Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks
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Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks

Lebanon Seeks to Preserve UNIFIL Current Tasks

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun affirmed the country’s insistence on the presence of the international forces operating in the South (UNIFIL), pointing out that the Cabinet has taken a decision to “resort to the Security Council to request an extension of its mission for an additional year without modifying its mandate, concept of operations and special rules of engagement.”

Aoun was speaking during a meeting in Baabda on Wednesday with the ambassadors of the five permanent Security Council members, in the presence of UN Secretary-General Representative, Jan Kubis.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab emphasized that “the continued presence of (UNIFIL) forces in southern Lebanon is an international need.”

“The continued work of UNIFIL in Southern Lebanon is an international need, before being a Lebanese demand. The presence of these forces, according to the role assigned to them, is now necessary to prevent tension and redress any danger looming at the borders as a result of Israeli violations,” he said.

However, the Lebanese position seems to be heading towards a clash with the US Administration.

Aoun asserted that the Lebanese Constitution stipulates the respect of private properties, in reference to Washington’s request to expand UNIFIL’s scope of operations to include searching homes in southern villages and towns.

“Our adherence to it is only surpassed by our attachment to public freedoms and full Lebanese sovereignty”, Aoun remarked.

US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea replied by saying that the effectiveness of UNIFIL should be increased.

“We need to consider increasing the effectiveness of UNIFIL to its maximum extent and if it is not able to achieve its mandate fully, we must ask questions about whether the current number is the best,” she told the meeting.

Shea then noted that the private property could not be implemented by UNIFIL, stressing that the issue should be addressed openly and without any hesitation.

Kubis, for his part, confirmed UN readiness to assist and support Lebanon. He also underlined the consolidation and development of partnership between UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.

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Arab World

Yemen’s Alimi at UN: No More Concessions to Houthis

The President of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The President of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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Yemen’s Alimi at UN: No More Concessions to Houthis

The President of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
The President of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), strongly warned against his country going back to a time of slavery due to the Houthi group’s influence.

He emphasized the need for long-lasting peace based on established agreements and made it clear that there would be no new compromises with the Houthi group that controls northern Yemen.

Alimi’s warnings at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York came as the Houthis showcased in Sanaa their military power on the anniversary of taking over the capital.

Their leaders proudly talked about their missiles and drones, claiming that they could threaten all parts of Yemen and nearby regions.

Alimi stated that hopes are renewed with the resumption of Saudi and Omani efforts to compel Houthis to respect popular, regional, and international will.

He stressed that the goal of any sustainable peace efforts must involve broad partnership without discrimination or exclusion, aiming to establish a brighter future for Yemen.

The PLC chairman emphasized that his leadership and the Yemeni government have no further concessions to make, expressing skepticism about the intentions of the Houthi group, which he believed could be foreseen for decades to come.

Alimi warned against his country becoming a hub for exporting terrorism.

“Any leniency from the international community or compromising the legal status of the state, or even dealing with militias as an established authority, would inevitably turn the suppression and violation of public freedoms into an inescapable behavior,” said Alimi.

He also pointed to the group’s disregard for all previous deals, including the Stockholm Agreement.

Arab World

US Urges Libyans to Form a ‘Unified Army’

The US delegation during the meeting of the Libyan commander-in-chief (US Embassy)
The US delegation during the meeting of the Libyan commander-in-chief (US Embassy)
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US Urges Libyans to Form a ‘Unified Army’

The US delegation during the meeting of the Libyan commander-in-chief (US Embassy)
The US delegation during the meeting of the Libyan commander-in-chief (US Embassy)

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) commander General Micheal Langley and the US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland reiterated the call for the formation of a unified government in Libya, asserting that the military—east and west—can jointly support relief efforts in flood affected areas.

The US officials met with the chairman of the Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, and reiterated Washington's support for Libyan flood relief efforts.

"The United States stands with the Libyan people in their calls for national unity in the wake of the tragedy in eastern Libya."

Later, Langley addressed with the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Mohammed al-Haddad, the Libyan people's response to the devastation caused by Storm Daniel, and asserted that the strongest defense Libya has is unity.

They discussed how the East and West military can jointly support relief efforts in flood-affected areas and how the United States can help.

Langley said that the efforts towards military reunification, starting with a joint east-west force, are vital to secure the peace and stability that the Libyan people deserve.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Thursday that more than 43,000 individuals have been displaced due to the recent devastating floods in eastern Libya, namely Derna.

The organization warned that the shortage of water supply is reportedly prompting many displaced residents to leave Derna, which suffered the most extensive damage in the region, and to relocate to other municipalities.

It added that a lack of water supply is reportedly driving many displaced people out of Derna, noting that urgent needs include food, drinking water and mental health and psychosocial support.

Furthermore, senior analyst of the Crisis Group Claudia Gazzini interviewed the former mayor of Derna, Abdelmonem al-Gaithi, sacked after the floods. Gaithi asked the international community to support the creation of a global technical commission of inquiry to determine what happened in the city.

In addition, the spokesman for the Libyan Commander-in-Chief, Major General Ahmed al-Mismari, denied any hostility towards journalists.

Mismari told Asharq Al-Awsat that some journalists are causing chaos during rescue operations, insisting on conducting interviews during rescue operations, which prompted authorities to order them to stay away from the area, given concerns about the spread of diseases.

He denied claims that international rescue teams were banned from entering Derna, highlighting that the army welcomes everyone providing humanitarian and medical aid.

He condemned "the political exploitation" of the Derna disaster.

Arab World

Israel Strikes Alleged Syrian Military Structures. It Says the Buildings Violated a 1974 Cease-fire

An Israeli tank is positioned near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers, as it is seen from the Israeli side September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
An Israeli tank is positioned near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers, as it is seen from the Israeli side September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Israel Strikes Alleged Syrian Military Structures. It Says the Buildings Violated a 1974 Cease-fire

An Israeli tank is positioned near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers, as it is seen from the Israeli side September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
An Israeli tank is positioned near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip during clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers, as it is seen from the Israeli side September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The Israeli military said tanks struck two structures inside a demilitarized zone in Syria on Thursday, claiming the buildings violated a half-century-old cease-fire agreement between the two countries.
The structures, it said, were being used by the Syrian military, amounting to what the army called a “clear violation” of the 1974 cease-fire. The Israeli army did not provide any information on what the structures were used for or when they were built, The Associated Press said.
In Syria, the pro-government Sham FM radio station said Israel’s military struck an area on the edge of the Syrian side of the Golan Heights in the village of Hadar. It said there were no casualties.
The 1974 agreement established a demilitarized separation zone between Israeli and Syrian forces, stationing a UN peacekeeping force there to maintain calm.
Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli general and research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said the strike did not mark a major escalation. The Israeli military often strikes what it says are Iranian-linked targets in Syria.
“It’s just a small match in a much larger fireworks show,” Orion said.
He said both the structures and the Israeli strike violated the cease-fire agreement, which bans both sides from military activity in the demilitarized territory.
The agreement is credited with officially ending the 1973 Mideast war, when a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched an attack on Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Israel is marking the 50th anniversary of the war next week, based on the Hebrew calendar.
Israel and Syria are bitter enemies, though the cease-fire has largely held for the past five decades.
Also on Thursday, Syrian media reported that Israeli drones targeted two people riding a motorcycle in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the Israeli strike killed two members of Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian militant group backed by Iran, near the village of Beit Jin in southern Syria.
Islamic Jihad official Ismail Abu-Mujahed denied that any of their operatives were killed in southern Syria.
The Israeli army declined to comment on the reports.

Arab World

Sudan's Rival Military Leaders Give Competing Addresses to UN

Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
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Sudan's Rival Military Leaders Give Competing Addresses to UN

Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

The heads of Sudan's rival military factions gave competing addresses to the United Nations on Thursday, one from the podium at UN headquarters in New York and the other in a rare video recording from an undisclosed location.
Army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, speaking at the United Nations following a string of foreign trips, called on the international community to designate the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a terrorist organization and to counter its sponsors outside Sudan's borders, Reuters said.
RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said in a video message that his forces were fully prepared for a ceasefire and comprehensive political talks to end the conflict.
Both sides blamed the other for starting the war that erupted in mid-April in Khartoum and has spread to other parts of the country including the western region of Darfur, displacing more than 5 million people and threatening to destabilize the region.
Most of Hemedti's recent communications have been audio messages, and his whereabouts have been a source of speculation.
In the video released on Thursday shortly before Burhan spoke, Hemedti appeared in military uniform, seated behind a desk with a Sudanese national flag behind him as he read out his speech. His location was not clear.
"Today we renew our commitment to the peaceful process to put a halt to this war," Hemedti said. "The RSF are fully prepared for a ceasefire throughout Sudan to allow the passage of humanitarian aid ... and to start serious and comprehensive political talks."
FAILED CEASEFIRES
Previous assertions by the army and the RSF that they are seeking a solution to the conflict, as well as announcements of ceasefires by both sides, have failed to stop bloodshed and the deepening of a humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
"We are still extending our hands for peace, to stop this war and the suffering of our people," said Burhan, adding that the army remained committed to withdrawing from politics in a transition to civilian rule.
But he also called for the RSF to be labeled a terrorist group and said it was backed by regional and international backers, without naming any. "There is a need to firmly address their sponsors," he said.
Sudan's war broke out over plans to formally integrate the RSF into the army as part of a political transition, four years after the overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir during a popular uprising. The army and RSF staged a coup together in 2021 before coming to blows.
Witnesses say the army has used heavy artillery and air strikes that have caused casualties in residential districts of Khartoum and other cities, and that the RSF has inflicted widespread looting and sexual violence on residents as well as participating in ethnically targeted attacks in Darfur.
Saudi Arabia and the United States have tried to secure a lasting ceasefire in Sudan but the process stalled amid parallel international initiatives in Africa and the Middle East.

Arab World

IOM: At Least 43,059 People Displaced by Libya Floods

People sit among the rubble in Libya's eastern city of Derna on September 20, 2023, following a deadly flash flood. (Photo by Abu Bakr AL-SOUSSI / AFP)
People sit among the rubble in Libya's eastern city of Derna on September 20, 2023, following a deadly flash flood. (Photo by Abu Bakr AL-SOUSSI / AFP)
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IOM: At Least 43,059 People Displaced by Libya Floods

People sit among the rubble in Libya's eastern city of Derna on September 20, 2023, following a deadly flash flood. (Photo by Abu Bakr AL-SOUSSI / AFP)
People sit among the rubble in Libya's eastern city of Derna on September 20, 2023, following a deadly flash flood. (Photo by Abu Bakr AL-SOUSSI / AFP)

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday at least 43,059 people have been displaced by severe floods in northeastern Libya.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the IOM added that the lack of clean water supplies appeared to be driving many displaced people out of Derna to municipalities to the east and west of the Mediterranean city.

The country’s chief prosecutor, meanwhile, vowed to take “serious measures” to deliver justice for the victims of the floods, which devastated Derna more than a week ago.

Thousands of people were killed, with many dead still under the rubble or at sea, according to search teams. Government officials and aid agencies have given varied death tolls ranging from about 4,000 to over 11,000.

Local authorities said they have isolated the worst damaged part of Derna amid growing concerns about potential infection by waterborne diseases. Health authorities have launched a vaccination campaign that initially targeted search and rescue teamed along with children in Derna and other impacted areas.

Arab World

'Like a Grave': Syrians Shelter Underground

Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
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'Like a Grave': Syrians Shelter Underground

Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)
Ahmad Khalil, 53, sits with his family in a cave he carved manually with his children in five years, near his original home in the mostly abandoned village of Kansafra, on September 10, 2023. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

In a battered village in Syria's last main opposition bastion, one resident has hewn a bomb shelter out of rock to stay on his land and protect his family from attacks.

Kansafra, in the south of Idlib province, often comes under Syrian army fire targeting militants who control the area, while Russian warplanes circle above and carry out airstrikes in support of ally Damascus.

Many families have fled the village, located less than two kilometers from the front lines.

Now, just a few shops remain open, while heavily damaged buildings line the streets.

But Ahmad Khalil, 53, would not leave.

"People keep telling us to go to a camp for displaced people, but these camps are a thousand times worse," he said.

Khalil carved out the shelter next to his house in 2017.

Winding, narrow steps lead down to a small room with a low, curved roof, illuminated with sunlight from a shaft and a dim lamp.

"I prefer to stay here under the bombs," he said, even though the shelter is "like a grave".

held Idlib region in Syria's northwest is home to about three million people, around half of them displaced from other parts of the country during more than a decade of conflict.

Many live in impoverished tented settlements, dependent on international aid.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham controls swathes of Idlib, as well as parts of the adjacent provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia.

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks, so Khalil's family has been spending more time underground.

Whenever they hear shelling or warplanes, they run to the shelter.

"There are always aircraft flying over the village and the area, it never stops. The life we lead is worse than death," said Khalil, who has two wives and seven children.

Mostly bereft of furniture, the shelter is covered with basic floor mats. Jars of vine leaves and other fermented vegetables are stored in the cool of the underground cave.

Buying bread means a walk to the nearest shop, at constant risk of attack.

In the family's somber shelter, two of Khalil's young sons played with toys on the ground.

"My children dream of living like any other children -- of going out and playing outside," said the father.

But here, "there are no other children for them to play with... and the entire region is in ruins," he added.

"This is no life."

Arab World

Egyptian, Iranian Foreign Ministers Discuss Bilateral Relations in New York

Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian during their meeting in New York (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian during their meeting in New York (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egyptian, Iranian Foreign Ministers Discuss Bilateral Relations in New York

Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian during their meeting in New York (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian during their meeting in New York (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt's Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, received his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, at Egypt's permanent mission to the UN in New York on Wednesday.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the meeting addressed bilateral ties and explored the foundations and guidelines governing them.

The meeting aimed to develop relations to serve the interests of both the Egyptian and Iranian peoples, founded on principles of mutual respect, good neighborliness, cooperation, and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.

The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized his country's aspiration to promote its relationship with Egypt, restoring it to its normal path in line with the history and civilization of the two countries.

He highlighted that the meeting is an essential step toward normalizing relations.

The meeting also tackled several regional issues, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said.

Both sides affirmed their aspiration to achieve stability and enhance security in their regional environment.

Shoukry pointed out that the complexity of the region's crises cast dangerous shadows over the stability and living conditions of its people.

He underlined the importance of cooperation with all countries in the region in the face of ongoing instability.

Both ministers agreed to maintain communication and dialogue on various topics of mutual interest at bilateral, regional, and international levels.

Arab World

Int’l Support Grows for Beirut Port Blast Fact-Finding Mission

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
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Int’l Support Grows for Beirut Port Blast Fact-Finding Mission

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk

A deadlock in the judicial probe into the Beirut port explosion, which has persisted for nearly two years, has prompted discussions of an international initiative to form a fact-finding mission.

This initiative aims to break the judicial paralysis and rekindle hope for the families seeking the truth and an understanding of the underlying causes of the catastrophe that had taken place.

During a recent session held in Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for the necessity of international action regarding the August 4, 2020, explosion at the Beirut port that killed at least 220 people, wounded thousands, and damaged swathes of the city.

The blast was set off by a fire at a warehouse detonating hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate.

Türk denounced the lack of accountability on the part of Lebanese authorities regarding those involved in the blast.

On the occasion of the 78th UN General Assembly session, 67 Lebanese lawmakers signed a petition and sent it to the United Nations, non-governmental groups, and human rights organizations.

They asked the UN to help Lebanon create a commission to investigate the blast.

This action received support from the victims’ families, who had also collectively sent a similar petition to the ambassadors of major countries, urging them to speed up the formation of the commission.

A group representing the families of those affected by the port blast, along with lawyer Camille Abu Sleiman, had started talking to ambassadors from countries with permanent seats on the UN Security Council.

They want to encourage the establishment of a fact-finding mission and present the petition, which most members of the Lebanese parliament have signed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abu Sleiman explained that he was hopeful.

He mentioned that this mission could be set up in different ways, either through a decision by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the Security Council, or the General Assembly.

Arab World

Report: Ukraine Likely Behind Attacks on RSF in Sudan for Receiving Assistance from Wagner

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (AP)
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (AP)
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Report: Ukraine Likely Behind Attacks on RSF in Sudan for Receiving Assistance from Wagner

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (AP)
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (AP)

Ukrainian special services were likely behind a series of recent attacks on the Wagner-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) near Sudan’s capital, CNN reported on Wednesday.

The attacks raise the prospect that the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spread far from the frontlines.

Speaking to CNN, a Ukrainian military source described the operation as the work of a “non-Sudanese military.” Pressed on whether Kyiv was behind the attacks, the source would only say that “Ukrainian special services were likely responsible.”

The operation involved a series of attacks on the RSF paramilitary group, which is believed to be receiving assistance from Wagner, the Russian mercenary group, in its fight against the Sudanese army for control of the country.

CNN said it was unable to independently confirm Ukraine’s involvement in the series of strikes. But video footage obtained by CNN pointed to the Ukrainian-style drone attacks in Omdurman and other cities.

Experts also said the tactics used – namely the pattern of drones swooping directly into their target – were highly unusual in Sudan and the wider African region.

CNN added that the videos showed that two commercially available drones widely used by Ukrainians were involved in at least eight of the strikes, with Ukrainian text seen on the drone controller.

The two drones are known as the First-person view (FPV) and the DJI MAVIC 3.

The DJI MAVIC 3 drone has a maximum flight distance of 30 kilometers, a video transmission range of 15 kilometers and 46 minutes of flying time, which would indicate that the pilot would have been operating the drone inside, or very close to, the city of Omdurman.

A high-level Sudanese military source said he had “no knowledge of a Ukrainian operation in Sudan” and did not believe it was true.

The powerful Russian mercenary group has played a public and pivotal role in Moscow’s foreign military campaigns, namely in Ukraine, and has repeatedly been accused of committing atrocities.

In Africa, it has helped to prop up Moscow’s growing influence and seizing of resources.

The Wagner Group first appeared in Sudan in 2017 after former President Omar Bashir's visit to Moscow, where he asked for security and military assistance from Russian President Vladimir Putin, in exchange for providing Russia a naval military base in Port Sudan.

At the time, the Meroe Gold company was founded to supervise the extraction of gold from Sudan’s mine. The company was part of the empire of the mercenary group’s late leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who consolidated control over Wagner’s activities in Africa.

Several sides accuse the Wagner group of building a close relationship with RSF paramilitary fighters and their leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – widely known as Hemedti.

Five months after the war broke out in Sudan between the army and the RSF paramilitary group, in mid-April, neither side appeared close to a decisive military victory. Meanwhile, the humanitarian suffering of the majority of Sudanese continues and threatens to consume the entire country.

Arab World

Syrian President Arrives in China on First Visit since the Beginning of War in Syria

FILE - In this photo released on Nov. 9, 2019 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP, File)
FILE - In this photo released on Nov. 9, 2019 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP, File)
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Syrian President Arrives in China on First Visit since the Beginning of War in Syria

FILE - In this photo released on Nov. 9, 2019 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP, File)
FILE - In this photo released on Nov. 9, 2019 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks in Damascus, Syria. (SANA via AP, File)

Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in China on Thursday on his first visit to the country since the start of Syria's 12-year conflict during which Beijing has been one of his main backers.
China’s foreign ministry said Assad would attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, an international sports event beginning Saturday in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.
China has been expanding its reach in the Middle East after mediating a deal in March between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and it continues to support Assad in the Syrian conflict, which has killed half a million people and left large parts of the nation in ruins, The Associated Press said.
China could play a major role in the future in Syria’s reconstruction, which is expected to cost tens of billions of dollars. Syria last year joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in which Beijing expands its influence in developing regions through infrastructure projects.
Assad’s office said earlier that the Syrian leader was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping and would bring with him a high-ranking Syrian delegation.
Syria’s worsening economic crisis has led to protests in government-held parts of the country. Syria blames the crisis on Western sanctions and US-backed Kurdish-led fighters who control the country’s largest oil fields in the east near the border with Iraq.
Diplomatic contacts between Syria and other Arab countries have intensified following the Feb. 6 earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria killing more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria. Assad flew to Saudi Arabia in May where he attended the Arab League summit days after Syria’s membership was reinstated in the 22-member league.
Since Syria’s conflict began in March 2011 with pro-democracy protests and later turned into a civil war, Iran and Russia have helped Assad regain control of much of the country.
China has used its veto power at the UN eight times to stop resolutions against Assad’s government, the latest in July 2020.
Assad’s last and only visit to China was in 2004, a year after the US-led invasion of neighboring Iraq and at a time when Washington was putting pressure on Syria.