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Russia's Putin, France's Macron Call for Libya Ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. (Reuters)
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Russia's Putin, France's Macron Call for Libya Ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. (Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan June 28, 2019. (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron called on Friday for a ceasefire in Libya and a return to dialogue, the Kremlin said in a statement following a phone call between the two leaders.

On Thursday, France, Germany and Italy called on forces in Libya to cease fighting and for outside parties to stop any interference in a bid to try and get political talks back on track.

“In light of the growing risks of a deterioration of the situation in Libya ... France, Germany and Italy call on all Libyan parties to immediately and unconditionally cease fighting,” the countries said in a joint statement.

“They also urge foreign actors to end all interference and to fully respect the arms embargo established by the United Nations Security Council.”

Ties between NATO allies France and Turkey have soured in recent weeks over the Libyan conflict.

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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan's RSF Conducts First Drone Attack on Port Sudan

Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke rises from the airport of Port Sudan following reported attacks early on May 4, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone attack on a military air base and other facilities in the vicinity of Port Sudan Airport, a Sudanese army spokesperson said on Sunday, in the first RSF attack to reach the eastern port city.
No casualties were reported from the attacks, the spokesperson said.
The RSF has not commented on the incident, Reuters said.
The RSF has targeted power stations in army-controlled locations in central and northern Sudan for the past several months but the strikes had not inflicted heavy casualties.
The drone attack on Port Sudan indicates a major shift in the two-year conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The eastern regions, which shelter a large number of displaced people, had so far avoided bombardment.
The army has responded by beefing up its deployment around vital facilities in Port Sudan and has closed roads leading to the presidential palace and army command.
Port Sudan, home to the country's primary airport, army headquarters and a seaport, has been perceived as the safest place in the war-ravaged nation.
In March, the army ousted the RSF from its last footholds in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, but the paramilitary RSF holds some areas in Omdurman, directly across the Nile River, and has consolidated its position in west Sudan, splitting the nation into rival zones.
The conflict between the army and the RSF has unleashed waves of ethnic violence and created what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with several areas plunged into famine.
The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It ruined much of Khartoum, uprooted more than 12 million Sudanese from their homes and left about half of the 50 million population suffering from acute hunger.
Overall deaths are hard to estimate but a study published last year said the toll may have reached 61,000 in Khartoum state alone in the first 14 months of the conflict.