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Aguila Saleh in Cairo to Discuss International Solution to Libya Crisis

A man waves Libyan national flag during a demonstration in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. (AFP)
A man waves Libyan national flag during a demonstration in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. (AFP)
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Aguila Saleh in Cairo to Discuss International Solution to Libya Crisis

A man waves Libyan national flag during a demonstration in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. (AFP)
A man waves Libyan national flag during a demonstration in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli. (AFP)

Speaker of the east-based Libyan parliament Aguila Saleh kicked off on Sunday an official visit to Cairo where he held talks with Egyptian, American and western officials as part of international and regional efforts aimed at reaching a political solution that prevents the eruption of a war over the strategic city of Sirte.

Informed Libyan sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that negotiations discussed the possibility of the formation of a new government to replace the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, which is headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, they said Saleh’s talks will focus on the American proposal to set up an arms-free zone in Sirte and resume oil production.

Negotiations had stressed the need to form a new government in Libya in line with Saleh’s previous suggestion to form a new Presidential Council, which would be comprised of a president and two deputies.

Saleh also discussed American and international pledges that GNA forces would not advance on Sirte and al-Jufra should the Libyan National Army (LNA) withdraw from them.

Such a pledge depends on the fair distribution of oil revenues and ensuring that they do not go to GNA militias or mercenaries that Turkey had flown in from Syria, added the sources.

The Libyan delegation held virtual talks in Cairo with US National Security Council Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa Major General Miguel Correa and Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland.

Head of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee Youssef al-Akoury, who was present at the talks, stressed the need to put an end to foreign meddling in Libyan affairs. He also underlined the importance of resuming oil production and that its revenues be fairly and transparently distributed.

The American delegation, for its part, stressed the important role played by the Libyan parliament in resolving the crisis seeing as it is the legitimate party in the political dialogue. It underscored the need for Libyans to work together to eliminate foreign presence in their country.

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Heavy Rains Flood Khartoum Streets, Exposing Decomposed Bodies

A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Heavy Rains Flood Khartoum Streets, Exposing Decomposed Bodies

A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A resident attempts to drain floodwaters outside home in Omdurman (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Torrential rains battered several parts of Sudan’s Khartoum state this week, flooding residential neighborhoods and streets, disrupting movement, and sweeping away war debris, including decomposed corpses believed to belong to paramilitary fighters.

The rainfall began as sanitation workers were carrying out maintenance on stormwater drains. But before completing their task, the downpour caught them off guard, forcing them to begin draining the water with basic tools already in use.

Local authorities said residents in the East Nile district reported seeing decomposed bodies swept into drainage canals. Officials suspect the corpses may be those of fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controlled swathes of the capital during its year-long war with the Sudanese army.

The RSF had held large parts of Khartoum since conflict erupted on April 15, 2023. But by March this year, the army claimed to have regained full control of the city. Since then, thousands of displaced families have returned home, according to state authorities, with more returning each day.

This year’s rainy season arrives amid the devastation of war, which has crippled already fragile infrastructure, particularly flood drainage systems. Even before the conflict, seasonal rains often caused widespread destruction in Khartoum, damaging homes and public facilities and resulting in casualties.

Despite extensive water pooling in open areas, Sudan’s Civil Defense Authority reported no fatalities or property losses. “Water was drained naturally, without any intervention from Civil Defense teams,” said Major General Qureshi, deputy director of emergency operations, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Qureshi added that his teams remain on high alert, as a precaution, although Nile water levels remain stable.

Residents attempted to clear water from their homes by removing weeds and waste blocking drainage channels.

“During the RSF's control of the city, we tried to dig small trenches to divert the rainwater toward the main drains,” said resident Mohamed Elias. “But the blocked drains caused water to stagnate for months, leading to insect infestations and disease.”

Although thousands have returned to Khartoum, the national government has not fully re-established itself in the capital, which it fled in favor of Port Sudan, a Red Sea city now serving as a temporary seat of power. Khartoum’s governor, Ahmed Othman, previously told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government’s return to the capital would be gradual.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said over one million displaced Sudanese have returned to their areas of origin across the country, including in Khartoum.