Tunisia's PM-designate Approves 18-month Political ‘Truce’

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Tunisia's PM-designate Approves 18-month Political ‘Truce’

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi is shown being sworn into a previous post as interior minister outside the capital Tunis, February 27, 2020. Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Hisham Mechichi has expressed willingness to convene with political parties represented in the parliament.

He also welcomed on Thursday all initiatives to form the new government, including a proposal made by the People's Movement for a so-called 18-month political “truce.”

During a press conference, Mechichi stressed the importance of solidarity among various ministers.

As for the government’s program, Mechichi revealed that he will draft a document, on resolving economic and social problems, to be proposed to the parliament.

Tunisian parties have expressed conditional support to Mechichi’s proposed lineup. The People's Movement introduced an initiative that aims to overcome a political trust crisis, while Tahya Tounes insisted on three conditions to back the government.

President of the Free Destourian Party (PDL) Abir Moussim, in an open letter to the PM-designate, said that PDL would give its confidence to the cabinet “if none of its members is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Head of the People's Movement Zouhair Maghzaoui called for a political accord on granting confidence to the government under the condition that the PM-designate presents a clear vision on resolving Tunisia’s economic, social, and financial problems, and amends the electoral law within 18 months.

A parliamentary session dedicated to granting a vote of confidence to the cabinet is scheduled for early next month. The government lineup includes 28 qualified and independent figures.



Sudanese Need Protection, but Conditions Not Right for UN Force, Says Guterres

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia October 24, 2024. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia October 24, 2024. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters
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Sudanese Need Protection, but Conditions Not Right for UN Force, Says Guterres

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia October 24, 2024. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia October 24, 2024. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to the Security Council on Monday for its support to help protect civilians in war-torn Sudan, but said conditions are not right for deployment of a UN force.

"The people of Sudan are living through a nightmare of violence — with thousands of civilians killed, and countless others facing unspeakable atrocities, including widespread rape and sexual assaults," Guterres told the 15-member council. War erupted in mid-April 2023 from a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule, and triggered the world's largest displacement crisis, Reuters reported.

"Sudan is, once again, rapidly becoming a nightmare of mass ethnic violence," Guterres said, referring to a conflict in Sudan's Darfur region about 20 years ago that led to the International Criminal Court charging former Sudanese leaders with genocide and crimes against humanity. The current war has produced waves of ethnically driven violence blamed largely on the RSF. The RSF killed at least 124 people in a village in El Gezira State on Friday, activists said, in one of the conflict's deadliest incidents.

The RSF has previously denied harming civilians in Sudan and attributed the activity to rogue actors.

Guterres acknowledged calls by Sudanese and human-rights groups for stepped-up measures to protect civilians, including the possible deployment of some form of impartial force, saying they reflected "the gravity and urgency of the situation."

"At present, the conditions do not exist for the successful deployment of a United Nations force to protect civilians in Sudan," he told the council, but added he was ready to discuss other ways to reduce violence and protect civilians.

"This may require new approaches that are adapted to the challenging circumstances of the conflict," Guterres said.

The UN says nearly 25 million people - half of Sudan's population - need aid as famine has taken hold in displacement camps and 11 million people have fled their homes. Nearly 3 million of those people have left for other countries.