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Cairo Rejects Any Demographic Change in Syria

Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)
Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)
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Cairo Rejects Any Demographic Change in Syria

Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)
Egyptian Foreign Minister met with Pedersen on Thursday in Cairo (Ahmed Hafez’ twitter account)

Egypt voiced on Thursday its rejection to any “forced demographic change” in Syria, stressing the need for a political solution along with a "decisive" move against terrorist organizations there.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Cairo, expressed his appreciation for his efforts to seek a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

“The political solution shall go hand in hand with a decisive and effective response to armed terrorist organizations, especially in light of transferring the extremist fighters from Syria to other conflict zones in the region,” said Ahmed Hafez, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, quoting Shoukry.

The FM reiterated Egypt's stance that supports "a political settlement to the crisis based on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, in a manner that preserves the unity of Syria and the independence of its political decision.”

The UN envoy expressed his appreciation for the balanced Egyptian role in Syria.

Earlier on Thursday, Pedersen held discussions with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit at the organization's headquarters in Cairo, where they also stressed the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement in Syria.

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RSF Attack a City under Military Control in Central Sudan, Opening a New Front

Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, secure the area where Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. (AP)
Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, secure the area where Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. (AP)
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RSF Attack a City under Military Control in Central Sudan, Opening a New Front

Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, secure the area where Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. (AP)
Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, secure the area where Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. (AP)

Fighting continued to rage between Sudan’s military and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a city in a central province, officials said Sunday, opening yet another front in a fourteen-month war that has pushed the African country to the brink of famine.

The RSF began its offensive on the Sennar province earlier this week, attacking the village of Jebal Moya before moving to the city of Singa, the provincial capital, authorities said, where fresh battles have erupted.

On Saturday, the group claimed in a statement it had seized the military’s main facility, the 17th Infantry Division Headquarters in Singa. Local media also reported the RSF managed to breach the military’s defense.

However, Brig. Nabil Abdalla, a spokesperson for the Sudanese armed forces, said the military regained control of the facility, and that fighting was still underway Sunday morning.

Neither claim could be independently verified.

According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration, at least 327 households had to flee from Jebal Moya and Singa to safer areas.

“The situation remains tense and unpredictable,” it said in a statement.

The latest fighting in Sennar comes while almost all eyes are on al-Fasher, a major city in the sprawling region of Darfur that the RSF has besieged for months in an attempt to seize it from the military. Al-Fasher is the military's last stronghold in Darfur.

Sudan’s war began in April last year when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country.

The devastating conflict has killed more than 14,000 people and wounded 33,000 others, according to the United Nations, but rights activists say the toll could be much higher.

It created the world’s largest displacement crisis with over 11 million people forced to flee their homes. International experts warned Thursday that that 755,000 people are facing famine in the coming months, and that 8.5 million people are facing extreme food shortages.

The conflict has been marked by widespread reports of rampant sexual violence and other atrocities — especially in Darfur, the site of a genocide in the early 2000s. Rights groups say the atrocities amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.