Sudan Regrets Requests of Diplomats for Asylum in the UK

The building containing the embassy of Sudan in London, UK (Embassy of Sudan)
The building containing the embassy of Sudan in London, UK (Embassy of Sudan)
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Sudan Regrets Requests of Diplomats for Asylum in the UK

The building containing the embassy of Sudan in London, UK (Embassy of Sudan)
The building containing the embassy of Sudan in London, UK (Embassy of Sudan)

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its regret at the decision of the assistants of the military attaché at the embassy in London to apply for political asylum in Britain.

The Sudan Tribune Agency indicated that the assistants of the military attaché at the embassy stirred controversy in the country after applying for political asylum, in light of the transitional government that guaranteed general and political freedoms.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry clarified that after the end of the term of two assistants of the military attaché last August, they settled their dues and received return tickets to Sudan, however, they declared their refusal to return the country and their intention to seek political asylum.

The German news agency (DPA) reported the statement, which included the Ministry’s regret that the aforementioned assistants made their own personal decision without any regard of the general considerations related to the official duties they were performing.

The Ministry affirmed that it will work to ensure that all employees adhere to the relevant regulations, measures, and considerations, denying any other embassy employees applying for political asylum and affirming that all diplomatic employees are performing their duties.



Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
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Kurdish PKK Militants to Hand over First Weapons in Ceremony in Iraq

PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)
PKK militants in northern Iraq (Reuters)

Dozens of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants will hand over their weapons in a ceremony in northern Iraq on Friday, marking a symbolic but significant first step toward ending a decades-long insurgency with Türkiye.

The PKK, locked in conflict with the Turkish state and outlawed since 1984, decided in May to disband, disarm and end its armed struggle after a public call to do so from its long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan, Reuters said.

After a series of failed peace efforts, the new initiative could pave the way for Ankara to end an insurgency that has killed over 40,000 people, burdened the economy and wrought deep social and political divisions in Türkiye and the wider region.

Around 40 PKK militants and one commander were expected to hand over their weapons at the ceremony in the northern Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, people familiar with the plan said. The PKK is based in northern Iraq after being pushed well beyond Türkiye’s frontier in recent years.

The arms are to be destroyed later in another ceremony attended by Turkish and Iraqi intelligence figures, officials of Iraq's Kurdistan regional government, and senior members of Türkiye's pro-Kurdish DEM party - which also played a key role in facilitating the PKK's disarmament decision.

The PKK, DEM and Ocalan have all called on Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's government to address Kurdish political demands. In a rare online video published on Wednesday, Ocalan also urged Türkiye's parliament to set up a commission to oversee disarmament and manage the broader peace process.

Ankara has taken steps toward forming the commission, while the DEM and Ocalan have said that legal assurances and certain mechanisms were needed to smooth the PKK's transition into democratic politics.

Erdogan has said his government would not allow any attempts to sabotage the disarmament process, adding he would give people "historic good news".

Omer Celik, a spokesman for Erdogan's AK Party, said the disarmament process should not be allowed to drag on longer than a few months to avoid it becoming subject to provocations.