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Iraq Reports Decline in COVID-19 Infections, Deaths

A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel December 19, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel December 19, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Iraq Reports Decline in COVID-19 Infections, Deaths

A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel December 19, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel December 19, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported an unprecedented drop in COVID-19 cases and deaths on Saturday since the outbreak was first detected in the country.

Iraq registered 12 virus deaths and 836 new cases across the country in the last 24 hours. Also, it reported 1,390 new recoveries.

Earlier on Thursday, the country reported 7 deaths and up to 1,100 infections.

Also, Iraq’s Health Ministry said on Monday that it had agreed with Pfizer to import 1.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, adding that Pfizer and BioNTech, would arrive in Iraq early next year.

The Iraqi authorities have taken several restrictive measures, including a travel ban to several countries where the new strain of coronavirus has spread.

Meanwhile, airports, supermarkets, and take-out cafes will remain open, but people are requested to abide by social distancing and precautionary measures.

The entry of foreign travelers to Iraq is also banned, except for Iraqi citizens, who must be quarantined for 14 days until they undergo PCR tests to prove that they are not infected with the virus.

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Egypt Rejects Attempts to Form Parallel Sudanese Govt

A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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Egypt Rejects Attempts to Form Parallel Sudanese Govt

A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)

Egypt rejected on Sunday attempts aimed at establishing a rival government in Sudan, warning that such moves jeopardized the "unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the war-torn country.

Sudan has been locked in a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly two years, plunging the country into what the United Nations describes as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.

A week ago, the RSF and its allies signed a charter in Kenya declaring the formation of a "government of peace and unity" in areas under their control.

"Egypt expresses its rejection of any attempts that threaten the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of brotherly Sudan, including the pursuit of forming a parallel Sudanese government," a statement from Cairo's foreign ministry said Sunday.

It added that such actions "complicate the situation in Sudan, hinder ongoing efforts to unify political visions and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis".

Egypt also called on "all Sudanese forces to prioritize the country's supreme national interest and to engage positively in launching a comprehensive political (peace) process without exclusion or external interference".

Last week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty voiced the same stance in a press conference alongside his Sudanese counterpart Ali Youssef.

"Sudan's territorial integrity is a red line for Egypt," he said, adding that his country "rejects any calls to establish alternative structures outside the current framework".

The paramilitaries' move to form a rival government has drawn sharp criticism, including from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who warned it would "further deepen Sudan's fragmentation".

Saudi Arabia, which previously mediated ceasefire talks between the warring sides, also rejected the RSF's move.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency on Friday, Riyadh's foreign ministry warned against "any step or illegal measure taken outside the framework of official institutions".

Kuwait echoed that position on Friday, saying it rejected "any unlawful actions taken outside the framework of legitimate state institutions" in Sudan, calling them "a threat to its territorial unity".

At a UN Human Rights Council dialogue on Friday, Qatar also expressed its support for "Sudan's unity and territorial integrity".