عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Syria Grapples with Third COVID-19 Wave

A Syrian man, wearing a protective face mask to protect against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rides his motorcycle down a street near the Old City of the capital Damascus on April 14, 2020. (AFP)
A Syrian man, wearing a protective face mask to protect against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rides his motorcycle down a street near the Old City of the capital Damascus on April 14, 2020. (AFP)
TT
TT

Syria Grapples with Third COVID-19 Wave

A Syrian man, wearing a protective face mask to protect against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rides his motorcycle down a street near the Old City of the capital Damascus on April 14, 2020. (AFP)
A Syrian man, wearing a protective face mask to protect against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, rides his motorcycle down a street near the Old City of the capital Damascus on April 14, 2020. (AFP)

The Syrian Health Ministry warned on Monday that it has registered a spike in coronavirus infections and a rise in hospitalized cases.

The spike demands a greater commitment to precautionary measures, especially as countries are grappling with new variants of the virus, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, authorities have continued their COVID-19 inoculation drive. The second day of the campaign saw the vaccination of frontline health workers.

Last week, Syrian officials said Damascus had received vaccinations from a “friendly country” that it did not name.

On Monday, Health Minister Hassan Ghobash told the Syrian national news agency, SANA, that the most vulnerable groups will be vaccinated, including health workers at isolation centers, and priority will be given to the elderly due to limited supplies of the doses.

He underlined the need for people to comply with the preventive measures, especially wearing masks and social distancing, as they have proven to be most effective in curbing the pandemic.

Syria has witnessed a spike in infections. It confirmed 15,642 cases, 1,032 fatalities and 9,880 recoveries.

Few days ago, former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Damascus, Dr. Naboug al-Awa had warned of a third COVID-19 wave in the country and said the high number of daily infections is possibly linked to the spread of a new variant.

However, Essam Amin, director of Damascus' Mowasat Hospital said there is no clinical information proving that a new variant was spreading in the country.

He said the rise in infections may be linked to the cold weather, which is forcing people to stay indoors.

Meanwhile, the Sweida health directorate said it registered an increase in infections, the third such spike since the outbreak.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

US Determines Sudan's RSF Committed Genocide, Imposes Sanctions on Leader

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
TT
TT

US Determines Sudan's RSF Committed Genocide, Imposes Sanctions on Leader

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)

The United States determined on Tuesday that members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan and it imposed sanctions on the group's leader over a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

The moves deal a blow to the RSF's attempts to burnish its image and assert legitimacy - including by installing a civilian government- as the paramilitary group seeks to expand its territory beyond the roughly half of the country it currently controls.

The RSF rejected the measures.

"America previously punished the great African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, which was wrong. Today, it is rewarding those who started the war by punishing (RSF leader) General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, which is also wrong," said an RSF spokesman when reached for comment.

The war in Sudan has produced waves of ethnically driven violence blamed largely on the RSF. It has also carried out mass looting campaigns across swathes of the country, arbitrarily killing and sexually assaulting civilians in the process.

The RSF denies harming civilians and attributes the activity to rogue actors it says it is trying to control.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the RSF and aligned militias had continued to direct attacks against civilians, adding they had systematically murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis and had deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of sexual violence.

The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping conflict, Blinken said.

"The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities," Blinken said.

Washington announced sanctions on the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, barring him and his family from travelling to the US and freezing any US assets he might hold. Financial institutions and others that engage in certain activity with him also risk being hit with sanctions themselves.

It had previously sanctioned other leaders, as well as army officials, but had not sanctioned Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as attempts to bring the two sides to talks continued.

Such attempts have stalled in recent months.

"As the overall commander of the RSF, Hemedti bears command responsibility for the abhorrent and illegal actions of his forces," the Treasury said.

Sudan's army and RSF have been fighting for almost two years, creating a humanitarian crisis in which UN agencies struggle to deliver relief. More than half of Sudan's population faces hunger, and famine has been declared in several areas.

The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.

Blinken said in the statement that "both belligerents bear responsibility for the violence and suffering in Sudan and lack the legitimacy to govern a future peaceful Sudan."

The US has sanctioned army leaders as well as individuals and entities linked to financing its weapons procurement. Last year, Blinken accused the RSF and the army, which has carried out numerous indiscriminate air strikes, of war crimes.