Burhan, Hilu Sign Declaration of Principles

Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)
Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)
TT

Burhan, Hilu Sign Declaration of Principles

Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)
Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)

Sudan's Sovereign Council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived in Juba Saturday for a meeting with South Sudan President Salva Kiir to discuss bilateral relations and the resumption of peace negotiations with Abdelaziz al-Hilu’s Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-N al-Hilu).

Burhan and Hilu discussed in a closed session the declaration of principles which will help launch their formal peace negotiations.

Burhan was accompanied by the Justice Minister, Nasreldin Abdelbari, who participated in the closed session with Hilu and his accompanying delegation.

Kiir's security advisor Tut Gatluak said that the closed session was positive, and the dialogue advanced within the framework of the common understandings on the declaration of principles.

Gatluak announced that the government and the movement will sign the declaration of principles on Sunday, witnessed by Kiir who also sponsors the Sudanese peace talks.

He said that after signing the declaration, the mediation committee will set a schedule for the negotiations.

Official sources revealed that the talks between Burhan and Hilu failed to overcome the differences over the secular issues and security arrangements, which prevented SPLM-N from engaging in previous peace talks.

In March, Burhan and Hilu met in Juba and agreed on the need to resume negotiation to reach solutions accepted by all parties.

SPLM-N rejects the Sudanese government's proposal to separate religion from the state and adheres to its demand of a secular state and the right to self-determination for the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile regions.

The sources indicate that the SPLM-N refuses to integrate its forces into the Sudanese army unless the issue of secularism is resolved.

Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and Hilu signed a joint agreement in September last year that included the separation of religion from the state in the constitution of Sudan.

The workshop between the government and the SPLM-N in October 2020 failed to yield positive results on controversial issues.

The SPLM accused the head of the government delegation, Shams El-Din Kabbashi of failing the workshop for rejecting the recommendations.

The Juba agreement was signed last October between the Sudanese government and representatives of armed movements within the Revolutionary Front, while the SPLM-N and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Nouri (SLA-AW) in Darfur did not participate.



Lebanon to Increase Army Personnel Ahead of Possible Deployment South of Litani

Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
TT

Lebanon to Increase Army Personnel Ahead of Possible Deployment South of Litani

Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)
Prime Minister Najib Mikati chairing the cabinet meeting (Photo: The Prime Minister’s office)

The Lebanese government has approved funding to recruit 1,500 new military personnel in the Lebanese Army as part of an initiative to increase military presence along the southern border, amid Israel’s ongoing hostilities.
The funds will be provided to the Ministry of Defense as an advance, a decision highlighted by the Minister of Information for its political and international significance, particularly in relation to implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati in the caretaker government emphasized that continued and escalating Israeli attacks on Lebanon amount to crimes against humanity. He stated that a primary pathway to a resolution involves halting hostilities against the country, fully implementing Resolution 1701, and electing a new president to restore institutional order, stability, and initiate reconstruction.

Mikati condemned what he described as an international failure to stop Israel’s actions against Lebanon, which include attacks on towns and villages, civilian deaths, and strikes against medical and relief personnel.
“We condemn and hold the international community responsible for the continuation of Israel’s genocidal war on Lebanon, its destruction of towns and villages, killing of civilians, assassination of army personnel, and targeting of medical teams, civil defense, relief teams, and journalists.
“Additionally, the attacks on UNIFIL, which represents international legitimacy, make targeting UNIFIL an assault on the international community and the Security Council. This destruction continues to affect hospitals, schools, and educational centers,” stated Mikati.
On the international front, Mikati highlighted the solidarity shown by world figures, referring to his discussions with leaders like Jordan’s King Abdullah, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, and Britain’s Prime Minister. This was further demonstrated during the Paris Conference in Support of Lebanon -late on October- he underlined, specifically thanking France for its humanitarian efforts and military support.
But he added: “But unfortunately, Israel is blatantly disregarding all international efforts to achieve a ceasefire.”
The prime minister reiterated Lebanon’s stance on safeguarding its dignity and sovereignty across air, sea, and land, pledging to confront any Israeli violations.
Following the cabinet meeting, Minister of Information Ziad Makari assured that funds to recruit 1,500 additional soldiers are available and that the government encountered no issues regarding this allocation.
Nasser Yassin, the government’s Emergency Committee coordinator, announced that the cabinet approved fuel allocations for 541 shelters in mountainous regions over 300 meters in altitude to ensure winter heating. Yassin also detailed efforts concerning the people displaced as the result of the Israeli hostilities in Lebanon.
He highlighted that there are 44,000 families in 1,138 shelters and an additional 147,000 families housed within communities.