After Family Mediation, Jordan's Prince Hamza Pledges Loyalty to King Abdullah

Jordan's King Abdullah (2nd R), Queen Noor (R), and Queen Rania (L) posing for a picture with Prince Hamza, and his new wife Princess Basma Otoum during their wedding ceremony in Amman. (AFPPetra)
Jordan's King Abdullah (2nd R), Queen Noor (R), and Queen Rania (L) posing for a picture with Prince Hamza, and his new wife Princess Basma Otoum during their wedding ceremony in Amman. (AFPPetra)
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After Family Mediation, Jordan's Prince Hamza Pledges Loyalty to King Abdullah

Jordan's King Abdullah (2nd R), Queen Noor (R), and Queen Rania (L) posing for a picture with Prince Hamza, and his new wife Princess Basma Otoum during their wedding ceremony in Amman. (AFPPetra)
Jordan's King Abdullah (2nd R), Queen Noor (R), and Queen Rania (L) posing for a picture with Prince Hamza, and his new wife Princess Basma Otoum during their wedding ceremony in Amman. (AFPPetra)

Jordan's Prince Hamza pledged allegiance to King Abdullah II on Monday as the monarch accepted mediation over a rift within the royal family that saw the prince placed under house arrest, the palace said.

The government has accused Hamza, an ex-crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah, of a "wicked" plot and involvement in a seditious conspiracy to "destabilize the kingdom's security".

Hamza, detained along with at least 16 others, had earlier struck a defiant tone saying he had been placed under house arrest inside his Amman palace, but insisting he would not obey orders restricting his movement.

But in an apparent easing of the palace turmoil, the 41-year-old prince pledged his backing to King Abdullah.

"I will remain... faithful to the legacy of my ancestors, walking on their path, loyal to their path and their message and to His Majesty," he said in a signed letter, quoted by the palace.

"I will always be ready to help and support His Majesty the King and his Crown Prince," he is quoted as writing.

Hamza's statement came shortly after the palace said Abdullah had agreed to enter mediation "to handle the question of Prince Hamza within the framework of the Hashemite (ruling) family".

The job of mediator was handed to his uncle, Prince Hassan, himself a former heir to the throne.

King Abdullah, 59, named Hamza crown prince in 1999, in line with their father's dying wish, but later stripped him of the title and named his own son Prince Hussein heir to the throne.

Washington, Gulf countries, Egypt and the Arab League have all pledged support for King Abdullah, and a similar message came from Russia on Monday.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price on Monday reiterated Washington's backing of Abdullah.

"We value his integrity, his vision," Price told reporters. "The king has our full support."

"This sedition was nipped in the bud," Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sunday, charging the plotters had linked up with foreign parties.

Safadi declined to identify the alleged foreign parties, but he said an individual "with links to foreign intelligence services" had offered to fly Hamza's wife out of the country.



Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

 People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

 People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)

Commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, issued on Saturday strict orders to his forces to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid in line with the commitments his delegation made at the recent peace talks in Geneva.

In a post on the X platform, he said he issued an “extraordinary administrative order to all the forces” to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He called on all commanders to abide by the orders in line with international humanitarian law. Any violators will be held accountable.

The RSF has been accused of widespread violations against civilians in areas under their control. They have also been accused of committing massacres in Gezira state in central Sudan. The RSF have denied the accusations.

Hemedti announced in August the formation of a “civilian protection force” that immediately assumed its duties in the Khartoum and Gezira states.

According to head of the RSF delegation to the Geneva talks, Omar Hamdan, the force is formed of 27 combat vehicles, backed by forces that have experience in cracking down on insubordination.

Hemedti stressed last week his commitment to all the outcomes of the Geneva talks, starting with ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need.

The RSF and army agreed to open two safe routes for the deliveries and to protect civilians to ease their suffering after nearly a year and a half of war.

The mediators in Geneva received commitments from the RSF that it would order the fighters against committing any violations against civilians in areas under their control.

Meanwhile, aid deliveries continued through the Adre border crossing with Chad. They are headed to people in Darfur in western Sudan.

Fifty-nine aid trucks carrying aid supplies crossed from Chad to Darfur, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday.

“The supplies are estimated to reach nearly 195,000 people in acute need in different parts of the country,” it added.

“About 128 aid trucks carrying supplies for an estimated 355,000 people are being prepared to cross into Sudan in the coming days and weeks to ensure a steady flow of supplies. Despite the surge of supplies through Adre, humanitarian partners have warned that ongoing rains and floods have damaged three major bridges in the region, limiting movements within Darfur,” it revealed.

“While progress has been made on the Adre border crossing, funding resources are depleting, and humanitarian funding is urgently required to sustain the supplies chain,” it urged.