Syrian Regime Violates Russia Sponsored Truce in Daraa

Recent Russian patrol in Daraa (Sputnik)
Recent Russian patrol in Daraa (Sputnik)
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Syrian Regime Violates Russia Sponsored Truce in Daraa

Recent Russian patrol in Daraa (Sputnik)
Recent Russian patrol in Daraa (Sputnik)

Syrian regime forces pounded the vicinity of opposition headquarters west of the southern governorate of Daraa on Sunday. The Syrian Army’s 4th Armored Division used tanks and heavy machine guns to attack the governorate’s neighborhoods.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the regime’s bombardment followed a two-week ceasefire agreement sponsored by Russia and a few hours ahead of a scheduled meeting between Russian delegates and the Daraa central committees.

Moreover, regime forces barred locals from using the Saraya crossing point to exit the governorate’s capital city, also named Daraa. Central committees have complained against the measure, especially that Russia had vowed to reopen Saraya.

On Saturday, the committees had revealed that a deal had been reached with Russia for a 14-day truce to hold rounds of negotiations. Syrian opposition in Daraa also said they received a Russian roadmap for peacefully ending the military escalation in the southern governorate.

Adnan al-Musalama, the official spokesman of a negotiating committee representing residents of Daraa, had announced that Saturday’s meeting had outlined the main framework for a truce covering the entire south.

According to Musalama, there was an agreement to form a committee from relevant parties to monitor the truce implementations and a Russian patrol running in Daraa starting Sunday.

The Russian patrol was also meant to supervise the ceasefire and inspect field developments.

Moreover, all concerned parties would be receiving a written copy of the Russian roadmap to discuss its items over the coming two weeks.

For starters, the truce deal included running Russian patrols, reopening Saraya, and regulating matters in Daraa’s eastern and western countryside.

The agreement would involve another two stipulations that are up for debate. Those two conditions include the “regularization of the status” of opposition wanted by the regime in preparation for a longer-term ceasefire and opposition handing in their weapons.

Nevertheless, those from the opposition who reject living under regime rule in Daraa, estimated to be 135, would be forcibly evicted to Idlib province under the agreement.



Sudan’s Paramilitary Unleashes Drones on Key Targets in Port Sudan

Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan’s Paramilitary Unleashes Drones on Key Targets in Port Sudan

Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Smoke billows after a drone strike on the port of Port Sudan on May 6, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan’s paramilitary unleashed drones on the Red Sea city of Port Sudan early Tuesday, hitting key targets there, including the airport, the port and a hotel, military officials said. The barrage was the second such attack this week on a city that had been a hub for people fleeing Sudan's two-year war.

There was no immediate word on casualties or the extent of damage. Local media reported loud sounds of explosions and fires at the port and the airport. Footage circulating online showed thick smoke rising over the area.

The attack on Port Sudan, which also serves as an interim seat for Sudan's military-allied government, underscores that after two years of fighting, the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are still capable of threatening each other’s territory.

The RSF drones struck early in the morning, said two Sudanese military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Abdel-Rahman al-Nour, a Port Sudan resident, said he woke up to strong explosions, and saw fires and plumes of black smoke rising over the port. Msha’ashir Ahmed, a local journalist living in Port Sudan, said fires were still burning late Tuesday morning in the southern vicinity of the maritime port.

The RSF did not release any statements on the attack. On Sunday, the paramilitary force struck Port Sudan for the first time in the war, disrupting air traffic in the city’s airport, which has been the main entry point for the county in the last two years.

A military ammunition warehouse in the Othman Daqna airbase in the city was also hit, setting off a fire that burned for two days.

When the fighting in Sudan broke out, the focus of the battles initially was the country's capital, Khartoum, which turned into a war zone. Within weeks, Port Sudan, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) to the east of Khartoum, turned into a safe haven for the displaced and those fleeing the war. Many aid missions and UN agencies moved their offices there.

The attacks on Port Sudan are also seen as retaliation after the Sudanese military earlier this month struck the Nyala airport in South Darfur, which the paramilitary RSF has turned into a base and where it gets shipments of arms, including drones.