UNITAMS Calls for Deploying Joint Forces in Darfur


The Rapid Support Forces of the Sudanese army in Darfur (Reuters)
The Rapid Support Forces of the Sudanese army in Darfur (Reuters)
TT

UNITAMS Calls for Deploying Joint Forces in Darfur


The Rapid Support Forces of the Sudanese army in Darfur (Reuters)
The Rapid Support Forces of the Sudanese army in Darfur (Reuters)

The Sudanese government has expressed willingness to cooperate with all concerned authorities to implement security arrangements, and to achieve mechanisms for merging forces by what was stated in the Juba Peace Agreement document.

The government announcement coincided with The United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan describing the security conditions in Darfur as “fragile”.

UNITAMS held on Sunday meetings of the Technical Committee on operationalizing the Darfur Permanent Ceasefire Committee of the peace agreement.

It will serve as the main mechanism for the efforts of monitoring, verification, and implementation of the permanent ceasefire on the ground. It will include stakeholders, military and security entities, the civil community, transitional government and armed groups representatives.

UNITAMS is fully committed to fulfilling this role as Chair of the Permanent Ceasefire Committee, it said.

The United Nations Security Council in resolutions 2524 (2020) and 2579 (2021) emphasized ceasefire monitoring in Darfur as a priority area for UNITAMS' support to Sudan.

Defense Minister Yassin Ibrahim Khartoum has said the Armed Forces' were willing to work with all concerned authorities to implement the tasks of the security arrangements and to achieve mechanisms for merging forces by what was stated in the Juba Peace Agreement document.

In the Workshop on Technical Consultations to Reactivate Support of the Permanent Ceasefire Committee, which was organized by the UNITAMS Sunday at Al-Salam Hotel, the minister said that the Armed Forces will work in coordination with the UN mission and that they will accept advice from all concerned parties.

He stressed that the Armed Forces are fully prepared to deploy all over the country to implement the peace agreement.

He stated that the recent developments in some areas in North Darfur State are isolated events, indicating that the shortage in financial resources has hindered the implementation of the security arrangements protocols.

The minister expressed hope that the workshop would come out with recommendations that will contribute to the peaceful transition of power and to achieve the goals of the transitional period.



Syria to Take Time Organizing National Dialogue, Foreign Minister Says

 Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Syria to Take Time Organizing National Dialogue, Foreign Minister Says

 Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani speaks during a press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Syria will take its time to organize a landmark national dialogue conference to ensure that the preparations include all segments of Syrian society, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said on Tuesday, according to state media.

The conference is meant to bring together Syrians from across society to chart a new path for the nation after opposition factions ousted autocratic President Bashar al-Assad. Assad, whose family had ruled Syria for 54 years, fled to Russia.

"We will take our time with the national dialogue conference to have the opportunity to form a preparatory committee that can accommodate the comprehensive representation of Syria from all segments and governments," Shibani said.

Diplomats and visiting envoys had in recent days told Syria's new rulers it would be better not to rush the conference to improve its chances of success, rather than yield mixed results, two diplomats said.

The new government has not yet decided on a date for the conference, sources previously told Reuters, and several members of opposition groups have recently said that they had not received invitations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday time was needed for Syria to pick itself up again and rebuild following Assad's overthrow, and that the damage to infrastructure from 13 years of civil war looked worse than anticipated.

Since Assad's fall on Dec. 8, Türkiye has repeatedly said it would provide any help needed to help its neighbor rebuild, and has sent its foreign minister, intelligence chief, and an energy ministry delegation to discuss providing it with electricity.

Türkiye shares a 911-km (565-mile) border with Syria and has carried out several cross-border incursions against Kurdish YPG militants it views as terrorists.