Blinken Says Int’l Support for Sudan Hinges on Return of Civilian-Led Gov’t

Sudanese protest against the military coup that ousted government last month, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Sudanese protest against the military coup that ousted government last month, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
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Blinken Says Int’l Support for Sudan Hinges on Return of Civilian-Led Gov’t

Sudanese protest against the military coup that ousted government last month, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Sudanese protest against the military coup that ousted government last month, in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised that Sudan would regain the international community’s support if the transitional government led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was reinstated.

"If the military puts this train back on its tracks and does what's necessary, I think the support that has been very strong from the international community can resume," said Blinken during a press conference in Nairobi.

He hinted at the suspension of $700 million in financial assistance that was allocated to Sudan following last month’s coup that hindered the transitional process towards democracy.

The process kicked off in 2019 after the ousting of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir who had been in power for 30 years.

The US administration has intensified its diplomatic efforts to put the civilian-led transition process in Sudan back on track.

Washington has sent US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee to Khartoum.

She held meetings with representatives of the civil authority including Hamdok and representatives of the military led by Army General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Phee tweeted that she was grateful for the opportunity to meet with Hamdok, who is under house arrest at his residence in Khartoum, to discuss ways forward to restore Sudan's democratic transition.



Report: Israel Sets 35 Strike Targets in Iraq as Sudani Seeks to Rein in Factions

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Hikma movement leader Ammar al-Hakim. (Iraqi government media)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Hikma movement leader Ammar al-Hakim. (Iraqi government media)
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Report: Israel Sets 35 Strike Targets in Iraq as Sudani Seeks to Rein in Factions

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Hikma movement leader Ammar al-Hakim. (Iraqi government media)
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Hikma movement leader Ammar al-Hakim. (Iraqi government media)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has asked Shiite figures to mediate with Iran-backed armed factions to prevent them from getting involved in the war between fellow Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel, Iraqi sources said on Tuesday.

The PM launched the efforts after information circulated within the ruling Coordination Framework revealed that Israel had set 35 targets it may strike in Iraq.

The targets may be hit at any moment, and they include political and faction leaders, said a source.

The Iraqi factions have vowed to retaliate to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week. They announced that they were ready to fight alongside the group in southern Lebanon.

An Iraqi government spokesman had said that the local parties have managed to avoid an escalation, but political circles warned the fears persist that the factions may be dragged to war with Israel.

On Monday, the factions struck the Victoria Base Complex near Baghdad International Airport. The government is concerned that the United States and Israel may retaliate to the attack inside Iraq itself.

Sudani has been working on reining the factions. He recently tasked three influential figures, including a political religious official, with carrying out urgent contacts and meetings with the leaders of armed factions to persuade them to distance themselves from the conflict in Lebanon.

The PM held a regular meeting with the State Administration coalition, which includes the majority of political leaders, to discuss the latest developments in the region and their impact on Iraq, said a government statement.

It stressed the unity of Iraq’s position and its political forces, as well as their backing of the government’s stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Sources said Sudani selected head of the Hikma movement Ammar al-Hakim to act as mediator with the armed factions to stop the escalation.

Despite his efforts, another source doubted that the factions would comply with Sudani or any other figure.

“They realize that the situation is dangerous, but they also believe that this is an existential battle aimed at striking at the very heart of the Axis of Resistance” that comprises Hezbollah and other Iran-backed armed factions in the region.