Sudanese Parties Demand Expanding UN Initiative

Protests in Khartoum calling for the return of civilian rule (AFP)
Protests in Khartoum calling for the return of civilian rule (AFP)
TT

Sudanese Parties Demand Expanding UN Initiative

Protests in Khartoum calling for the return of civilian rule (AFP)
Protests in Khartoum calling for the return of civilian rule (AFP)

The Central Council of the Freedom and Change Forces in Sudan has called for expanding the UN initiative to solve the political crisis in the country.

The Council called for involving the Troika countries (US, UK, and Norway), the EU, and the Arab and African neighboring countries in the efforts to establish civilian authority.

The Council met with the head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), Volker Perthes, to discuss the political process.

Council members handed Perthes a document on the shape of the government during the transitional period to achieve a breakthrough and end the army's rule.

The Council wants to enact a new constitution that restores the path of democratic transition away from the army's involvement in politics.

In a press conference, spokesman Wajdi Saleh said that the Coalition, which includes various political parties and civil society organizations, decided to deal positively with the international initiative.

Saleh asserted that the Coalition appreciates the international actors who announced positions against the October 25 coup.

He called for the continuation of the peaceful popular movement until its goals are achieved.

Saleh added that security and military reforms are essential for a civil democratic transition, stressing the need for establishing the new constitution to unify the armed forces by implementing the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba Peace Agreement.

The Agreement calls for merging the forces of armed movements into the national army.

The spokesman stressed that the army's acceptance of the UN initiative only gains credibility when the state of emergency is lifted, all political detainees are released, and attacks and violence during the peaceful protests are stopped.



Middle East Must Emerge from Turbulence with Peace and Horizon of Hope, UN Chief Says

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Middle East Must Emerge from Turbulence with Peace and Horizon of Hope, UN Chief Says

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses to members of the Security Council about the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian Question at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, January 20, 2025. (Reuters)

The United Nations chief says the Middle East is undergoing a “profound transformation” and has urged all countries to ensure the region emerges from the turbulence with peace and “a horizon of hope grounded in action.”

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council Monday that “a new dawn is rising in Lebanon,” which he just visited. He said it was vital that Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army deploy there as required in the ceasefire agreement.

In Gaza, he urged Israel and Hamas to ensure that their newly agreed deal leads to a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel.

The ceasefire must also lead to four simultaneous actions on the ground, Guterres said.

Unhindered UN access including by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA which Israel is seeking to ban is essential, he said, as well as scaled-up aid deliveries, Palestinians’ access to aid, and protection of civilians.

Guterres expressed deep concern about “an existential threat to the integrity and contiguity” of Gaza and the West Bank – key pieces of a future Palestinian state – from Israeli actions and “unabated illegal settlement expansion.”

“Senior Israeli officials openly speak of formally annexing all or part of the West Bank in the coming months,” he said. “Any such annexation would constitute a most serious violation of international law.”

The secretary-general said Syria “stands at a crossroads of history” and told the council, “We cannot let the flame of hope turn into an inferno of chaos.”

He stressed the need for a Syrian-led political transition, and “much more significant work in addressing sanctions and designations” especially in light of the country’s urgent economic needs.