Prince Hamza's Apology Ends 'Sedition' in Jordan

King Abdullah (L) and Prince Hamza pictured in April 2001. (AP)
King Abdullah (L) and Prince Hamza pictured in April 2001. (AP)
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Prince Hamza's Apology Ends 'Sedition' in Jordan

King Abdullah (L) and Prince Hamza pictured in April 2001. (AP)
King Abdullah (L) and Prince Hamza pictured in April 2001. (AP)

Jordan's King Abdullah received a letter of apology from former Crown Prince Hamza, who was accused last year of trying to replace the monarch, pledging he would never again act against the country's rulers, the royal palace said in a statement on Tuesday.

The palace, which released the text of the letter, said it follows a meeting last Sunday at Prince Hamza's request with his half-brother King Abdullah to ask for "forgiveness". He was accused last April of conspiring to destabilize the monarchy in a foreign-inspired plot.

"I have erred, Your Majesty, and to err is human. I, therefore, bear responsibility for the stances I have taken and the offenses I have committed against Your Majesty and our country over the past years," Hamza said in the letter.

"I apologize to Your Majesty, to the people of Jordan, and to our family, for my actions which, God willing, will not be repeated," he added.

The estranged prince, who had been placed under house arrest after accusing the country's rulers of corruption, had pledged allegiance to the king shortly after mediation by royal family elders.

A former royal chief adviser, Bassem Awadallah, and a minor royal were sentenced last July to 15 years in jail for their involvement in the plot.

King Abdullah described the crisis as "the most painful" during his 22 years of rule because it came from both inside the royal family and outside it.

"I hope that we can turn the page on this chapter in our country's and our family's history," Hamza said.

Hamza's public apology paved the way for rehabilitating the estranged prince and regaining public duties after being removed from the royal succession, the palace said.



Sudan Army Says Recaptures Key State Capital

Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP
Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP
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Sudan Army Says Recaptures Key State Capital

Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP
Sudanese civilians displaced by offensive south of Khartoum earlier this year dream of returning to their homes after the regular army retakes territory - AFP

The Sudanese army said Saturday it had retaken a key state capital south of Khartoum from rival Rapid Support Forces who had held it for the past five months.

The Sennar state capital of Sinja is a strategic prize in the 19-month-old war between the regular army and the RSF as it lies on a key road linking army-controlled areas of eastern and central Sudan.

It posted footage on social media that it said had been filmed inside the main base in the city.

"Sinja has returned to the embrace of the nation," the information minister of the army-backed government, Khaled al-Aiser, said in a statement.

Aiser's office said armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had travelled to the city of Sennar, 60 kilometres (40 miles) to the north, on Saturday to "inspect the operation and celebrate the liberation of Sinja", AFP reported.

The RSF had taken the two cities in a lightning offensive in June that saw nearly 726,000 civilians flee, according to UN figures.

Human rights groups have said that those who were unwilling or unable to leave have faced months of arbitrary violence by RSF fighters.

Sinja teacher Abdullah al-Hassan spoke of his "indescribable joy" at seeing the army enter the city after "months of terror".

"At any moment, you were waiting for militia fighters to barge in and beat you or loot you," the 53-year-old told AFP by telephone.

Both sides in the Sudanese conflict have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminately shelling homes, markets and hospitals.

The RSF has also been accused of summary executions, systematic sexual violence and rampant looting.

The RSF control nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur as well as large swathes of Kordofan in the south. They also hold much of the capital Khartoum and the key farming state of Al-Jazira to its south.

Since April 2023, the war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted more than 11 million -- creating what the UN says is the world's largest displacement crisis.

From the eastern state of Gedaref -- where more than 1.1 million displaced people have sought refuge -- Asia Khedr, 46, said she hoped her family's ordeal might soon be at an end.

"We'll finally go home and say goodbye to this life of displacement and suffering," she told AFP.