Hamas Delegation Visits Moscow to Hold ‘Important’ Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)
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Hamas Delegation Visits Moscow to Hold ‘Important’ Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP)

A delegation from the Palestinian Hamas movement arrived in Moscow on Tuesday at the invitation of Russia’s Foreign Ministry to hold “important” talks with Russian officials.

Deputy Head of Hamas Political Bureau Moussa Abu Marzouk led the delegation, which included Hamas leaders Fathi Hammad and Hussam Badran, as well as the Movement’s representative in Moscow.

Officials are scheduled to hold talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, and a meeting may be set with the Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

They also plan to hold consultations at the State Duma (parliament) and the Federation Council (Senate) and meet with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Talks will focus on the situation in Jerusalem, the field developments in the Palestinian Territories and the Russian-Palestinian ties.

Sources said Hamas plans to raise the issue of Israel’s frequent provocative acts in the occupied West Bank, the siege imposed on Gaza Strip, and the regional situation, in light of the current global crisis with Russia's war against Ukraine.

Israel on Monday lashed out at Russia over “unforgivable” comments by its foreign minister about Nazism and antisemitism - including claims that Adolf Hitler was Jewish.

Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the remarks blamed Jews for their own murder in the Holocaust.

It was a steep decline in the ties between the two countries at a time when Israel has sought to stake out a cautious position between Russia and Ukraine and remain in Russia’s good stead for its security needs in the Middle East.

Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian claims that it invaded Ukraine to “denazify” the country, Lavrov said Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even if some figures, including the country’s president, were Jewish.

“So when they say ‘How can Nazification exist if we’re Jewish?’ In my opinion, Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it doesn’t mean absolutely anything. For some time we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest antisemites were Jewish,” he said.

Tel Aviv called on Moscow to apologize to the Jewish people.

The Russian ministry said in a statement that Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's comments were “anti-historical” and “explaining to a large extent why the current Israeli government supports the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.”

The Hamas delegation’s visit to Moscow is the second since December 2021, when talks focused on Palestinian reconciliation and Russia’s repeated call on Palestinian factions to end their division.



Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
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Sudan Arms Surge Raises Alarms Over Civilian Protection

Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)
Sudan says it destroyed 50,000 explosive remnants of war (AFP)

A surge in deadly violence has gripped the quiet northern town of al-Dabbah, exposing the growing threat posed by the rampant spread of weapons across Sudan in the absence of effective state control.

At least eight people were killed over just two days, four in tribal clashes and four others in a street fight within the town.

The latest bloodshed comes amid a broader climate of insecurity, where gunfire has become a common soundscape. In nearby Omdurman, social media users circulated graphic footage of a young man shot dead in cold blood after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone.

Reports of killings and injuries from arguments and brawls settled with bullets have flooded social platforms, painting a grim picture of lawlessness. Armed robbery gangs are said to roam freely, terrorizing civilians with no security forces in sight.

As Sudan’s brutal conflict enters its third year, guns have become as commonplace in towns and villages as household items. What was once settled with fists or sticks is now resolved through the barrel of a gun.

Tens of thousands of civilians have reportedly armed themselves, citing the need for self-defense amid state collapse and the disintegration of law enforcement.

Even before the war erupted, estimates suggested around 2.2 million firearms were circulating in Sudan’s conflict zones. Since then, the figure is believed to have ballooned, with unofficial estimates placing the current number at nearly six million, most acquired privately or informally.

In al-Dabbah, local authorities confirmed tribal clashes erupted between members of the Kababish and Hawaweer tribes, leaving four dead and others wounded before security forces intervened. The following day, a quarrel between vehicle drivers escalated into a gunfight, claiming four more lives.

Meanwhile, in the Omdurman district of Al-Hattana, gunmen fatally shot a man while attempting to snatch his phone, another grim scene that social media brought into public view.

Weapons have now flooded Sudan’s markets. Eyewitnesses and former security officials say that under the brief control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, firearms were openly sold on the street like vegetables, with prices starting at just 20,000 Sudanese pounds, roughly $10.

Security experts say this gun chaos is not a sudden phenomenon but the product of years of unchecked proliferation.

Under former President Omar al-Bashir, weapons were distributed to tribal militias to fight opposing groups. With the eruption of nationwide conflict, arms have spread from the traditional battlegrounds of Darfur and Kordofan to cities in Sudan’s north, east, and center.

Legal analyst Moaz Hadra warned of the growing dangers of “random arming,” saying some groups are being trained and armed outside Sudan to destabilize the country. “Why are these groups being trained abroad instead of within Sudan’s military institutions?” he asked when speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Officials Downplay Risk, Citing Self-Defense

Despite mounting violence, Sudanese security and military officials continue to downplay the threat. They argue that most weapons are held by civilians for self-protection against RSF attacks or roaming bandits. “Should a citizen wait helplessly while armed men storm his home?” one commentator asked rhetorically.

Brigadier General Fath al-Rahman al-Toum, a police spokesman, dismissed fears of total lawlessness, saying that gun crackdowns are ongoing and that firearms possession is being treated as an exceptional situation under extraordinary circumstances.

Others, like Brigadier General Saleh Abdullah, insist that once the war ends, collecting the weapons will be “very easy,” noting that most guns were distributed under strict regulations to reserve forces and can be retrieved using serial numbers registered to each piece. “The army has always managed its weapons according to clear protocols,” he said.

Major General Mujahid Ibrahim added that Sudan’s porous borders, particularly in the west, have made it easier for arms to enter the country unchecked, exacerbating the crisis. Still, military officials say weapons loaned to civilians can be recovered thanks to detailed logs and unique identifiers.

Yet, as al-Dabbah and Omdurman reel from fresh bouts of violence, the gap between official reassurance and on-the-ground chaos continues to widen. With Sudan’s civil war showing no sign of abating, the unchecked spread of guns threatens to tear apart what remains of the country’s fragile social fabric.