Int’l Community Welcomes Ending State of Emergency in Sudan Paving for Dialogue

A Sudanese demonstrator holds a banner calling for the release of detainees (Reuters)
A Sudanese demonstrator holds a banner calling for the release of detainees (Reuters)
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Int’l Community Welcomes Ending State of Emergency in Sudan Paving for Dialogue

A Sudanese demonstrator holds a banner calling for the release of detainees (Reuters)
A Sudanese demonstrator holds a banner calling for the release of detainees (Reuters)

The Troika and the Trilateral Mechanism welcomed the decisions of the Sudanese army to lift the state of emergency and release several political prisoners.

The international organizations said it was an important step to create the appropriate environment for dialogue, noting that the decision requires a sincere policy to be fully implemented.

The Troika, represented by Norway, the US, and the UK stressed the need to end the use of excessive force against the demonstrators and respect the rights of the protesters, calling on all Sudanese parties to engage in the political process facilitated by the UN, the AU, and IGAD.

The Trilateral Mechanism of the United Nations, the African Union, and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) welcomed the decision "as positive steps to create the conditions needed for a peaceful resolution for the current political impasse."

The Mechanism said in a statement that it encouraged all stakeholders to be prepared for a constructive dialogue in good faith on a political solution and a peaceful way out of the current crisis.

It urged the authorities to release the remaining political detainees and ensure the right to peaceful assembly and expression, ending the excessive use of force against protesters.

IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu welcomed the decision of the Sudanese Sovereign Council to lift the state of emergency and release political detainees, calling on the army, political parties, civil society organizations, and the youth to engage in comprehensive talks.

He urged all stakeholders to provide full support and actively participate in the initiative of the Trilateral Mechanism, which aims to facilitate a Sudanese-led political process to restore constitutional order and democracy.

Gebeyehu described the decision of the Sudanese Sovereign Council to lift the state of emergency and release prisoners as "a positive step towards creating an environment conducive to resolving the crisis in Sudan."

The People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, described the decision as "a positive step, but not enough."

The movement called for the release of members of the resistance committees and all political detainees and the abolition of all laws restricting freedoms.

The movement's Secretary General, Ammar Amoun, said that Burhan's decision confirms the "decline and failure of the October 25 plans."

On Sunday, the head of Sudan's ruling sovereign council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, lifted the state of emergency imposed in the country following the October coup he led.

Burhan's decision came hours after the Security and Defense Council, Sudan's highest body that decides on security matters, recommended an end to the state of emergency and the release of all detainees.

The recommendations facilitate dialogue between the military and the pro-democracy movement.

Opposition political forces and resistance committees participating in the political process, sponsored by the Mechanism, said situations would only stabilize if the military measures that restrict freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration are ended.

About 98 demonstrators have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested since the protests against the army's seizure of power began last October.



UN Chief Outlines Four Options for Embattled Palestinian Relief Agency UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
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UN Chief Outlines Four Options for Embattled Palestinian Relief Agency UNRWA

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press briefing during the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) at the Center des Expositions conference center in Nice, France, June 10, 2025. (Reuters)

A review of the embattled United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, ordered by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has identified four possible ways forward for the organization that has lost US funding and been banned by Israel.

The proposals, seen by Reuters, are: inaction that could see the potential collapse of UNRWA; a reduction of services; the creation of an executive board to advise UNRWA; or maintaining UNRWA’s rights-based core while transferring services to host governments and the Palestinian Authority. While Guterres ordered the strategic assessment of UNRWA in April as part of his wider UN reform efforts, only the 193-member UN General Assembly can change UNRWA’s mandate.

UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in 1949 following the war surrounding the founding of Israel. It provides aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

“I believe it is imperative that Member States take action to protect the rights of Palestine refugees, the mandate of UNRWA and regional peace and security,” Guterres wrote in a letter dated on Monday and seen by Reuters submitting the UNRWA assessment to the General Assembly. The review comes after Israel adopted a law in October, which was enacted on January 30, that bans UNRWA's operation on Israeli land - including East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in a move not recognized internationally - and contact with Israeli authorities.

UNRWA is also dealing with a dire financial crisis, facing a $200-million deficit. The US was UNRWA's biggest donor, but former President Joe Biden paused funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the deadly October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian Hamas group that triggered the war in Gaza. The funding halt was then extended by the US Congress and President Donald Trump.

FOUR OPTIONS

The UN has said nine UNRWA staff may have been involved in the Hamas attack and were fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon - killed in September by Israel - was also found to have had an UNRWA job. The UN has vowed to investigate all accusations and repeatedly asked Israel for evidence, which it says has not been provided. Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, while UNRWA has said it has been the target of a "fierce disinformation campaign" to "portray the agency as a terrorist organization." Guterres and the UN Security Council have described UNRWA as the backbone of the aid response in Gaza.

The first possible option outlined by the UNRWA strategic assessment was inaction and the potential collapse of the agency, noting that “this scenario would exacerbate humanitarian need, heighten social unrest, and deepen regional fragility” and “represent a significant abandonment of Palestine refugees by the international community.”

The second option was to reduce services by “aligning UNRWA’s operations with a reduced and more predictable level of funding through service cuts and transfer of some functions to other actors.”

The third option was to create an executive board to advise and support UNRWA’s commissioner-general, enhance accountability and take responsibility for securing multi-year funding and aligning UNRWA’s funding and services. The final potential option would see UNRWA maintain its functions as custodian of Palestine refugee rights, registration, and advocacy for refugee access to services, “while progressively shifting service provision to host governments and the Palestinian Authority, with strong international commitment to funding.”