Sudan Summons Chad's Ambassador Over Killing of its Citizens

Citizens march protesting tribal tensions in Darfur (Reuters)
Citizens march protesting tribal tensions in Darfur (Reuters)
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Sudan Summons Chad's Ambassador Over Killing of its Citizens

Citizens march protesting tribal tensions in Darfur (Reuters)
Citizens march protesting tribal tensions in Darfur (Reuters)

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has summoned Chad's ambassador to Khartoum, Abdelkarim Kabir, to protest the killing of 18 Sudanese citizens during an attack by Chadian shooters.

Sudan's acting Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq conveyed his country's "protest and condemnation of the incident," demanding the Chadian authorities to exert an effort to arrest the assailants and recover the stolen items.

The Sudanese Security and Defense Council held an emergency meeting on Friday and agreed to continue political and diplomatic efforts to contain the situation and prevent any escalation.

For his part, Kabir said that his country would not allow anything to harm the relationship with Sudan, stressing that Chad would spare no effort in maintaining and developing relations with Sudan in a manner that serves security, peace, and stability.

The Sudanese Security and Defense Council stressed the need to apply all official security measures on the border between the two countries, calling for enhancing the capabilities and role of the joint forces and controlling movements between the two countries.

Sudan accused Chad of a cross-border attack earlier this week that killed at least 18 nomads in Sudan's western Darfur region. Several nomads were wounded in the attack, and their livestock was looted and taken to Chad.

The deputy head of the Sovereign Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, described the incident as a violation of Sudan's sovereignty and borders, urging citizens not to act alone.

Dagalo attended the funerals of the slain nomads and said that Sudanese citizens had been previously attacked on the Chadian border.

He discussed security and border problems between the two countries with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby.

Last week, an annual conference was held in Khartoum to evaluate the joint forces, which operate according to a security protocol to secure the shared border, during which Sudan took over the command of the troops.

The head of the Sovereign Council, Lt-Gen Abdulfattah al-Burhan, met in Khartoum last week, Chadian Defense Minister Daoud Yahya, accompanied by several senior Chadian army leaders.

Sudan and Chad share a border that stretches for as long as 1,350 km near the Darfur region.



UN Humanitarian Chief Urges Massive Aid Boost for Syria

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
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UN Humanitarian Chief Urges Massive Aid Boost for Syria

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher (R) said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground. SANA/AFP

Visiting UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called Wednesday for a massive aid boost for Syria to respond to "this moment of hope" after the ouster of longtime strongman Bashar al-Assad.
"Across the country, the needs are huge. Seven in 10 people are needing support right now," Fletcher told AFP in a telephone interview as he visited Syria.
"I want to scale up massively international support, but that now depends on donors. The Syria fund has been historically, shamefully underfunded and now there is this opportunity," he said.
"The Syrian people are trying to come home when it's safe to do so, to rebuild their country, to rebuild their communities and their lives.
"We have to get behind them and to respond to this moment of hope. And if we don't do that quickly, then I fear that this window will close."
Half of Syria's population were forced from their homes during nearly 14 years of civil war, with millions finding refuge abroad.
UN officials have said a $4 billion appeal for Syria aid is less than a third funded.
"There are massive humanitarian needs... water, food, shelter... There are needs in terms of government services, health, education, and then there are longer term rebuilding needs, development needs," Fletcher said.
"We've got to be ambitious in our ask of donors.
"The Syrian people demand that we deliver, and they're right to demand that we deliver," he said. "The world hasn't delivered for the Syrian people for more than a decade."
'Test for all'
As part of his visit, Fletcher met representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the opposition group which spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad, including its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir.
Fletcher said he received "the strongest possible reassurances" from Syria's new administration that aid workers would have the necessary access on the ground.
"We need unhindered, unfettered access to the people that we're here to serve. We need the crossings open so we can get massive amounts of aid through... We need to ensure that humanitarian workers can go where they need to go without restriction, with protection," he said.
"I received the strongest possible reassurances from the top of that caretaker administration that they will give us that support that we need. Let's test that now in the period ahead."
Assad's government had long imposed restrictions on humanitarian organizations and on aid distribution in areas of the country outside its control.
Fletcher said that the coming period would be "a test for the UN, which hasn't been able to deliver what we wanted to over a decade now... Can we scale up? Can we gain people's trust?
"But it's also a test for the new administration," he added. "Can they guarantee us a more permissive environment than we had under the Assad regime?
"I believe that we can work in that partnership, but it's a huge test for all of us."