Sudan, Chad Agree on Combating Extremism, Protecting the Displaced

Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)
Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)
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Sudan, Chad Agree on Combating Extremism, Protecting the Displaced

Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)
Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby meet in N'Djamena on Sunday. (SUNA)

Head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan held bilateral talks on Sunday with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby in the capital of Chad, N'Djamena.

They discussed the updates in Libya and Central Africa.

Burhan was accompanied by acting Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq, chief of General Intelligence Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal, and head of the Military Intelligence Authority.

Following the one-day visit, a joint statement expressed Sudan and Chad’s concerns about the impact of instability in Libya on neighboring countries.

Burhan and Deby voiced concerns over the ongoing activity of terrorist groups in the Sahel region and their expansion in Africa.

They stressed the significance of enhancing the combat capabilities of the joint Chadian-Sudanese forces to confront the mounting security challenges along their borders.

This would be achieved through establishing direct and continuous ties between the parties concerned with security, defense, and the protection of refugees and displaced.

They further agreed on “exchanging information and intelligence between the security bodies of both countries” and on taking "firm and coordinated measures to contain the illegal migration and weapons smuggling”.

Moreover, Chad and Sudan agreed on holding the cross-border forum on security and development before the end of 2023 in Chadian city of Abeche.

Burhan and Deby agreed on “the activation of the joint force between Sudan, Chad, and Central Africa to combat insecurity on the three countries’ joint borders”.

They also agreed on assisting Libyan parties in reaching peace and coordinating with the relevant parties on the situation in Central Africa.

Burhan congratulated Deby on the success of the Chadian dialogue, which was followed by the formation of a government and transitional institutions.

He reiterated Sudan’s support for political stability and the outcomes of the national dialogue between Chadian parties.

Sudan and Chad signed in 2009 a security and military agreement in which a joint military force was formed along the borders of both countries.

Burhan’s visit to Chad came less than one month after deputy Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo revealed a plot to overthrow the regime in Central Africa that was plotted from Sudan.

He had accused at the time domestic and foreign parties of being behind the plot and announced the full closure of borders between both countries.



Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Ankara: Assad Does Not Want Peace in Syria

Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Fidan addresses the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Parliament (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has stated that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is unwilling to pursue peace in Syria and warned that Israel’s efforts to spread war across the Middle East are undermining the environment fostered by the Astana Process.

Fidan emphasized the importance of Russian and Iranian efforts within the framework of the Astana Process to maintain calm on the ground, pointing to ongoing consultations with the US regarding the Syrian crisis.

Speaking during a parliamentary session discussing the 2025 budget of the Foreign Ministry, Fidan reiterated Türkiye’s expectation that the dialogue proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be approached strategically by the Syrian government, with priority given to the interests of the Syrian people.

Regarding Erdogan’s invitation to Assad for a meeting to discuss the normalization of ties between Ankara and Damascus, Fidan remarked that the matter depends on political will, stressing that the Turkish president has demonstrated his readiness at the highest level.

Last week, Erdogan reiterated the possibility of a meeting with Assad, but Russia, which mediates the normalization talks between Ankara and Damascus, ruled out such a meeting or high-level engagements in the near future.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev attributed the impasse to Türkiye’s refusal to meet Damascus’ demand for a withdrawal from northern Syria, accusing Ankara of acting as an “occupying state”.

Although Türkiye has not officially responded to Lavrentiev’s comments, which reflect a shift in Russia’s stance, Fidan stated in a televised interview last week that Russia remains “somewhat neutral” regarding the normalization process. He also urged the Syrian government to create conditions for the return of 10 million Syrian refugees.

Türkiye maintains that its military presence in northern Syria prevents the country’s division, blocks the establishment of a “terror corridor” along its southern border, and deters new waves of refugees from entering its territory.

Fidan outlined his country’s key objectives in Syria, which include eradicating terrorist groups (such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Syrian Democratic Forces), preserving Syria’s territorial unity, advancing the political process, and ensuring the safe and voluntary return of Syrian refugees.

Meanwhile, Turkish artillery targeted villages and positions controlled by the Manbij Military Council, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose main component is the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

On Friday, fierce clashes erupted between the Syrian National Army factions and the SDF in western Tel Abyad, northern Raqqa. Simultaneously, Turkish artillery strikes reportedly killed two SDF members and injured others, with reports of captives and missing personnel.

In retaliation, the SDF shelled Turkish bases in the Ain Issa countryside. Turkish forces responded by deploying military reinforcements amid heightened alert at their bases in Raqqa’s countryside, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).