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.



Damascus Ramps Up Regional Coordination to Dismantle Captagon Smuggling Networks

Security forces arrest suspected drug smugglers. (Ministry of Interior)
Security forces arrest suspected drug smugglers. (Ministry of Interior)
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Damascus Ramps Up Regional Coordination to Dismantle Captagon Smuggling Networks

Security forces arrest suspected drug smugglers. (Ministry of Interior)
Security forces arrest suspected drug smugglers. (Ministry of Interior)

In response to mounting security threats, Syrian authorities have intensified efforts to combat drug smuggling, focusing on dismantling networks involved in the production and trafficking of Captagon pills, a narcotics trade long tied to the wartime economy once sustained by the ousted regime.

Over the past week, security forces thwarted multiple smuggling attempts across four Syrian provinces. Among them were two major operations: one targeting a shipment en route to Iraq, and another destined for Saudi Arabia. The operations signal a marked increase in regional security coordination aimed at curbing transnational Captagon trafficking.

Despite the collapse of the Assad regime and major geopolitical shifts in the region, narcotics smuggling networks continue to pose a major security challenge for Syria’s relations with neighboring countries, particularly Jordan, Iraq, and the Gulf states.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior released images of custom restaurant equipment used to conceal roughly 32,000 Captagon pills, which were intercepted before reaching Saudi Arabia. The bust was carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Branch in the Damascus countryside.

The suspects have been referred to the judiciary, though their identities and exact number remain undisclosed.

Simultaneously, Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Border Crossings reported the seizure of a cannabis shipment at the Al-Rai border crossing with Türkiye in northern Aleppo.

According to an announcement on the platform X, border security officers intercepted the drugs after becoming suspicious of the driver and conducting a thorough inspection of the truck.

Across the border in Jordan, a military source confirmed that northern border patrols intercepted and tracked an aircraft suspected of smuggling drugs. Its cargo was recovered after it was dropped inside Jordanian territory and handed over to the proper authorities.

Prior to these operations, over 1.35 million Captagon pills, equivalent to approximately 2,015 kilograms, were seized inside Syria in a joint Syrian-Iraqi security operation, the first of its kind between the two neighbors.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior stated that the operation led to the dismantling of one of the most dangerous drug trafficking networks in the region. Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari praised the coordinated effort, which he said was conducted in partnership with Syria’s Anti-Narcotics Directorate.

Syrian Anti-Narcotics chief Khaled Eid confirmed the success of the operation, attributing it to “precise intelligence-sharing” between the two agencies, following an extensive surveillance and investigation period.

In a separate development last Wednesday, a shootout erupted in central Damascus during a security raid targeting a well-known drug gang involved in trafficking narcotics and counterfeit currency.

The operation, which took place in the Al-Muhajireen-Nabaa district, ended with the death of one gang member. Authorities recovered large quantities of drugs, firearms, and counterfeiting equipment.

Meanwhile, in the coastal city of Latakia, a joint security operation led by the Internal Security Directorate and the Anti-Narcotics Department resulted in the arrest of a suspect involved in drug trafficking. Seized from the individual were around 70,000 narcotic pills, 50 bars of hashish, and $7,000 in counterfeit US currency.

Syria continues to grapple with the legacy of illicit networks that flourished during years of conflict, under the protection of the former regime.

According to international reports, including a British government assessment, Syria accounted for nearly 80% of global Captagon production at its peak, with an annual market value exceeding $10 billion. An estimated $2.4 billion in profits allegedly went directly to the Assad family.