Muqtada Sadr Says Siege Must Be Lifted Off Syria after Earthquake

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr (AFP)
The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr (AFP)
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Muqtada Sadr Says Siege Must Be Lifted Off Syria after Earthquake

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr (AFP)
The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr (AFP)

The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, said on Saturday that any international economic sanctions against regimes and governments have not and will not help achieve the “colonial” state's desired goal.

Sadr expressed his strong opposition to Western sanctions imposed on Syria, noting that the Syrian people suffer from epidemics, diseases, hunger, poverty, terrorism, injustice, and lack of fuel, funds, and fruits.

Sadr tweeted about the sanctions on Syria and wondered if the injustice facing Syria was for the sake of the Golan Heights and Israel or for bringing Syrians down and subjugating them to the colonial West.

The leader appealed to all nations and peoples to support Syria, noting that Syrians were facing death and that it was necessary to unite to save them and lift the siege entirely.

He indicated that the Syrian people deserve life because they rejected oppression, terrorism, and occupation, urging supporters not to leave Syria alone.

Sadr did not mention Türkiye, Iraq's neighbor, in his tweet, his first statement on regional developments for a while. He did not comment on the political developments in Iraq, including the end of the hundred days of the government of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, or the efforts to change Iraq’s electoral law.

Iraq established air and land bridges to send aid convoys to Syria following the earthquake that killed and injured thousands.



Sudan Army Says Khartoum State ‘Completely Free’ of RSF

Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
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Sudan Army Says Khartoum State ‘Completely Free’ of RSF

Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)
Sudanese women sell vegetables at an open market in the East Nile district of Khartoum on May 19, 2025. (AFP)

The Sudanese army said on Tuesday that it had completely pushed its rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) out of Khartoum state, nearly two months after it regained control of the capital's center.

"Khartoum state is completely free of rebels," army spokesman Nabil Abdallah said in a statement, referring to the RSF.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 when the military and the RSF turned against each other in a struggle for power.

Their battles spread from Khartoum to around the country. At least 20,000 people have been killed, but the real toll is probably far higher.

Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes, 4 million of them streaming into neighboring countries. Half the population of 50 million faces hunger.