Sudan to Discuss Military, Security Reform

Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)
Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)
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Sudan to Discuss Military, Security Reform

Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)
Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)

The security and military reform workshops will start in Khartoum on Sunday to discuss the final phase of the ongoing political process in Sudan since the signing of the "framework agreement" last December.

The workshop's recommendations will be included in the final political agreement drafted by the joint military and civilian committee.

The workshop, which will continue until next Wednesday, is scheduled to come up with a road map whose recommendations contribute to reform issues and arrangements in the security and regular sectors.

The workshop would involve the political forces that signed the framework agreement, regular parties, armed movements, and specialists coordinating with the Tripartite Mechanism.

The Tripartite Mechanism consists of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which facilitates the dialogue process between the Sudanese parties.

Earlier, army leaders agreed with the civil forces on the foundations and principles discussed during the security and military reform.

The workshop discusses the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army according to stages and timetables to be agreed upon and the integration of armed factions following the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba Peace Agreement.

The Sudanese parties that signed the political framework agreed to form a technical committee between the army and the Rapids Support Forces to discuss technical issues and proposed perceptions regarding the integration of forces.

Meanwhile, the committee for drafting the final agreement continued Saturday its meetings in the presidential palace in Khartoum in preparation for submitting the draft final agreement to the parties to the military and civil political process for discussion and legalization.

During its previous meetings, the committee reached a draft, which includes the content and chapters of the agreement, with an expansion of its explanation and adding a preamble and a chapter to the final provisions.

The leaders of the army and the civilian forces that signed the political Framework Agreement agreed to accelerate the political process and steps to solve the crisis in the country.

The parties agreed that the primary references for drafting the final political agreement would be the Framework Agreement, the draft political declaration, the recommendations of the political process workshops and conferences, and the draft transitional constitution for the Bar Association.

The final political agreement would be signed next April, and the draft transitional constitution would be signed on Apr. 6, provided the political forces begin forming civil power structures on Apr. 11.

Last December, the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, signed the framework agreement with the civil forces under international and regional auspices.

The agreement stipulated that the army should permanently withdraw from power, paving the way for the political forces to form a civilian-led government.

The position of the civilian prime minister raises controversy among the Sudanese, with the deadline approaching for the formation of the transitional civilian government.

The opposition Freedom and Change coalition, which signed the framework agreement with the military, said it agreed on the criteria and mechanisms but has not yet begun to nominate candidates for the position.

The coalition is expected to name its candidate for prime minister and head of the Sovereign Council soon.



Gaza Parents Urged to Stop Kids Flying Kites After Israel Warning to Hamas

Palestinians make a kite at a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, August 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians make a kite at a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, August 25, 2026. (Reuters)
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Gaza Parents Urged to Stop Kids Flying Kites After Israel Warning to Hamas

Palestinians make a kite at a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, August 25, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians make a kite at a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, August 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Gaza parents have been warned to stop their children flying kites in the war-ravaged enclave, after Israel threatened a forceful response if the Hamas group revives a tactic of launching incendiary kites over the border.

The popular committees, comprising representatives of local non-government organizations and charities that run Gaza displacement camps and shelters, issued the warning in a statement late on Monday.

The announcement was coordinated with Hamas authorities, a source in the movement ‌said.

"We are ‌working tirelessly on the ground and doing everything possible ‌to ⁠stop this practice, ⁠not to restrict the childhood of our children, who have already been deprived of the most basic rights to play and live in safety, but to protect their innocent lives," the statement said.

In 2018, Gazans sent incendiary balloons and kites over the border, causing fires across hundreds of acres of open fields and farmlands, in what they said was in protest at the ⁠Israeli blockade of the Hamas-controlled enclave.

KITES SCARE ISRAELI VILLAGERS

In ‌the past month, several kites that ‌were not reported to be carrying incendiary materials were spotted drifting from Gaza into Israel, ‌alarming Israelis who live in the nearby villages which came under ‌attack by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 assault that sparked the Gaza war.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas that unless that stopped immediately, "those responsible" for launching kites, balloons or drones toward Israel would be targets of assassination and ‌that areas from which they are sent will be ordered to evacuate.

Umm Mohammed, a mother from Gaza ⁠City who spoke ⁠with Reuters over a chat app, said she was worried her son could be hurt.

"Every summer, my kid, Ahmed, 10, and the kids in the street fly those kites to entertain themselves, but I will not allow him to, not anymore," she said.

A senior Israeli defense official said that Hamas was trying to provoke Israel by encouraging Gazans to fly kites across the border.

A Hamas official told Reuters the group has complained to ceasefire mediators that "Israel was making fake pretexts to continue the war on Gaza."

Israel complained to US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which oversees the implementation of the 2025 Gaza ceasefire deal, about the kites, according to a second Israeli official.


Strikes in Gaza Kill 4, Including 2 Children, a Week After US Asked Israel to Curb Attacks

A Palestinian inspects the old Abu Salim mosque a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 25, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian inspects the old Abu Salim mosque a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 25, 2026. (AFP)
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Strikes in Gaza Kill 4, Including 2 Children, a Week After US Asked Israel to Curb Attacks

A Palestinian inspects the old Abu Salim mosque a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 25, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian inspects the old Abu Salim mosque a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Palestinian residents of war-battered Gaza fled homes and businesses as Israeli strikes and tank fire killed at least four people Monday, including two children, hospital officials said, a week after a US delegation asked Israel to draw down attacks.

After evacuation warnings by Israel's military, a strike hit a building in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. One family was unable to flee and a 4-year-old child was killed, according to Awda Hospital, where he was taken. His mother and sister were wounded. There was no Israeli military comment.

Israeli strikes hit three other buildings across the territory after residents said they received evacuation warnings. Some people sprinted away, with mothers carrying children, while others moved amid the rubble in wheelchairs or with canes.

Smoke rose over the already devastated landscape.

Israel's military said it carried out strikes in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City and in Deir al-Balah after issuing warnings, targeting what it described as two Hamas weapons storage facilities inside mosques. The military did not provide evidence but said the facilities contained dozens of “Kalashnikov rifles, magazines and additional military equipment.”

An earlier Israeli strike on a tent in Deir al-Balah killed a man, according to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where his body was taken. Israel’s military said it killed a militant affiliated with Hamas’ special forces unit.

A man was killed and five others were wounded in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the casualties.

And Israeli tank fire hit an area east of Khan Younis, killing a 10-year-old girl, according to the hospital, where her body was taken.

Israel's military did not immediately comment on the strike in Khan Younis and said it was not aware of the incident with the child.

Israel has continued to carry out targeted killings in the week since a US delegation met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to push last year's ceasefire deal forward.

US negotiator Jared Kushner asked Netanyahu to draw down Israel’s attacks in Gaza, a person familiar with the meeting said last week, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief journalists.

Israel has announced strikes on six of the seven days since that meeting.

While the heaviest fighting in Gaza has subsided since the ceasefire took hold in October, Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 1,288 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and fighters.

Gunmen have carried out shooting attacks on Israeli troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other ceasefire violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

Palestinian officials have reported strikes on homes and police stations, and Hamas has claimed that attacks are designed to destabilize Gaza and prevent progress on the ceasefire's next steps, which include demilitarizing and reconstructing the territory and the deployment of an international stabilization force.

Israel warns against kites sent from Gaza

In the period before the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, burning kites and balloons were sent from Gaza into Israel, causing fires and other damage.

Now Israeli officials are expressing concern after several kites were found in a kibbutz near Gaza. No weapons or dangerous materials were attached.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement Sunday threatened to ramp up strikes on Gaza unless Hamas ensures the kites stop flying toward Israel.

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem has called the kites “essentially children’s toys” and accused Israel of using them as “an attempt to justify the continuation of aggression and violations against our people.”

The Oct. 7 attack killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. All hostages or their remains were later released. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,422 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.


Al-Zaidi: Iraq Will Not Become a Platform to Harm Others

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)
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Al-Zaidi: Iraq Will Not Become a Platform to Harm Others

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stressed on Monday that his government is forging ahead in building a “free” and “sovereign” Iraq, adding that international coalition forces will complete their withdrawal on September 30.

“Since assuming responsibility for the government, we have pledged to move toward building a fully sovereign Iraq in which the people enjoy all the foundations of respect, dignity and security, and whose citizens cooperate in protecting the country and safeguarding its wealth and the future of its generations,” he said during a speech at an event in Baghdad marking the Prophet Muhammed’s birthday.

Iraq will declare the completion of its sovereignty over its entire territory on September 30, he announced, reported Iraq’s state news agency INA.

Moreover, he said: “Iraq should not be a platform for harming others.”

“Our region has lived for decades amid ongoing tensions that have led to divisions in the approaches and governing visions of the countries of the Arab and Islamic world,” remarked al-Zaidi.

“Our government program included a clear approach to construction and reform, combating corruption and strengthening a productive working environment, alongside building security institutions operating under the framework of the Constitution.”

Earlier, al-Zaidi received in Baghdad Commander of German Forces Deployed Abroad Gunter Schneider.

The PM highlighted “the importance of transitioning toward multidimensional relations with the coalition countries.”

The meeting reviewed preparations for completing the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq.

Al-Zaidi commended Germany’s longstanding role in assisting Iraq in its fight against terrorism, particularly during the war on ISIS.