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.



Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Troops Battle Palestinian Fighters in Gaza City of Khan Younis

 Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during an Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli troops battled Palestinian fighters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza and destroyed tunnels and other infrastructure, as they sought to suppress small militant units that have continued to hit troops with mortar fire, the military said on Friday.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said troops had killed around 100 Palestinian fighters since Israeli troops began their latest operation in Khan Younis on Monday, which continued as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the fighting.

It said seven small units that had been firing mortars at the troops were hit in an air strike, while further south, in Rafah, four fighters were also killed in air strikes.

The Islamic Jihad armed wing said it fired rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and other Israeli towns near Gaza. No casualties were reported, the Israeli ambulance service said.

The continued fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel's invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, underlined the difficulty the IDF has had in eliminating fighters who have reverted to a form of guerrilla warfare in the ruins of the coastal strip.

A Telegram channel operated by the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the two main militant groups in Gaza, said fighters had been waging fierce battles with Israeli troops east of Khan Younis with machine guns, mortars and anti-tank weapons.

Medics said at least six Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Khan Younis.

US PRESSURE

US President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, both urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a proposed ceasefire deal as soon as possible.

However there has been no clear sign of movement in talks to end the fighting and bring home some 115 Israeli and foreign hostages still being held in Gaza. Public statements from Israel and Hamas appear to indicate that serious differences remain between the two sides.

Local residents contacted by messenger app, said Israeli tanks had pushed into three towns to the east of Khan Younis, Bani Suhaila, Al-Zanna and Al-Karara and blew up several houses in some residential districts.

The military said air force jets hit around 45 targets, including tunnels and two launch pads from which rockets were fired into Beersheba in southern Israel.

Even while the fighting continued around Khan Younis and Rafah in the south, in the northern part of the enclave, Israeli tanks pushed into the Tel Al-Hawa suburb west of Gaza city, residents said.

A Hamas Telegram channel said fighters targeted an Israeli tank in Tal Al-Hawa and shot an Israeli soldier.

Medics said two Palestinians were also killed in an air strike in western Gaza city.

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.

Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from armed groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have been killed or taken prisoner, out of a force they estimated to number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.