Intense Arab, International Contacts to Stop War in Sudan

The Sudanese capital is still suffering from continuous fighting in the city center. (AFP)
The Sudanese capital is still suffering from continuous fighting in the city center. (AFP)
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Intense Arab, International Contacts to Stop War in Sudan

The Sudanese capital is still suffering from continuous fighting in the city center. (AFP)
The Sudanese capital is still suffering from continuous fighting in the city center. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia and France stressed the importance of stopping the military escalation between the conflicting parties in Sudan, the Sudanese military and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), that erupted on Saturday.

During a phone call on Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for ending the violence, and providing the necessary protection for Sudanese civilians and residents in a way that guarantees the security, stability, and well-being of the country and its people.

For its part, Egypt reaffirmed the importance of reaching a cease-fire agreement in Sudan as soon as possible. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his British counterpart, James Cleverly, agreed on maintaining coordination and talks to resolve the crisis.

The Egyptian foreign minister made contacts, on Wednesday, with his counterparts in Britain, Chad and the Sultanate of Oman, to discuss the situation in Sudan.

Shoukry emphasized “the need to deal with the existing conflict as an internal matter,” noting that external parties should “abstain from interfering in a way that fuels the conflict.”

He also underlined the importance of joining international and regional efforts to contain the crisis.

Meanwhile, Türkiye called on both sides of the conflict in Sudan to avoid further bloodshed, and to hold dialogue and reconciliation to find a permanent solution to the country’s problems.

In an interview with Turkish state TV (TRT), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmed his country’s readiness to provide all means of support to contribute to the stability and peace of Sudan.

“We are following the developments in Sudan with concern. Today, I spoke to my brother [Abdelmadjid] Tebboune, the president of Algeria. I will have talks with both sides in Sudan,” Erdogan said, adding: “Türkiye is ready to provide all means of support to Sudan’s peace and stability.”

He also urged the Sudanese people “to continue to build the country’s future together by putting disputes aside.”

According to a statement by the Algerian presidency, reported by the Turkish Anadolu Agency, Tebboune and Erdogan discussed “the means to find a solution to contain the situation politically and stop the fighting.”

In this context, the two sides called for “dialogue and upholding the country’s supreme interest.”

On Tuesday, Tebboune proposed a quartet move by the Arab League, the United Nations, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development for East Africa (IGAD), to stop the fighting in Sudan.

He sent letters in this regard to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, the current chairperson of the African Union, the President of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, and the executive secretary of IGAD, Workneh Gebeyehu.

In a statement, on Tuesday, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on both sides of the conflict to ease tension to avoid more bloodshed, and for dialogue and reconciliation to find a permanent solution to the outstanding problems.



Lebanon Elects Army Chief as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Elects Army Chief as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys US approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.
The outcome reflected shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Hezbollah badly pummelled from last year's war, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate able to win enough votes in the 128-seat parliament.
Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in a first round vote, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in a second round, according to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement backed him.
Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday as Hezbollah's long preferred candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, withdrew and declared support for the army commander, and as French envoy shuttled around Beirut, urging his election in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese political sources said.
Aoun's election is a first step towards reviving government institutions in a country which has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Aoun left office.
Lebanon, its economy still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion.
Lebanon's system of government requires the new president to convene consultations with lawmakers to nominate a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a new cabinet, a process that can often be protracted as factions barter over ministerial portfolios.
Aoun has a key role in shoring up a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel which was brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The terms require the Lebanese military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Aoun, 60, has been commander of the Lebanese army since 2017.