Arab League Calls for Ending War in Sudan

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
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Arab League Calls for Ending War in Sudan

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)

The Arab League called on Tuesday for the immediate cessation of all hostilities in Sudan and a complete ceasefire to save the Sudanese state, its institutions and facilities.

Egypt chaired an emergency meeting of the organization, which convened at the level of permanent delegates, to follow up on the developments in Sudan.

The League strongly condemned the targeting and killing of residents, regardless of their nationalities, and attacks on civilian and medical facilities.

It warned of the consequences and repercussions of these actions, which may intensify the conflict and which violate international humanitarian law.

The organization offered its deepest condolences to the families of Sudanese victims and the Assistant Administrative Attaché at the Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum, Mohamed al-Gharawi.

It called for protecting diplomatic missions and their staff from the fighting in line with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Furthermore, the organization expressed its gratitude to Sudanese authorities for coordinating, securing, and facilitating the safe evacuation of members of diplomatic missions and Arab and foreign nationals.

The Arab League praised the efforts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Algeria, and Morocco in evacuating their citizens and other Arab nationals, diplomats, and international missions.

It called for military forces or gunmen to leave hospitals and civilian facilities and for facilitating relief aid and humanitarian assistance to all Sudanese civilians and residents.

Arab League member states expressed their readiness to provide all forms of emergency humanitarian support, medical and food aid in coordination with Sudanese authorities and international and regional organizations.

The organization also praised the efforts of the member states and their initiatives towards reaching a ceasefire, and the humanitarian appeal by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on April 19 for a truce.

He had appealed to warring sides to end the conflict and allow people to access food supplies and medical assistance.

The member states welcomed Aboul Gheit's call to hold an emergency session for the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs and another for the Council of Arab Ministers of Health to form a comprehensive Arab response to the crisis and its humanitarian and health repercussions.

According to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), the Arab League called on the international community to provide all urgent humanitarian needs and provide support to Sudan's neighboring countries that are receiving Sudanese fleeing the fighting.

The League stressed the need to resolve the crisis in a way that guarantees Sudan's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, protects its institutions and fulfills the aspirations of its people for peace and development.

It stressed its rejection of foreign interference in Sudan's domestic affairs to avoid fueling the conflict, prolonging the crisis, and threatening regional peace and security.



Iranian Documentary Shows Soleimani Touring Saddam Hussein’s Palace

Soleimani inspects a ceiling in Saddam Hussein’s palace
Soleimani inspects a ceiling in Saddam Hussein’s palace
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Iranian Documentary Shows Soleimani Touring Saddam Hussein’s Palace

Soleimani inspects a ceiling in Saddam Hussein’s palace
Soleimani inspects a ceiling in Saddam Hussein’s palace

A video showing Qassem Soleimani, the late commander of Iran’s Quds Force, exploring one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces has stirred significant controversy on social media.

The 30-second video, released by the Tasnim news agency, shows Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an Iran-backed paramilitary group in Iraq, walking through a ruined palace once owned by the former Iraqi president.

Tasnim, which is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said the footage, aired for the first time, is part of an Iranian documentary.

Also in the video are Ahmed al-Asadi, Iraq’s current Labor Minister, and Mohammed Sahib al-Daraji, a former Minister of Construction and Housing.

On January 3, 2020, Soleimani was killed alongside al-Muhandis in a US airstrike near Baghdad International Airport.

Years earlier, the US Treasury Department had placed Soleimani on its blacklist for his alleged “terrorist” activities in the region.

Later, an Iranian TV station (TW) released the full documentary titled “The Builder... and The Destroyer,” focusing on Qassem Soleimani and Saddam Hussein.

The video doesn’t specify when Soleimani visited Saddam’s palace, but the presence of Iraqi officials suggests it was after 2014.

The footage shows Soleimani inspecting the palace’s damage and touching a marble column, with al-Muhandis explaining the details.

The documentary also includes clips of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad shortly before the 2003 US invasion, with Iraqis discussing their inability to visit Shiite shrines under the Baath regime.

The documentary highlights the role of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in restoring Shiite shrines in Najaf and Karbala, which were damaged in 1991.

It features Iranian officials, including former Iranian ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi, who discuss the Revolutionary Guard’s efforts in expanding and developing these shrines.

The film presents these efforts as a way to enhance annual Muharram visits, which were suppressed under the Baath regime. It also describes the Revolutionary Guard's fight against ISIS as a mission to protect Shiite shrines in Iraq and Syria.

At the end of the documentary, Soleimani is seen at the Sayyida Zainab shrine in Syria, receiving a key from a soldier.

Iraqis reacted strongly to the video, with many criticizing officials for letting Soleimani enter Saddam’s palace. Bloggers pointed out that the US, which invaded Iraq, allowed Iran to gain influence there and later was responsible for Soleimani’s assassination.