Arab, Islamic States Condemn Storming of Saudi Cultural Attaché in Sudan

Drone footage shows birds in the foreground as clouds of black smoke billow over Khartoum North, Sudan (Reuters)
Drone footage shows birds in the foreground as clouds of black smoke billow over Khartoum North, Sudan (Reuters)
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Arab, Islamic States Condemn Storming of Saudi Cultural Attaché in Sudan

Drone footage shows birds in the foreground as clouds of black smoke billow over Khartoum North, Sudan (Reuters)
Drone footage shows birds in the foreground as clouds of black smoke billow over Khartoum North, Sudan (Reuters)

Gulf, Arab and Islamic states condemned the storming of the Saudi Cultural Attaché building in Khartoum, stressing the need to respect international and diplomatic agreements that guarantee the sanctity and safety of the headquarters of diplomatic missions.

On Tuesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced that its cultural attaché office in Khartoum was stormed earlier in the day by an armed group that looted the property. The group also destroyed equipment and cameras.

The ministry expressed the Kingdom's strong condemnation of the incident, calling on all sides to respect the diplomatic missions and bring the perpetrators to justice.

It renewed Saudi Arabia's call to stop the military escalation between the warring parties, end the violence, and provide the necessary protection for Sudanese diplomats, residents, and civilians.

Kuwait expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the storming of the building.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the "criminal" act is a "flagrant violation" of international law and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, under which the host country is "under a special duty to protect the premises of the mission of intrusion, damage, disturbance of the peace and impairment of its dignity."

The ministry called on Sudanese authorities and concerned parties to immediately take all necessary measures to protect diplomatic missions, ensure the safety of their buildings and staff, and punish perpetrators of violations.

Kuwait stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia and supports all security and legal measures it takes to maintain the safety of its diplomatic missions, asserted the ministry.

Bahrain deplored the incident, expressing solidarity, and support for Saudi Arabia, affirming its support for all necessary measures to secure Saudi diplomatic missions.

For its part, the UAE strongly denounced the storming of the cultural attaché mission, which resulted in vandalization and theft of property, stressing the importance of protecting diplomatic missions.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) affirmed that the UAE strongly condemns these criminal acts and permanently rejects all forms of violence and terrorism to undermine security and stability in contravention of humanitarian values and principles.

The statement stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to secure a ceasefire and return to the political process and dialogue to achieve progress in the transitional phase to reach Sudan's desired political stability and security.

On Wednesday, the Jordanian Government issued a statement condemning the armed storming and sabotage of the Saudi Cultural Attaché building, expressing solidarity with the Kingdom.

It stressed the need to respect the rules of international law and relevant international agreements, especially the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem al-Budaiwi, strongly denounced the incident, praising the significant humanitarian and diplomatic role played by Saudi Arabia in Sudan.

Budaiwi stressed that all GCC countries condemn this terrorist act, calling all parties in Sudan to take the necessary measures to protect diplomatic headquarters.

Moreover, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) regretted the storming, asserting in its statement the need to end the violence, respect diplomatic missions, and provide the necessary protection for diplomats.

The Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Adel al-Asoomi, called for respecting the diplomatic missions, holding perpetrators accountable, and providing due protection to diplomatic missions carrying out their work under challenging circumstances in Sudan.

He strongly denounced the storming, reiterating his demand for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan and for talks to resolve the current crisis.



KSrelief Signs Agreements to Strengthen Education and Healthcare Sectors in Yemen

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Wednesday a cooperation agreement to carry out the third phase of the Back to School Project in Al-Mukha district in Taiz Governorate (SPA)
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Wednesday a cooperation agreement to carry out the third phase of the Back to School Project in Al-Mukha district in Taiz Governorate (SPA)
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KSrelief Signs Agreements to Strengthen Education and Healthcare Sectors in Yemen

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Wednesday a cooperation agreement to carry out the third phase of the Back to School Project in Al-Mukha district in Taiz Governorate (SPA)
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Wednesday a cooperation agreement to carry out the third phase of the Back to School Project in Al-Mukha district in Taiz Governorate (SPA)

King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed on Wednesday various agreements to promote the educational and medical sectors in several Yemeni governorates, benefiting over 13,000 individuals.
At the educational level, the Center signed a cooperation agreement with a civil society organization to carry out the third phase of the Back to School Project in Al-Mukha district in Taiz governorate, Thamud district in Hadramaut governorate, as well as in the governorates of Shabwah, Abyan, and Lahj, Yemen, benefiting some 6,000 individuals.
Assistant Supervisor General of Operations and Programs at KSrelief Engineer Ahmed Al Baiz signed the agreement on the sidelines of the International Conference on Conjoined Twins in Riyadh.
The agreement entails providing 60 fully equipped classrooms and outfitting 10 schools to create a suitable learning environment for students, and distributing 6,000 school uniforms and bags containing school supplies.
Furthermore, job opportunities will be created for low-income families (beneficiaries of previous training and empowerment projects) by having them make school bags and uniforms.
This initiative is part of the relief and humanitarian endeavors carried out by the Kingdom through KSrelief to bolster the safety and continuity of the educational process, and tackle student dropout rates in the specified regions in Yemen.

At the medical level, KSrelief and the International Wars and Disasters Victims' Protection Association (IRVD) signed a cooperation agreement to establish a prosthetic and rehabilitation center in Yemen’s Marib governorate.
This collaboration will offer physical rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, focusing on their integration into society.
It will involve personalized treatment plans, provision of various prosthetic limbs, occupational rehabilitation services, continuous follow-up care, and the enhancement of medical and technical staff skills to handle specialized cases.
The project aims to curb the emigration of specialized personnel and is expected to benefit 7,174 individuals.
Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO) signed a €3.4 million agreement with the German government to sustain lifesaving health and nutrition services in Yemen.
According to a WHO statement, the initiative comes at a critical time: Yemen is grappling with a protracted, grade 3 emergency – the highest level of WHO health emergency response.
It said Yemen faces multiple and parallel outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), acute watery diarrhea and cholera, measles, diphtheria, malaria and dengue fever.
According to WHO, Yemen reported 204 000 suspected cases and 710 deaths between the outbreak of cholera in March 2024 and the end of September 2024.
Since the beginning of the year, 33,000 suspected measles cases have been reported, with 280 associated deaths.
By the end of 2024, it is projected that over 223,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and more than 600,000 children will be malnourished.
Among these children, nearly 120,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), a 34% increase on the previous year.