Sudan Trial Defense Rejects Case Against Ousted Bashir

Sudan's toppled president Omar al-Bashir waves to the crowd during an April 2012 visit to the Northern Kordofan town of El-Obeid to address newly-trained paramilitary troops | AFP
Sudan's toppled president Omar al-Bashir waves to the crowd during an April 2012 visit to the Northern Kordofan town of El-Obeid to address newly-trained paramilitary troops | AFP
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Sudan Trial Defense Rejects Case Against Ousted Bashir

Sudan's toppled president Omar al-Bashir waves to the crowd during an April 2012 visit to the Northern Kordofan town of El-Obeid to address newly-trained paramilitary troops | AFP
Sudan's toppled president Omar al-Bashir waves to the crowd during an April 2012 visit to the Northern Kordofan town of El-Obeid to address newly-trained paramilitary troops | AFP

The trial of Sudan's ousted president Omar al-Bashir and others over a 1989 coup heard defense arguments Tuesday dismissing charges of illegal use of military force.

The latest hearing coincided with a mission to Khartoum by a team from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has sought for almost a decade to try Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

It was held as Sudan celebrated a US decision to remove the country from Washington's blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.

The ex-president and 27 others are being tried in Khartoum accused of plotting the 1989 Islamist-backed military coup that brought him to power.

"The next hearing will be held on November 3 to resume listening to defense lawyers' arguments responding to the accusations," said judge Essam Ibrahim.

Defense lawyers in the latest hearing refuted accusations by Sudan's prosecutor general Tagelsir al-Hebr against Bashir and the other defendants.

Hebr has accused them of multiple charges including undermining constitutional order and using military force to commit a crime.

Most of the defense team walked out of the previous hearing in protest at alleged bias on the part of the prosecutor general.

On Tuesday, defense lawyer Serageldin Hamed stressed what he termed "the illegality and unconstitutionality of the public prosecutor overseeing the filing of charges".

Bashir held power for 30 years until his overthrow on April 11, 2019, following unprecedented mass youth-led street demonstrations.

It is the first time in modern Arab history that the leader of a coup has been put on trial.

If convicted, Bashir and his co-accused -- including former top officials -- could face the death penalty.

Since his ouster, Bashir has been jailed in Khartoum's high-security Kober prison and was found guilty last December of corruption.

He has also indicted by the ICC over the Darfur conflict that erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms, accusing Khartoum of political and economic marginalization of their vast region.

The United Nations estimates 300,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced in the conflict in western Sudan.

Sudanese officials have since Saturday held talks with the visiting ICC team on options for trying Bashir over Darfur, including his handover or the formation of a hybrid court.



Syria: Opposition Factions Reach Hama’s Outskirts from Multiple Fronts

Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
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Syria: Opposition Factions Reach Hama’s Outskirts from Multiple Fronts

Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Anti-government fighters pose for a picture at the Kweyris military airfield in the eastern part of Aleppo province on December 3, 2024. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)

Opposition factions in northwest Syria have reached the outskirts of Hama, advancing from several directions, an opposition leader, Hassan Abdel Ghani, said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported heavy fighting in northern Hama province, a key region linking Aleppo to Damascus. Russian and Syrian warplanes have launched dozens of airstrikes on opposition positions.

Opposition fighters have captured several areas, the Observatory said.

An AFP photographer saw abandoned tanks and vehicles left by Syrian forces on roads near Hama. The Syrian army has sent reinforcements to slow the opposition's advance, which has intensified over the past two days.

An opposition fighter, Abu Al-Huda Al-Sourani, said they are pushing towards Hama after securing nearby towns. On Monday, opposition fighters shelled the city, killing six civilians, the Observatory reported.

Abdel Ghani said earlier that the Syrian army is facing “major collapses” as the opposiont makes progress near Hama.

Hama city and nearby areas are seeing a massive exodus as intense battles continue between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), its allied factions, and Syrian government forces.

HTS and its allies, under the “Deterring Aggression” operation, captured several towns in northern Hama, including Taybat al-Imam, Halfaya, Souran, and Maardas, after heavy clashes and government airstrikes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens of families fled western Hama villages like Joreen and Shatha toward Latakia. Others left northern Hama areas and parts of Hama city, seeking safety in Homs or southern villages.

This surge in violence comes as Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, fell out of government control for the first time since 2011, with HTS and Turkish-backed factions taking over most of it.

The Observatory reported 571 deaths, including 98 civilians, since fighting escalated on November 27. The UN said more than 48,500 people, mostly children, have fled Idlib and northern Aleppo in recent days.