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Burhan, Hilu Sign Declaration of Principles

Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)
Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)
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Burhan, Hilu Sign Declaration of Principles

Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)
Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after signing a peace agreement in Juba, South Sudan (File Photo: Reuters)

Sudan's Sovereign Council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrived in Juba Saturday for a meeting with South Sudan President Salva Kiir to discuss bilateral relations and the resumption of peace negotiations with Abdelaziz al-Hilu’s Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM-N al-Hilu).

Burhan and Hilu discussed in a closed session the declaration of principles which will help launch their formal peace negotiations.

Burhan was accompanied by the Justice Minister, Nasreldin Abdelbari, who participated in the closed session with Hilu and his accompanying delegation.

Kiir's security advisor Tut Gatluak said that the closed session was positive, and the dialogue advanced within the framework of the common understandings on the declaration of principles.

Gatluak announced that the government and the movement will sign the declaration of principles on Sunday, witnessed by Kiir who also sponsors the Sudanese peace talks.

He said that after signing the declaration, the mediation committee will set a schedule for the negotiations.

Official sources revealed that the talks between Burhan and Hilu failed to overcome the differences over the secular issues and security arrangements, which prevented SPLM-N from engaging in previous peace talks.

In March, Burhan and Hilu met in Juba and agreed on the need to resume negotiation to reach solutions accepted by all parties.

SPLM-N rejects the Sudanese government's proposal to separate religion from the state and adheres to its demand of a secular state and the right to self-determination for the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile regions.

The sources indicate that the SPLM-N refuses to integrate its forces into the Sudanese army unless the issue of secularism is resolved.

Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok and Hilu signed a joint agreement in September last year that included the separation of religion from the state in the constitution of Sudan.

The workshop between the government and the SPLM-N in October 2020 failed to yield positive results on controversial issues.

The SPLM accused the head of the government delegation, Shams El-Din Kabbashi of failing the workshop for rejecting the recommendations.

The Juba agreement was signed last October between the Sudanese government and representatives of armed movements within the Revolutionary Front, while the SPLM-N and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid Nouri (SLA-AW) in Darfur did not participate.

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Arab World

Israeli Political Shake-Up Clouds Lebanon Talks, Eisenkot May Take Tougher Line

US State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler speaks as Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, accompanied by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States, after the Trump administration said Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)
US State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler speaks as Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, accompanied by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States, after the Trump administration said Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Political Shake-Up Clouds Lebanon Talks, Eisenkot May Take Tougher Line

US State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler speaks as Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, accompanied by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States, after the Trump administration said Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)
US State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler speaks as Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh, accompanied by US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States, after the Trump administration said Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Political upheaval in Israel has cast fresh uncertainty over negotiations with Lebanon, raising questions about whether Prime Minister-designate Gadi Eisenkot will change Israel's approach or commit to the security conditions set by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lebanon is waiting for Israel's next government to take shape before setting a date to resume talks. But political assessments suggest a change in leadership is unlikely to soften Israel's stance and could see Eisenkot take an even tougher line.

The uncertainty highlights a divide between diplomatic calculations over when talks might resume and political assessments of where they are headed.

The last round of negotiations in Tampa, Florida, ended without a date for further talks, while disputes persist over implementing the trilateral framework agreement, Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory and Hezbollah's disarmament.

Lebanon awaits Israeli govt

A Lebanese ministerial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that talks with Israel remain on hold pending clarity over the country's next government, despite continued contacts with Washington.

"The Americans were the ones who called for negotiations," the source said, referring to the last meeting in Tampa.

The source said all sides recognized that elections in Israel and the United States could divert attention from the talks or shift political priorities. Lebanon is now watching whether Eisenkot can form a government, with his position on negotiations still unclear.

If Eisenkot fails to form a coalition, Lebanon could find itself negotiating again with Netanyahu, whose government would remain in a caretaker capacity, adding further political complications.

Asked about contacts with Washington, the source said: "There is always communication, but there has been no answer on this issue."

The uncertainty follows Israeli President Isaac Herzog's decision on Nov. 8 to task Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, with forming a government after he secured recommendations from 67 Knesset members, against 46 for Netanyahu.

Despite securing the most endorsements, Eisenkot faces divisions among his backers over the makeup of a governing coalition, particularly the participation of Arab parties and potential arrangements with religious parties.

He has 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. Netanyahu and his cabinet retain their powers until a transfer of authority.

Talks will continue

Former Lebanese lawmaker Fares Souaid offered a different assessment, saying Israel's change in leadership would neither alter its strategic course nor halt negotiations with Lebanon.

He said the talks would continue and inevitably lead to new arrangements between the two countries, though not necessarily a peace agreement.

Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that the regional "earthquake" had shifted Israel from watching and waiting to seeking "a long-term insurance policy from neighboring countries."

"This will not change from one government to another or from one prime minister to another," he said.

But peace would require a major Arab initiative, he added

Souaid linked the future of Lebanese-Israeli relations to broader regional shifts, saying discussions over a new regional order could pave the way for comprehensive settlements benefiting countries that have paid a heavy price for decades of Arab-Israeli conflict.

"Everyone is talking about a new Middle East," he said.

Souaid said confrontations stretching from the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb to the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon were part of a single conflict unlikely to end through separate or phased settlements.

"This is one battle," he said, predicting it would end not in stages but through a broad regional conference in which all sides would find their place in the new regional order.

Souaid also dismissed the prospect of a fundamental shift in Israel's negotiating approach under Eisenkot, saying his military background could make him at least as uncompromising as Netanyahu.

"He is no less hard-line than Netanyahu," Souaid said.

Eisenkot could adopt an even tougher negotiating stance, driven by security and military considerations, as well as domestic political pressures, he added.

Arab World

Houthis Threaten to Shut Sanaa Schools to Enforce Military Mobilization

The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)
The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)
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Houthis Threaten to Shut Sanaa Schools to Enforce Military Mobilization

The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)
The Houthis are accused of is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students. (Local media)

The Houthis are threatening dozens of private schools in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, with fines and closure for refusing to pull students and teachers out of classrooms for rallies promoting the militia's military escalation in Taiz and other battlefronts and glorifying its leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

School sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthis had ordered private schools in Sanaa and its outskirts to hold at least three student marches and rallies a week, both on school grounds and in nearby streets, cutting into classroom hours and turning schools into platforms for political propaganda and military mobilization.

Since seizing control of Sanaa, the Houthis have revised school curricula and introduced sectarian and mobilization activities, drawing warnings from human rights groups and the United Nations over the ideological indoctrination and military recruitment of children.

School administrators in the Safiya, Sabeen, Azal, Wehda and Tahrir districts have resisted the orders under pressure from parents threatening to withdraw their children over disrupted lessons and activities unrelated to education.

The education ministry in the Houthis' unrecognized government responded by threatening a range of penalties.

The threats come as the militia steps up mobilization activities in public schools under its control, coinciding with a military escalation in several provinces in recent weeks and amid accusations that it is seeking to recruit more fighters from among students.

The Houthis have turned annual school license renewals into a pressure tactic to force administrators to comply, sparking widespread anger among educators and communities who see the measures as a blatant violation of children's right to education and a direct threat to their future.

Education professionals told Asharq Al-Awsat they were increasingly alarmed by mobilization events imposed on schools, with students forced to participate daily.

One parent in Sanaa, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concern after the school administration told families their children were required to attend mobilization rallies.

"We can barely afford tuition and transportation, and now they want to turn our children into tools for their activities," the parent said. "We fear this could eventually go beyond marches and lead to our children being sent to the frontlines."

A teacher in the Azal district said the rallies were eating into school schedules and taking time away from core subjects.

Teachers who refuse to mobilize students or make them chant Houthi slogans face threats of disciplinary action and penalties, the teacher said.

Private schools in Sanaa have seen enrollment rise during years of war as families fled deteriorating public education and teacher strikes. But those schools now face Houthi financial levies and ideological scrutiny.

A private school principal in Tahrir, central Sanaa, condemned the use of license renewals to pressure administrators into implementing mobilization programs.

Schools are caught between Houthi threats of closure and parents threatening to withdraw their children over disrupted lessons, putting the education of hundreds of students at risk, he said.

The mounting pressure threatens to deepen an unprecedented collapse in education across Houthi-controlled areas, where tens of thousands of teachers have gone unpaid for years and face worsening living conditions.

The Houthis have refused to pay salaries to about 170,000 teachers and education employees in areas under their control since 2016, despite collecting billions of Yemeni rials in taxes and annual fees imposed on educational institutions.

Arab World

Bilal Erdogan: Developments in Syria Will Restore Shared Ties Between Beirut, Tripoli and Turkish Cities

Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
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Bilal Erdogan: Developments in Syria Will Restore Shared Ties Between Beirut, Tripoli and Turkish Cities

Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)
Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center, waves to his Lebanese supporters outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP)

Bilal Erdogan, son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called on Friday for greater regional unity to confront attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, southern Lebanon and Syria, voicing hope that recent developments in Syria would revive historic trade and economic ties between Lebanese, Syrian and Turkish cities.

Erdogan, President of the Board of Trustees of the Knowledge Dissemination Foundation, made the remarks in the northern city of Tripoli on the second day of his visit to Lebanon, where he was welcomed by political and religious figures and locals.

Speaking after prayers at the Grand Mansouri Mosque, his first stop in the city, Bilal Erdogan said he had brought a message from his father to the Lebanese people, aimed at strengthening relations and bonds of brotherhood between the two countries.

He also voiced hope for an end to war and conflict in Lebanon, paving the way for stability, recovery and prosperity similar to the development Türkiye had experienced over the past 24 years.

"God willing, this visit will help end the war in Lebanon and bring prosperity and recovery, as happened in Türkiye over the past 24 years," Bilal Erdogan said.

Turning to Syria, said recent developments could help restore the historic ties and shared economic interests linking cities across Lebanon, Syria and Türkiye.

"God willing, with the recent developments in Syria, the bonds of shared destiny between Beirut, Tripoli, Antakya, Damascus, Gaziantep and Istanbul will be restored, as they were in the past," he said.

"The people of these cities will once again engage in trade, cooperation, partnership and brotherhood."

He stressed the need to revive cooperation between Tripoli and cities in Syria and Türkiye, strengthening economic and social ties and reconnecting communities across the region.

Addressing Israeli attacks, Bilal Erdogan said regional unity and solidarity could deter further assaults and prevent wars from continuing.

He cited what he described as genocide in Gaza, violations against villages and homes in the West Bank, destruction in southern Lebanon and attacks in Syria.

“Those demolishing homes and seizing land in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria and southern Lebanon would not dare continue if the region's peoples stood united,” he said.

Bilal Erdogan toured Tripoli's old markets, the Mevlevi lodge, citadel and several Ottoman-era mosques.

He is due to visit Kouachra in the northern Akkar region on Saturday to meet residents of Turkmen descent before traveling to Beirut for talks with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who will host a luncheon in his honor to conclude the visit.

He kicked off his Lebanon visit on Thursday with meetings with President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt, Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut Elias Audeh.