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EU Urges All Sudanese Parties to Engage Actively, Constructively in Dialogue Efforts

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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EU Urges All Sudanese Parties to Engage Actively, Constructively in Dialogue Efforts

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

The European Union on Tuesday welcomed the decision of Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s ruling sovereign council, to lift a state of emergency that was imposed in the country following the October coup he led.

“The EU welcomes the announced lifting of the State of Emergency throughout the country and the release of detainees as commendable first steps in creating the much needed conducive environment for dialogue,” it said in a statement.

Last Sunday, Burhan announced lifting the state of emergency and the release of the detained activists to set the stage for meaningful intra-Sudanese talks facilitated by the trilateral mechanism of the UN, the African Union (AU) and regional bloc IGAD, to resolve the political crisis.

“Time is of the essence for Sudan’s efforts to find an inclusive and sustainable way out of the current crisis, which is severely affecting the population,” the EU statement said.

It called upon the authorities to continue their efforts to create a truly conducive environment for dialogue, by completing the release of those who were detained since last October 25, ensuring due process to those detainees who face criminal charges against them.

The EU also stressed the need to effectively end the violence against peaceful demonstrators, allowing them to enjoy their basic human rights of assembly and expression.

“It is crucial for alleged violations of human rights to be investigated and for perpetrators to be held to account,” it said.

The 27-member European bloc also noted that all parties must engage actively and constructively in the dialogue efforts, revealing their full support for Sudanese-led talks.

Meanwhile in Sudan, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) considered that Burhan’s steps must be followed by a

decision to end all the repressive measures that resulted from the “coup” and that empowered the isolated system.

“We urge an end of all the repressive measures the security forces used under the emergency law to disperse the peaceful protesters,” the Forces said.

Also, they demanded the release of all political detainees and to stop using the criminal charges against them for political purposes.

The FFC also affirmed its “continued positive interaction” with the UN-AU-IGAD process to end the coup and its consequences as well as to establish a new constitutional path of transition based on a full civilian authority.

On Monday, troika countries, Norway, the UK and the US, in addition to the tripartite mechanism of the UN, the AU and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development welcomed the release of detainees and lifting of the state of emergency and considered them as important steps to create the right environment for dialogue.

Mass demonstrations have rocked Sudan since Burhan led a military coup on October 25 that drew wide international condemnation.

Meanwhile, the UN Expert on Human Rights in Sudan, Adama Dieng, is set to begin on Wednesday his official visit to the country, the UN announced Tuesday.

During his four-day visit, Dieng will meet with senior Sudanese government officials, representatives of civil society organizations, human rights defenders, heads of UN entities, and diplomats.

The UN official will also discuss the recommendations he made during his February visit to Khartoum and the issue of providing technical support and capacity building to enhance the human rights situation in Sudan.

This is Dieng’s second trip to Sudan.

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Arab World

Dual Saudi Support Measures Bolster Yemen’s Stability and Protect Civilians

Officials sign a previous Saudi agreement to supply fuel for Yemen’s power stations (X). 
Officials sign a previous Saudi agreement to supply fuel for Yemen’s power stations (X). 
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Dual Saudi Support Measures Bolster Yemen’s Stability and Protect Civilians

Officials sign a previous Saudi agreement to supply fuel for Yemen’s power stations (X). 
Officials sign a previous Saudi agreement to supply fuel for Yemen’s power stations (X). 

Saudi Arabia’s latest support measures for Yemen have been welcomed by the country’s leadership after Riyadh announced a new budget support payment and extended the Masam Project for landmine clearance for another year. The parallel initiatives aim to ease Yemen’s economic and humanitarian challenges.

Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the council, the government, and the Yemeni people to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for directing the release of a new tranche of financial assistance for the state’s general budget.

The announcement was made by Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber, who also serves as general supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen.

He said the Saudi leadership had approved a new payment of more than SAR 224 million ($60 million) to help finance the Yemeni government’s budget deficit and cover public-sector salaries.

Al Jaber said the funding would support government cash flows, provide foreign-currency liquidity, help stabilize the Yemeni rial, and strengthen the government’s ability to maintain essential services and improve living conditions.

Yemeni officials say Saudi budget support has played a critical role in recent years by helping the government meet key financial obligations, particularly public-sector wages and basic services, at a time of declining state revenues and the continuing impact of war.

The assistance is also viewed as an important tool for easing pressure on the national currency and enabling state institutions to continue operating in government-controlled areas despite persistent economic challenges.

Alongside the financial announcement, Al-Alimi welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision to extend the Masam Project for clearing mines from Yemeni territory for an additional year.

He described the initiative as one of the most significant humanitarian programs protecting civilians from mines planted by the Houthi movement across large areas of the country.

Al-Alimi praised the project’s achievements since its launch, saying landmines remain among the most devastating legacies of Yemen’s conflict because of the deaths, injuries, and permanent disabilities they have caused among civilians.

He said the extension reflects Saudi Arabia’s continued humanitarian commitment to Yemen and represents a long-term investment in protecting Yemeni lives and securing war-affected communities.

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) announced it had extended the Masam Project for another year at a cost of more than $52.5 million, continuing efforts to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance from Yemen.

 

The project is implemented through Saudi personnel and international expertise in cooperation with trained Yemeni teams. Activities include mine-clearance operations, public-awareness campaigns, and capacity-building programs designed to strengthen national expertise in the sector.

According to project figures, Masam has cleared more than 567,000 landmines, unexploded ordnance items, and other explosive remnants of war since its launch in mid-2018. The items recovered include anti-personnel and anti-tank mines planted in residential areas, farmland, roads, and civilian facilities.

Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, adviser at the Saudi Royal Court and supervisor general of KSrelief, said the extension reflects Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian responsibility toward the Yemeni people and its commitment to eliminating threats posed by landmines.

He noted that indiscriminately planted mines, often concealed through various methods, have caused thousands of civilian casualties, left many victims permanently disabled, spread fear among local communities, and disrupted agriculture and development activities across wide areas.

Al Rabeeah said Masam has become a leading humanitarian model for addressing the dangers of landmines and war remnants by combining field-clearance operations with training and rehabilitation programs that will help Yemenis confront such threats in the future.

He also praised the Saudi leadership for its humanitarian and relief efforts in Yemen and elsewhere, stressing that the Kingdom’s support for the Yemeni people will continue through a range of development, relief, and humanitarian programs.

 

 

 

Arab World

Israel Says It 'Eliminated' Two Hamas and Islamic Jihad Operatives Tied to Major Funding Network

TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
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Israel Says It 'Eliminated' Two Hamas and Islamic Jihad Operatives Tied to Major Funding Network

TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
TOPSHOT - A man sits atop a hill near destroyed and heavily-damaged buildings at the Nuseirat camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on June 19, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)

The Israeli military said on Sunday that they "eliminated" Hussein Qadra and ‌Mohammed ‌Farra, operatives in ‌the ⁠military wings of ⁠Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Reuters said.

Qadra, who headed ⁠the ‌network with ‌Farra, acted ‌under ‌Hamas leadership and facilitated the transfer ‌of more than half a billion ⁠shekels ⁠to Hamas, according to an Israeli military X post.

Arab World

Reports: Senior Al-Qaeda Ideologue Sami Al-Uraydi Killed in Syria

Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)
Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)
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Reports: Senior Al-Qaeda Ideologue Sami Al-Uraydi Killed in Syria

Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)
Sami Al-Uraydi. (Shaam Network)

The issue of extremist groups in Syria has returned to the spotlight following reports that Sami Al-Uraydi, one of the most prominent religious ideologues associated with Al-Qaeda’s network in Syria, was killed in a strike by the US-led international coalition overnight Friday into Saturday.

Syrian state television reported that a drone struck a motorcycle near Mashhad Rouhin in the northern Idlib province, killing an unidentified individual, without providing further details.

Local sources in Idlib said four explosions were heard in quick succession.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the target was later identified as Al-Uraydi, also known as Abu Mahmoud Al-Shami, a senior figure in the now-defunct Hurras Al-Din group.

According to the sources, the man had been living in hiding in recent months to evade arrest.

The sources said he and other leaders of Al-Qaeda-linked factions remained targets of coalition operations. They noted intensified drone activity over the Idlib countryside in recent days. Coalition aircraft routinely patrol the region, including areas along the Turkish border.

While neither coalition forces nor the Syrian government have officially confirmed the target’s identity, several local media outlets reported that Al-Uraydi was killed.

A Jordanian national, Sami Mahmoud Mohammad Al-Uraydi was born in Amman in 1973 and held a doctorate in Islamic law. He authored numerous works on hadith and Islamic doctrine and became known in Salafi circles as a close associate of Abu Mohammad Al-Maqdisi, one of the movement’s leading ideologues.

After the outbreak of the Syrian uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad in 2011, Al-Uraydi moved to Syria, where he served as chief religious authority of Jabhat Al-Nusra, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, from 2014 to 2016. He emerged as one of the group’s most influential religious theorists and spokesmen on ideological and organizational matters.

When Jabhat Al-Nusra severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016 and rebranded itself as Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham, Al-Uraydi opposed the move. The resulting disputes led to his detention in 2017 alongside several other senior figures.

After his release, he helped establish Hurras Al-Din in 2018 under the leadership of Farouq Al-Suri, serving as the group’s chief religious official and a member of its Shura Council.

Al-Uraydi continued to criticize the policies of Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham, which later evolved into Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham.

In 2022, the European Union designated Hurras Al-Din a terrorist organization and imposed sanctions on both Al-Suri and Al-Uraydi.

The US State Department designated Al-Uraydi a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023. Washington had previously placed him on its terrorism list in 2019 and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his identification or location.

Although Hurras Al-Din formally dissolved itself in 2025 under mounting pressure, its leaders remained targets of coalition operations. Al-Uraydi reportedly continued to live in hiding under the protection of allied factions.

The presence of such groups remains one of Syria’s most complex security challenges. Although Damascus has joined the international coalition against terrorism, several organizations, including ISIS and remnants of dissolved extremist factions, continue to oppose the Syrian government.