Sudan to Discuss Military, Security Reform

Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)
Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)
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Sudan to Discuss Military, Security Reform

Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)
Protests in Khartoum demanding the army's departure from power on Mar. 14 (File photo: AFP)

The security and military reform workshops will start in Khartoum on Sunday to discuss the final phase of the ongoing political process in Sudan since the signing of the "framework agreement" last December.

The workshop's recommendations will be included in the final political agreement drafted by the joint military and civilian committee.

The workshop, which will continue until next Wednesday, is scheduled to come up with a road map whose recommendations contribute to reform issues and arrangements in the security and regular sectors.

The workshop would involve the political forces that signed the framework agreement, regular parties, armed movements, and specialists coordinating with the Tripartite Mechanism.

The Tripartite Mechanism consists of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union (AU), and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which facilitates the dialogue process between the Sudanese parties.

Earlier, army leaders agreed with the civil forces on the foundations and principles discussed during the security and military reform.

The workshop discusses the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army according to stages and timetables to be agreed upon and the integration of armed factions following the security arrangements stipulated in the Juba Peace Agreement.

The Sudanese parties that signed the political framework agreed to form a technical committee between the army and the Rapids Support Forces to discuss technical issues and proposed perceptions regarding the integration of forces.

Meanwhile, the committee for drafting the final agreement continued Saturday its meetings in the presidential palace in Khartoum in preparation for submitting the draft final agreement to the parties to the military and civil political process for discussion and legalization.

During its previous meetings, the committee reached a draft, which includes the content and chapters of the agreement, with an expansion of its explanation and adding a preamble and a chapter to the final provisions.

The leaders of the army and the civilian forces that signed the political Framework Agreement agreed to accelerate the political process and steps to solve the crisis in the country.

The parties agreed that the primary references for drafting the final political agreement would be the Framework Agreement, the draft political declaration, the recommendations of the political process workshops and conferences, and the draft transitional constitution for the Bar Association.

The final political agreement would be signed next April, and the draft transitional constitution would be signed on Apr. 6, provided the political forces begin forming civil power structures on Apr. 11.

Last December, the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, signed the framework agreement with the civil forces under international and regional auspices.

The agreement stipulated that the army should permanently withdraw from power, paving the way for the political forces to form a civilian-led government.

The position of the civilian prime minister raises controversy among the Sudanese, with the deadline approaching for the formation of the transitional civilian government.

The opposition Freedom and Change coalition, which signed the framework agreement with the military, said it agreed on the criteria and mechanisms but has not yet begun to nominate candidates for the position.

The coalition is expected to name its candidate for prime minister and head of the Sovereign Council soon.



EU Urges ‘Immediate, Unimpeded’ Flood Aid to Gaza

 Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
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EU Urges ‘Immediate, Unimpeded’ Flood Aid to Gaza

 Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
Displaced Palestinians walk through a rain-soaked tent camp following heavy rainfall in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)

The European Union on Saturday demanded Israel grant urgent access for aid groups to Gaza to help the victims of devastating floods there.

"We urge Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance and early recovery support at scale, and to reopen all Gaza border crossings," it said in a statement.


Israeli Drone Strike Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza

 Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
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Israeli Drone Strike Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza

 Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)
Palestinians walk through a tent camp housing displaced people amid buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP)

An Israeli drone strike killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, hospital officials said.

The drone struck two Palestinians walking down a street in Jabaliya, on the northern edge of Gaza City, said Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where the casualties were taken.

The American field hospital said several other people were wounded but did not provide a number.

Asked about the attack, the Israeli military said it had struck two Hamas fighters in the area.

Near-daily Israeli fire and airstrikes have continued in Gaza more than a year after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire deal.

At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records and is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its toll but says women and children make up around half the dead.


Thousands Mourn al-Alwani as Lebanese Probe Awaited

Relatives receive former MP Ahmed al-Alwani's coffin upon its arrival at Baghdad airport on Saturday. (X)
Relatives receive former MP Ahmed al-Alwani's coffin upon its arrival at Baghdad airport on Saturday. (X)
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Thousands Mourn al-Alwani as Lebanese Probe Awaited

Relatives receive former MP Ahmed al-Alwani's coffin upon its arrival at Baghdad airport on Saturday. (X)
Relatives receive former MP Ahmed al-Alwani's coffin upon its arrival at Baghdad airport on Saturday. (X)

Thousands of Iraqis on Saturday escorted the body of former MP Ahmed al-Alwani from Baghdad Airport to Ramadi in Anbar Governorate, where tribespeople and residents from across the province awaited his arrival amid scenes of grief and anger.

Meanwhile, the circumstances surrounding his killing in Beirut remain under investigation, even as Lebanese authorities have made progress in identifying two suspects.

A private jet carrying al-Alwani's body from the Lebanese capital landed at Baghdad Airport in the morning, with large crowds of mourners gathering at the airport.

Local media reported that Iraqi politician Khamis al-Khanjar, head of the Sovereignty Alliance, covered the cost of transporting the body aboard the private aircraft.

The funeral procession traveled toward Ramadi, located 110 kilometers from Baghdad, under heavy security and accompanied by military vehicles.

Mourners are seen at al-Alwani's funeral on Saturday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Security Media Cell had urged the public to await the investigation's findings and refrain from reading broader motives into the case before it concludes, noting the ongoing coordination between the Iraqi Embassy in Beirut, Lebanese judicial and security authorities, and the Iraqi National Intelligence Service.

Al-Alwani's killing has sparked uproar across Iraq, particularly in his home province of Anbar. Discussion of the case has been accompanied by political debates and sectarian commentary on social media, amid demands to identify those responsible for his death.

Kamel al-Dulaimi, former head of the Iraqi Presidential Diwan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the circumstances and motives behind the crime still require clear and transparent disclosure to the public, underscoring the Iraqi state's responsibility to uncover the truth.

The funeral procession traveled toward Ramadi, located 110 kilometers from Baghdad, under heavy security and accompanied by military vehicles. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

He added that the case requires security and judicial cooperation among Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria to track down the perpetrators and those behind them, particularly if the investigation calls for cross-border coordination.

He warned that the sectarian rhetoric surrounding the incident reflects a persistent tendency to view national issues through a narrow lens, emphasizing that the matter concerns the sanctity of Iraqi blood and must not be reduced to the affiliation of an individual or a governorate.

Legal researcher Saif al-Saadi, who hails from Anbar, said al-Alwani was not merely a former lawmaker, but a prominent tribal, social, and political figure in the province, adding that the funeral reflects the depth of grief and anger across Anbar's cities.

Al-Alwani, who rose to prominence during the late 2013 Anbar protests, was arrested in December of that year and sentenced to death in 2014 after being convicted of killing two soldiers during clashes accompanying his arrest.

He was released in April 2025 after spending more than 11 years in prison, following the withdrawal of a complaint by one of the victims' families and his inclusion under the General Amnesty Law.