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)
TT

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.



Syria Signs Deal with CMA CGM to Operate Two Dry Ports, State Media Says

A shipping container belonging to CMA CGM passes through the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A shipping container belonging to CMA CGM passes through the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
TT

Syria Signs Deal with CMA CGM to Operate Two Dry Ports, State Media Says

A shipping container belonging to CMA CGM passes through the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
A shipping container belonging to CMA CGM passes through the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt October 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Syria's General Authority for Borders and Customs has signed an agreement with French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM to operate two dry ports within the free zones of Adra, in Damascus' outskirts, and Aleppo, Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

The deal covers the management and operation of the dry ports to support logistics and trade. It coincided with the launch of a trial freight train linking Latakia port, which is Syria’s principal maritime access point, to Adra after a 14-year halt due to the Syrian civil war.

CMA CGM was not immediately available for comment.

The agreement follows a separate deal signed in May 2025 under which CMA CGM secured a 30-year contract to modernise and operate Latakia port. Chief Executive Rodolphe Saadé, a Franco-Lebanese of Syrian origin, has family roots in the country.

On May 11, the European Union restored the full application of its 1977 cooperation agreement with Syria, ending a partial suspension imposed in 2011 over human rights violations under Bashar al-Assad.

The move follows Assad's fall in December 2024 and the lifting of most EU economic sanctions in 2025, and is intended to support Syria's economic recovery and signal renewed EU engagement with the country.


Israel Orders UN Food Agency to Cut Ties with Turkish NGO in Gaza

A Palestinian girl walks past a toddler playing among makeshift shelters in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2026. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
A Palestinian girl walks past a toddler playing among makeshift shelters in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2026. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
TT

Israel Orders UN Food Agency to Cut Ties with Turkish NGO in Gaza

A Palestinian girl walks past a toddler playing among makeshift shelters in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2026. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)
A Palestinian girl walks past a toddler playing among makeshift shelters in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2026. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored truce in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)

Israel has ordered the UN's World Food Program to suspend its work in Gaza with a Turkish NGO it designated a terrorist organization, the UN agency told AFP on Friday.

"WFP has been instructed by the Israeli authorities to immediately suspend fuel provision and all activities with its partner IHH, cutting off assistance to more than 166,000 people who rely on daily hot meals, bread, and nutrition support to survive," an agency spokesperson told AFP in a statement.

IHH, or the Humanitarian Relief Foundation, is a Turkish NGO that provides humanitarian assistance and search and rescue operations around the world.

WFP began working with IHH in Gaza in January 2024.

Israel designated it a terrorist organization in May 2008 over accusations of supporting Hamas.

"WFP's partnership with IHH was established at a time of extreme need, particularly to reach under-served areas," WFP said, adding that IHH had been rigorously vetted before the start of the partnership.

Israel's defense ministry body in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, COGAT, announced on Thursday that it had ordered WFP to stop all coordination with IHH after learning "that the UN agency transferred fuel within the Gaza Strip to the IHH organization".

In a letter to WFP's leadership, COGAT's chief demanded the "immediate suspension of fuel distribution and all other support by WFP to IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation".

In a statement, COGAT accused IHH of promoting flotillas that have attempted to breach its blockade of Gaza.

Israel "will not permit the transfer of resources to entities linked to Hamas under humanitarian cover," the statement added.

WFP lamented the impact the order would have on its activities in war-ravaged Gaza.

"The imposed suspension halts around 111,000 meals per day and critical support to approximately 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children at risk of malnutrition," its spokesperson told AFP.

More than six months after the UN endorsed US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, the humanitarian situation in the territory remains catastrophic, three international NGOs said Thursday, calling on Israel to respect its obligations.

"Israel continues to deny most experienced aid groups from bringing in essential supplies, like pipes to fix water systems, shelters, materials and medical supplies at the levels needed," Oxfam America President Abby Maxman said.

Despite the ceasefire meant to halt the war that started with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, violence has continued, with Israeli airstrikes pounding the coastal territory several times a week.

"With 1.7 million people facing highly fragile food security conditions, it is critical that humanitarian operations are allowed to continue without disruption so life-saving assistance can reach civilians in need," WFP's spokesperson said.


Lebanon Army Says Soldiers Loyal after US Sanctions One over Alleged Hezbollah Links

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
TT

Lebanon Army Says Soldiers Loyal after US Sanctions One over Alleged Hezbollah Links

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Lebanon's military said Friday its soldiers were loyal to the institution after the US announced sanctions that included, for the first time, an army officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah.

In a statement, the army said it "affirms that all officers and members of the military institution are performing their national duties with utmost professionalism, responsibility, and discipline, in accordance with the decisions and directives issued by the army command".

It emphasized that "the loyalty of military personnel is solely to the military institution and the nation, and that they are committed to fulfilling their national duties without any other considerations or pressures", also saying it was not informed of the sanctions beforehand.

Washington on Thursday sanctioned what it called nine Hezbollah-linked individuals in Lebanon, including army colonel Samir Hamadi, and Khattar Nasser Eldin, an officer at another state security service.

The US said Hamadi and Nasser Eldin "shared important intelligence" with Hezbollah over the past year.

It marked the first time Lebanese officers have been sanctioned by the United States.

Hezbollah on Thursday condemned the sanctions, calling them "an attempt to intimidate the free Lebanese people in order to bolster the Zionist aggression against our country".