Renewed Fierce Battles Erupt in Khartoum, Ousted Bashir Surrounded in Hospital

Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)
Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)
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Renewed Fierce Battles Erupt in Khartoum, Ousted Bashir Surrounded in Hospital

Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)
Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)

Intense battles have erupted anew between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s city of Omdurman, transforming it into a zone of open military operations.

The clashes, which took place on Tuesday, resulted in casualties and injuries among civilians, as well as significant partial or total destruction of numerous homes.

Meanwhile, the RSF announced the downing of a Sudanese army MiG fighter jet in the city of Bahri, capturing its pilot. This incident marks the sixth downed aircraft since the outbreak of the conflict in the country in mid-April.

Witnesses stated that Sudanese Air Force fighter jets began intensively patrolling the skies of Omdurman since dawn, amidst a growing frequency of explosions.

They also reported that the RSF launched numerous attacks on the Central Reserve Police headquarters in Omdurman from three directions.

According to witnesses, the RSF employed both light and heavy weaponry, as well as artillery shelling, in an attempt to gain control over the headquarters.

However, the army successfully repelled the attacks, forcing the RSF to retreat.

Moreover, local sources have reported that several neighborhoods in the “Ambada” area of Omdurman are being subjected to aerial and artillery bombardment, as well as clashes between the army and the RSF, for the third consecutive day.

This has resulted in injuries among residents and the destruction of several homes.

Sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat also confirmed that the RSF have besieged the ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and three senior leaders of his regime.

The leaders, Bakri Hassan Saleh, Yousuf Abdel-Fatah (also known as “Rambo”), and Ahmed El-Tayeb El-Kinjar, are currently in the military-run Aliaa Hospital in Omdurman, under the control of the army.

The Sudanese army had announced their apprehension following the raid on the Central Kober Prison in Khartoum Bahri.

This came two weeks after the outbreak of the conflict in the country and the escape of many implicated leaders of the ousted regime, who were accused of orchestrating the June 30, 1989, coup and participating in the killing of protesters.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.