عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

S.Sudan Deploys First Unified Forces After Peace Deal

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. (Reuters)
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. (Reuters)
TT
TT

S.Sudan Deploys First Unified Forces After Peace Deal

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. (Reuters)
President Salva Kiir of South Sudan. (Reuters)

Hundreds of former rebels and government troops in South Sudan's unified forces were deployed at a long-overdue ceremony on Wednesday, marking progress for the country's lumbering peace process.

The world's newest nation has struggled to find its footing since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, battling violence, endemic poverty and natural disasters.

The unification of forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, was a key condition of the 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year conflict in which nearly 400,000 people died, according to AFP.

Tens of thousands of former fighters were integrated into the country's army in August last year but none have been deployed until now, with the delays fuelling frustration in the international community.

The first battalion comprising nearly 1,000 soldiers will be deployed to Malakal in northern Upper Nile State, which has received huge numbers of South Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

At the ceremony on the outskirts of the capital Juba, Santino Wol, the country's chief of defence forces, urged the battalion to remain united, saying: "Be a soldier and don't get involved in politics."

The unity government led by Kiir and Machar has largely failed to meet key provisions of the peace agreement, including drafting a constitution and electoral legislation ahead of polls now set for next year.

Kiir has vowed to hold the country's first ever presidential ballot by December 2024, but UN envoy Nicholas Haysom warned in August that the authorities needed to create a conducive environment to ensure "peaceful, inclusive and credible elections".

"We are going for elections and you are to make sure that peace prevails so that elections can proceed peacefully," Information Minister Michael Makuei told the soldiers on Wednesday.

One of the poorest countries on the planet despite large oil reserves, South Sudan has spent almost half of its life as a nation at war and continues to be roiled by outbreaks of politically motivated ethnic violence.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Half of Ukraine’s Capital in the Dark After Russian Strikes, Ministry Says

People use a flashlight as they walk during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent a Russian missile and drone attacks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
People use a flashlight as they walk during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent a Russian missile and drone attacks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Half of Ukraine’s Capital in the Dark After Russian Strikes, Ministry Says

People use a flashlight as they walk during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent a Russian missile and drone attacks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
People use a flashlight as they walk during a power blackout after critical civil infrastructure was hit by recent a Russian missile and drone attacks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Power was out for roughly half of residents in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday after the latest Russian attacks on the country's energy system, the energy ministry said.

"The situation in Kyiv remains one of the most difficult – currently, up to 50% of consumers in the capital are without electricity," the ministry said on Telegram.

Russia has sharply increased both the number and intensity of attacks on Ukrainian gas and energy infrastructure in recent months, targeting both power generation facilities and electricity transmission systems.

Ukraine operates three nuclear power plants, which produce more than 50% of all electricity, but the plants are forced to reduce production due to damage to power lines.

The energy shortage is forcing power grid operator Ukrenergo to restrict supplies to consumers, plunging entire regions into darkness. Power cuts also affect heat and water supplies.

Residents of Kyiv and the Kyiv region have been getting electricity for only about 10 hours out of 24 over the past week.

World

Germany Plans Production of Advanced Taurus Missiles from 2029

A man pauses on a pedestrian bridge as a German flag flies over the Reichstag building in Berlin on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A man pauses on a pedestrian bridge as a German flag flies over the Reichstag building in Berlin on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Germany Plans Production of Advanced Taurus Missiles from 2029

A man pauses on a pedestrian bridge as a German flag flies over the Reichstag building in Berlin on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A man pauses on a pedestrian bridge as a German flag flies over the Reichstag building in Berlin on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

Germany plans to begin production of an upgraded version of its Taurus cruise missile in 2029, according to a budget proposal seen by Reuters on Tuesday, which is expected to be approved by parliament next week.

German forces currently have some 600 Taurus missiles with an official range of more than 500 km (311 miles) in their inventories, to be launched from fighter jets such as the Tornado, the F-15 or the F-18.

The weapon, built by European defence company MBDA , is designed to destroy high-value targets behind enemy lines such as command bunkers, ammunition and fuel dumps, airfields and bridges.

The German government has repeatedly denied requests by Ukraine to supply it with Taurus cruise missiles amid concerns over their long range and their potential use against targets inside Russia, according to Reuters.

The upgraded Taurus NEO missile, as outlined in the 415-million-euro ($483 million) budget proposal which is classified as confidential, will feature an extended range, improved shielding against interference, and advancements in navigation and seeker head technology.

Sweden's Saab and US-based Williams International are identified as the main subcontractors for the enhanced missile.

At a later stage, Sweden and Spain may join the contract, the document said.

According to previous information, Germany aims to purchase some 600 Taurus NEO for around 2 billion euros in total.

The Kremlin has told Germany that delivering cruise missiles to Kyiv would lead to a further round of "spiralling tension" in the Ukraine conflict.

World

Putin Does Not Want to Restore the USSR or Attack NATO, the Kremlin Says 

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his meeting with members of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Parliamentary Assembly at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 8, 2025. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his meeting with members of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Parliamentary Assembly at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 8, 2025. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
TT
TT

Putin Does Not Want to Restore the USSR or Attack NATO, the Kremlin Says 

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his meeting with members of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Parliamentary Assembly at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 8, 2025. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his meeting with members of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Parliamentary Assembly at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia December 8, 2025. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that European claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to restore the Soviet Union were wrong and that claims Putin plans to invade a NATO member were complete stupidity.

Putin, who was born in the Soviet Union, in 2005 cast the collapse of the Soviet Union as the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century because tens of millions of Russians were impoverished and Russia itself faced the threat of disintegration.

Opponents say Putin's Russia is decaying in a potent brew of absurdity and repression that is comparable to the Leonid Brezhnev-era of the Soviet Union. Western leaders say that Putin, if he wins in Ukraine, will one day attack NATO.

Putin has repeatedly denied that he has any plans to attack NATO and has said that such a step would be foolish for Russia given the conventional military superiority of NATO over Russia.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Putin wanted to bring the "old Soviet Union" back and that Europe had to defend itself against what he said were clear Russian intentions, set out, he said, in Russian state doctrines, to attack NATO.

"This is not true," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Merz's remarks. "Vladimir Putin does not want to restore the USSR because it is impossible, and he himself has repeatedly said this."

"To talk about it is not respectful to our partners," Peskov said. "Apparently, Mr. Merz does not know this."

"As for preparing for an attack on NATO, this is complete stupidity," Peskov said.