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US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit

US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit
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US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit

US Special Envoy to Attend IGAD’s Extraordinary Summit

US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Mike Hammer will attend the 41st Extraordinary Summit of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Assembly Heads of State and Government in Sudan and meet with Djiboutian officials.

The US Embassy in Sudan announced that Hammer will support regional and international efforts in Sudan to end the conflict, promote a democratic transition, press for unhindered humanitarian access, and support justice and accountability for victims of the violence.

According to the statement, the Ambassador will participate in the Doha Forum and discuss regional and international efforts with Qatari officials to end the ongoing violence in Sudan and advance stability in the Horn of Africa.

Hammer is also scheduled to visit Ethiopia and intends to meet with African Union (AU) officials to coordinate efforts on Sudan and other regional priorities.

- Gebeyehu-Hammer

IGAD Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu met with the US envoy on Friday ahead of the 41st Extraordinary Session of the IGAD Assembly in Djibouti.

They discussed issues of common concern and the partnership contributing to regional development, peace, and security.

The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, will also participate in the summit.

During his visit to Djibouti in November, the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council and the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, agreed with the IGAD secretary to hold an emergency summit to develop a clear road map to end the crisis.

- Salva Kiir - Hamdok

South Sudan Prime Minister Salva Kiir Mayardit met with Sudan’s former premier Abdullah Hamdok in UAE. The meeting discussed peace and stability in Sudan.

South Sudan’s Minister of Presidential Affairs, Joseph Bakosoro, said that the meeting focused on finding a peaceful settlement to the current crisis in Sudan.

- The division of Sudan

In the meantime, the leader of the Forces of Freedom and Change, Khalid Omar Yousif, warned of the worst scenario that may face the country in light of the ongoing war between Sudan’s National Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since last April.

Yousif said in a political forum on the Clubhouse application that the negotiated political solution is the only way to end the war. Otherwise, the country could face worse scenarios, such as the division of Sudan into failed states and turning the country into a hotbed for terrorist groups.

He asserted that the peaceful, negotiated solution is highly complex and may succeed or fail, pointing out that the continuation of the war will lead to the destruction and collapse of Sudan.

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Arab World

Israeli Strike on Lebanon Kills One

31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)
31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)
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Israeli Strike on Lebanon Kills One

31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)
31 August 2026, Lebanon, Arnoun: Smoke billows after an Israeli detonation on Arnoun, not far from the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge. (dpa)

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Wednesday, Lebanese official media said, while Israel said it targeted Hezbollah in retaliation for an attack targeting its soldiers in the south.

"One person was killed and another wounded in a strike launched by an enemy drone" in the city of Nabatieh, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said, also reporting other Israeli strikes on the area.

Israel's army said the Iran-backed Hezbollah group overnight "launched two explosive drones" towards Israeli soldiers in Ali al-Taher Ridge area, reporting no troop casualties.

In response, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh area.

Israel has recently increased its attacks on south Lebanon, particularly in the Nabatieh area where the strategic Ali al-Taher Ridge is located.

Israel has previously said Hezbollah fighters are holed up in "underground terror infrastructure" there.

Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks on Israeli targets for weeks.

Last week, Israeli airstrikes killed a woman as Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets.

On August 15, Israeli strikes killed 11 people including several children. Israel's military said it killed two Hezbollah commanders in raids also launched in retaliation for an attack by the group.

Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March by attacking Israel in support of its backer Iran, triggering massive Israeli airstrikes and a ground invasion that Lebanese authorities say have killed more than 4,300 people.

Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared "security zone", which runs around 10 kilometers (six miles) deep inside Lebanese territory along the border.

Violence has dropped since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on the broader conflict in June and a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon later that month.

But Lebanon still reports Israeli strikes, artillery shelling and broad demolitions of civilian buildings in southern villages and towns.

Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed at least 8,920 people since hostilities initially erupted in October 2023, after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas over the Gaza conflict.

Arab World

Xi Tells Egypt’s Sisi ‘External Interference’ in Middle East Should Be Opposed

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
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Xi Tells Egypt’s Sisi ‘External Interference’ in Middle East Should Be Opposed

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second left, and his wife Peng Liyuan, left, are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, right, and his wife Entissar Amerupon on their arrival at Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Yin Bogu/Xinhua via AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart on Wednesday that "external interference" in the Middle East should be opposed, Beijing's state media reported, following talks in Cairo between the two leaders. 

"We must uphold the principle that the people of the Middle East are the masters of their own affairs, oppose external interference (and) support regional countries in strengthening dialogue on peace and security," Xi told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. 

Xi is on his first visit to Egypt in a decade as Beijing seeks a greater foothold in the region against the backdrop of the US-Iran war. 

Washington vowed last month to isolate Iran economically, threatening expanded sanctions that could also hit Chinese banks, among others. 

China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has vowed to safeguard its interests. 

Xi also said during talks with Sisi that Beijing was willing to help protect maritime shipping from the energy-rich region, upended since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February triggered the war. 

"China stands ready to work with countries in the region to safeguard the security of international shipping lanes, advance development cooperation... and eliminate the breeding grounds for conflict," Xi said, according to Xinhua. 

Arab World

Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
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Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)

The Special Task Forces of the Ministry of Interior took over a regiment on Tuesday from the disbanded Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakeh city as part of a plan to deploy Syrian security forces in the Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria.

The move is part of completing integration procedures and taking control of all security and military positions in the governorate, and hours after the arrival of a Ministry of Defense delegation to Hasakeh to discuss measures for completing the integration process.

Internal Security and Special Task forces are expected to deploy gradually across all areas of Hasakeh to extend state control, maintain security, and boost stability.

New appointments within the Syrian security apparatus are expected as part of an integration process.

Forces are also preparing to deploy to Hasakeh city center, Qamishli, Rumeilan, Al-Malikiyah, and border regions in the coming days.

A delegation from the Ministry of Defense arrived in Hasakeh on Monday and held a meeting at the governorate headquarters with local officials, including Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed, Military Security chief Thaer Obaid al-Bilal, and Military Police chief Imad Fawaz al-Ayesh.

The meeting addressed the procedures and steps required to finalize the integration of military and security institutions within the region, said a statement.

The meeting also addressed coordination mechanisms and the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant entities to unify efforts and ensure the smooth implementation of procedures related to the integration.

The executive bureau of the Hasakeh governorate also held its first meeting on Tuesday, chaired by the governor and attended by bureau members, to discuss mechanisms for boosting coordination across various sectors.

In a related development, displaced Arab families from Haskaeh city returned to their homes in the Al-Aziziyeh neighborhood after more than 10 years of displacement. A celebration was held in their honor attended by Internal Security Commander Marwan Al-Ali and Hasakeh Deputy Governor Ahmed Al-Hilali.