Sudanese Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Improved Security in Sudan Led to Increase in Hajj Pilgrimshttps://english.aawsat.com/gulf/5147255-sudanese-official-asharq-al-awsat-improved-security-sudan-led-increase-hajj-pilgrims
Sudanese Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Improved Security in Sudan Led to Increase in Hajj Pilgrims
Members of the Sudanese Hajj mission welcome Sudanese pilgrims upon their arrival in the holy city of Makkah. (Sudanese Hajj mission)
Dr. Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Secretary of Sudan’s Hajj and Umrah Secretariat, said the improvement of the security situation in several regions in his country led to an increase in the number of pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he revealed that 11,500 Sudanese pilgrims, from stable and unstable regions, will perform the Hajj in 2025.
Before the eruption of the war in April 2023, some 32,000 Sudanese people were able to perform the Hajj.
Abdel Wahab said insecurity and instability, as well as the dangers of traveling through some airports in Sudan, have discouraged people from going on the Hajj in the past two years.
The latest improved security, most notably in Khartoum, White Nile, Blue Nile, Sennar and others, has helped increase the number of pilgrims this year, he stressed.
They travel to Saudi Arabia mainly through Port Sudan’s Suakin sea port and airport. The flight to Jeddah by air takes no more than 45 minutes and around ten hours by sea.
Travelers from West Darfur, totaling 48, will arrive in Jeddah via Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa given the instability in the state, he went on to say.
Moreover, he said all procedures are being carried out electronically, adding that this advancement was possible through the hard work of several government entities.
Abdel Wahab praised Saudi authorities for the warm welcome they have accorded the Sudanese pilgrims, saying it has become expected given the Saudi people’s hospitality and keenness of officials on facilitating the pilgrims’ journey from the moment they arrive in the Kingdom until their departure.
Saudi Arabia has dedicated all human and financial means to service the Hajj pilgrims, he added.
The services have been advancing year after year on all technical levels, he noted, saying this has made the Hajj a very smooth journey.
Politically, he hailed Saudi Arabia on its efforts to ease tensions between rival Sudanese parties, reflecting its keenness on restoring security and stability in his country.
Saudi Arabia has for decades supported Sudan on the political, social and humanitarian levels, Abdel Wahab said.
Lebanon’s Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Decision on Exports Came after Beirut Met Standardshttps://english.aawsat.com/gulf/5282994-lebanon%E2%80%99s-ambassador-asharq-al-awsat-saudi-decision-exports-came-after-beirut-met
Lebanon’s Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Decision on Exports Came after Beirut Met Standards
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, Nov. 3, 2025 (SPA)
Lebanon’s ambassador to Riyadh said Saudi Arabia’s decision to resume imports from Lebanon came after Beirut met the required standards to ensure the goods posed no risk.
The diplomat said the fight against drugs had involved intensive work and high-level security and political coordination between the two countries.
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday ordered the resumption of Lebanese exports to the Kingdom at the request of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
The move followed what were described as positive steps by Lebanon’s government to rebuild state institutions, work by specialist teams over the past year, Beirut’s cooperation and the required pledges it had made.
In a phone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday, Ambassador Ali Karanouh welcomed the Crown Prince’s decision, saying it reflected “the depth of the brotherly and historic relations between the two countries, and the Saudi leadership’s keenness to support Lebanon, its institutions, economy, and people, especially in these difficult circumstances.”
‘A lifeline’
Karanouh said Lebanon was going through a period in which it needed “a lifeline,” adding that the step “is not surprising from Saudi Arabia, which has always stood by Lebanon.”
He cited Riyadh’s role in the Taif Agreement that ended Lebanon’s civil war, as well as its support during reconstruction and recovery.
The ambassador said Lebanese people were grateful for the decision, which he said would benefit agriculture, industry, trade, and services, and help Lebanon regain access to one of the most important Arab and Gulf markets at a time when it badly needs support.
He said the decision was the result of efforts that began with Aoun’s election and the formation of Salam’s government.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Makkah on March 30, 2025. SPA
Intensive security coordination on drugs
Karanouh said the new Lebanese government “showed from the first day its determination to return Lebanon to its natural place among its Arab brothers, after a period of distance caused by political choices that were not in its interest.”
He said the government had repaired relations with Arab states, especially Gulf countries, on the basis that Lebanon is an integral part of its Arab surroundings.
He said Beirut was determined from the start not to allow Lebanon to be used as a platform to harm Arab countries. The anti-drug file, he added, had seen intensive work and security and political coordination at the highest levels between Lebanese and Saudi authorities.
Karanouh said Saudi authorities had appreciated Lebanon’s efforts, including tighter controls at border crossings, airports and ports.
Those efforts, he said, continued for about 18 months and helped restore confidence in Lebanon and its institutions, turning the page on a period that had damaged the country’s reputation and foreign relations.
Lebanon, he said, was now on the right path.
Karanouh said the decision to resume Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia was a major step that would benefit Lebanon’s economy and economic cooperation between the two countries. He said it came after Lebanon met the required standards, ensuring Lebanese exports posed no danger to brotherly countries.
The ambassador said Lebanese exporters were ready to enter the Saudi market and that the remaining technical and procedural issues were minor and could be resolved easily.
He said the Saudi decision would push bilateral ties into a broader phase, whether through the signing and activation of partnership agreements or through the Saudi-Lebanese Business Council, whose formation was completed months ago.
He expressed hope that the move would be followed by the return of Saudi flights and Saudi tourism to Lebanon when conditions allow.
Broad welcome in Lebanon
The Crown Prince’s decision was widely welcomed across Lebanon, nearly five years after Saudi Arabia halted all Lebanese imports, citing at the time “the importance of taking all necessary measures to protect the security of the Kingdom and its people.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan conveyed the Drown Prince’s directive in a phone call with Salam on Wednesday. He affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty over all its territory and the well-being of its people, as well as Riyadh’s confidence that Lebanon would take all necessary measures to ensure it is not used as a platform to harm its brothers.
Aoun expressed deep gratitude to Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the decision was “a sincere expression of the depth of Arab brotherhood that binds the two brotherly countries, and an embodiment of the wise Saudi leadership’s keenness to support Lebanon and its people during the phase of recovery and revival it is undergoing.”
Aoun said: “This kind step will make a tangible contribution to reviving the national economy and supporting broad segments of Lebanese producers and exporters.”
He added that the entire Lebanese people appreciates the decision, and “views it as a gesture that strengthens the path of Lebanese-Saudi relations rooted in the bonds of history and shared destiny.”
Salam said the decision to lift the ban on Lebanese exports reflected the depth of the brotherly and historic ties between the two countries. He said it embodied Saudi confidence in Lebanon and a shared desire to strengthen economic and trade cooperation.
Salam said the move was an important step that would support Lebanon’s economy, open new opportunities for Lebanese producers and exporters, and help promote growth and stability.
He said Lebanon looked forward to continued work and coordination with Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation and partnership in various fields for the benefit and prosperity of both countries.
GCC Secretary-General Condemns Iranian Attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordanhttps://english.aawsat.com/gulf/5282868-gcc-secretary-general-condemns-iranian-attacks-bahrain-kuwait-and-jordan
GCC Secretary-General Condemns Iranian Attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi expressed his strongest condemnation of the repeated hostile Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Albudaiwi stated that Iran's continued targeting of civilian facilities and vital infrastructure undermines international and regional efforts aimed at promoting security and peace and resolving ongoing crises, SPA reported.
He also reaffirmed the GCC’s full support for all measures taken by Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan to strengthen their security and protect their territorial integrity.
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Attacks, Calls for Diplomatic Engagementhttps://english.aawsat.com/gulf/5282818-saudi-arabia-condemns-iranian-attacks-calls-diplomatic-engagement
Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain, in this handout image released on June 11, 2026. Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Attacks, Calls for Diplomatic Engagement
Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain, in this handout image released on June 11, 2026. Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Thursday the repeated Iranian attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, and the continued violations of their sovereignty which “escalate tensions in the region.”
A Foreign Ministry statement called for “de-escalation, the avoidance of any further escalation, and the exercise of wisdom by returning to diplomatic engagement and continuing the constructive negotiations” sponsored by Pakistan, along with the efforts exerted by Qatar.
Such a move “spares the region and its people the consequences of the return of war and contributes to the restoration of security and stability in the region and the world,” the statement added.
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