logo
Sudan's army drives paramilitaries out of Omdurman

Sudan's army drives paramilitaries out of Omdurman

Arab News20-05-2025

KHARTOUM: Sudan's regular army has driven rival paramilitaries from Omdurman, part of the Sudanese capital, securing all of Khartoum state nearly two months after recapturing the capital's center.
'Khartoum state is completely free of rebels,' military spokesman Nabil Abdallah said on Tuesday.
The army has been locked in a brutal conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. In its biggest victory of the war, the army recaptured central Khartoum in March, forcing the paramilitaries to retreat to Salha, south of Omdurman, and Ombada to the west.
The army attacked on Monday to push the paramilitaries out of both, and there were explosions from the clashes across the city. Control of Khartoum state cements army control over central Sudan, pushing the paramilitaries back toward their stronghold in the vast western region of Darfur.
The conflict has killed up to 150,000 people, displaced 13 million and created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. It has also effectively split Sudan in two, with the army holding the center, north and east while the Rapid Support Forces control Darfur and the south.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

KSrelief extends support to 4 nations in need
KSrelief extends support to 4 nations in need

Arab News

time7 hours ago

  • Arab News

KSrelief extends support to 4 nations in need

Arab News Riyadh The Saudi aid agency KSrelief continues to make a significant global impact by providing critical assistance to some of the world's most vulnerable communities. The agency recently distributed 1,600 food baskets to displaced people in the South Jazirah district of Sudan's Al-Jazirah State, benefiting 9,709 families. KSrelief also distributed 1,250 food baskets to displaced families in the Shikan locality, North Kordofan State, benefiting 8,092 individuals. In Chad, the agency delivered 125 tonnes of dates as a gift from Saudi Arabia, in the presence of Chad's Minister of Social Action, Solidarity and Humanitarian Affairs Zara Issa, in N'Djamena. Acting Charge d'Affaires at the Saudi Embassy in Chad Mohammed Al-Salem praised KSrelief's humanitarian and relief efforts around the world, highlighting the Kingdom's commitment to supporting vulnerable communities. In the Syrian Arab Republic, KSrelief distributed 10,382 cartons of dates in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, benefiting thousands of families. Recently, KSrelief signed a cooperation agreement with the Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage to establish four water desalination stations in Khan Younis and the Central Governorate of the Gaza Strip. The project includes four desalination stations with a production capacity of 10–12 cubic meters per day, installation works, and four solar power systems with 7 kilowatt capacity each. It is expected to benefit 300,500 individuals. The agreement is part of the Kingdom's ongoing efforts to support the water and sanitation sector and ease the suffering of the Palestinian people amid the humanitarian crisis.

Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30m from US for aid distribution in Gaza
Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30m from US for aid distribution in Gaza

Arab News

time2 days ago

  • Arab News

Israeli-backed group seeks at least $30m from US for aid distribution in Gaza

WASHINGTON: A US-led group has asked the Trump administration to step in with an initial $30 million so it can continue its much scrutinized and Israeli-backed aid distribution in Gaza, according to three US officials and the organization's application for the money. That application, obtained by The Associated Press, also offers some of the first financial details about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work in the territory. The foundation says it has provided millions of meals in southern Gaza since late May to Palestinians as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the Gaza to the brink of famine. But the effort has seen near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites. Major humanitarian groups also accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. The group's funding application was submitted to the US Agency for International Development, according to the US officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The application was being processed this week as potentially one of the agency's last acts before the Republican administration absorbs USAID into the State Department as part of deep cuts in foreign assistance. Two of the officials said they were told the administration has decided to award the money. They said the processing was moving forward with little of the review and auditing normally required before Washington makes foreign assistance grants to an organization. In a letter submitted Thursday as part of the application, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secretary Loik Henderson said his organization 'was grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to sustain and scale life-saving operations in Gaza.' Neither the State Department nor Henderson immediately responded to requests for comment Saturday. Israel says the foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the United Nations, which Israel alleges has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. The foundation's use of fixed sites in southern Gaza is in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations that aid groups and human rights organizations say would amount to coerced departures. The UN and many leading nonprofit groups accuse the foundation of stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without a commitment to the principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. Since the organization started operations, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near-daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instance, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward. The State Department said this past week that the United States is not funding it. In documents supporting its application, the group said it received nearly $119 million for May operations from 'other government donors,' but gives no details. It expects $38 million from those unspecific government donors for June, in addition to the hoped-for $30 million from the United States. The application shows no funding from private philanthropy or any other source.

Israel may have breached EU agreement, bloc's foreign policy arm says
Israel may have breached EU agreement, bloc's foreign policy arm says

Arab News

time3 days ago

  • Arab News

Israel may have breached EU agreement, bloc's foreign policy arm says

Palestinians try to get food at a charity kitchen providing hot meals in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP) Mourners carry a body for burial outside al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, on June 20, 2025, after several Palestinians were killed as they reportedly headed to a food distribution centre in the war-stricken Gaza Strip. (AFP) Palestinians try to get food at a charity kitchen providing hot meals in Rimal neighborhood in Gaza City on June 18, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP) Palestinians carry sacks and boxes of food and humanitarian aid that was unloaded from a World Food Program convoy that had been heading to Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip on June 16, 2025. (AP) BRUSSELS: The European Union's diplomatic service said on Friday there were indications that Israel had breached its human rights obligations under the terms of a pact governing its ties with the bloc, according to a document seen by Reuters. Citing assessments by independent international institutions, the European External Action Service said 'there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.' The report comes after months of deepening concern in European capitals about Israel's operations in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the enclave. 'Israel's continued restrictions to the provision of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies affect the entire population of Gaza present on the affected territory,' the document said. Asked about the EU review, an Israeli official called it 'a one-sided report that exemplifies the double standards the EU uses toward Israel.' Under the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in 2000, the EU and Israel agreed that their relationship 'shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.' The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, announced in May that the bloc would examine whether Israel was complying with the terms of the pact, after over half of EU members backed the conducting of a review. The report includes a section dedicated to the situation in Gaza, covering issues related to denial of humanitarian aid, attacks with a significant number of casualties, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities, displacement, and lack of accountability. The report also looks at the situation in the West Bank, including settler violence. The document relies on 'facts verified by and assessments made by independent international institutions, and with a focus on most recent events in Gaza and the West Bank,' it said. Israel has said that it respects international law and that operations in Gaza are necessary to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the review during a gathering in Brussels on Monday. Member countries remain divided in their approach to Israel. While some ministers could advocate for moving toward taking action based on the review, no concrete decisions are expected at Monday's session. Diplomats expect EU officials will reach out to Israel with the outcome of the review in an effort to influence it, and that ministers will return to the subject during a July meeting.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store