Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Thursday 4/27/2023 The Sudanese army pounded paramilitaries in the capital Khartoum with air strikes Thursday while deadly fighting flared in Darfur, as the clock ticked down on a fragile US-brokered ceasefire now in its final full day. Ahead of the expiry of a three-day truce at midnight (2200 GMT), the army said late Wednesday it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighbouring South Sudan, on extending it “at […]
Tag: conflict
‘Dead or alive’: Iraq’s Yazidis anxiously await IS-abducted relatives
by Kamal Taha Agence France-Presse SHARYA, Iraq (AFP) — After paying nearly $100,000 in ransoms to free 10 family members, Khaled Taalou, a member of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, is still working to free other missing relatives kidnapped by Islamic State group fighters. Despite his efforts, five more relatives, along with thousands of other Yazidis, remain missing after being abducted by the jihadists. “We are still looking. We do not lose hope,” the 49-year-old said. In […]
Guterres proposes ‘way forward’ for Ukraine grain initiative
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — United Nations chief Antonio Guterres presented a “way forward” on extending Ukrainian grain exports during a meeting with Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York Monday, the UN said. Guterres gave Lavrov “a letter to President Vladimir Putin, outlining a proposed way forward aimed at the improvement, extension and expansion” of the deal, a spokesperson for the Secretary General said in a statement. An agreement has been in […]
Blinken says Sudan rivals agree to 72-hour ceasefire
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AFP) — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sudan’s warring generals had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire starting Tuesday, after 10 days of urban combat killed hundreds, wounded thousands and sparked a mass exodus of foreigners. Previous bids to pause the conflict failed to take hold but Blinken said: “Following intense negotiation over the past 48 hours, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to implement […]
UN chief denounces ‘devastation’ of Ukraine invasion in front of Lavrov
The UN secretary-general on Monday denounced the “devastation” caused by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine during a Security Council meeting chaired by Russia’s foreign minister. Antonio Guterres said in front of Sergei Lavrov that the Russian invasion was a violation of international law and is “causing massive suffering” to the Ukrainian people. He added it was “adding to the global economic dislocation triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.” Lavrov was chairing a meeting on “effective multilateralism” through […]
UN chief says Sudan conflict could ‘engulf the whole region’
The UN secretary-general warned Monday that the violence between warring parties in Sudan “could engulf the whole region and beyond.” Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the UN Security Council on multilateralism that the situation in Sudan “continues to worsen.” At least 427 people have been killed and almost 4,000 wounded in ten days of fighting between forces loyal to two rival generals. “The violence must stop. It risks a catastrophic conflagration within Sudan that […]
China says respects ex-Soviet states’ sovereignty after envoy sparks outrage
China insisted it respects the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet countries on Monday, after comments by its ambassador to France drew ire in Europe and threw into question Beijing’s efforts to position itself as a neutral mediator of the Ukraine war. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, the European Union’s three Baltic countries, summoned China’s envoys on Monday to account for Ambassador Lu Shaye questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states. In comments to French broadcaster LCI on […]
Kremlin spokesman says his son fought in Ukraine
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said his son Nikolai had taken part in Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, months after being accused of trying to dodge the draft. “He took this decision. He’s a grown man. Yes, he did indeed take part in the special military operation,” Peskov told reporters, without giving further details. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military company, said last week that Nikolai Peskov had fought as part of his […]
Russia says ‘repelled’ drone attack on Crimea port
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Monday 4/24/2023 Russian authorities said Monday they had “repelled” a drone attack on the port of Sevastopol in Moscow-annexed Crimea, adding that there was no damage nor casualties. The peninsula, seized by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, is home to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet and has been hit by a series of drone attacks since the Kremlin’s special military operation in Ukraine in February last year. “An attempted attack on […]
‘Ukrainian’ drone found outside Moscow
A “Ukrainian” drone has been found outside Moscow, an official said on Monday, adding this had led local authorities to call off a Victory Day parade for security reasons. Moscow has accused Ukraine of being behind a number of drone attacks on military infrastructure deep inside Russian territory. On Monday, Igor Sukhin, head of the Bogorodsky city district outside the capital Moscow, said that a local resident had found a “Ukrainian” drone in a forest. […]
DEVELOPING STORY: Rescue operations to extract foreigners from Sudan
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Monday 4/24/2023 Battles raging in Sudan between the army and paramilitaries have sparked multiple evacuation operations to rescue foreign citizens and diplomats by road, air and sea. The main airport in the capital Khartoum has been the site of heavy clashes, effectively shutting its operations. Fighting elsewhere has forced delays to some planned rescue operations. Many countries unable to send forces into Sudan relied on others to extract their citizens […]
Israel bombs targets in Syria near Golan Heights: monitor
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Israel’s army early Monday shelled a position belonging to a pro-Iran group in southern Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitor said, the second such bombardment in days. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “Israeli ground forces” bombarded a location on the outskirts of Quneitra where fighters from the Syrian Resistance to Liberate the Golan are located, without reporting any casualties. The Hezbollah-linked, Iran-backed group was formed to […]





