The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on 14 May that over a million people have been displaced by month-long fighting in Sudan. Some 843,000 people have been internally displaced, while another 250,000 have crossed into neighbouring countries, including Egypt, which has seen over 110,000 arriving refugees. Many of the refugees have been “exposed to violence or traumatic conditions in Sudan, and having suffered arduous journey,” said an agency spokesperson. Ongoing conflict between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, has led to a “full-blown crisis,” as reported by Deutsche Welle. The two groups were initially allied in the 2019 toppling of long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir, after which a joint civilian-military Sovereign Council was established that was supposed to rule the country until elections were held in 2023. However, the integration of the armed forces became a point of contention between Burhan and Hemedti.
Sudan’s top army general formally fires rival paramilitary leader as his deputy in symbolic gesture
The Toronto Star
23-05-19 11:34
Sudan's army general, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, has fired the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, from the Sovereignty Council, which is part of Sudan's governing body. The leaders have been battling for control over Sudan, and at least 705 people have died in the conflict. Last week, the two sides signed an agreement brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia designed to improve the protection of civilians caught in combat. However, there are international efforts underway to try and build a lasting truce to end the violence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a passionate speech at an Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia condemning Russia's aggression and seeking support from leaders of states that have experienced years of violence. He also appealed for condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression towards Ukraine and highlighted the plight of the Ukraine's Crimean Tatar population. Arab nations have generally remained indifferent during Ukraine's crisis and Friday's meeting was notable for the return of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has benefited from Russia's intervention in Syria's civil war.
The Organisation for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has failed to offer a road map for the next five years due to differences among member states. The OPCW had wanted an agreement on preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons, including those in Syria. The watchdog also discovered that Russian nerve agent Novichok was used against both Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 and Alexei Navalny in Russia last year. Only four countries have not ratified the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.
The US embassy in Sudan destroyed passports, including those belonging to visa applicants, before shuttering its doors and evacuating its diplomats in April, leaving many Sudanese citizens stranded and unable to escape the ongoing conflict in the country. Officials from other countries left passport-locked embassies in the Sudanese capital open for their citizens, only the French also destroyed passports. Tom Malinowski, a former congressman who helped to evacuate Afghanistan last year, called passports a "precious and life-saving piece of property", adding that when they were destroyed "we have an obligation to make that person whole". Diplomats also recounted that before the embassy was closed down, the US officials were destroying documents and equipment, with some likening it to the beginning of the movie Argo. Falling bombs and bullets made it too dangerous for foreign embassy staff to distribute passports, with some visa applicants telling journalists that they were met with obfuscation, silence, and unhelpful advice rather than assistance by embassy staff.
US airman Jack Teixeira, 21, accused of leaking classified documents online and exhibiting "wilful disregard" for security, must remain in custody until trial, according to a federal judge. FBI agents arrested Teixeira in April and prosecutors argued that he could pose a flight risk and a danger to national security. His defence team claimed he should be released to stay with relatives, at his home with Air Force personnel or lawyers. Teixeira faces decades in prison if convicted of the charges, including leaking US assessments of the war in Ukraine and secrets related to American allies.
Former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira has been detained ahead of trial on charges under the Espionage Act, relating to the sharing of military documents. The information, which was allegedly leaked on social media platform Discord, included US assessments of Russia's war in Ukraine and other national security issues. The leak caused controversy over why a low-ranking state official had access to classified data. Teixeira had also been caught accessing and making notes on classified information by his superiors before his April arrest. The former Guardsman has yet to enter a plea concerning the allegations.
Saudi Arabia hosted an Arab League summit on Friday in which Syrian President Bashar Assad was welcomed back after a 12-year suspension and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to rally support against Russia. Russian airstrikes have left a swath of destruction across both countries, but in Syria they came at Assad’s invitation and helped him cling to power through years of grinding civil war. In recent months, Saudi Arabia has restored diplomatic ties with Iran and led the push for Syria’s return to the 22-member Arab League. The Saudi crown prince welcomed both Assad and Zelensky to the Red Sea city of Jeddah, expressing support for “whatever helps in reducing the crisis between Russia and Ukraine.” A collective statement issued at the conclusion of the summit rejected any “illegitimate foreign presence” in Syria and supported the eventual return of Syrian refugees.
The African Union wants to establish "mutually beneficial relationships" with its trade partners, rather than just being seen as a source of raw materials, its Trade Commissioner said. Speaking ahead of the G7 summit, Albert Muchanga said Africa has a growing population that wants opportunities for "decent jobs" and this requires industrial investment. He welcomed recent visits by foreign leaders, including from France, Germany and Japan, to African nations to build trade links, saying the disruptions of the past year had made for closer trade partnerships globally.
The 21 men murdered in Libya in 2015 by ISIS militants will be revered as martyrs by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Coptic Church. This joint agreement is remarkable given the schism between the two churches since 451 AD and that they have historically viewed each other as fundamentally heretical. Last week, the bodily remains of the men were taken to Rome by Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria as a gift to Pope Francis. They will be included in the Roman Martyrology for February 15 as a sign of the spiritual communion between Catholics and Copts.
China has rejected India's invitation to a G20 tourism summit to be held in Kashmir due to the region being a "disputed territory." New Delhi, however, stated that it was "free to hold meetings on its own territory." India is the chair of G20 this year by rotation and is organising a chain of meetings with its allies across the country leading to the final event of the summit in the capital city in September. Several countries have not yet registered for the event, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
India and China are frequently at odds in the Himalayan sector’s Jammu and Kashmir and the union territory of Ladakh along the shared border, resulting in the deaths of their troops over a number of clashes. Both India and China stationed tens of thousands of troops armed with artillery, tanks and fighter jets along the Line of Actual Control through 2020 and 2021.
The travel industry has been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, vaccine rollouts have continued, and many countries have started to open their borders. According to a report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020 due to the pandemic, with global arrivals down by 74%, causing a $1.3tn loss in exports.
The 21 men murdered in Libya in 2015 by ISIS militants will be revered as martyrs by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Coptic Church. This joint agreement is remarkable given the schism between the two churches since 451 AD and that they have historically viewed each other as fundamentally heretical. Last week, the bodily remains of the men were taken to Rome by Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria as a gift to Pope Francis. They will be included in the Roman Martyrology for February 15 as a sign of the spiritual communion between Catholics and Copts.
Several countries across the Middle East have reportedly moved away from the US dollar in reaction to ongoing dollar rationing strategies set in place by the United States. As previously reported, on 15 May 2021 Iraq band all business deals and exchanges of the dollar with Iran, and underlining an existing case where the nation’s authorities made it more difficult for individuals to obtain dollars as the US had revealed increasing concerns that much of its currency was being smuggled to Iran, which is under sanctions. This extreme measure against the dollar has since highlighted a trend in the Middle East where the continuous slowing of the currency’s value has led Saudi Arabia's finance minister to state it is “open” to pricing oil sales using different currencies, including the Chinese yuan and the euro. Similarly, in February this year, Iraq confirmed its intention to conduct business with China using yuan, instead of dollars.
Around 2,000 Russian flights have taken place over the past 15 months using out-of-date safety equipment due to a shortage of components caused by Western sanctions, said Victor Basargin, head of Rostransnadzor, the Russian government's transport watchdog. Basargin indicated that smaller airlines had been most affected, not major carriers such as Aeroflot, which has released a statement to say that all spare parts undergo strict quality control and certification checks. The Moscow government recently legalised "cannibalisation" which enables airline engineers to salvage serviceable parts from grounded planes to keep others in the air to meet the shortfall of maintenance components.
The United Nations has designated May 21 as International Tea Day to celebrate the cultural heritage, health benefits and economic importance of the drink. Tea is the most popular drink across the globe after water, and it is valued for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. Nearly all words for tea across the globe can be derived from the root words “cha” or “te,” with China producing nearly half of the world’s tea. Tea drinking is very common among many nations, from being a marker of hospitality to the idiosyncratic methods in which different teas are made.
The UN has warned that conflict in Sudan has displaced nearly 850,000 people internally and forced 250,000 to flee across its borders. More than half of Sudan's population is also in need of aid and protection, according to UN estimates. A ceasefire agreement between warring factions will take effect from 9:45pm Khartoum time tonight and will be enforced by a US-Saudi-supported mechanism. Last week, the US pledged over €100m to support Sudan and neighbouring countries in dealing with displaced people. The conflict in Sudan has caused needs to spiral, with the revised Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan now costing €2.36bn ($2.86bn) until the end of 2021.
Fighting between Sudanese warring factions could still be heard in the capital, Khartoum, despite a week-long ceasefire deal that is due to start on Monday. The deal, brokered by Saudi Arabia and the US, is the first in which the sides have signed a truce agreement and allows for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Eyewitnesses reported the sound of clashes in central and southern Khartoum on Sunday. Senior army general Yassir al-Atta said residents being attacked in their homes should be able to act in self-defence.
A delegation of African leaders, including South Africa, Egypt and Zambia, are set to discuss a peace process and the easing of economic sanctions against Russia during talks in Ukraine and Moscow next month. Jean-Yves Ollivier, an international negotiator involved in brokering the talks, said the six African leaders would also discuss bringing in more grain shipments from Ukraine and the issue of prisoner exchanges. The talks have also won the support of the UN, EU, the African Union, China and the US. Since being sanctioned by the US and other Western firms, Russia has struggled with exporting fertiliser, leaving African and other countries, such as Brazil and India, with limited access to the resource, a fundamental item for farming. African nations are also keen to expand trade ties with Russia and China as an alternative to traditional Western partners.
Conservationists in Egypt have warned that the government’s bulldozing of a cemetery housing ancient tombs and mausoleums risks the destruction of many previously unknown artefacts. The cemetery, the “City of the Dead”, is a 7 km Unesco World Heritage site and is being excavated to make way for President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s new administrative capital, which is being billed as the new capital of Egypt. However, many of the cemetery’s antiquities are not officially registered, leading some to claim that they are being destroyed in ignorance.
The Conservative Party has received its largest donation for more than 20 years from Egyptian-born billionaire Mohamed Mansour. The £5m gift reversed a drop in donations following Boris Johnson’s exit from the prime ministerial post and defections to Labour by previous conservative donors. Mansour highlighted his faith in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s ability to foster economic growth as a key reason for his gift. Figures from the Electoral Commission released last December indicated that between July and September, Labour donations surpassed those to the Conservatives for the first time in over a year, £5.4m to £3m.
