Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North (File photo: Reuters)
- Addis Ababa: Ahmed Younes
07:03-1 January 2024 AD ـ 18 Jumada Al-Alkhirah 1445 AH
The Sudanese Civilian Democratic Forces Coordination (Taqaddum) announced that a meeting will be held between a delegation led by its head, former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohammed Hamdan’ Hemedti’ Dagalo, on Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Taqaddum requested urgent meetings with the Commander of Sudan’s Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Dagalo to discuss protecting civilians, delivering humanitarian aid, and ending the war.
The party said in a statement on Sunday, a copy of which was obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, that several of its members led by Hamdok will meet the RSF team.
On Sunday, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that preparations were underway in several regional capitals for a meeting between the RSF commander and the former PM to discuss national developments and arrangements to end the war.
Taqaddum explained that the RSF responded to the request for a meeting and that contacts were ongoing with the armed forces leadership to determine a place and time for a similar meeting.
The Coordination Committee hoped the planned meetings would lead to practical steps that would end the suffering of the Sudanese people and that they would advance efforts for a peaceful solution to “the catastrophe of the April 15 war.”
It added that there are hopes that the efforts would be integrated with regional and international efforts to end the war, namely the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union, and the Jeddah Platform.
– Renewed clashes
Meanwhile, a violent exchange of shelling renewed between the SAF and RSF in Khartoum.
Eyewitnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that the RSF bombed the Wadi Seidna base in northern Omdurman.
Rapid Support artillery also bombed several areas of Khartoum Bahri and around the Army General Command in the capital and central Khartoum.
Army artillery responded with heavy bombardment on areas controlled by the RSF in the center of Khartoum Bahri and near the Halfaya and Shambat bridges.
The army also used drones in Khartoum and the eastern Nile region.
– Unconditional negotiation
In a related development, the Rapid Support commander informed the President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, of his unconditional willingness to negotiate to achieve just and comprehensive peace in Sudan.
Guelleh is also the Chairman of IGAD.
Hemedti arrived in Djibouti in an African tour that took him to Uganda and Ethiopia.
The RSF Commander emphasized his commitment to the resolutions stemming from the recent IGAD Presidents’ Summit held in Djibouti.
He reviewed with the President the recent developments in Sudan and his vision to stop the war and reach a comprehensive solution that will end the suffering of the people.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister of Djibouti, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, announced on his “X” account that his country, in its capacity as President of the current session of GAD, is preparing “the ground for Sudanese dialogue and will host a critical meeting,” without providing detailed information about this meeting.
Youssouf believed the meeting was important for coming up with a vision to help the parties reach a ceasefire in Sudan.
Djibouti, under the mandate of the 41st IGAD Emergency and Special Sudan Summit meeting and in its capacity as current IGAD Chair, is responsible for preparing for a direct meeting between Burhan and Hemedti to end the war in Sudan.
Israel to Pull Some Troops from Gaza as War Enters New Phase
This photograph taken on January 1, 2024 shows a Palestinian man walking atop the rubble of a collapsed building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. (Photo by AFP)
10:02-1 January 2024 AD ـ 18 Jumada Al-Alkhirah 1445 AH
Israel is withdrawing some forces from Gaza to shift to more targeted operations against Hamas, and is partially returning reservists to civilian life to help the economy as the country enters the new year set for a prolonged war, an Israeli official said.
The official said the war will continue in the Palestinian enclave until Hamas is toppled, adding that some of the troops withdrawn will prepare for a possible second front in Lebanon.
Since launching the Gaza offensive after the cross-border Hamas rampage of Oct. 7, Israeli officials have said they planned to wage it in three main stages. The first was intense shelling to clear access routes for ground forces and encourage civilians to evacuate. The second was the invasion that began on Oct. 27.
With tanks and troops having now overrun much of the Gaza Strip, largely asserting control despite Palestinian gunmen continuing their ambushes from hidden tunnels and bunkers, the military is moving to the third stage of the war, said the official, who could not be identified by name given the sensitivity of the issue.
“This will take six months at least, and involve intense mopping-up missions against the terrorists. No one is talking about doves of peace being flown from Shajaia,” the official told Reuters, referring to a Gaza district ravaged by fighting.
The official said the withdrawal was focused on reservists and designed to “re-energize the Israeli economy”.
But the official said some of the troops pulled out of Gaza in the south would be prepared for rotation to the northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
“The situation on the Lebanese front will not be allowed to continue. This coming six-month period is a critical moment,” the official said, adding that Israel would convey a similar message to a US envoy conducting shuttle missions to Beirut.
German-made Frigate Joins Egyptian Navy Fleet
A snapshot of the newly received MEKO A-200 frigate named (Al-Aziz) by the Egyptian Navy on Tuesday, 18 October 2022. Courtesy of the Egyptian Armed Forces spokesman’s Facebook page.
- Cairo: Asharq Al Awsat
09:18-1 January 2024 AD ـ 18 Jumada Al-Alkhirah 1445 AH
The Egyptian naval forces received Sunday a new German-made MEKO-A200 frigate at a base in the coastal province of Alexandria, the Egyptian military said in a statement.
Built by Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), the frigate delivery procedures were completed in Bremerhaven, Germany.
The Commander of the Northern Military Region and several Naval Forces commanders and students at the Naval College attended the reception ceremony.
The Commander of the Egyptian Naval Forces, Lieutenant General Ashraf Atwa, stressed the highest degrees of excellence in the combat system and modern technology of the frigate.
The Al-Qadir frigate represents a significant technological addition with immense combat capabilities to the Navy’s potential, said the spokesperson for the Egyptian Armed Forces.
He added that the frigate possesses numerous advanced technical features and armament systems that enable it to efficiently and effectively carry out all combat missions, thus supporting the Navy’s combat capabilities.
The spokesperson emphasized that the frigate will enter active duty in the Egyptian Navy, contributing to the ability to face challenges, mitigate risks, and ensure complete control over Egypt’s extended coastlines in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
In a traditional maritime ceremony, many naval vessels and helicopters participated in a naval parade off the coast of Alexandria, celebrating the arrival of the Al-Qadir frigate.