CAIRO: Egypt is attempting to mediate between Sudan’s warring factions, hosting a regional summit on Thursday, the latest in a series of international efforts to prevent the outbreak of civil war and the deepening of a humanitarian crisis.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out in the capital Khartoum in April, and has spread westward to the fragile Darfur and Kordofan regions.
More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and 3 million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations, which warns of a growing hunger crisis.
The United States and Saudi Arabia had negotiated a series of cease-fires, but suspended talks after violations. Earlier this week, Ethiopia hosted a regional East African summit, but the army boycotted, claiming Kenya, the lead sponsor, was biased.
Egypt, which has historically close ties with the Sudanese army, invited Sudan’s neighbors to the Thursday summit.
The aims of the summit are to stave off foreign interference and influence in the fighting, two Egyptian security sources said, and to ultimately launch a process to achieve a peaceful agreement to stop the fighting.
That plan aims to achieve a three-month cease-fire and open aid pathways amid a series of meetings with military and tribal leaders, the sources said.
Previous one-day and multi-day cease-fires were quickly violated, and were described by the UN special envoy Volker Perthes as an opportunity for the forces to re-position.
Speaking on Wednesday, he described mediation attempts as “emergency diplomacy.”
“The two warring parties still think they can win the war so they accept diplomatic initiatives when they think it can help their aims,” he said.
Among the African leaders attending is Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed, whose country has clashed with Egypt over its construction of a giant dam on the Blue Nile.
He met Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday, after last week saying the fourth filling of the dam this summer would be delayed and would ensure Sudan and Egypt would receive enough water, a conciliatory move after years of tension.
Egypt to launch fresh Sudan mediation attempt during summit
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Egypt to launch fresh Sudan mediation attempt during summit
- More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and 3 million people have been displaced due to the fighting
- Saudi Arabia and the US had negotiated a series of cease-fires, but suspended talks after violations
Kingdom arrests 9,639 illegals in one week
RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 9,639 people in one week for breaching residency, work, and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
Of those, 5,625 were arrested for residency violations, 2,797 for attempting to cross the border illegally, and 1,217 for labor-related offenses.
The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found facilitating illegal entry into the Kingdom — including providing transportation or shelter — could face up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to SR1 million ($266,000), and the confiscation of vehicles and property.
Suspected violations can be reported by calling 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, or 999 and 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Pakistan delegation in Brussels says Islamabad can develop counterterror partnership with Delhi
- India blames Pakistan for supporting “terrorist” attacks in the part of disputed Kashmir it governs
- Islamabad, Washington thwarted attacks in Pakistan, US and Europe, says head of delegation
ISLAMABAD: The head of a delegation visiting Brussels to present Pakistan’s point of view regarding the country’s recent military standoff with India said on Saturday that Islamabad can develop a “phenomenal” counterterror partnership with Delhi, similar to the one it has with Washington.
India blames Pakistan for arming and funding militants who carry out subversive activities in the part of disputed Kashmir it governs, an allegation Islamabad has always denied. The two countries engaged in a military confrontation for four days last month after India accused Pakistan of supporting an attack at the Pahalgam tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir. Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed in the attack.
Pakistan enjoys counterterror cooperation with several countries, including the US, which includes intelligence sharing and other forms of coordination to thwart militant attacks. The head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Kurilla, this week praised Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counterterrorism efforts during a testimony.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is the head of the Pakistani delegation, pointed out that the US and Pakistan have thwarted “terrorist attacks” in Europe, the US and Pakistan through counter-terror coordination.
“Will we be more effectively able to combat terror if India and Pakistan sat together and coordinated, conducted intelligence sharing,” Bhutto Zardari asked in response to a question.
Citing Kurilla’s statement, Bhutto Zardari said Islamabad can develop a counter-terror partnership with New Delhi similar to the one it enjoyed with Washington.
“We can develop that phenomenal partnership with India as well,” he added.
He lamented that there was no cooperation or coordination between the two nuclear-armed nations on combating “terrorism,” adding that the two countries last had a dialogue on counter-terror in 2012.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the nine-member diplomatic group last month, headed by Bhutto Zardari, who is a former foreign minister and the head of the Pakistan Peoples Party.
He has been leading a team to visits in New York, Washington DC, London and Brussels since June 2. Another delegation, led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, has visited Moscow.
While the ceasefire between the two countries continues to remain in place, tensions continue to simmer as India says it is holding in abeyance a decades-old water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.
Islamabad had said after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty that it considered any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan to be an “act of war.”
About 80 percent of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million.
Pakistan and India, bitter rivals, have fought two out of three wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir that they both claim in full but govern only parts of.
Jordan reopens airspace to civilian aircraft
- Jordan said airlines would be provided with the “necessary” information to notify passengers and stakeholders of the latest data on air traffic
DUBAI: Jordan has reopened its airspace to civilian aircraft on Saturday, signaling belief there was no longer an immediate danger of further attacks after crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Middle East.
But the country “is continuing to assess risks to civil aviation and monitor developments after Jordan’s airspace was reopened this morning,” a statement from the civil aviation authority said, and reported by state-run Petra news.
The Kingdom on Friday closed its airspace to all flights due to the barrage of missiles and rockets from Iran.
The statement also said airlines would be provided with the “necessary” information to notify passengers and stakeholders of the latest data on air traffic.
Lebanon’s government also temporarily reopened its airspace on Saturday.
Lebanon reopened its airspace on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT).
The airspace will be shut again starting from 10:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) until 6:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Sunday, NNA reported, citing the Lebanese civil aviation authority.
Al-Qadsiah to face Sevilla in Antonio Puerta Trophy memorial match
- Encounter with Spanish La Liga team on Aug. 4 will form key part of Saudi club’s preparations for 2025-26 season
ALKHOBAR: Al-Qadsiah Football Club will take part in the annual Antonio Puerta Trophy memorial match hosted by Spanish club Sevilla FC in tribute to the late Antonio Puerta.
The memorial match is one of Spanish football’s most heartfelt fixtures, held annually to honor the memory of a player who had a lasting impact on Sevilla FC and its supporters.
Puerta died on Aug. 18, 2007, three days after suffering a series of cardiac arrests during a La Liga match against Getafe.
The memorial match will take place at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville on Monday, Aug. 4, at 9 p.m. local time.
This fixture forms part of Al-Qadsiah’s pre-season training camp, which will be held across the Netherlands and Spain, ahead of the 2025–2026 season. The team is scheduled to play four friendly matches during the camp, including the high-profile encounter against Sevilla.
The memorial match reflects a broader collaboration between the two clubs, highlighting the symbolic importance of the event and Al-Qadsiah’s growing international profile.
Al-Qadsiah views the match as a milestone in its long-term strategy to foster relationships with leading football institutions and to strengthen its brand across the region and worldwide.
Pope Leo appeals for ‘reason’ amid Israel-Iran airstrikes, calls for dialogue
- Pontiff tells audience in St. Peter’s Basilica he is following the situation with “great concern”
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo appealed on Saturday for authorities in Iran and Israel to act with “reason” after airstrikes between the two countries killed dozens and sent civilians into shelters, and called on the nations to pursue dialogue.
Leo, in one of the strongest peace appeals yet of his five-week papacy, told an audience in St. Peter’s Basilica he was following the situation with “great concern.”
“In such a delicate moment, I strongly wish to renew an appeal to responsibility and to reason,” said the pope.
“The commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue to build a lasting peace, founded on justice, fraternity, and the common good,” he said.
“No one should ever threaten the existence of another,” said Leo. “It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace, initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.”
Leo was elected on May 8 to replace the late Pope Francis and is the first pope from the United States. Unlike Francis, who often spoke off the cuff at public events, Leo is more cautious with words and almost always speaks from a prepared text.
The pope read aloud his appeal on Saturday in Italian from a piece of paper.
Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran early on Friday, targeting commanders, military targets and nuclear sites in what it called a “preemptive strike” to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons program.
Iran, which denies that its uranium enrichment activities are part of a secret weapons program, retaliated by launching waves of missiles at Israel, killing at least two people and injuring dozens.
