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Over 55,000 displaced Sudanese return to southeastern state: IOM

Over 55,000 displaced Sudanese return to southeastern state: IOM
Over 55,000 internally displaced Sudanese have returned to areas across the southeastern state of Sennar, more than a month after the army recaptured the state capital from paramilitaries, the UN migration agency said Saturday. (AP/File)
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Over 55,000 displaced Sudanese return to southeastern state: IOM

Over 55,000 displaced Sudanese return to southeastern state: IOM
  • IOM said its field teams “monitored the return of an estimated 55,466 displaced persons
  • Famine has been declared in parts of the country

PORT SUDAN: Over 55,000 internally displaced Sudanese have returned to areas across the southeastern state of Sennar, more than a month after the army recaptured the state capital from paramilitaries, the UN migration agency said Saturday.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said its field teams “monitored the return of an estimated 55,466 displaced persons to locations across Sennar state” between December 18 and January 10.
Across the entire country, however, the United Nations says 21 months of war have created the world’s worst internal displacement crisis, uprooting more than 12 million people.
Famine has been declared in parts of the country, but the risk is spreading for millions more people, including to areas north of Sennar, a UN-backed assessment said last month.
In November, the Sudanese army, battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, said it had regained control of Sinja, the Sennar state capital and a key link between army-controlled areas of central and eastern Sudan.
The RSF had controlled Sinja since late June when its attack on Sennar state forced nearly 726,000 people — many displaced from other states — to flee, according to the United Nations.
The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands.
On Thursday, the United States Treasury Department sanctioned army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, accusing the army of attacking schools, markets and hospitals, as well as using food deprivation as a weapon of war.
The move came just over a week after Washington also sanctioned RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accusing his group of committing genocide.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Dagalo had been designated for “gross violations of human rights” in Sudan’s western Darfur region, “namely the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his control.”


Yemen’s Houthis say will deal with Israel in case of any violations Gaza ceasefire deal

Updated 4 sec ago

Yemen’s Houthis say will deal with Israel in case of any violations Gaza ceasefire deal

Yemen’s Houthis say will deal with Israel in case of any violations Gaza ceasefire deal
Houthis to coordinate closely with the Palestinian resistance to deal with any Israel violation

CAIRO: Yemen’s Houthis said they will coordinate closely with the Palestinian resistance to deal with Israel in case of any violations to the Gaza ceasefire deal, the militant group’s military spokesperson said on Saturday.

At least 46,899 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza war since Oct. 7, 2023, health ministry says

At least 46,899 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza war since Oct. 7, 2023, health ministry says
Updated 7 min 29 sec ago

At least 46,899 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza war since Oct. 7, 2023, health ministry says

At least 46,899 Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza war since Oct. 7, 2023, health ministry says
  • 23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours

CAIRO: Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 46,899 Palestinians and injured 110,725 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry said in an update on Saturday.
23 Palestinians were killed and 83 were injured over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said.


Lebanon’s new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal

Lebanon’s new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal
Updated 18 January 2025

Lebanon’s new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal

Lebanon’s new president stresses urgency of Israeli withdrawal from south under truce deal
  • The ceasefire requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days
  • UN to exert utmost efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal within the set deadline under the ceasefire terms

CAIRO: Lebanon’s new president Joseph Aoun stressed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday the urgency of an Israeli military withdrawal as stipulated by a ceasefire deal that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in November.
According to a statement by the Lebanese presidency on X, Aoun told Guterres during a meeting in Beirut that continued Israeli breaches were a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and the agreed ceasefire deal.
The ceasefire, which took effect on Nov. 27 and was brokered by the United States and France, requires Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon within 60 days, and for Hezbollah to remove all its fighters and weapons from the south.
Guterres said the UN would exert utmost efforts to secure an Israeli withdrawal within the set deadline under the ceasefire terms, according to the statement.
He had said on Friday the Israeli military’s continued occupation of territory in south Lebanon and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory were violations of a UN resolution upon which the ceasefire is based.
Despite the deal, Israeli forces have continued strikes on what they say are Hezbollah fighters ignoring the accord under which they must halt attacks and withdraw beyond the Litani River, about 30km from the border with Israel.


Foreign minister says Syria looking forward to return to Arab League

Foreign minister says Syria looking forward to return to Arab League
Updated 18 January 2025

Foreign minister says Syria looking forward to return to Arab League

Foreign minister says Syria looking forward to return to Arab League

CAIRO: Syria’s foreign minister said on Saturday he was looking forward to the return of Syria to the Arab League as the country’s new rulers seek a place in the regional political landscape.
Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani made his statements during a joint press conference in Damascus with Arab League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki, who said the Arab League was working with member states to activate Syria’s participation. 


Missile fired from Yemen intercepted over central Israel, military says

Missile fired from Yemen intercepted over central Israel, military says
Updated 18 January 2025

Missile fired from Yemen intercepted over central Israel, military says

Missile fired from Yemen intercepted over central Israel, military says

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem after sirens blared across the city and central Israel on Saturday morning, AFP journalists reported, while the Israeli military said a projectile had been launched from Yemen.
The explosions and sirens came after Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said that the ceasefire in the war in Gaza would take effect from 0630 GMT on Sunday.
Sirens and explosions were heard over Jerusalem at around 10:20 am (08:20 GMT) on Saturday, shortly after sirens sounded across central Israel in response to the projectile launched from Yemen, the military said in a statement.
Minutes later, the military said it had intercepted the projectile launched from Yemen.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.
On Friday, the Houthis warned that they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of its ceasefire with Hamas.