RIYADH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority marked International Red Cross and Crescent Day on Wednesday with various events, exhibitions and conferences in all its branches around the Kingdom. 

The activities included marches on the main roads of the regions and governorates as well as educational lectures and training courses to raise community awareness. 

Others participated in exhibitions to introduce the public to the role of the Red Crescent in society, particularly humanitarian and relief work. 

The World Red Crescent and International Red Cross Day is celebrated to emphasize the importance of the principles of the international movement to preserve human dignity and alleviate the suffering of people through humanitarian actions, especially in light of conflicts, disasters and crises.

In the Eastern Province, the SRCA in collaboration with Alasala College held a series of informative and educational events at Alasala campus in Dammam, focusing on the vital humanitarian work carried out by both organizations.

Those attending had the opportunity to observe a display of ambulance vehicles used by the authority, showcasing their capabilities to respond to emergencies in various environmental conditions and terrains. The interactive showcase aimed to raise awareness about the essential services provided by the authority.

There was also an exhibition featuring the latest emergency medical equipment and informing those attending of the emergency hotline number 997. 

Lectures were delivered on topics such as the risks associated with overcrowding, the importance of allowing unimpeded access for ambulance vehicles, and guidelines for handling different emergency situations.

Visitors were also introduced to the humanitarian services provided by the authority, volunteering opportunities, training programs, and the Family Links initiative. 

In the northwestern province of Tabuk, SRCA general director Nawaf bin Mayah Al-Anazi led the celebration, with health and educational activities carried out in awareness corners at Tabuk Park Mall. 

The activities showcased first aid skills trainings and their role in reducing the complications of injury. 

(With SPA)
 

N’DJAMENA: Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Deby Itno, was declared the winner of this week’s presidential election, according to provisional results released Thursday. The results were contested by his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra.

The national agency that manages Chad’s election released results of Monday’s vote weeks earlier than planned. The figures showed Deby Itno won with just over 61 percent of the vote, with the runner-up Masra falling far behind with over 18.5 percent of the vote. Gunfire erupted in the capital following the announcement.
Preliminary results were initially expected on May 21.
Chad held its long delayed presidential election following three years of military rule, a vote that analysts widely expected the incumbent to win. Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021.

The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.
Hours ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Masra published a speech on Facebook accusing the authorities of planning to manipulate the outcome.
During the 11 minute speech, Masra appeared in a blue suit at a podium with the national flag in the background and claimed victory, saying the incumbent was planning to reverse the outcome of the vote. He called on Chad’s military, police and other security forces to stop following Deby Itno’s orders.
“These orders will lead you to side with the wrong side of Chad’s history, these orders will lead you to fight your brothers and sisters, these orders will lead you to commit the irreparable and unforgivable,” he said in the speech. “Refuse to obey these unjust orders!”
There was no immediate response from the president’s office.
Masra, president of The Transformers opposition party, fled Chad in October 2022. The country’s military government at the time suspended his party and six others in a clampdown on protests against Deby Itno’s decision to extend his time in power by two more years. More than 60 people were killed in the protests, which the government condemned as “an attempted coup.”
An agreement between the country’s minister of reconciliation and Masra’s political party late last year allowed the exiled politician and other opposition figures to return to Chad. He was later appointed prime minister.
Chad is seen by the US and France as one of the last remaining stable allies in the vast Sahel region following military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years. The ruling juntas in all three nations have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.