NEW YORK: The permanent US representative to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on Wednesday accused the Assad regime of blocking the drafting of a new constitution. She also warned that the “so-called May 26 elections (will) be neither free nor fair, and will not be representative of the Syrian people.”
“While the Assad regime run their sham elections, the people of Syria continue to suffer,” she said.
Elections in Syria must be held under the auspices of a new constitution and supervised by the UN, as was mandated unanimously by the Security Council, Thomas-Greenfield said.
“The Assad regime must secure steps to enable the participation of refugees, internally displaced people and the diaspora in any Syrian election,” she added. “Until then we will not be fooled.”
She reiterated that Washington “will not support reconstruction aid that benefits the regime absent progress in achieving the political reforms called for in (Security Council) Resolution 2254.”
She also condemned Assad for “hindering and weaponizing” the delivery of aid supplies. As the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, the envoy urged council members to reauthorize the Bab Al-Hawa crossing and reinstate the crossings at Bab Al-Salam and Yaroubiyah, a move that has been vetoed by Russia and China.
“Should the UN lose access to cross-border mechanisms, the COVID crisis in Syria will go from dire to disastrous,” said Thomas-Greenfield.
“Four million people inside northwest Syria depend on the 1,000 UN trucks that use the crossing each month. There is no alternative. Nothing can match the scope and the scale of the UN cross-border humanitarian mechanism. In fact, it’s quite clear that one sole crossing point is insufficient for the vast needs.”
She also highlighted what she described as a “deep moral wrong” that is unfolding in the Rukban refugee camp.
“For 16 months the camp’s residents have been without medical aid because the Assad regime and Russia will not allow the UN to make deliveries to these people in need,” she said.
“We urge the Assad regime and Russia to allow unhindered humanitarian access to the camp. These people are not pawns. Aid cannot be politicized.”
Her Russian counterpart on the Security Council, Vassily Nebenzya, responded by defending the Syrian regime and repeating its rhetoric. He blamed the worsening humanitarian situation on “relentless sanctions pressure exerted by the collective West,” and the deteriorating security situation on “terrorists using civilians as human shields.”
He also welcomed the prospect of next month’s elections as part of the Syrian government’s efforts to “ensure the state is functioning.”
“We lament the fact that some countries are up in arms against the very idea of upcoming elections and are ready declaring them illegitimate,” Nebenzya said. “(The) interference in the internal affairs of the Syrians is unacceptable and contradicts the existing norms of international law.”
He added that “the negative background information on the upcoming elections” has nothing to do with the work of the constitutional committee.
Geir Pedersen, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, reiterated that the elections scheduled for May 26 were called under the auspices of the existing Syrian Constitution, and are not part of the political process established by Security Council Resolution 2254.
“The UN is not involved in this election and has no mandate to be,” he told the council. “Resolution 2254 mandates the UN to facilitate a political process that culminates in the holding of free and fair elections in accordance with a new constitution, administered under United Nations supervision to the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate.”
He urged council members to prioritize a “proactive search” for a political settlement to the conflict, saying that events in the past month have demonstrated how easily the situation could deteriorate, despite a year of relative calm “by Syrian standards.”
There has been a significant escalation of fighting in northwest Syria, including air strikes on a UN-supported hospital in western Aleppo close to densely populated camps for internally displaced persons, where UN humanitarian aid is delivered. Residential areas in the city have also been shelled.
Meanwhile Daesh continued its assaults in central and northeastern Syria. In one incident dozens of civilians were kidnapped in rural Hama.
“It is all too easy to become immune to these kinds of developments and the dangers they could lead to,” said Pedersen.
He also said that he met with The Syrian Women’s Advisory Board in Geneva this week, and its members voiced fears that “differences among external actors would perpetuate the Syrian conflict.”
“Let us not forget that, in addition to challenges facing all Syrians, many women have also experienced sexual and gender-based violence, early and forced marriage, and trafficking,” he added.
“And with men killed and injured in large numbers, more women than ever are heading households — against the backdrop of violence, terrorism, displacement, instability, destitution and pandemic.”
Pedersen said the women he talked to also stressed the need for progress to be made on the issue of the thousands of people who remain locked up, abducted or missing, as there has been little so far.
“Allow me to stress again the importance of unblocking progress on detainees, abductees and missing persons,” he said. “As long as this file remains largely frozen, many Syrians will be unable to even begin to think of moving on, and Syria’s social fabric cannot begin to be restored.”
Pedersen also expressed concern about the economic destitution that Syrians face, with food prices at historic highs and no sign of inflation abating.
“12.4 million (people) are now food insecure, an increase of 4.5 million in the past year alone,” he said. “Fuel shortages remain a key concern as well.
“A large-scale, cross-border response for an additional 12 months remains essential to save lives. I appeal for the members of the council to focus on achieving consensus to that end.”
Assad is indulging in ‘sham elections’ as Syrians continue to suffer, UN told
https://arab.news/4uvej
Assad is indulging in ‘sham elections’ as Syrians continue to suffer, UN told
- US envoy says until all Syrians, including refugees, can vote ‘we will not be fooled;’ accuses regime of ‘weaponizing’ humanitarian aid
- UN’s special envoy for Syria says elections fail to comply with Security Council resolution; highlights suffering of women during conflict
Egypt’s foreign minister holds talks with director general of migration organization
- Parties look at ways to support the Loss and Damage Fund
- Sameh Shoukry affirmed Egypt’s backing to adopt a comprehensive approach to migration governance
CAIRO: Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry held talks with the Director General of the International Organization for Migration Amy Pope during the UN official’s visit.
Shoukry expressed his appreciation of the organization’s cooperation, and spoke of aims to further relations to ensure comprehensive management of migration in a manner that contributed to achieving sustainable development in accordance with the principles and goals enshrined in the Global Compact for Migration. This stressed the importance of crystallizing the organization’s action priorities in consultation with developing countries’ governments.
He affirmed Egypt’s backing to adopt a comprehensive approach to migration governance so that it was not limited to security aspects only, but also took into account the development aspects associated with them, while addressing the root causes that lead to illegal immigration.
The minister also praised existing cooperation with the IOM in promoting ways of legal labor mobility and bridging the existing gaps in labor markets, thus achieving the interests of origin and destination states and migrants alike.
Shoukry noted that Egypt was facing increasing flows of migrants forced to flee their countries in pursuit of stability as a result of conflicts, economic reasons, or the repercussions of climate change, which had been clearly reflected in the sharp increase in the numbers of immigrants to Egypt.
He said that the support that Egypt receives from the international community was not commensurate with the burdens it bears to provide a decent life for those arriving, especially since the phenomenon had coincided with a period in which the Egyptian economy had suffered from the consequences of global crises, which had necessitated the organization to play its role in providing necessary support.
Pope thanked Egypt for its fruitful cooperation on issues involving the impact of climate change on migration, especially during Egypt’s presidency of COP27.
The parties also looked at ways to support and operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund and its important role in enhancing the ability of states to review the devastating effects of climate change and the impact on migration flows. They also spoke of cooperation between Egypt and the IOM in Africa.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said the meeting also looked at developments taking place in the region, with Shoukry and Pope discussing the situation in Gaza, and providing humanitarian aid and safe havens to shelter the displaced.
In connection with developments in Sudan, Pope spoke of her appreciation of Egypt’s reception of a large number of displaced Sudanese nationals since the beginning of the crisis, as well as the Egyptian authorities’ role in providing support to those fleeing the conflict, and meeting their needs.
The UN official expressed the IOM’s readiness to provide support for Egypt in order to enhance its ability to care for Sudanese refugees, in cooperation with the relevant ministries, noting that the organization attached importance to Sudan for fear of it turning into a forgotten crisis.
Sudan military downs drones targeting its HQ in Shendi, say army sources
- None of the drones hit their target, the army sources said
- Sudan’s army is battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for control of the vast north African country
CAIRO: Sudan’s army used anti-aircraft missiles on Tuesday to shoot down drones targeting its headquarters in the city of Shendi, witnesses and army sources said, the latest in a series of such drone attacks.
None of the drones hit their target, the army sources said. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
The head of Sudan’s army, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, arrived on Monday in Shendi, which is some 180 km (112 miles) north of the capital Khartoum, army media reported earlier. It was not immediately clear whether he remains in the area.
Sudan’s army is battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the vast north African country.
Tuesday’s drone attack is the third targeting areas that remain solidly under army control. The city of Atbara, also in River Nile state, and Al-Gedaref state to the east have also come under drone attack.
Both the army and the RSF have used drones in the conflict, which erupted a year ago.
The RSF, which controls much of Khartoum and western regions of the country, has not claimed responsibility for any of the attacks.
Shendi residents said the attacks have created panic in the town.
The war between the army and RSF has sparked warnings of famine, displaced millions, killed thousands in the crossfire and given way to ethnic killings by the RSF and allied militias.
The war appears likely to spread to the city of Al-Fashir, the army’s final holdout in the Darfur region, with many warning of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Iran threatens to annihilate Israel should it launch a major attack
- Raisi began a three day visit to Pakistan on Monday
- "The Islamic Republic of Iran will honourably continue to support the Palestinian resistance," Raisi added
DUBAI: An Israeli attack on Iranian territory could radically change dynamics and result in there being nothing left of the "Zionist regime", Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi was quoted as saying on Tuesday by the official IRNA news agency.
Raisi began a three day visit to Pakistan on Monday and has vowed to boost trade between the neighbouring nations to $10 billion a year.
The two Muslim neighbours are seeking to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes this year.
On Friday, explosions were heard over the Iranian city of Isfahan in what sources said was an Israeli attack, but Tehran played down the incident and said it had no plans for retaliation.
Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel on April 13 in what it said was retaliation for Israel's suspected deadly strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, but almost all were shot down.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will honourably continue to support the Palestinian resistance," Raisi added in the speech in Lahore.
Truce crumbles in Sudanese army’s last Darfur holdout
- Al-Fashir is the last major city in the vast, western Darfur region not under control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
- Witnesses say the army has reinforced supplies and troops, including through an air drop to its base in the city
CAIRO/DUBAI: Attacks around the Sudanese city of Al-Fashir have shattered a truce that protected it from a year-old war, leading to warnings of a new wave of inter-communal violence and humanitarian risks for 1.6 million residents crammed into the North Darfur capital.
Al-Fashir is the last major city in the vast, western Darfur region not under control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF and its allies swept through four other Darfur state capitals last year, and were blamed for a campaign of ethnically driven killings against non-Arab groups and other abuses in West Darfur.
The fight for Al-Fashir, a historic center of power, could be more protracted, inflame ethnic tensions that surfaced in the early-2000s conflict in the region and reach across Sudan’s border with Chad, say residents, aid agencies and analysts.
Al-Fashir’s population includes an estimated half a million people displaced during that earlier conflict, when the army, assisted by Arab militias that evolved into the RSF, put down a rebellion by non-Arab rebel groups.
About half a million more people moved into the city during the war that broke out between the army and the RSF in the capital Khartoum in April 2023, as long-simmering tensions over integrating the two forces came to a head.
As the war spread to other parts of the country, local leaders brokered a truce in Al-Fashir, with the RSF confined to eastern areas of the city while the former rebel groups stayed neutral.
But the arrangement fell apart after the RSF took the town of Melit this month, effectively blockading Al-Fashir.
Witnesses say the army has reinforced supplies and troops, including through an air drop to its base in the city, unlike in other state capitals where soldiers quickly fled.
Two prominent former rebel groups, Minni Minawi’s Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Jibril Ibrahim’s Justice and Equality Movement, said they would also defend against the RSF.
Many non-Arabs in Al-Fashir are gripped with fear.
“We don’t know what to do,” 39-year-old resident Mohamed Gasim told Reuters by phone. “Al-Fashir is dangerous, but leaving is more dangerous.”
VILLAGES RAZED
Even before the truce collapsed, occasional skirmishes killed more than 220 people in Al-Fashir in the last year, according to Ismail Khareef, an activist in Abu Shouk, one of the displacement camps that dot the city.
Clashes on April 16 left at least 18 dead, Khareef said. Gunfire and projectiles, including from army warplanes, have fallen on homes, he and other residents say.
Since the start of the month, at least 11 villages on Al-Fashir’s outskirts have been razed, according to satellite imagery obtained by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab. At least 36,000 have been displaced, the United Nations estimates.
Local activists and an SLA spokesperson blamed the RSF and allied militias, who have been known to use arson in past attacks, including in West Darfur. The activists said that survivors of the attacks reported around 10 people killed and that the attackers used ethnic insults.
The RSF denied attacking Al-Fashir and said it was careful to keep clashes away from civilians in the city, accusing the army and allied groups of attacking it on the outskirts. The RSF has previously denied responsibility for ethnic violence in Darfur.
The army did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Al-Fashir itself has not had functioning running water or power lines for a year, said Awadalla Hamid, Darfur director for Practical Action, speaking to Reuters from the city, where few international humanitarians remain. Only one public hospital is functioning, while displaced people are crammed into schools and public buildings, he said.
Jerome Tubiana, an expert on Darfur and adviser to medical charity MSF, said all-out fighting “risks already complicating further humanitarian access, at a time where available data shows Al-Fashir is suffering of an extremely serious food crisis.”
SPILLOVER RISK
Since the war began, only small quantities of aid have entered Al-Fashir, the only army-approved conduit for shipments to other parts of Darfur. Residents say that though markets are functioning, the RSF’s control of the main road has caused prices for fuel, water and other goods to soar.
Recent tensions and violence around Al-Fashir have also raised concerns about a wider spillover.
The former rebel groups fighting alongside the army hail from the Zaghawa tribe, which reaches across the border into Chad, counting Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Deby as a member.
Arab and non-Arab tribes like the Zaghawa have long clashed over land and valuable resources in Darfur, analysts say.
Complicating matters is the entrance of the forces belonging to Musa Hilal, a leading Arab commander from the early 2000s and rival of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, despite hailing from the same tribe. A spokesperson confirmed a video of Hilal addressing forces in North Darfur on Monday, but said that it was too soon to say if the forces would join the fight in Al-Fashir or elsewhere.
“Even if there was a ceasefire between SAF and RSF this is way beyond them. There are scores being settled and tensions being renewed,” said Jonas Horner, an independent Sudan analyst.
Tunisian coast guard retrieves bodies of 19 migrants
TUNIS, April 23 : The Tunisian coast guard has retrieved the bodies of 19 migrants who were trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa, the national guard said on Tuesday.
The latest incident took the number of migrant deaths off the Tunisian coast to nearly 200 in first four months of this year.
