Gift of bread: Egypt air bridge helps flood-hit Sudan

The three flights landed in Khartoum on Tuesday and Thursday carrying 10 automatic bakeries. (AP/File)
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Updated 03 October 2020
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Gift of bread: Egypt air bridge helps flood-hit Sudan

  • The 10 bakeries will produce more than 1.5 million loaves of bread per day

CAIRO: A third Egyptian plane has transported bread-making facilities to Sudan as part of a relief air bridge following recent devastating floods in the country.

“Under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt has sent a third flight of field bread production lines to the brothers in Sudan,” an Egyptian military spokesman said via his official Facebook account. 

The three flights landed in Khartoum on Tuesday and Thursday carrying 10 automatic bakeries.

Egyptian military attache Brig. Harb Ahmed Al-Shazali and Egyptian Embassy staff welcomed the planes. 

Last Tuesday, the Ministry of Industry and Trade received the first batch of bread production units provided by the Egyptian army, which will be installed in southern areas of the capital.

The 10 bakeries will produce more than 1.5 million loaves of bread per day.

The production lines will ease the effects of flooding and the resulting shortage of bread in many areas of Sudan.

Field bakeries will be located in areas severely affected by the recent floods.

Since the beginning of the crisis, Egypt has sent several aid planes to support the Sudanese people.

“This matter comes within the framework of the cooperation and support that Egypt has been providing to address some of the challenges facing the transitional government in his country,” Sudan’s Trade Minister, Madani Abbas Madani, said after the first bakeries arrived.

He said that this support was desperately needed amid a mounting bread crisis.

“There are many strategic efforts to address this issue in its various aspects, whether it is related to the provision of wheat or the development of the bread industry, especially since more than 80 percent of the bakeries in the country are traditional and not mechanized,” Madani said. 

Egypt’s Ambassador to Sudan, Hossam Issa, said that the air bridge is part of the Egyptian efforts to support the Sudanese people during the transitional phase in the country. 

The Egyptian government is helping Sudan move toward a new phase of development, stability, prosperity and security, he said.

Egypt has sent 14 aircraft carrying medicines and medical equipment to help Sudan deal with the flood crisis.


Lebanese, Palestinian presidents say era of weapons ‘outside Lebanese state control’ over

Updated 14 sec ago
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Lebanese, Palestinian presidents say era of weapons ‘outside Lebanese state control’ over

  • Joint statement says two leaders expressed commitment to the principle that arms should be exclusively ‘in the hands of the Lebanese state’
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday that weapons should be under Lebanese state control, meeting in Beirut to discuss disarming Palestinian refugee camps in the country.
A joint statement released by the Lebanese presidency said the two leaders share the “belief that the era of weapons outside Lebanese state control has ended,” adding that both had expressed commitment to the principle that arms should be exclusively “in the hands of the Lebanese state.”

Palestinian Authority says Israel fired on diplomats visiting West Bank

Updated 9 min 22 sec ago
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Palestinian Authority says Israel fired on diplomats visiting West Bank

  • A diplomat present during the visit confirmed to AFP he had heard “repeated shots” coming from inside Jenin refugee camp

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority accused Israeli forces of firing on diplomats as they visited the flashpoint West Bank city of Jenin on Wednesday, releasing video of two soldiers aiming rifles at a group of people.
It condemned “the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces, which deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation to the State of Palestine during a field visit to Jenin Governorate.”

A diplomat present during the visit confirmed to AFP he had heard “repeated shots” coming from inside Jenin refugee camp. An Israeli army spokesperson said: “I am looking into it.”


EU review of Israel ties ‘devastatingly late’: Amnesty

Updated 54 min 27 sec ago
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EU review of Israel ties ‘devastatingly late’: Amnesty

  • Association agreement to be examined over Gaza concerns
  • ‘Emboldened by EU inaction — and even backed by some EU states — Israeli leaders have flaunted their genocidal aims’

LONDON: The EU’s decision to review trade and cooperation with Israel in light of concerns over the Gaza war is “devastatingly late,” Amnesty International has said.

On Tuesday, the European Commission agreed to conduct a review into Israel’s potential violation of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The article mandates respect for human rights and democratic principles from both parties.

Seventeen EU member states raised objections to Israel’s conduct in Gaza and demanded the review.

Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty’s European Institutions Office, said: “While this is a welcome first step, it also comes devastatingly late. The extent of human suffering in Gaza for the past 19 months has been unimaginable. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza with chilling impunity.”

The NGO has long called for a review of the EU’s association agreement with Israel. It has cited Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territory as a key violation of the agreement.

Israel’s conduct in Gaza has only strengthened calls for a review into European trade with the country.

“Emboldened by EU inaction — and even backed by some EU states — Israeli leaders have flaunted their genocidal aims,” Geddie said.

“The EU’s unofficial policy of appeasement towards Israel is contrary to its member states’ obligations and will forever be judged in the annals of history.”

Geddie warned that any delay in European action would “cost human lives in Gaza.” She called for the EU to immediately suspend all trade linked to Israel’s settlement industry, which has expanded significantly amid the war in Gaza.

“The stakes are too high. If the EU fails to live up to these obligations as a bloc, and seeks to shield itself from its clear legal obligations, its member states must unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation that may contribute to violations of international law,” Geddie said.

After the EU agreed to probe ties with Israel, Amnesty said it would now focus on pushing for a “meaningful review which takes evidence and international standards into account.”


US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

Updated 21 May 2025
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US to appoint Thomas Barrack as special envoy for Syria, sources say

DAMASCUS/ISTANBUL: The United States will appoint President Donald Trump’s longtime friend and current US ambassador to Turkiye, Thomas Barrack, as a special envoy for Syria, a person with direct knowledge of the matter and a diplomat in Turkiye said.
The decision follows Trump’s landmark announcement last week that US sanctions on Syria would be lifted. It also suggests US acknowledgement that Turkiye has emerged with key regional influence on Damascus since Syrian strongman Bashar Assad’s ouster by rebels in December, ending 14 years of civil war.
Asked for comment, a US State Department spokesperson said: “There is no announcement at this time.”
Speaking to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Rubio said he was allowing Turkish embassy staff, including Barrack, to work with local officials in Syria to understand what kind of aid they need.
“We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilize the entire region,” Rubio said.
A US-Turkish meeting focused on Syria took place in Washington on Tuesday with Barrack in attendance, according to Turkiye’s foreign ministry, which said sanctions relief and efforts to counter terrorism had been discussed.
The US had sought a step-for-step approach to Syria sanctions relief until Trump’s announcement that he was ordering “the cessation of sanctions,” which he said aimed to give Syria a chance to recover from devastating war. He said he made the decision after discussions with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Trump also met with Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14 and urged him to normalize ties with longtime foe Israel following his surprise sanctions announcement.
Removing US sanctions that cut Syria off from the global financial system would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations working in Syria, and ease foreign investment and trade as the country looks to rebuild.


South Sudan’s President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy

Updated 21 May 2025
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South Sudan’s President Kiir promotes sanctioned ally as ruling party deputy

  • The reshuffle follows months of political uncertainty in which authorities placed Kiir’s longtime rival First Vice President Riek Machar under house arrest

NAIROBI: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has reshuffled the senior leadership in the ruling party, according to an official decree, as the country faces fresh fighting between rival armed factions and widespread speculation about Kiir’s succession plans.
Kiir, 73, promoted sanctioned ally Second Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel as his SPLM party’s deputy chairperson, according to a decree read on the state broadcaster on Tuesday night, weeks after the United Nations said the country was on the brink of civil war.
Seen widely by political analysts as Kiir’s chosen successor, Bol Mel was sanctioned by the United States in 2017 over suspicions his construction company received preferential treatment in the awarding of government contracts.
If Kiir stepped down, Bol Mel’s new role as the SPLM party’s deputy chairperson would make him acting president of the country.
The reshuffle follows months of political uncertainty in which authorities placed Kiir’s longtime rival First Vice President Riek Machar under house arrest, accusing him of trying to stir a rebellion.
Machar’s opposition party denied the charges, and said the move effectively voided a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war between Kiir’s Dinka forces and Nuer fighters loyal to Machar.
Western countries, including the United States, Britain and Germany closed embassies or cut back operations in South Sudan.
Tuesday night’s ruling party shake-up saw Kiir demote three veterans of South Sudan’s liberation struggle, including former Second Vice President James Wani Igga, according to the decree read on state television on Tuesday night.