
Sudan paramilitaries launch first attack on de facto capital: army
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) 'targeted Osman Digna Air Base, a goods warehouse and some civilian facilities in the city of Port Sudan with suicide drones,' army spokesman Nabil Abdullah said in a statement.
He reported no casualties but 'limited damage.' Smoke was seen billowing from Port Sudan's airport.
The paramilitaries have expanded the scope and frequency of their drone attacks on army-held areas since losing control of areas including most of the capital Khartoum in March.
On Saturday, a source from the army-aligned government reported a rare drone attack on Kassala, on Sudan's eastern border with Eritrea, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the nearest RSF-held territory.
In the early days of the war, the government relocated from Khartoum to Port Sudan, which until Sunday's attack had been spared the violence.
UN agencies have also moved their offices and staff to Port Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge from the war.
Since April 2023, the regular army, headed by Sudan's de facto leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has been battling the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, in a brutal war that has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million.
The conflict has left Africa's third largest country effectively divided.
The regular army controls the center, east and north, while the RSF holds sway in nearly all of the vast western region of Darfur and parts of the south.
In late February, the RSF and its allies signed a charter in Kenya announcing a plan to establish a rival government to the army-aligned administration.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Recognizing Palestine cannot distract from Gaza ‘genocide': UN special rapporteur
LONDON: International momentum toward recognizing a Palestinian state should not distract UN members from bringing an end to the 'genocide' in Gaza, Francesca Albanese has said. The UN special rapporteur for the Occupied Territories told The Guardian that the extended debate about Palestinian statehood has yielded no political progress, instead enabling the spread of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 'The territory has been literally eaten out by the advancement of the annexation and colonization,' she said. Recognition of a Palestinian state is 'important,' but something so simple that 'it's incoherent that they've not done it already,' Albanese added. Renewed global attention toward statehood should not 'distract the attention from where it should be: the genocide,' she said, calling for a total arms embargo and a cessation of trade agreements with Israel. 'Ending the question of Palestine in line with international law is possible and necessary: End the genocide today, end the permanent occupation this year and end apartheid,' she added. 'This is what's going to guarantee freedom and equal rights for everyone, regardless of the way they want to live — in two states or one state, they will have to decide.' Albanese said growing worldwide angst over the destruction of Gaza is an 'ultimate struggle' and a matter of 'light and darkness.' Despite inaction by Western countries, she sees hope in the 'millions of people taking to the streets and asking for an end to the genocide.' She added: 'An entire new generation now speaks the language of human rights. For me, this is a success in and of itself.' Her most recent report focused on the corporate power — 'profiting from genocide' — behind Israel's actions in Gaza. 'The occupation is profitable, and so is the genocide, and this is shocking, but it is to be known in order to be seen and to be stopped,' Albanese said. 'The power is not just with the prime ministers or with the governments. The power is with us, and we can start choosing through our wallet.'


Saudi Gazette
5 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
UK, France and Germany ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran over nuclear program
LONDON — The UK, France and Germany have told the UN they are ready to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program if it fails to resume talks by the end of August. The three countries, known as the E3, said they were prepared to trigger a "snapback" mechanism - meaning previous sanctions would be reinstated - unless Iran resumes negotiations. The E3 said they had offered to extend a deadline for negotiations to the end of August, which they said Iran has not replied to. Iranian lawmaker Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran's parliament was ready to withdraw from a nuclear deal which restricted its nuclear program if new sanctions were put in place, the Iranian Defa Press news agency reported. The E3's letter comes after initial talks between their delegations and Iranian diplomats took place in Istanbul, Turkey last month. In the letter to the UN and its chief António Guterres, three foreign ministers - Jean-Noël Barrot from France, David Lammy from the UK and Johann Wadephul from Germany - said they would enforce severe sanctions on Iran unless it agrees to limit its nuclear E3 said their offer of an extension to the negotiations "remained unanswered by Iran"."We have made it clear that if Iran is not willing to reach a diplomatic solution before the end of August 2025, or does not seize the opportunity of an extension, the E3 are prepared to trigger the snapback mechanism," the letter added they were committed to using "all diplomatic tools" to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon - something Iran has denied intending to month, Iran said it was prepared for further talks but only once sanctions already in place were lifted and its right to a civilian nuclear programme was on Iran's nuclear programme were previously lifted in 2015 after Iran signed a nuclear deal with the E3, the US, Russia and China, agreeing limits on its nuclear operations and to allow international inspectors entry to its nuclear sites. The deal is due to expire in US withdrew from the deal in 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, with the leader saying it did too little to stop Iran from creating a pathway to a nuclear its withdrawal, all US sanctions were re-imposed on retaliated by increasingly breaching the restrictions. In May, the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it had more than 400kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity - well above the level used for civilian purposes and close to weapons June Iran's parliament suspended cooperation with the IAEA after tensions with Israel and the US came to a launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities the same month, triggering a 12-day US bombed a number of Iran's nuclear sites, bringing US-Iran talks to an abrupt the strikes, the E3 countries stepped up warnings to Iran about its suspension of cooperation with the BBC has contacted the UK Foreign Office for Iranian mission to the UN did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment. — BBC


Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan seeks Gulf, regional backing for global plastics treaty at Geneva talks
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has stepped up engagement with Gulf and regional partners on a planned global plastics treaty, holding talks with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other states at high-level negotiations in Geneva this week, the ministry of climate change said on Wednesday. The discussions took place during the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5.2), part of ongoing UN-led efforts to produce the first legally binding international agreement to curb plastic waste. Negotiations have drawn wide participation from governments, industry and civil society, with particular focus on measures to reduce plastic production, boost recycling, and address the mounting environmental and economic costs of plastic pollution. Pakistan has positioned itself as a voice for developing countries in the talks, stressing the need for fairness, financial support and technology transfer to help poorer nations tackle the crisis. Gulf states, several of which are major petrochemical producers, are seen as key stakeholders in shaping the treaty's scope and implementation, both as plastic producers and as potential investors in recycling and waste-management infrastructure. 'The discussions focused on advancing cooperation for a fair and effective Global Plastics Treaty, promoting circular economy solutions, and mobilizing resources to address the disproportionate impacts of plastic pollution on developing countries,' the Pakistani climate ministry said in its statement after Climate Minister Dr. Musadik Malik held an interactive briefing with delegations from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Algeria, and Kuwait. The ministry said the engagements 'formed part of Pakistan's broader diplomatic outreach to build consensus and strengthen partnerships for equitable global environmental action.' The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2), opened on Aug. 12 in Geneva. The session aims to finalize and approve the text of the agreement and forward it for consideration and adoption at a future Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries. INC-5.2 takes place from 5 – 14 August, follows INC 5, which took place in November/December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea. 'Plastic pollution is already in nature, in our oceans and even in our bodies. If we continue as on this trajectory, the whole world will be drowning in plastic pollution – with massive consequences for our planetary, economic and human health,' said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. 'But this does not have to be our future. Together, we can solve this challenge. Agreeing a treaty text is the first step to beating plastic pollution for everyone, everywhere.' 'We are here today to fulfil an international mandate. This is a unique and historic opportunity for the international community to bridge differences and find common ground. It is not just a test of our diplomacy— it is a test of our collective responsibility to protect the environment, safeguard human health, enable sustainable economies, and stand in solidarity with those most affected by this plastic pollution crisis,' said Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Chair of the INC.