Latest news with #Youssouf
Leaders
4 days ago
- Business
- Leaders
Saudi Foreign Minister Receives AUC Chairperson in Riyadh
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, have met in Riyadh, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). On Thursday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan received Youssouf at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Riyadh. During their meeting, the two officials reviewed the relations between Saudi Arabia and the African Union. They also explored ways to further bolster ties across various fields. Furthermore, the Saudi Foreign Minister and the AUC Chairperson discussed topics of mutual interest. The Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, and Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Fahd Al-Humaidani, attended the meeting. In mid-May, Youssouf met with Al-Khuraiji on the sidelines of the Arab League Summit in Baghdad. Both officials explored ways to strengthen the partnership between Saudi Arabia and the African Union (AU). They also discussed boosting support for the African Union's efforts in enhancing peace, development, and regional integration, according to the AU press release at the time. Saudi Arabia and the AU enjoy robust relations. In October 2024, the Kingdom hosted the New Africa Summit, on the sidelines of the 8th annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh. The New Africa Summit brought together global leaders and decision-makers to explore the vast economic opportunities and discuss challenges facing the African continent. It followed a Saudi-African Summit, held in November 2023, which aimed to foster bilateral relations and capitalize on the vast economic opportunities in Africa. Short link : Post Views: 5
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Renewed RSF shelling killed several in Sudan's el-Fasher, army says
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed seven people in artillery shelling on el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan. A statement from the military-aligned government said on Monday that the RSF shelling that began late on Sunday targeted residential neighbourhoods, killing seven people, including women and children, and wounding at least 15, who were taken to hospitals. On Sunday, the army also said the RSF shelling in the city killed nine people. El-Fasher has witnessed intense fighting between SAF and RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings about the risks of violence in a city that serves as a key humanitarian hub for the five Darfur more than a year, the RSF has sought to wrest control of it, located more than 800km (500 miles) southwest of the capital, Khartoum, from the Sudanese army, launching regular attacks on the city and two major famine-hit camps for displaced people on its outskirts. The RSF and the SAF have been locked in a brutal power struggle since April 2023, resulting in thousands of deaths and pushing Sudan into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations. More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced in the brutal civil war now in its third year, according to UN and local figures. However, some United States-based researchers estimate the actual death toll to be as high as 130,000. Meanwhile, the African Union (AU) said on Monday it would not accept 'any interference' in Sudan after the RSF was accused of receiving weapons from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Last week, the Sudanese government severed diplomatic relations with the UAE, accusing it of supplying weapons to the RSF. Amnesty International has also accused the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF, in violation of a UN arms embargo. The UAE has rejected the claims as 'baseless'. 'The Commission's position is that member states are sovereign states, and the AU Commission will not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Sudan,' said AU Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.'We will not support any intervention, any interference in the crisis in Sudan,' he said. However, Youssouf declined to comment on the UAE's possible role in the conflict. 'It is not the role of the AU. Sudan has accused the Emirates; it is up to Sudan to provide this evidence,' he said. The foreign minister of Djibouti was elected head of the pan-African organisation in February, inheriting multiple conflicts and a record of ineffectual statements. Among the top of his priorities coming into the post was the Sudan civil war, which has effectively cleaved the country in two. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes. In recent days, drone attacks attributed by the army to the RSF have increased, marking a turning point in the two-year conflict. Drone attacks have also notably targeted strategic sites in Port Sudan, the temporary seat of government and the logistical humanitarian epicentre. In February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged a halt to the 'flow of arms' into Sudan.
Eyewitness News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
AU will not accept 'any interference' in Sudan
ADDIS ABABA - The African Union said Monday it would not accept "any interference" in conflict-wracked Sudan after paramilitaries fighting the army were accused of receiving weapons from the United Arab Emirates. The war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands, uprooted 13 million and sent shudders through east Africa and beyond. Last week, the Sudanese government severed diplomatic relations with the UAE, accusing it of supplying weapons to the RSF. Amnesty International has also accused the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF, in violation of a United Nations arms embargo. Abu Dhabi has rejected the claims as "baseless". "The Commission's position is that member states are sovereign states, and the AU Commission will not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Sudan," said AU chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf. "We will not support any intervention, any interference in the crisis in Sudan," he said. However, Youssouf declined to comment on the UAE's possible role in the conflict: "it is not the role of the AU, Sudan has accused the Emirates, it is up to Sudan to provide this evidence." The Djibouti ex-foreign minister was elected head of the pan-African organisation in February, inheriting multiple conflicts and a record of ineffectual statements. Among the top of his priorities coming into the post was the Sudan civil war, which has effectively cleaved the country in two. The army mostly controls central, eastern and northern Sudan, while the RSF and its allies dominate nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south. Both sides have been accused of committing war crimes. In recent days, drone attacks attributed by the army to the RSF have increased, marking a turning point in the two-year conflict. Drone attacks have notably targeted strategic sites in Port Sudan, the temporary seat of government and the logistical humanitarian epicentre. In February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged a halt to the "flow of arms" into Sudan.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel's ambassador is ejected from an African Union event
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Israel 's ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from an African Union event this week and has described it as outrageous. An Israeli official on Wednesday told The Associated Press the ejection from the annual event commemorating the 1994 Rwanda genocide was at the request of AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to a journalist. 'The new African Union Commission chairperson chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements,' the ambassador, Avraham Nigusse, asserted Tuesday on social media. It 'reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the histories of both the Rwandan and Jewish peoples,' he added, saying he had been invited by Rwanda. The spokesperson for Youssouf, a former foreign minister of Djibouti, did not respond to requests for comment. Youssouf started his four-year AU term in February. A diplomat at the AU on Wednesday said Israel's ambassador was removed because they no longer had observer status at the continental body based in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. Israel regained observer status at the AU in 2021, two decades after it was revoked over its conflict with the Palestinians, as Jerusalem sought wider ties with African nations. However, the observer status was suspended again in 2023 pending review by a committee of African heads of state. They have yet to deliver a verdict. In 2023, a senior Israeli diplomat was evicted from the AU's annual summit for not having proper accreditation. The pan-African body has strong ties to the Palestinians, often inviting their leaders to address major gatherings. Israel last month shattered a ceasefire and renewed its military offensive in Gaza. The territory's Health Ministry says more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war with Hamas started with the militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. South Africa, a prominent AU member, has brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide during its military operations in Gaza. Israel has denied the allegations and called them outrageous.
Arab News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel's ambassador is ejected from African Union event
ADDIS ABABA: Israel's ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from an African Union event this week and has described it as outrageous. An Israeli official on Wednesday told The Associated Press the ejection from the annual event commemorating the 1994 Rwanda genocide was at the request of AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Youssouf. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to a journalist. 'The new African Union Commission chairperson chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements,' the ambassador, Avraham Nigusse, asserted Tuesday on social media. It 'reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the histories of both the Rwandan and Jewish peoples,' he added, saying he had been invited by Rwanda. The spokesperson for Youssouf, a former foreign minister of Djibouti, did not respond to requests for comment. Youssouf started his four-year AU term in February. A diplomat at the AU on Wednesday said Israel's ambassador was removed because they no longer had observer status at the continental body based in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to journalists. Israel regained observer status at the AU in 2021, two decades after it was revoked over its conflict with the Palestinians, as Jerusalem sought wider ties with African nations. However, the observer status was suspended again in 2023 pending review by a committee of African heads of state. They have yet to deliver a verdict. In 2023, a senior Israeli diplomat was evicted from the AU's annual summit for not having proper accreditation. The pan-African body has strong ties to the Palestinians, often inviting their leaders to address major gatherings. Israel last month shattered a ceasefire and renewed its military offensive in Gaza. The territory's Health Ministry says more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war with Hamas started with the militant group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. South Africa, a prominent AU member, has brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of genocide during its military operations in Gaza. Israel has denied the allegations and called them outrageous.
