Latest news with #civilWar
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Syrian minister says lifting of economic sanctions offers hope for recovery
DAMASCUS: The lifting of economic sanctions on the Syrian Arab Republic will allow the government to begin work on daunting tasks that include fighting corruption and bringing millions of refugees home, Hind Kabawat, the minister of social affairs and labor, told The Associated Press on Friday. Kabawat is the only woman and the only Christian in the 23-member cabinet formed in March to steer the country during a transitional period after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December. Her portfolio will be one of the most important as the country begins rebuilding after nearly 14 years of civil war. She said moves by the US and the EU in the past week to at least temporarily lift most of the sanctions that had been imposed on Syria over the decades will allow that work to get started. Before, she said, 'we would talk, we would make plans, but nothing could happen on the ground because sanctions were holding everything up and restricting our work.' With the lifting of sanctions, they can move to 'implementation.' One of the first programs the new government is planning to launch is 'temporary schools' for the children of refugees and internally displaced people returning to their home areas. Kabawat said that it will take time for the easing of sanctions to show effects on the ground, particularly since unwinding some of the financial restrictions will involve complicated bureaucracy. 'We are going step by step,' she said. 'We are not saying that anything is easy — we have many challenges — but we can't be pessimistic. We need to be optimistic.' The new government's vision is 'that we don't want either food baskets or tents after five years,' Kabawat said, referring to the country's dependence on humanitarian aid and many displacement camps. That may be an ambitious target, given that 90 percent of the country's population currently lives below the poverty line, according to the UN. The civil war that began in 2011 also displaced half the country's pre-war population of 23 million people. The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that about half a million have returned to Syria since Assad was ousted. But the dire economic situation and battered infrastructure have also dissuaded many refugees from coming back. The widespread poverty also fed into a culture of public corruption that developed in the Assad era, including solicitation of bribes by public employees and shakedowns by security forces at checkpoints. Syria's new leaders have pledged to end corruption, but they face an uphill battle. Public employees make salaries far below the cost of living, and the new government has so far been unable to make good on a promise to hike public sector wages by 400 percent. 'How can I fight corruption if the monthly salary is $40 and that is not enough to buy food for 10 days?' Kabawat asked. Syria's new rulers, led by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, have been under scrutiny by Western countries over the treatment of Syrian women and religious minorities. In March, clashes between government security forces and pro-Assad armed groups spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks on members of the Alawite sect to which Assad belongs. Hundreds of civilians were killed. The government formed a committee to investigate the attacks, which has not yet reported its findings. Many also criticized the transitional government as giving only token representation to women and minorities. Apart from Kabawat, the Cabinet includes only one member each from the Druze and Alawite sects and one Kurd. 'Everywhere I travel … the first and last question is, 'What is the situation of the minorities?'' Kabawat said. 'I can understand the worries of the West about the minorities, but they should also be worried about Syrian men and women as a whole.' She said the international community's priority should be to help Syria build its economy and avoid the country falling into 'chaos.' Despite being the only woman in the Cabinet, Kabawat said 'now there is a greater opportunity for women' than under Assad and that 'today there is no committee being formed that does not have women in it.' 'Syrian women have suffered a lot in these 14 years and worked in all areas,' she said. 'All Syrian men and women need to have a role in rebuilding our institutions.' She called for those wary of President Al-Sharaa to give him a chance. The West has warmed to the new president — particularly after his recent high-profile meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia to present ‘wish list' to Myanmar govt in bid to resolve crisis
Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan speaking to reporters after chairing an informal consultation on the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, held in conjunction with the 46th Asean Summit. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : Malaysia, as Asean chair, is planning to present the junta-led Myanmar government with a 'wish list' as it seeks to find a long-term solution to the ongoing civil war in the country. Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said the list was drawn up following discussions with various stakeholders, Bernama reported. 'Now we want to present it to the State Administration Council,' he was quoted as saying, referring to Myanmar's government headed by Gen Min Aung Hlaing. Myanmar is currently ravaged by a civil war between the ruling junta and a broad-based opposition, which includes numerous armed organisations. Mohamad said the crisis in Myanmar was not merely an internal matter, but had also affected the stability of the Asean region, including issues related to refugees and cross-border crimes. He said while Asean did not wish to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs, the bloc is a 'large family' and had the responsibility to help. 'Myanmar's problem has now become our collective issue,' he said. Earlier, Mohamad chaired the first informal consultative meeting involving the previous Asean chair (Laos), the current chair (Malaysia) and the incoming chair (the Philippines). Mohamad said the meeting heard a report presented by the special envoy of the Asean chair on Myanmar, Othman Hashim, regarding the latest developments in the country. He said Asean remains committed to ensuring that Myanmar adheres to the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) agreed upon by all Asean leaders in 2021. 'This 5PC is simple – cease all violence, initiate inclusive dialogue, allow humanitarian assistance to be delivered without hindrance, appoint an Asean special envoy, and allow the special envoy to meet all parties. 'However, the implementation of this consensus has faced difficulties due to a trust deficit and ethnic conflicts that have persisted for decades in Myanmar,' he said.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
US Moves to Ease Sanctions on Syria After Trump Met New Leader
The US has taken a major step toward easing severe sanctions on Syria imposed during the Assad dictatorship, which was overthrown by rebels last December after a nearly 14-year civil war. The 'immediate sanctions relief' was announced by the Treasury Department on Friday, more than a week after President Donald Trump met the nation's new leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
South Sudan should ‘pull back from the brink': UN
The United Nations rights chief urged on Friday for warring sides in South Sudan to pull back from the brink, warning that the human rights situation risks further deterioration as fighting intensifies. 'The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation, and undermining the country's fragile peace process,' said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. 'All parties must urgently pull back from the brink,' he added. South Sudan, the world's youngest country after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, was plunged into a violent civil war between 2013 and 2018 that claimed around 400,000 lives. A power-sharing agreement between the warring parties provided a fragile calm, but it has all but collapsed as violent clashes have broken out between forces allied to President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, First Vice-President Riek Machar, who was put under house arrest in March. Since May 3 fighting has intensified, with the UN citing reports of indiscriminate aerial bombardments and river and ground offensives by the South Sudan People's Defence Forces on Sudan People's Liberation Army positions in parts of Fangak in Jonglei State and in Tonga County in Upper Nile.
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Time ripe for talks between Myanmar junta and ousted government, Malaysia's Anwar says
BANGKOK/KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 (Reuters) - Separate talks with Myanmar's junta leader and his key rivals have borne fruit, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, setting the stage for the first time for direct contact between two sides embroiled in a protracted and devastating civil war. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing flew into the Thai capital Bangkok for a closed-door meeting with Anwar last month and, a day later, the Malaysian leader held online talks with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG). The NUG includes remnants of an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi deposed in the 2021 coup orchestrated by Min Aung Hlaing. Both sides were aware of the engagement, two sources with direct knowledge said, underscoring the willingness of Min Aung Hlaing to engage in peace efforts despite branding the government-in-exile as "terrorist". "We do engage separately, but I think it's time for them to talk," Anwar told reporters in Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya on Wednesday. "I mean, the people in Myanmar have to decide for themselves." A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesman for the NUG, said the shadow government would be open to talks with the military if it agreed to six conditions. These include forming a new federal democratic union under a new constitution with no role for the military in politics and the creation of a transitional justice framework. "If Myanmar's military agrees to that, we will have a dialogue with military authorities regarding the termination of the coup and peaceful transition of power," he told Reuters. It's unlikely that Myanmar's military, which has ruled the country for most of its post-independence history, will accept those conditions. But Anwar's initiative, launched on behalf of the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN that he currently chairs, marks the first time the military regime appears amenable to a dialogue since Myanmar was plunged into turmoil by the February 2021 coup. The violence has killed thousands, displaced over 3.5 million people and decimated the economy of the Southeast Asian nation. An armed opposition, comprising established ethnic armies and new resistance groups formed since the coup, has wrested chunks of territory from the junta, driving it out of border areas and increasingly hemming the territory it controls into the central lowlands. Malaysian officials have begun outreach to some armed groups in Myanmar, a diplomatic source said, without providing further details. In Bangkok, Anwar publicly focused on securing a ceasefire extension to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid following a March 28 earthquake that killed more than 3,800 people, mostly in central Myanmar. But the leader also utilised the opening to attempt to lay the groundwork for a broader peace process, according to four people aware of the discussions. His initiative is slated to dominate the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur next week, with dedicated talks among bloc members focused on the conflict ahead of the gathering. Anwar described his push as "the first serious attempt at engagement" by the bloc. "We have to move beyond that," he said on Wednesday. ASEAN has been calling for a cessation of violence since the 2021 coup, pushing a peace plan known "Five Point Consensus" that has made little progress and barred Myanmar's ruling generals from the bloc's summits. Backroom work for the Bangkok talks had started before the earthquake, three sources said, but the disaster provided an opportunity for Anwar to directly engage on humanitarian issues with Min Aung Hlaing, who has been shunned for nearly four years by successive ASEAN chairmen. "The humanitarian exercise is important in itself, but to achieve it, we need a ceasefire. And a temporary ceasefire will in turn open up possible future pathways towards peace and reconciliation," George Yeo, a former Singaporean foreign minister who is currently an adviser to Anwar, told Reuters. The NUG had initially opposed the Anwar-Min Aung Hlaing talks in Bangkok, urging "utmost caution" for any unilateral engagement with the junta chief. Since the Bangkok talks, the junta has announced extensions to a ceasefire initially agreed upon to support humanitarian relief following the quake - but it still kept up a deadly military campaign, including in areas devastated by the earthquake. ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn this week declined to comment on the military's continued offensive, saying it was unclear who had violated the ceasefire. In the short term, the regional bloc needs to push the warring sides in Myanmar to respect the ceasefire. "If everyone respects the ceasefire and sees the vital importance of humanitarian assistance, it could be a beginning point to bring the various sides for talks," commented veteran diplomat and former Thai vice minister for foreign affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow. The renewed move to intensify dialogue in Myanmar also comes amid a junta plan to hold a general election in December, an exercise derided by its critic as a sham to keep the generals in power through proxies. ASEAN had earlier said that the junta should prioritise making peace, instead of holding an election. "Dialogue is important for the election, without it there is no legitimacy," Sihasak said. "We have to be realistic enough to see that an election is not the end of the conflict."
