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Urgent need for South Sudan food aid: WFP

Urgent need for South Sudan food aid: WFP
Trucks from the World Food Program (WFP are parked near temporary shelters for Sudanese refugees from the Tandelti area who crossed into Chad, in Koufroun, near Echbara, on April 30, 2023.(AFP)
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Updated 01 November 2024
AFP
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Urgent need for South Sudan food aid: WFP

Urgent need for South Sudan food aid: WFP
  • WFP said it would have to rely on expensive airdrops later in the year to reach isolated communities who are most at risk
  • Funds received before the end of this year would enable WFP to transport food by road during the dry season
Updated 01 November 2024
AFP
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Nairobi: The UN World Food Programme made an urgent appeal Friday for donors to provide early funding for South Sudan, where millions are on the brink of starvation.
WFP said its stores of food supplies in South Sudan were empty and that it needed $404 million to prepare assistance for 2025 amid “spiralling operational costs and hunger.”
Without early funding, WFP said it would have to rely on expensive airdrops later in the year to reach isolated communities who are most at risk.
“It can take months to turn pledged donor funds into food in the hands of hungry people in South Sudan. The country’s limited road networks are impassable for much of the year — particularly in the east and central parts of the country where food insecurity is highest,” said Shaun Hughes, WFP’s acting country director for South Sudan, in a statement.
Funds received before the end of this year would enable WFP to transport food by road during the dry season from December to April.
“Airdrops are always (a) last resort for WFP. Every dollar spent on planes is a dollar not spent on food for hungry people,” said Hughes.
WFP said it had to double deliveries by airdrop in 2024, adding $30 million to its operational costs.
It said more than half — 56 percent — of people in South Sudan face crisis levels of hunger.
This is expected to worsen due to high inflation, flooding and people fleeing conflict in neighboring Sudan.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has remained plagued by chronic instability, violence, economic stagnation and climate disasters.
Like other aid agencies, WFP’s resources have been stretched thin by multiple global crises.
It said only 2.7 million of the 7.1 million hungry people received assistance during South Sudan’s lean season in 2024, and most received half rations.

Topics: Sudan World Food Program

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Syria leader stresses ‘strong strategic ties’ in call with Russia’s Putin

Syria leader stresses ‘strong strategic ties’ in call with Russia’s Putin
Updated 10 sec ago
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Syria leader stresses ‘strong strategic ties’ in call with Russia’s Putin

Syria leader stresses ‘strong strategic ties’ in call with Russia’s Putin
Updated 10 sec ago
DAMSCUS: Syria’s interim leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa emphasized the “strong strategic ties” between his country and Russia during his first telephone call with President Vladimir Putin since taking power, the Syrian presidency said Wednesday.
Militants led by Sharaa’s group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham ousted Moscow’s close ally Bashar Assad in December after a lightning offensive, and questions have remained over the fate of Russia’s two military bases in the war-torn country.
Sharaa emphasized “the strong strategic ties between the two countries and Syria’s openness to all parties” in a way that serves “the interests of the Syrian people and strengthens Syria’s stability and security,” the presidency statement said.
It also said Putin extended “an official invitation to Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani to visit Russia.”
The Kremlin, in a readout of the call, said Putin wished Sharaa “success... in solving the tasks facing the new leadership of the country for the benefit of the Syrian people.”
“The Russian side emphasized its principled position in support of the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian state,” it added.
Moscow helped keep Assad in power when it intervened militarily in Syria’s war in 2015, launching devastating strikes on rebel-held areas.
When rebels swept into Damascus in December, Russia granted Assad asylum, angering many Syrians including the country’s new rulers.
Russia is seeking to secure the fate of its naval base in Tartus and its air base at Hmeimim — both on Syria’s Mediterranean coast and Moscow’s only military bases outside the former Soviet Union — with the new Syrian authorities.
Both were left vulnerable after Assad was ousted, in a major setback for Russia’s foreign policy.
The Syrian presidency also said the two leaders exchanged “views on the current situation in Syria and the political roadmap for building a new Syria.”
Last month, Syria’s new leadership urged Moscow to “address past mistakes” during talks in Damascus with Russian officials that touched on “the brutal war waged by the Assad regime.”
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said he and his delegation had met for three hours with Sharaa and Shaibani.
Russia’s foreign ministry said that visit came at a “crunch point” in Russia-Syria relations, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it an “important trip.”
Peskov at the time declined to comment on reports that Syria’s new rulers had requested Assad’s extradition and to be paid compensation by Moscow.
Sharaa in an interview in December with Al-Arabiya TV channel noted the “deep strategic interests between Russia and Syria.”
“All Syria’s arms are of Russian origin, and many power plants are managed by Russian experts... We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish,” he said.
Diplomats from Ukraine, where Russia has been waging a full-scale invasion since 2022, visited Syria’s new rulers in December, with Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga urging Sharaa to expel Russia from the country.

Bahraini national security advisor and UK military chief discuss defense cooperation

Bahraini national security advisor and UK military chief discuss defense cooperation
Updated 12 February 2025
Arab News
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Bahraini national security advisor and UK military chief discuss defense cooperation

Bahraini national security advisor and UK military chief discuss defense cooperation
  • Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa highlights strong ties between the nations, especially defense and military cooperation
  • His talks with Adm. Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defense staff, cover long-term defense partnerships, regional security and stability, and counterterrorism efforts
Updated 12 February 2025
Arab News

LONDON: Bahrain’s national security advisor, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, met Adm. Tony Radakin, the UK’s chief of defense staff in London on Wednesday.

They discussed ways in which military cooperation between their countries might be enhanced, and the importance of long-term defense partnerships in efforts to ensure regional security and stability, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

Sheikh Nasser highlighted the existing strong ties between Bahrain and the UK, especially in terms of defense and military cooperation. He and Radakin addressed regional security challenges, focusing in particular on counterterrorism cooperation and maritime security in the Arabian Gulf region, and the need for joint military exercises and the coordination of multinational operations.

They also discussed the enhancement of Gulf security through maritime and air alliances, and aerial defense collaboration, the news agency added.

Topics: Bahrain UK

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Lebanon rejects further Israeli delay in withdrawing forces from southern areas

Lebanon rejects further Israeli delay in withdrawing forces from southern areas
Updated 12 February 2025
NAJIA HOUSSARI
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Lebanon rejects further Israeli delay in withdrawing forces from southern areas

Lebanon rejects further Israeli delay in withdrawing forces from southern areas
  • Israeli army is asking to remain in some border areas until Feb. 28
  • Lebanon informs overseeing committee of firm rejection to request
Updated 12 February 2025
NAJIA HOUSSARI

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday called on Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel to “ensure the EU countries pressure Israel to complete its withdrawal from the southern border area within the set deadline of the 18th of this month.”

Aoun said that “Lebanon supports the Arab Peace Initiative and rejects any proposals that would lead to any form of Palestinian displacement from their land or undermine their legitimate rights as enshrined in United Nations resolutions.”

Six days before the full withdrawal of Israeli forces that had advanced into southern Lebanon — following a 24-day extension of the withdrawal deadline, with US approval — the committee overseeing the monitoring of the ceasefire and the implementation of Resolution 1701 was informed that the Israeli army is asking to remain in some border areas until Feb. 28. Lebanon however, has informed the committee of its firm rejection of this request.

Morgan Ortagus, US deputy ambassador for the Middle East, is expected to return to Beirut on a second visit as part of her current mission to follow up on the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon on Feb. 18.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent meeting at the White House asked US President Donald Trump to delay the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon for a few weeks.

Additionally, he sought to maintain Israeli control over five key hills: Jabal Blat, Labouneh, Aziziyah, Awida, and Hamames.

Lebanon’s efforts to ensure Israel’s complete withdrawal from its territory by the specified deadline are accompanied by a proposal for UNIFIL forces to be stationed in coordination with the Lebanese army to take control of the said hills.

Maj. Gen. Hassan Ouda, acting chief of Lebanon's army, met Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, commander of UNIFIL, and their “discussions focused on the efforts being made to implement Resolution 1701,” according to an army statement.

The authorities in Lebanon are awaiting the Trump administration to fulfill its commitment regarding the scheduled withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Last week, Ortagus said in a statement from Beirut that her country “is dedicated to ensuring that Israel completes its withdrawal on the specified timeline.”

Meanwhile, Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli military, issued an urgent warning on social media to the residents of southern Lebanon.

“The Israeli army remains deployed in the field following the extension of the agreement’s implementation period. Therefore, you are prohibited from moving south or returning to your homes in the areas in question until further notice. Anyone attempting to move south is at risk,” he posted.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces continued bombing border villages in the eastern and central Gaza Strip and set houses ablaze.

Additionally, Israeli forces carried out bulldozing operations on the outskirts of the town of Al-Dahira and used cranes to install concrete slabs at the technical fence of the Blue Line.

Also on Wednesday, a young man, identified as Khalil Fayyad, succumbed to gunshot wounds inflicted by Israeli forces on Jan. 26 in his hometown of Aitaroun during residents’ attempts to return to the town.

Topics: Lebanon Israel Joseph Aoun Paulo Rangel

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Egypt’s El-Sisi, Jordan king stress ‘unity’ of positions on Gaza: Egypt presidency

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. (File/AFP)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. (File/AFP)
Updated 12 February 2025
AFP
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Egypt’s El-Sisi, Jordan king stress ‘unity’ of positions on Gaza: Egypt presidency

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. (File/AFP)
  • Leaders affirmed the “unity of the Egyptian and Jordanian positions,” on the reconstruction of Gaza Strip, “without displacing the Palestinian people”: Statement
Updated 12 February 2025
AFP

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II stressed Wednesday the “unity” of their countries’ positions on Gaza, a day after US President Donald Trump held talks with the Jordanian monarch in Washington.
“The two leaders affirmed the unity of the Egyptian and Jordanian positions,” on the reconstruction of the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, “without displacing the Palestinian people from their land,” a statement from the Egyptian presidency read.
Another statement from the Jordanian royal court said that the two leaders stressed their “shared position” rejecting the forced displacement of Palestinians.
Both statements also referred to their willingness to “cooperate” with Trump to achieve “just and lasting peace” in the Middle East.
Egypt and Jordan have been at the forefront of a fierce Arab pushback against a Trump plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to the two countries.
Trump’s remarks have been coupled with a suggestion that he could “conceivably” halt aid to both countries if they refuse to take in Palestinians.
After his talks with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, King Abdullah II said that his country remains “steadfast” in its position against the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
“This is the unified Arab position,” Abdullah wrote on social media.
Egypt announced this week that it would host a summit of Arab nations later this month. It also said it would present a “comprehensive vision” for Gaza’s reconstruction in a way that ensures Palestinians remain on their land.
Egypt and Jordan, both key US allies, are heavily reliant on foreign aid and the US is considered one of their top donors.

Topics: Wart on gaza Trump Returns Jordan Egypt Israel Palestine

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124 journalists killed, most by Israel, in deadliest year for reporters

124 journalists killed, most by Israel, in deadliest year for reporters
Updated 12 February 2025
AFP
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124 journalists killed, most by Israel, in deadliest year for reporters

124 journalists killed, most by Israel, in deadliest year for reporters
  • Journalists murdered across 18 different countries in 2024, including Palestine, Sudan and Pakistan
  • Sudan and Pakistan record second-highest number of journalists and media workers killed, six each
Updated 12 February 2025
AFP

NEW YORK: Last year was the deadliest for journalists in recent history, with at least 124 reporters killed — and Israel responsible for nearly 70 percent of that total, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported Wednesday.
The uptick in killings, which marks a 22 percent increase over 2023, reflects “surging levels of international conflict, political unrest and criminality worldwide,” the CPJ said.
It was the deadliest year for reporters and media workers since CPJ began keeping records more than three decades ago, with journalists murdered across 18 different countries, it said.
A total of 85 journalists died in the Israeli-Hamas war, “all at the hands of the Israeli military,” the CPJ said, adding that 82 of them were Palestinians.
Sudan and Pakistan recorded the second highest number of journalists and media workers killed, with six each.
In Mexico, which has a reputation as one of the most dangerous countries for reporters, five were killed, with CPJ reporting it had found “persistent flaws” in Mexico’s mechanisms for protecting journalists.
And in Haiti, where two reporters were murdered, widespread violence and political instability have sown so much chaos that “gangs now openly claim responsibility for journalist killings,” the report said.
Other deaths took place in countries such as Myanmar, Mozambique, India and Iraq.
“Today is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ’s history,” said the group’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
“The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists and demonstrates a major deterioration in global norms on protecting journalists,” she said.
CPJ, which has kept records on journalist killings since 1992, said that 24 of the reporters were deliberately killed because of their work in 2024.
Freelancers, the report said, were among the most vulnerable because of their lack of resources, and accounted for 43 of the killings in 2024.
The year 2025 is not looking more promising, with six journalists already killed in the first weeks of the year, CPJ said.

Topics: Palestine Journalists

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