US aid cuts force UNICEF to reduce Lebanon nutrition programs, official says

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a congratulatory message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after forming a government and gaining parliamentary confidence.

In his message, the crown prince wished Salam “success, and continued progress and prosperity for the brotherly people of the Lebanese Republic.”

For its part, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said that “the Lebanese government gaining Parliament’s confidence marks the beginning of a new phase that contributes to restoring security and stability in Lebanon.”

Salam's government secured the confidence of 95 MPs, including Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, while 12 voted “no confidence,” most of whom were from the Free Patriotic Movement. Four MPs abstained from expressing their opinion.

The vote came after marathon parliamentary sessions over the past two days to discuss the ministerial statement, which serves as a government action plan. The statement outlines policies for approximately a year and three months, which is the government’s expected term until the next parliamentary elections.

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday praised the “confidence granted by the MPs” and said he respects “the position of those who did not grant it, as opposition in our parliamentary democratic system is a right, a duty, a necessity, and a responsibility.”

The prime minister responded to the deputies’ discussions on his government’s statement, by affirming that his cabinet will deal with the deputies’ remarks “with all seriousness.”

Salam promised “to boost the trust of the parliament and the people in the government.”

He said: “We are committed to listening to constructive criticism, away from bickering, incitement, or stirring sectarian tensions.”

The prime minister said that the Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction are the government’s top priority.

“Achieving the complete withdrawal of the Israeli troops from Lebanese territories is a top priority for our government,” he said. “Our stance is clear and unambiguous, and we will call for the implementation of the withdrawal according to the international borders stipulated in the 1949 truce agreement.

“We have launched a wide diplomatic campaign to explain our stance and gain the international and Arab support to force Israel to stop its violations of the Lebanese sovereignty, implement Resolution 1701 and fully withdraw from our territory.”

The prime minister announced his government’s commitment to establishing a transparent, independent reconstruction fund to rebuild war-damaged areas and address social consequences of the conflict.

“We recognize our responsibility to create a fund that will gain the confidence of the Lebanese people, international community, and potential donors,” Salam said. He emphasized that Lebanon would reject any attempts to impose political conditions on reconstruction assistance.

Additionally, he revealed that his government has initiated communications with relevant companies and countries regarding oil and gas exploration, with plans to accelerate extraction operations to benefit Lebanon’s economic interests.

Salam said that the return of Syrian refugees to their country requires “a sustainable return, which means a clear plan and a frank and serious dialogue with the Syrian authorities, along with coordination with the relevant UN agencies.”

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Armed Forces announced the “discovery of two spy devices planted by the Israeli enemy, during engineering survey operations carried out by a specialized unit of the army in the southern regions.”

The army called on citizens to “avoid approaching or touching these objects, as they pose an imminent danger to their lives, and to report them to the nearest military center for their safety.”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continued to bury dead members whose bodies were found in villages from which the Israeli forces had withdrawn after their incursion in the border region during the war. The forces Israelis control five strategic hills overlooking southern Lebanon and Israeli settlements, but have not specified a date for their withdrawal.
 

CAIRO: A parallel government being set up by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) aims to grab diplomatic legitimacy from its army-led rival and ease access to advanced weaponry, politicians who back it and paramilitary sources told Reuters.
The move could prolong a devastating war in which the paramilitary RSF has recently been losing ground, and effectively splinter Africa’s third largest country by area.
Since conflict between the army and the RSF erupted in April 2023, the army-led government has retained wide international recognition, despite being forced by the fighting to move to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
But in a bid to challenge that status, the RSF on Saturday signed a political charter in Kenya with political parties and armed groups. The signatories said a “Government of Peace and Unity” would be formed within weeks from inside Sudan.
Politicians and RSF officials participating in talks in Nairobi last week said their government would seize legitimacy from an army they said had pursued “divisive” tactics including air strikes and aid blockages while rejecting peace talks.
“We are not a parallel government and we are not a government in exile, we are the legitimate government,” Al-Hadi Idris, head of an armed faction backing the planned government, told Reuters.
Politician Ibrahim Al-Mirghani, another backer, said the new government would go to the United Nations and other forums to block the army’s participation.
“If you secure your country and stop the bloodshed, displacement, and terrorism ... neighbors will recognize you,” he said.

MILITARY SUPPORT
The Port Sudan-based government has foreign backers including Egypt and membership of international bodies, though it has been suspended from the African Union since the army and RSF jointly led a coup in 2021, upending a transition toward civilian rule.
Foreign states view the RSF’s planned government as an effort to control the flow of humanitarian aid, access arms markets, and gain leverage at any future peace negotiations, said Jonas Horner, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The RSF has received a stream of military support, including drones and air defenses, as both sides have obtained more advanced weaponry from abroad.
“Militias are not given advanced weapons but governments are ... Our priority is peace but the government must defend its citizens and we have the right to acquire aircraft and defense systems,” Idris said.
Asked for comment, the RSF, long overpowered by the army in the air, denied it wanted a government in order to import weapons but said it would have the authority to do so to defend its population.
The army, which denies blocking aid or targeting civilians, condemned the RSF’s charter as an attempt to expand the war at a time when the paramilitary force was on the back foot.
The UN secretary-general’s office expressed concern, stressing “Sudan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while the US called the move “unhelpful for the cause of peace and security in Sudan.”
The US has placed sanctions on leaders from both the army and the RSF in connection with the war, which has led to bouts of ethnically charged killings, displaced more than 12 million people, and spread famine and disease.

’NEW SUDAN’
In recent months the army, previously struggling militarily, has pushed the RSF out of much of the capital and central Sudan. The RSF retains control of most of the Darfur region, battling the army for control of the North Darfur, capital Al-Fashir.
It also controls most of West Kordofan, while much of South Kordofan is controlled by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu’s SPLM-N rebel group, the largest to align itself with the RSF.
Observers were surprised to see the SPLM-N side with the RSF, which has been accused of abuses in areas under the group’s control.
But the SPLM-N’s goal of a secular, pluralist country is a core theme in the charter signed over the weekend, which describes a federalist “New Sudan.”
SPLM-N leaders told Reuters that the alliance was a route to peace after decades of tribal attacks, allowing them to confront ideological foes in the army, which has long harbored Islamist influence.
They also said, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the alliance would provide access to much needed funds, aid, and resupply of weapons.