Egypt hosts 1.2 million Sudanese, with ‘hundreds’ arriving daily: UN

Sudanese who fled the war in their country cool off on the banks of the Nile river in the Egyptian city of Aswan. (File/AFP)
Sudanese who fled the war in their country cool off on the banks of the Nile river in the Egyptian city of Aswan. (File/AFP)
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Updated 10 November 2024
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Egypt hosts 1.2 million Sudanese, with ‘hundreds’ arriving daily: UN

Sudanese who fled the war in their country cool off on the banks of the Nile river in the Egyptian city of Aswan. (File/AFP)
  • Egypt currently hosts 546,746 Sudanese refugees who are officially registered with the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR

CAIRO: Hundreds of people fleeing war-torn Sudan arrive in neighboring Egypt every day, a UN official said Sunday, adding to more than 1.2 million who have found refuge there, according to official figures.
The war between rival Sudanese generals since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 11 million, with 3.1 million of them seeking shelter beyond the country’s borders, according to the UN.
Egypt currently hosts 546,746 Sudanese refugees who are officially registered with the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR, as well as others who are awaiting registration, said Christine Bishay, associate external relations officer at UNHCR Egypt.
A UNHCR report issued on Friday said that “recent data from the government of Egypt indicates that more than 1.2 million Sudanese have sought international protection in Egypt.”
This has made the North African country the largest host of Sudanese refugees despite imposing stricter entry requirements during the war in Sudan, which shares a long border with Egypt.
Sudanese nationals “now make up two-thirds of the country’s total registered refugee population” of 827,644 people representing 95 nationalities, including Syria, South Sudan and Eritrea, she said.
“Initially, at the very beginning of the conflict, thousands of Sudanese arrived in Egypt on a daily basis, before stabilising to a few hundreds per day,” Bishay added.
Cairo had initially waived visa requirements for Sudanese women, children and men over 50 at the start of the war.
But a month after the conflict erupted, the Egyptian government introduced visa entry requirements for all Sudanese, leaving many to resort to irregular crossings.
In September this year, Egypt further tightened entry requirements, obliging people entering from Sudan to obtain “prior security clearance” alongside a consular visa, according to Egypt’s interior ministry.
Raga Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a 27-year-old Sudanese woman who crossed into Egypt illegally in August, told AFP she had paid about 500,000 Sudanese pounds ($830) to travel in a pick-up truck with 16 others.
The desert journey, which took a gruelling day and a half, was “exhausting and terrifying,” Abdel Rahman said.
“We were constantly afraid of being stopped by RSF forces,” she added, referring to the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces who have been battling the regular army.
Hundreds of thousands of others who fled Sudan have sought refuge primarily in neighboring countries, including Chad, South Sudan and Libya.
In the report published on Friday, UNHCR Egypt warned that the humanitarian crisis caused by Sudan’s war has placed “immense pressure on Egypt’s resources and infrastructure.”
Hanan Hamdan, UNHCR representative to Egypt’s government and the Arab League, said that “the burden on Egypt is unsustainable and requires immediate and substantial international assistance to ensure the protection and well-being of those affected by the conflict.”
UNHCR also noted that so far, just over half of the funding needed for an aid scheme for Sudanese refugees has been secured.
The Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 “has received $1.52 billion in funding, which is 56.3 percent of the required $2.7 billion,” the UN agency said.
“Despite this significant contribution, the funding gap remains substantial.”


Omani army chief of staff meets French counterpart in Muscat

Omani army chief of staff meets French counterpart in Muscat
Updated 7 sec ago
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Omani army chief of staff meets French counterpart in Muscat

Omani army chief of staff meets French counterpart in Muscat
  • Thierry Burkhard also met Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs

LONDON: Vice-Admiral Abdullah Khamis Al-Raisi, the Omani Armed Forces’ chief of staff, received French Chief of Defence General Thierry Burkhard in his office at Al-Murta’a'a Garrison on Sunday.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views and reviewed various military matters of mutual interest, reported the Oman News Agency.

Burkhard and his delegation were also received by Omani Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al-Said.

The meeting was attended by Nabil Hajlaoui, the French ambassador to Muscat, and the French military attache.


Arab League calls scientists to develop AI as technology becomes dominant

Arab League calls scientists to develop AI as technology becomes dominant
Updated 18 min 55 sec ago
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Arab League calls scientists to develop AI as technology becomes dominant

Arab League calls scientists to develop AI as technology becomes dominant
  • Saudi Arabia is a key player in the Middle East in adopting AI technologies
  • Ahmed Aboul Gheit said rapid advancements in AI resemble an 'arms race' between China and the US

LONDON: Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the secretary-general of the Arab League, called on Arab scientists to develop regulations and standards for artificial intelligence during a dialogue meeting on Sunday.

The two-day meeting, “Artificial Intelligence in the Arab World: Innovative Applications and Ethical Challenges,” held at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, will explore the development of generative AI technologies, including drones and robotics.

Aboul Gheit said that computer scientists must set up standards for AI projects as the technology has become increasingly prevalent in several sectors in the past decade.

During the opening session, he noted that many Arab countries focused on maximizing AI’s benefits.

Saudi Arabia is a key player in the Middle East in adopting AI technologies across various sectors, including industry and energy. In 2019, the Kingdom established a dedicated organization called the Saudi Data and AI Authority to regulate, develop, and implement data and AI strategies.

Aboul Gheit noted the rapid advancements in AI, particularly in large language models and generative intelligence, resemble an “arms race” among major powers, including China and the US.

“Our scientists, politicians, and thinkers must keep pace with everything that is going on with AI in the world. This general-purpose technology will reshape the way we work, interact, and live,” he added.


Israeli military blows up several buildings in West Bank’s Jenin, Palestinian news agency says

Smoke rises during an Israeli army operation in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises during an Israeli army operation in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Updated 7 min 15 sec ago
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Israeli military blows up several buildings in West Bank’s Jenin, Palestinian news agency says

Smoke rises during an Israeli army operation in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 2, 2025. (Reuters)
  • Jenin Government Hospital Director Wisam Baker told the Palestinian state news agency that part of the hospital was damaged in the explosions
  • Palestinian state news agency said a 27 year-old man had been killed on Sunday by Israeli forces raiding a refugee camp near Hebron

RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM: The Israeli military blew up several buildings in the occupied West Bank on Sunday in a series of simultaneous explosions that the Palestinian state news agency said had leveled around 20 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp.

Thick clouds were seen rising from the Palestinian city where Israeli forces have been conducting a massive operation for nearly two weeks that the Israeli military says is targeted at local militants, including seizing weapons stockpiles.

Asked about the simultaneous demolition of buildings in Jenin, a spokesperson for the military said “several structures used as terrorist infrastructure” had been dismantled. More details would be released later, the person said.
Jenin Government Hospital Director Wisam Baker told the Palestinian state news agency that part of the hospital was damaged in the explosions but that there had been no casualties.
Jenin is a crowded township built for descendants of Palestinians who were driven out, or fled their homes, in the 1948 war when the state of Israel was established.

The refugee camp there has been a center of militant activity for decades and the target of repeated raids by Israeli security forces. Israeli forces, backed by helicopters and armored bulldozers, began the assault on the city on Jan. 21, two days after Israel reached a ceasefire in Gaza with militant group Hamas.
Hamas on Sunday called for an “escalation in the resistance” against Israel following the demolition of buildings in Jenin.
The Palestinian Authority, a Hamas rival, exercises limited governance over the West Bank where around 3 million Palestinians live and over which Israel maintains overall military control. Israeli forces have engaged in gunbattles with local militants since the operation began.

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday said security forces would stay until the operation is complete, without saying when that would be.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli military operation began, including nine members of armed groups, a 73 year-old man and a two-year-old girl, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli military says it has killed at least 35 militants and detained over 100 wanted individuals.
Dozens of homes and roads have been destroyed by Israeli forces in the latest campaign. The Palestinian state news agency also said that a 27 year-old man had been killed on Sunday by Israeli forces raiding a refugee camp near Hebron.


Criminal probe launched into Israel PM’s wife: state attorney’s office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attend an event in the occupied-West Bank town of Hebron. (File/AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attend an event in the occupied-West Bank town of Hebron. (File/AFP)
Updated 02 February 2025
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Criminal probe launched into Israel PM’s wife: state attorney’s office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attend an event in the occupied-West Bank town of Hebron. (File/AFP)
  • In the first case, Netanyahu and his wife are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods from billionaires in exchange for political favors

JERUSALEM: Israeli police are conducting a criminal investigation into Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the office of the state attorney said in a letter made public on Sunday.
“A criminal investigation was opened” into suspected criminal offenses, the office said in a letter to an Israeli opposition lawmaker who had accused Sara Netanyahu of tampering in her husband’s corruption trial after the broadcast in December of a television news investigation.
Naama Lazimi, Knesset member for the Democrats, shared the letter on X on Sunday confirming the criminal investigation was launched on December 26, adding that her office had contacted the state attorney following the investigation by Israeli Channel 12’s Uvda news program.
The show alleged that Sara Netanyahu had tried to intimidate a key witness in her husband’s ongoing corruption trial.
She also organized demonstrations to harass the Attorney General, his deputy and other individuals deemed hostile to her husband, according to the program.
The state attorney’s office added the investigation was being “conducted by the Israel Police accompanied by the cyber department of the state attorney’s office.”
In December, Benjamin Netanyahu testified in the corruption trial in which he faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of public trust in three separate cases, calling the charges against him “ridiculous.”
The trial, which had been delayed many times since it first began in May 2020, is scheduled to last for months, with an appeals process that could further prolong matters.
Netanyahu, who filed multiple requests to delay the proceedings based on the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.
In the first case, Netanyahu and his wife are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors.
He is the first sitting premier to face criminal trial in the country.


Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two

Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two
Updated 02 February 2025
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Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two

Qatar’s prime minister calls on Hamas, Israel to begin immediate talks on Gaza ceasefire phase two
  • According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal should begin before the 16th day of phase one of the ceasefire, which is Monday

DOHA: Qatar’s prime minister on Sunday called on Israel and Hamas to immediately begin negotiating phase two of the Gaza ceasefire, adding that there is no clear plan for when talks will begin.
“We demand (Hamas and Israel) to engage immediately as stipulated in the agreement,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at a press conference held jointly with Turkiye’s foreign minister in the Qatari capital Doha on Sunday.
According to the ceasefire agreement, negotiations on implementing the second phase of the deal should begin before the 16th day of phase one of the ceasefire, which is Monday.
Israel and Hamas last month reached a complex three-phase accord that has halted the fighting in Gaza. Hamas has so far released 18 hostages in exchange for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
There are more than 70 hostages still held in Gaza.
The second stage of the accord is expected to include Hamas releasing all remaining hostages held in Gaza, a permanent end to hostilities and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
“There is nothing yet clear about where the delegations will come and when it’s going to take place,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Mediators have engaged with Hamas and Israel over the phone and Qatar has set an agenda for the next phase of negotiations, he said.
“We hope that we start to see some movement in the next few days. It’s critical that we get things rolling from now in order to get to an agreement before day 42.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would begin negotiations on phase two of the agreement on Monday in Washington, when he is set to meet US President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff.
During his meeting with Witkoff, Netanyahu will discuss Israel’s positions in respect to the ceasefire, the prime minister’s office said. Witkoff will then speak with officials from Egypt and Qatar, who have mediated between Israel and Hamas over the past 15 months with backing from Washington.