World

Sudan army absent as talks aimed at ending civil war begin in Switzerland

Published

2 years ago

August 14, 2024

Sudan army absent as talks aimed at ending civil war begin in Switzerland

Army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s about-face on joining talks dampens hopes they will lead to the end of 16-month war.

A new round of talks aimed at ending a 16-month civil war in Sudan that has sparked a humanitarian crisis in the Northeast African country has begun in Switzerland despite the army’s absence.

Army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s reversal on joining the United States-led negotiations dampened hopes that Wednesday’s proceedings would lead to a breakthrough with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.

The two sides have been fighting in a bloody civil war since April last year.

“The talks have started,” a spokesman for the US mission in Geneva told the AFP news agency, adding that there was “no change” to the nonparticipation of the Sudanese army.

Al-Burhan has struck a defiant tone after the military said the general survived a drone attack on a military celebration in eastern Sudan last month.

He continued that course on Tuesday, saying, “Military operations will not stop without the withdrawal of every last militiaman from the cities and villages they have plundered and colonised.”

The Sudanese army has repeatedly accused the RSF of failing to adhere to commitments to pull combatants out of civilian areas and facilitate aid deliveries. Those were part of an agreement reached in direct talks last year in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a brief pause in the fighting.

Mediators have said both sides have violated the terms of the agreement.

For its part, the RSF has repeatedly denied it has committed abuses against civilians or looting despite continuing its heavy bombardment of the cities of Omdurman, el-Obeid and el-Fasher. It has sent a delegation to the negotiations in Switzerland and said it was open to a new peace deal if the army engages in talks.

Also in attendance in Geneva on Wednesday were representatives from Egypt, the United Nations, the African Union, the East African body IGAD (the Intergovernmental Authority on Development) and the United Arab Emirates, which has repeatedly denied allegations it is providing weapons and other military support to the RSF.

‘Cataclysmic breaking point’

Al-Burhan and Hemedti had tenuously shared power after the 2021 toppling of President Omar al-Bashir. However, tensions over plans to integrate their two forces exploded last year into full-scale war.

Fighting initially began in the capital, Khartoum, and the RSF eventually seized most of the Darfur region and Gezira state. The army-led government has since rebased in Port Sudan on the east coast.

Both sides have been accused of committing abuses, including targeting civilians, indiscriminately shelling residential areas and hampering aid deliveries.

The UN said the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and internally displaced more than 10.7 million. Another 2.3 million refugees have fled the country, according to the International Organization of Migration.

This week, UN officials warned that Sudan is at a “cataclysmic breaking point” as they predicted tens of thousands of preventable deaths from hunger, disease, floods and violence in the coming months if the fighting does not end.

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World

Did the EU bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s €90 billion loan?

Published

51 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Did the EU bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s €90 billion loan?

A post on X by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has triggered a wave of misinformation linked to the EU’s €90 billion support loan to Ukraine, which is designed to help Kyiv meet its general budget and defence needs amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Hungary said earlier this week that it would block both the loan — agreed by EU leaders in December — and a new EU sanctions package against Moscow amid a dispute over oil supplies.

Shortly afterwards, Metsola posted on X that she had signed the Ukraine support loan on behalf of the parliament.

She said the funds would be used to maintain essential public services, support Ukraine’s defence, protect shared European security, and anchor Ukraine’s future within Europe.

The announcement triggered a wave of reactions online, with some claiming Hungary’s veto had been ignored, but this is incorrect.

Metsola did sign the loan on behalf of the European Parliament, but that’s only one step in the EU’s legislative process. Her signature does not mean the loan has been definitively implemented.

How the process works

In December, after failing to reach an agreement on using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort, the European Council agreed in principle to provide €90 billion to help Kyiv meet its budgetary and military needs over the next two years.

On 14 January, the European Commission put forward a package of legislative proposals to ensure continued financial support for Ukraine in 2026 and 2027.

These included a proposal to establish a €90 billion Ukraine support loan, amendments to the Ukraine Facility — the EU instrument used to deliver budgetary assistance — and changes to the EU’s multiannual financial framework so the loan could be backed by any unused budgetary “headroom”.

Under EU law, these proposals must be adopted by both the European Parliament and the European Council. Because the loan requires amendments to EU budgetary rules, it ultimately needs unanimous approval from all member states.

Metsola’s signature therefore does not amount to a final decision, nor does it override Hungary’s veto.

The oil dispute behind Hungary’s opposition

Budapest says its objections are linked to a dispute over the Druzhba pipeline, a Soviet-era route that carries Russian oil via Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.

According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Hungary and Slovakia imported an estimated €137 million worth of Russian crude through the pipeline in January alone, under a temporary EU exemption.

Oil flows reportedly stopped in late January after a Russian air strike that Kyiv says damaged the pipeline’s southern branch in western Ukraine. Hungary disputes this, with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accusing Ukraine of blocking it from being used.

Speaking in Kyiv alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the pipeline had been damaged by Russia, not Kyiv.

He added that repairs were dangerous and could not be carried out quickly without putting Ukrainian servicemen in danger.

Tensions escalated further after reports that Ukraine struck a Russian pumping station serving the pipeline. Orbán responded by ordering increased security at critical infrastructure sites, claiming Kyiv was attempting to disrupt Hungary’s energy system.

World

Video: Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Afghanistan

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Video: Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Afghanistan

new video loaded: Pakistan Launches Airstrikes on Afghanistan

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated on Friday as the two countries clashed.

By Monika Cvorak

February 27, 2026

Denmark’s Prime Minister Calls For a Snap Parliamentary Election