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US says Sudan warring factions agree to 72-hour ceasefire
US says Sudan warring factions agree to 72-hour ceasefire
The United States said on Monday that the warring factions in Sudan had agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire.
The truce is coming as Nigeria, Western, Arab and Asian nations raced to evacuate their citizens from the country.
The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said the deal followed two days of intense negotiations and would begin on Tuesday.
But there are doubts about the two sides honouring the agreement as they did not abide by several previous temporary truce deals.
The Nigerian government has promised to start evacuating Nigerians mostly students stranded in that country from Tuesday.
Air Peace has also volunteered to airlift the Nigerians provided they are moved to a neighbouring country.
Fighting erupted between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15 and has killed at least 427 people, knocked out hospitals and other services, and turned residential areas into war zones.
“During this period, the United States urges the SAF and RSF to immediately and fully uphold the ceasefire,” Blinken said in a statement.
He said the U.S. would coordinate with regional, international and Sudanese civilian interests to create a committee that would oversee work on a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements.
The RSF confirmed in Khartoum that it had agreed to the ceasefire, starting at midnight, to facilitate humanitarian efforts.
“We affirm our commitment to a complete ceasefire during the truce period”, the RSF said.
The SAF did not immediately comment on the announcement.
A coalition of Sudanese civil society groups that had been part of negotiations on a transition to democracy welcomed the news.
Ahead of the evening truce announcement, air strikes and ground fighting shook Omdurman, one of three adjacent cities in the capital region, and there were also clashes in capital Khartoum, a Reuters reporter said.
Dark smoke enveloped the sky near the international airport in central Khartoum, adjacent to army headquarters, and booms of artillery fire rattled the surroundings.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the violence in a country that flanks the Red Sea, Horn of Africa and Sahel regions “risks a catastrophic conflagration … that could engulf the whole region and beyond”.
Tens of thousands of people, including Sudanese and citizens from neighbouring countries, have fled in the past few days, including to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, despite instability and difficult living conditions there.
Foreign governments have been working to bring their nationals to safety. One 65-vehicle convoy took dozens of children, along with hundreds of diplomats and aid workers, on an 800-km (500-mile), 35-hour journey in searing heat from Khartoum to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
For those remaining in Africa’s third-largest country, where a third of its 46 million people needed aid even before the violence, the situation was increasingly bleak.
There were acute shortages of food, clean water, medicines and fuel and limited communications and electricity, with prices skyrocketing, said deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.
-With Reuters reports
News
Judge absent in Fayose N6.9bn fraud case, matter adjourned to July 1
Judge absent in Fayose N6.9bn fraud case, matter adjourned to July 1
The money laundering trial of a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, could not proceed on Thursday due to the absence of the trial judge, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Justice Aneke was said to be away on an official assignment and the case was adjourned to July 1 for the continuation of trial.
Fayose is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for an alleged N6.9bn fraud and money laundering.
He was first arraigned on October 22, 2018, before Justice Mojisola Olatotegun, with his company, Spotless Investment Ltd, on an 11 counts bordering on fraud and money laundering offences.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail on October 24, 2018, in the sum of N50m with sureties in like sum.
The defendant was re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Justice Olatoregun, following a petition by the EFCC against the judge.
He also pleaded not guilty to the charge and was allowed to continue on the earlier bail granted, while the case was adjourned for trial.
Fayose was alleged to have received a cash payment of the sum of five million dollars, (about N1.8bn) from the then Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, without going through any financial institution.
He was also alleged to have retained the sum of N300m in his account, with a control of the aggregate sums of about N622m.
Fayose was also accused of procuring De Privateer Ltd and Still Earth Ltd to retain the aggregate sums of N851m.
He was alleged to have used the aggregate sums of about N1.6bn, to acquire properties in Lagos and Abuja.
News
Updated: Unite against Israel for humanity, Fani-Kayode tells Christians, Muslims
Updated: Unite against Israel for humanity, Fani-Kayode tells Christians, Muslims
Former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has appealed to Christians and Muslims to unite against Israel, drawing parallels between its actions and those of Nazi Germany.
FFK’s message, shared on various platforms, urged Catholics, Protestants, Shia, and Sunni Muslims to set aside their differences and jointly oppose what he termed as the “evil and demonic agenda” of Zionists and the state of Israel.
In his statement, FFK condemned Israel’s alleged history of carnage, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and mass murder, as well as its purported perpetuation of racism, apartheid, religious intolerance, and injustice. He questioned the legitimacy of Israel’s claim to be God’s chosen people, particularly in light of its perceived disregard for human life and suffering, including the targeting of women, children, and babies.
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By likening Israel’s actions to those of Nazi Germany, FFK sought to underscore the severity of the situation, accusing the state of accumulating “much blood on its hands” comparable to the atrocities of the past. He distinguished between the historical Israel of King David, which he portrayed as reverent toward God, and the contemporary Israel under leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he accused of espousing hatred and aligning with evil forces.
Unite against Israel for humanity, Fani-Kayode tells Christians, Muslims
News
BREAKING: Panic at Lagos airport after fire outbreak, flights diverted
BREAKING: Panic at Lagos airport after fire outbreak, flights diverted
Following a fire at the facility, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has diverted flight operations from Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos to the D Wing.
The fire outbreak occured at the E54 Passenger Air Bridge at the domestic wing of the Airport.
The incident occurred at 5:29hrs on Thursday, according to a press release issued by Obiageli Orah, FAAN’s head of public affairs and consumer protection.
According to the statement, the fire, however, was brought under control by the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS) at 06:41hrs while efforts to ventilate the smoke from the building were in progress.
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“At 05:29 hrs, smoke was detected billowing from the E54 Bridge, leading electrical engineers to immediately cut off power to the entire E Wing. The Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS) team was quick to respond, arriving at the scene by 05:30 hrs. Initial suspicions point to sparks from an electrical unit as the cause, but a thorough investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.
“The incident, which had escalated into a fire, was brought under control by 06:41 hrs. Efforts to ventilate the smoke from the building are in progress. In the meantime, all flight operations in Terminal 1 of MMA have been diverted to the D Wing. More details will follow shortly,” Orah stated.
BREAKING: Panic at Lagos airport after fire outbreak, flights diverted
Judge absent in Fayose N6.9bn fraud case, matter adjourned to July 1
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