UN warns ‘intensified hostilities’ ahead in Sudan despite RSF backing truce planFri, 07 Nov 2025 19:40:04 GMT
The United Nations warned on Friday of “intensified hostilities” ahead in Sudan, despite paramilitary forces endorsing a truce proposal from mediators after more than two years of war with the regular army.”There is no sign of de-escalation,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.”Developments on the ground indicate clear preparations for intensified …
UN warns ‘intensified hostilities’ ahead in Sudan despite RSF backing truce plan
The United Nations warned on Friday of “intensified hostilities” ahead in Sudan, despite paramilitary forces endorsing a truce proposal from mediators after more than two years of war with the regular army.”There is no sign of de-escalation,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement.”Developments on the ground indicate clear preparations for intensified hostilities, with everything that implies for its long-suffering people.”On Thursday, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said they had accepted a truce plan put forward by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.However, the government, backed by the army, has yet to respond to the US-led mediators’ proposal, and explosions rocked the army-controlled capital Khartoum on Friday.The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly 12 million and triggered a hunger crisis.Less than two weeks ago, the RSF captured the city of El-Fasher, the army’s last major stronghold in Darfur, giving it control of all five state capitals in the vast western region, in addition to parts of the south. The army controls most of Sudan’s north, east and centre. El-Fasher’s fall was accompanied by reports of mass killings, sexual violence and looting, drawing international condemnation. Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab said on Thursday that satellite imagery collected earlier this week showed the RSF had blocked a key civilian escape route from the city.Doctors Without Borders warned Friday that the fate of hundreds of thousands who are still trapped in El-Fasher was unknown after satellite images from Yale’s HRL showed suspected mass graves.According to the United Nations, about 70,000 people have fled El-Fasher to nearby towns, including Tawila, while the city had previously housed some 260,000.”Our main concern is that though we have seen approximately 5,000 people coming out of El-Fasher towards Tawila, we don’t know where the other hundreds of thousands have gone,” newly elected MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim said. There are also fears of further atrocities taking place as the conflict shifts into the oil-rich Kordofan region.- ‘Living in fear’ -In South Kordofan, a medical source told AFP on Friday that the RSF shelled a hospital in besieged Dilling the day before, killing five and injuring five more. The Sudan Doctors’ Union said the attack also destroyed the facility’s radiology department. Dilling, under RSF siege since June 2023, lies about 150 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of army-controlled El-Obeid, a key crossroads linking Darfur to Khartoum. The army broke a two-year siege of El-Obeid in February, but the RSF has regrouped and is mounting a fresh push to seize Sudan’s central corridor. A resident of the city, the capital of North Kordofan state, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that people “are living in fear” and “ready to leave at any moment”. Much of the wider Kordofan region, meanwhile, faces a worsening humanitarian crisis. The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said Dilling is now at risk of famine, while South Kordofan’s capital, Kadugli, is already facing one. – Khartoum blasts -On Friday, explosions were heard in Khartoum and in Atbara, an army-held city around 300 kilometres to the north, witnesses told AFP. Khartoum has experienced relative calm since the army regained control earlier this year, but the RSF have continued launching long-range drone attacks on military positions and infrastructure.A resident in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum, told AFP they were woken “around 2:00 am (0000 GMT) by the sound of … explosions” near a military base, while another reported hearing a drone overheard before a blast struck near a power station, causing an outage.In Atbara, witnesses said anti-aircraft defences shot down several drones before dawn, sparking fires and explosions in the east of the city.There were no immediate reports of casualties and neither the army nor the RSF commented on the blasts.Despite the RSF’s announcement on Thursday that it accepted mediators’ plan for a ceasefire, analysts remain sceptical about the prospects for de-escalation. Cameron Hudson of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies told AFP the RSF’s announcement “aims to distract from the atrocities… in El-Fasher and portray itself as more responsible than the army”. No details of the ceasefire proposal have been made public, but a senior Saudi official told AFP that it calls for a “three-month truce”, during which both sides would be encouraged to hold talks in Jeddah on a permanent peace deal.The UAE, one of the mediators, has been accused by the UN of supplying arms to the RSF, allegations it has repeatedly denied.The Sudanese army, meanwhile, has received support from fellow mediators Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as from Turkey and Iran, according to observers.
More than 1,200 flights cut across US in govt paralysis
More than 1,200 flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal government shutdown.Forty airports were slated for the cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter standoff, particularly over health insurance subsidies, federal agencies have been grinding to halt since funding lapsed on October 1.Many government employees, including vital airport staff, are either working without pay or furloughed at home, waiting for the now nearly six-week crisis to end.The flight reductions are taking effect gradually, starting at four percent and rising to 10 percent next week if Congress still hasn’t reached a funding deal.More than 1,200 flights scheduled for Friday were canceled, according to tracking website FlightAware.Aviation analytics company Cirium said three percent of US flights had been canceled so far, with 94 percent departing on time.The most affected airports were Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Denver and Phoenix, according to data analyzed by AFP.”This is frustrating. We don’t need to be in this position,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC.The upheaval means ordinary Americans are now directly feeling the impacts of the Washington budget fight that has shut down much of the government.The Senate was expected to try for the 15th time Friday to approve a short-term, House-passed funding measure that would reopen the government — but the vote was expected to fail like the previous 14.US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Democrats, saying they should vote to reopen the government.”If Democrats are going to go home this weekend, and they’ve kept the government shut down, that’s shameful,” Duffy told reporters at Reagan National Airport.However, Republicans control Congress, and Democrats have said they will refuse to sign off on the majority party’s budget plans, including severe healthcare cuts.- ‘Hurting people’ -The flight reduction measures come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away.”This will get serious if things drag on to Thanksgiving,” retiree Werner Buchi told AFP at New York’s LaGuardia airport as he waited for his daughter to arrive on a flight from Wilmington, North Carolina.Rhonda, 65 — who arrived at LaGuardia without a hitch from Portland, Maine — worried about holiday plans “that could be ruined because people won’t talk to each other. This is hurting a lot of people,” she said.American Airlines said in a statement that its scheduled reduction amounted to 220 flight cancellations each day.Delta Air Lines said it was cutting about 170 flights scheduled for Friday, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines axed around 100 flights set for that day.More than 6,800 US flights were delayed Thursday with some 200 cancellations, FlightAware data showed, with passengers facing long lines at security checkpoints.- ‘Safe to fly’ -Travelers at Boston and Newark airports have faced average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National more than an hour.President Donald Trump’s administration sought to reassure people that flying remains safe.”It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy said on social media late Thursday.But many in high-stress aviation-related jobs are now calling in sick and potentially working second jobs to pay their bills.
France arrests four over protest at Israeli orchestra concert
French police have arrested four people after a Paris concert by Israel’s national orchestra was disrupted, a prosecutor said Friday, with organisers saying protesters lit smoke flares at the event.The visit drew criticism from several groups ahead of the concert at the Paris Philharmonic hall, over Israel’s conduct during its two-year military offensive in Gaza.Several individuals repeatedly interrupted Thursday’s concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the venue said.Videos posted on social media show a protester holding a red flare inside the concert hall with smoke billowing. Other people present were then seen to rush to strike the individual.The Paris Philharmonic said it had filed a complaint, adding it “deplores and strongly condemns the serious incidents that occurred”.On three occasions, individuals with tickets attempted to disrupt the concert and fellow spectators intervened, the concert venue said.The protesters were removed and the concert resumed peacefully, it added.A French prosecutor said that three men and one woman were in custody over the incident.Before the concert, several activist groups had written an open letter calling for the event to be cancelled.Allowing the orchestra to perform was an attempt to “restore” Israel’s image on the world stage, said the French branch of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, along with several other organisations.Israel’s ambassador to France Joshua Zarka — who was at the concert — told AFP that audience members attacking the protestors was “proof that France has had enough”.- ‘Freedom of programming’ -French Culture Minister Rachida Dati condemned the protest, saying “violence has no place in a concert hall”.”Freedom of programming and creation is a fundamental right of our republic,” she added.The protest was the latest example of a push for a cultural boycott of Israel.In September, a Belgian festival cancelled a performance by a German orchestra to be led by Israeli Lahav Shani, the same 36-year-old conductor who headed Thursday’s concert in Paris.Announcing the cancellation of the Belgian concert, organisers said Shani had not “unequivocally” distanced himself from the Israeli government, whose tactics in the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas since October 2023 have triggered international uproar.The cancellation was also condemned amid accusations of antisemitism, including from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who warned that “antisemitic rhetoric” was becoming normalised.Israel launched its military offensive on Gaza in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
Trump hosts Hungary’s Orban, eyes Russian oil sanctions carve-out
US President Donald Trump said he would consider giving Hungary a carve-out from sanctions on Russian oil, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban sought to cozy up to his right-wing ally at the White House on Friday.Nationalist Orban’s visit was his first since Trump’s return to power, and comes after his country offered to host a Ukraine summit between the US leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has now been called off.”We are looking at it because it is very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you know they don’t have the advantage of having sea,” Trump told reporters.The United States hit Russia’s two biggest oil companies with sanctions last month as Trump’s frustration with Putin’s refusal to end the nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine mounted.Hungary — the closest ally in the European Union of both Trump and the Kremlin — depends heavily on Russian oil and gas despite EU efforts to wean itself off.Orban, who has often bucked the rest of the European Union on pressuring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, said that Russian energy was vital for his country.- ‘Achieve results’ -The Hungarian leader said he would explain to Trump the “consequences” for Hungarian people without Russian oil and gas.”Because we are supplied by pipelines. Pipeline is not an ideological or political issue. It’s a physical reality because we don’t have port(s),” Orban said.Orban — who was accompanied by a large delegation that includes six ministers — said before the meeting that “I have to achieve results” on the oil sanctions.Experts say the meeting with the US president was expected to give at least a “symbolic” win to Orban, who faces an unprecedented challenge to his 15-year rule ahead of elections next spring amid economic stagnation.Trump told European Union leaders to show more respect to Orban, who has thumbed his nose at them over migration.”I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because he’s been right on immigration,” Trump told reporters.Trump, who has carried out a sweeping crackdown on immigration at home, again alleged a link between migrants and crime, which is not backed up by statistics in the United States.- ‘Dear friend’ -Orban visited his “dear friend” Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida three times last year, but the US president’s return to power has had a mixed effect on Hungary.Washington has withdrawn sanctions against top Orban aide Antal Rogan and restored the country’s status in a visa waiver scheme.But Trump’s tariffs against the European Union have hit Hungary’s export-oriented car industry hard, contributing to an already weak economy.Daniel Hegedus, central Europe director at the German Marshall Fund (GMF), said Trump could eventually show some flexibility on Orban’s request on the oil sanctions.Washington has given firms who work with sanctioned Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil one month to cut ties or face secondary sanctions, which would deny them access to US banks, traders, shippers and insurers.”There surely will be some kind of symbolic result that can be communicated by both parties” after their meeting, Hegedus told AFP, adding that Trump has “already proved he is willing to help out his ideological allies.””I expect Trump will give a victory to Orban that he can sell at home and strengthens his position, as the administration actively supports political forces that divide the EU,” he said.Orban — who has refused to send military aid to Ukraine and opposes Kyiv’s EU bid — has had frequent run-ins with Brussels on rule-of-law and other issues.burs-dk/bgs
Le Louvre présente des “mesures d’urgence” sur la sécurité, les syndicats sur leur faim
La direction du Louvre a présenté vendredi des “mesures d’urgence” sur la sécurité lors d’un conseil d’administration extraordinaire convoqué après le vol de joyaux de la Couronne, mais sans annoncer de nouveaux moyens humains au grand dam des syndicats.La ministre de la Culture Rachida Dati avait ordonné cette réunion d’urgence le 31 octobre après avoir fait état d’une “sous-estimation chronique” des risques d’intrusion et de vols au Louvre, sur la foi de l’enquête administrative lancée après le spectaculaire casse du 19 octobre.Détaillant les orientations fixées par la ministre, la direction du Louvre a annoncé vendredi la création “immédiate” d’un poste de “coordonnateur sûreté”, rattaché directement à la présidence et chargé de faire le lien entre toutes les directions concernées par les questions de sécurité, selon un communiqué du musée.Lors de ce conseil d’administration, la direction a également annoncé le déploiement “dans les prochaines semaines” d’équipements de mise à distance aux abords immédiats du Louvre et l’installation “au cours des prochains mois” de caméras de surveillance supplémentaires.Le manque de caméras périmétriques aux abords du musée a été pointé du doigt après le casse du 19 octobre, au cours duquel des malfaiteurs ont pu s’introduire en plein jour dans le Louvre et dérober huit joyaux de la Couronne.La réunion de vendredi, auquel ont notamment participé des représentants de l’Etat et du personnel, s’est tenue dans un contexte de fortes turbulences pour le musée le plus visité au monde et au lendemain de la publication d’un rapport très critique de la Cour des comptes.Jeudi, la juridiction financière a étrillé la gestion du musée entre 2018 et 2024 en estimant notamment que la sécurité avait été négligée au profit d’opérations “visibles et attractives”, mettant encore davantage sous pression la présidente du Louvre Laurence Des Cars. Nommée fin 2021, la dirigeante a assuré vendredi matin sur franceinfo avoir pris “toute la mesure (des) problèmes de sécurité” au Louvre et indiqué ne pas avoir “le sentiment d’avoir échoué”.- “Pas une mauvaise chose” -Plusieurs mesures d’urgence qu’elle a présentées vendredi vont “dans le bon sens” mais se font “malheureusement” à moyens humains constants, a estimé auprès de l’AFP Bibata Ouedraogo, qui représentait le syndicat SUD lors de ce conseil d’administration. “On regrette qu’il y n’ait pas de moyens humains adossés”, a-t-elle déclaré.”Il est plus que temps que les budgets soient fléchés correctement, que les emplois de la surveillance soient rehaussés à hauteur du besoin et cessent d’être détruits au profit d’activités autres”, a indiqué son syndicat dans une déclaration lue devant le conseil d’administration et consultée par l’AFP.Gary Guillaud, secrétaire de la section CGT-Louvre, salue, lui, la création annoncée du poste de coordonnateur mais regrette lui aussi l’absence de renforts humains.”Ce poste de coordonnateur, ce n’est pas une mauvaise chose parce qu’il y a pu avoir des problèmes de communication mais notre seul souci c’est qu’on fait ça avec les les mêmes moyens humains”, a-t-il expliqué à l’AFP.Depuis plusieurs mois, les organisations syndicales dénoncent des problèmes de sous-effectifs qui compliquent les missions de surveillance du musée, qui s’étend sur 73.000 m2 et abrite quelque 35.000 oeuvres.Sans annoncer de recrutements, la direction du Louvre a promis vendredi une augmentation de 20% du budget de formation en direction des agents du musée pour adapter la formation obligatoire.En présentant le rapport de son institution jeudi, le premier président de la Cour des comptes Pierre Moscovici a estimé que des progrès étaient “possibles sur la sûreté sans augmentation significative des effectifs”.Parallèlement au débat sur le Louvre, l’enquête se poursuit pour retrouver les joyaux dérobés, d’une valeur de 88 millions d’euros. Quatre suspects ont été mis en examen et écroués.
Paralysie budgétaire: des centaines de vols annulés dans les aéroports américains
Des centaines de vols ont été annulés vendredi dans les aéroports américains en raison du blocage budgétaire qui se prolonge et a conduit les autorités à alléger le trafic aérien face à la pénurie d’aiguilleurs du ciel.Par mesure de sécurité, l’administration Trump a imposé mercredi une réduction du trafic dans quarante des aéroports américains les plus fréquentés face au manque de personnel dans les tours de contrôle, auquel il est demandé depuis plus de cinq semaines de travailler sans être payé du fait du “shutdown”.”On a des amis qui viennent d’Europe à la maison, qui partent (samedi) et ils ont un peu peur”, raconte à l’AFP Elvira Buchi, venue chercher sa fille à l’aéroport de La Guardia à New York. “Réduire les vols, si c’est une question de sécurité, absolument, mais on n’aurait jamais dû en arriver là”.Plus de 800 vols ont été annulés vendredi, selon le site de suivi FlightAware, qui identifie Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta et Denver comme les aéroports les plus touchés.D’après le ministère des Transports, le trafic aérien est réduit de 4% vendredi, le sera de 6% mardi et jusqu’à 10% dans une semaine.”Je pense qu’il y aura beaucoup de problèmes à partir de ce week-end, et je ne sais pas pourquoi le gouvernement laisse durer le blocage, surtout pour des choses aussi essentielles que la sécurité et le confort des passagers”, dit Jose Rincon, 78 ans, à l’aéroport de Miami.- Vols intérieurs et régionaux -Arrivé à New York du Canada vendredi, Ravi, un homme d’affaires qui ne souhaite pas donner son nom de famille, doit repartir pour Miami dimanche. “Nous espérons ne pas être affectés. Je reprends donc un autre vol. Je n’ai pas envie mais c’est déjà réservé”, dit-il à l’AFP.La paralysie budgétaire en cours est la plus longue de l’histoire américaine, républicains et démocrates étant incapables de s’entendre au Congrès sur un nouveau budget.Les annulations s’ajoutent aux longues files d’attente qui s’étirent aux points de contrôles gérés par des agents de sécurité également privés de salaire depuis plus d’un mois.Les perturbations débutent à la veille d’un week-end que nombre d’Américains prolongeront jusqu’au mardi 11 novembre, férié aux Etats-Unis. Et elles surviennent à l’approche de Thanksgiving, la grande fête familiale pour laquelle des millions d’Américains prennent l’avion chaque année, le 27 novembre.”Si vous devez aller à un mariage, des obsèques ou autre chose d’important dans les prochains jours, compte tenu du risque d’annulation de vols, je conseillerais d’acheter un billet de secours sur une autre compagnie”, suggère le patron de la compagnie à bas coût Frontier, Barry Biffle, sur les réseaux sociaux.Les vols internationaux ne sont pour l’heure pas concernés, ont précisé United et Delta.United indique que les annulations se concentrent sur “les vols intérieurs et régionaux qui ne relient pas nos hubs” aéroportuaires.- Zéro dollar -“Avec Thanksgiving qui arrive, si on est toujours dans cette situation, ça va être rude. On agira sur ce qui concerne la sécurité. Mais votre vol décollera-t-il à l’heure ? Décollera-t-il tout court ? Ca reste à voir, mais il y aura davantage de perturbations”, a averti le ministre des Transports Sean Duffy sur Fox News jeudi.A titre d’illustration, le régulateur aérien américain (FAA) expliquait le 31 octobre que la moitié des 30 aéroports principaux “connaissent des pénuries de personnel” et que près de 80% des contrôleurs aériens étaient absents dans les aéroports new-yorkais”. “Après 31 jours sans salaire, les contrôleurs aériens sont soumis à un stress et une fatigue immenses”.”C’est beaucoup demander que de travailler sous pression sans être payé”, souligne Kathleen, retraitée de 81 ans arrivée à New York de Saint Louis, dans le Missouri.Autour de 14.000 contrôleurs aériens surveillent le ciel américain. Chaque jour plus de trois millions de passagers prennent l’avion aux Etats-Unis, à raison de plus de 44.000 vols en moyenne, selon la FAA.