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TUNIS: The Coast Guard has retrieved 41 bodies from Tunisian waters, a national guard official said on Friday, raising the number of victims of migrant shipwrecks off the country’s coast to 210 in 10 days.
The bodies were in a decomposed state, suggesting they had been in the water for several days, said Houssem Eddine Jebabli.
The cumulative total of fatalities was unprecedented over such a short period, he said.
Numbers of boats carrying migrants — most from sub-Saharan Africa, Syria and Sudan — trying to reach Italy from Tunisia have risen sharply in recent months, in part due to a crackdown on departures by authorities in Libya.
The country is struggling to contain the surge, and some morgues are running out of space to bury the victims.
Tunisia, whose coastline is less than 150 km from the Italian island of Lampedusa, has long been a favored stepping stone for migrants attempting the perilous sea journey from North Africa to Europe.
So many migrants risking the dangerous sea crossing from Tunisia to Europe have drowned that morgues and hospitals in the key launchpad city of Sfax are full, officials said on Friday.
“On Tuesday, we had more than 200 bodies, well beyond the capacity of the hospital, which creates a health problem,” said Faouzi Masmoudi, justice official in the port city where the central morgue for an area of around a million people is sited.
“There is a problem with large numbers of corpses arriving on the shore. We don’t know who they are or what shipwreck they came from — and the number is increasing.”
Masmoudi said there are funerals “almost every day to reduce the pressure on hospitals.”
On April 20, at least 30 people were buried.
Days later, many more bodies were recovered at sea.
DNA swabs are taken from each body before burial to help their possible identification by relatives, he said.
According to Romdhane Ben Amor of the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights or FTDES, more than 220 dead and missing have been recorded this year to April 24, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa.
More than three quarters of migrants leaving Tunisia do so from the coast between Sfax and Mahdia, some 90 km north, he added.
The problem of managing the bodies of those drowned in shipwrecks is complicated by the fact that local authorities “have undertaken to create a special cemetery for migrants on the grounds that they are not Muslims,” Ben Amor said.
The number of departures of migrants has intensified after President Kais Saied made a fiery speech on Feb. 21 claiming that illegal immigration was a demographic threat to Tunisia.
The country is also in the grip of a worsening economic crisis that has pushed many of its citizens to take desperate measures in search of better lives abroad.
RIYADH: The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council called for calm in Sudan and an end to all military escalation in the country on Sunday.
During a meeting with Dafallah Al-Haj Ali, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jasem Al-Budaiwi stressed the GCC’s keenness on Sudan’s security, safety and stability, preserving the cohesion of the state and its institutions, and supporting it to face all challenges to achieve the aspirations of the Sudanese people.
Al-Budaiwi praised the humanitarian role played by Saudi Arabia and all GCC countries in the current crisis in Sudan.
He also praised all international and regional efforts aimed at reaching consensus among political forces, ending the crisis in Sudan, and achieving security and stability in the country.
A humanitarian truce in Sudan was extended on Sunday and will last for three days starting from midnight, according to a statement released by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) spokesman.
“In response to international, regional and local calls, we announce the extension of the humanitarian truce for 72 hours, starting from midnight tonight, in order to open humanitarian corridors and facilitate the movement of citizens and residents and enable them to fulfil their needs and reach safe areas,” the statement said.
Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted into conflict on April 15.
AMMAN: Jordan will host a meeting of foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Syria on Monday to continue their talks on formulating a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Sinan Al-Majali, a spokesperson for Jordan’s Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday that the meeting in Amman “comes in continuation of the consultative meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on April 14.”
The latest talks were aimed at “building on the outcomes of the communications these countries made with the Syrian government within their proposals and the Jordanian initiative to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis,” he said.
Following the meeting in Jeddah, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the diplomats discussed the efforts underway to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that would preserve its stability and territorial unity.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan hosted the meeting. It was also attended by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and the diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, Anwar Gargash.
The Saudi statement said the ministers discussed work mechanisms and stressed the need for intensified consultations between Arab countries to ensure the success of the peace efforts.
They also called for immediate measures to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria and create a suitable environment for aid to reach all regions of the country.
Meanwhile, Jordan has been working on a joint Arab peace plan that could end the crisis in Syria and bring the country back into the Arab fold. Syria’s membership of the Arab League was suspended in 2011 over its crackdown on protests.
Although Jordan has yet to announce any details of the plan, Amman is reported to be in talks with its Arab allies and key international players in Syria, including the US, Russia, the UK, EU and UN.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the matter, but an official source, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that the peace plan entailed forming an Arab consultation group that would discuss with the Syrian government a road map for resolving the crisis, which is now in its 13th year.
The plan was based on relevant UN resolutions on Syria, including Resolution 2254, which demands that all parties cease fire and engage in formal negotiations, and Resolution 642, which allows for life-saving humanitarian aid to be delivered into the country, the source said.
“The Syrian government’s adherence to these resolutions, openness for constructive negotiation with other Syrian parties, release of prisoners, opening corridors for humanitarian aid, creating the suitable atmosphere to encourage refugees to return home, and tackling the illicit drug industry and trafficking are the major components of the Jordanian-proposed plan,” the person said.
ANKARA: Turkiye is facing one of the most competitive elections in its political history with both presidential and parliamentary polls set to be held on May 14.
After President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced to postpone his campaigning last week due to a reported intestinal infection — he fell ill during a live interview — questions were raised as to how his health might affect his popularity among voters.
Since undergoing intestinal surgery in 2011, the 69-year-old’s health has been often subject to false reporting.
The latest upset meant Erdogan was forced to inaugurate the activation of a Russian-built nuclear power plant on Thursday via a video link.
But after a few days’ rest, he was back on the scene on Friday at Teknofest, a major aerospace and technology event, alongside Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
Erdogan’s main opposition in the election is 74-year-old Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Both men have campaigned hard in recent weeks, holding daily rallies across the country.
“Erdogan’s voters have probably lost their morale a little, since he’s a charismatic leader who easily gathers people around him,” Hurcan Asli Aksoy, deputy head of the Berlin-based Center for Applied Turkey Studies at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told Arab News.
“(But) Erdogan will try to attend and organize big and attractive meetings to regain their attention,” she added.
Erdogan has been in power for two decades and is seeking a third presidential term but the latest polls give Kilicdaroglu a narrow lead.
The challenger’s campaign has focused on the public’s discontent at Turkiye’s “one-man” rule and proposes to replace it with a more democratic system. He has also promised to bring wealth and prosperity to Turkey amid an economic recession.
Kilicdaroglu recently pledged to introduce a five-year ban on foreigners buying property in Turkiye to help ease a long-running housing crisis.
“Within a year, rent prices increased by 197 percent. The minimum wage is 8,500 lira ($437) while the average rent for a house is 7,400 lira,” he said.
According to a survey by Turkish firm Konda that was leaked on social media, Erdogan won 43 percent of the votes in the first round against Kilicdaroglu’s 42 percent. But in the second round, the challenger secured 51 percent to Erdogan’s 49 percent.
During his campaign rallies, which drew large crowds even in conservative strongholds, Kilicdaroglu was accompanied by potential vice presidents Ekrem Imamoglu and Mansur Yavas, the mayors of Istanbul and Ankara respectively.
Osman Sert, research director of polling firm Panoramatr, said Kilicdaroglu was showing he had wide appeal among voters, from the center-left to the center and nationalist groups, as well as those with Islamist tendencies.
“Both Imamoglu and Yavas have helped him during his electoral campaign and they appeal to large crowds because they represent the center and nationalistic tendencies within Turkish society,” he told Arab News.
“As the opposition conducts his campaign with several actors under the same bloc, they have been able to hold rallies across 10 cities on the same day. But, their campaign still lacks a main message.”
In contrast, the Erdogan camp was using identity politics to win over voters, but the leader’s absence had hampered this approach, Sert said.
“As the three-day sickness of Erdogan revealed, the government, in contrast to the opposition bloc, does not have any backup actors who can overcome the short-term absences of the leader,” he said.
“The only political actor who could generate rhetoric during the campaign is Erdogan and when he is not on the campaign field, the void can’t be filled, because in Turkiye political power has become extremely centralized around Erdogan.”
While Erdogan was recuperating, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu attracted criticism by referring to the upcoming elections as the “West’s political coup attempt” against the current regime.
But Sert said the president’s brief absence was unlikely to have had a major effect on his ratings.
“Such short-term disappearances can happen in any country and it is totally understandable that it can fuel some speculations and concerns,” he said. “But this time it was not for a long duration and it did not change voter preferences to a significant degree.”
The race was still neck and neck, he said.
Erdogan on Saturday delivered a 40-minute speech to voters in the western province of Izmir — an opposition stronghold — helping dispel concerns about the state of his health.
LONDON: Some Britons are feared to have been left behind in Sudan after reports that the country’s armed forces had stopped a number of people from reaching the final British evacuation flights out of the country on Saturday.
The final Royal Air Force flight left the Wadi Saeedna airfield north of Khartoum late on Saturday, four hours behind schedule, taking the number of Britons and their relatives evacuated since Tuesday to 1,888.
The UK pledged to maintain support for Britons trapped in the war-torn country but said conditions had grown too dangerous to continue evacuation flights.
The Conservative chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee told The Observer she had received information that elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces had blocked British citizens as they tried to arrive at an airbase north of Khartoum.
“I’ve had some messages saying the Sudanese armed forces have been stopping people from crossing through Khartoum to get to the airstrip,” Alicia Kearns MP said.
“I think we need to look into that and see if that’s got any truth to it. If so, you’ve got British nationals who are stuck and being stopped from getting to the evacuation point,” she added.
Hundreds of people were told to make the risky journey to an evacuation center at the Wadi Saeedna airbase, about 14 miles north of Khartoum, while Sudan’s armed forces continued to attack Rapid Support Forces positions.
The UK government denies it has abandoned anyone in Sudan, after accusations of repeating the mistakes of its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Heavy fighting continued to rock Khartoum on Sunday and Sudan’s former Premier Abdalla Hamdok warned of the “nightmare” risk of a descent into full-scale civil war.
TEHRAN: Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi will go to Damascus on Wednesday at the official invitation of the Syrian president for a “very important” two-day visit, state media reported.
“Dr. Raisi’s trip to Damascus next Wednesday is a very important trip due to the changes and developments that are taking place in the region,” IRNA state news agency on Sunday quoted Iran’s ambassador to Syria, Hossein Akbari, as saying.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and increased Arab engagement with Damascus.
Iran is a major ally of President Bashar Assad and has given financial and military support to his regime during Syria’s 12-year-old conflict.
“This trip will not only be beneficial for Tehran and Damascus, but it is also a very good event that other countries in the region can also take advantage of,” Akbari was reported as saying.
Raisi’s visit will be the first by an Iranian president to Damascus since the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011.
The last Iranian president to visit the Syrian capital was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in September 2010.
The Islamic republic finances, arms and commands a number of Syrian and foreign militia groups fighting alongside the Assad regime’s regular armed forces, chief among them Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah group.