Sudan’s army has announced it has cleared the state of Khartoum of rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after weeks of intensive battles, with the civil war now in its third year.
The General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said in a statement on Tuesday that the state – which comprises the capital Khartoum, its twin city Omdurman, and the city of Khartoum North (Bahri) – is now “completely free of rebels”.
“We also renew our pledge to our people to continue our efforts until every inch of our country is liberated of every rebel, traitor, and agent”, said the SAF, headed by Sudan’s de facto leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
This comes after Sudan’s army secured a number of victories in battles in and around the capital in March, including the recapturing of the presidential palace and major urban centres that culminated in taking back the Khartoum airport from the RSF, headed by General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo.
In late March, al-Burhan had declared “Khartoum is free” hours after the recapture of the key airport, although smaller battles were ongoing with RSF militias in pockets around the state.
Reporting from Khartoum, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan said intense battles raged in recent days in southern Omdurman’s Salha area, which was the last remaining major RSF stronghold and home to one of the group’s largest military bases.
“The army had been making gradual advances in the Salha area in the past few days until it was able to take control of the area completely from the RSF in the early hours of Tuesday morning”, she said.
“The army also said it was able to recover weapons and ammunitions that were used by the paramilitary, including drones and jamming systems”.
After more than two years of devastating civil war that has gradually attracted foreign funding and weapons, control of Sudan remains torn between the two generals and their allies.
The SAF dominates the north and the east – including the smallest state by area, but most populous, Khartoum – along with some central areas, while the RSF holds most of western Sudan, including most of Darfur.
Where the RSF has been forced back on the ground, it has been trying to inflict damage with drone strikes, including those that have targeted energy infrastructure in both Khartoum and Port Sudan.
Fighting has also been ongoing in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state in western Sudan, as well as some key supply lines in Kordofan.
Washington, DC – United States Congresswoman LaMonica McIver has been charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer after a standoff at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in early May.
On Tuesday, Democrats denounced the charge as an attempt by the administration of Republican President Donald Trump to silence his political rivals for speaking out against his deportation campaign.
In a post on the social media platform X, Democratic Representative Gil Cisneros blasted the administration for having “gone after judges, prosecutors, and now, Members of Congress” in its attempts to stifle dissent.
“The charges against Rep McIver are a blatant political attack and an attempt to prohibit Members of Congress from conducting oversight,” Cisneros wrote.
The charge was announced on Monday evening, with federal prosecutor Alina Habba —Trump’s former personal lawyer — accusing McIver of having “assaulted, impeded, and interfered” with law enforcement.
“The conduct cannot be overlooked,” Habba wrote in a statement. “It is my constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected when executing their duties.”
The criminal charge stemmed from an incident on May 9, when McIver joined two other members of Congress for an oversight tour of Delaney Hall, a privately run immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.
The visit devolved into a fracas involving elected officials, protesters and federal law enforcement agents. The mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, was arrested at the scene for alleged trespassing.
In Monday’s statement, Habba announced the charge against Baraka has since been dropped “for the sake of moving forward”. But his arrests likewise spurred outcry over possible political motives.
Late on Monday, McIver responded to the charges against her with a statement of her own, saying she and other members of Congress were “fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities” when they visited the detention centre.
McIver accused ICE agents at the scene of creating an “unnecessary and unsafe confrontation”. She added that the charges against her “mischaracterise and distort my actions”.
“The charges against me are purely political,” McIver wrote.
Top Democrats also remained defiant in the face of the Trump administration’s accusations, saying they would continue their oversight duties at immigration facilities like Delaney Hall.
“The criminal charge against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver is extreme, morally bankrupt and lacks any basis in law or fact,” Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives said in a joint statement.
They underscored that they have a right as Congress members to show up at federal facilities unannounced for inspections.
The charges against McIver, they argued, are a “blatant attempt by the Trump administration to intimidate Congress and interfere with our ability to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch”.
In a separate statement, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee said the criminal charge was a “dangerous precedent” that “reveals the increasingly authoritarian nature of this administration”.
“Representative McIver has our full support, and we will do everything in our power to help fight this outrageous threat to our constitutional system,” they said.
Democrats have denounced the Trump administration’s push for “mass deportation” as violating constitutional and human rights. As part of that push, the Trump White House has sought to expand the use of private detention centres to house the growing number of people arrested for deportation.
Mayor Baraka, in particular, has repeatedly protested the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall for opening without the proper permits and approvals. Its operator, The GEO Group, has denied any violations.
TV star Michael McStay has died aged 92, his family has confirmed. The actor, who was best known for his roles on Coronation Street and Doctor Who, died of heart failure those closest to him revealed in a sad statement.
The actor’s representative wrote: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Michael McStay, an actor of the highest standing and talented writer, whose career across stage, screen and radio spanned over six decades.”
The actor is said to have ‘went at peace’ as he died in his sleep following lunch with his sons.
Michael’s successful career saw him take on the role of Alan Hoyle on the Corrie cobbles in his last on-screen performance. He replaced John Woodvine in the role in 2011.
The appearance saw Michael reunite with his pal and co-star Johnny Briggs (Alec Baldwin). As well as his time on the ITV soap, Michael featured on popular series such as No Hiding Place, Doctor Who, Blunt, and Thatcher: The Final Days. He also compiled an impressive film CV too, featuring on the likes of Peter Yates’ Robbery.
Twitter/X users were quick to pay tribute to the veteran star on the social media platform. One user said: “Sad to see that Michael McStay has passed away.
“Absolutely adored him in Corrie as Alan Hoyle in the John Stape storyline. Both him and the late Jean Fergusson were brilliant in the basement episodes.”
Another added alongside two sad emoji faces: “Michael McStay took over as Alan Hoyle from John Woodvine on Coronation Street. Stuart, I am sorry to hear of his death.”
“For me, Michael McStay will always be scientist Derek Moberley in the Doctor Who story “The Seeds of Doom” (1975) opposite Tom Baker,” wrote another.
As well as his on-screen credits, of which he had over 60, Michael also wrote a number of plays for BBC Radio 4. He also penned the popular 1984 ITV comedy Pull the Other One. He also recorded a number of audiobooks and appeared in many radio dramas.
Speaking on Toby Hadoke’s Happy Times and Places Podcast, Michael opened up on the end of his career. In the conversation, he revealed he “wouldn’t swap for all the success in the world”.
He paid tribute to his family in the interview, too. Michael survived by his wife – actress Jennifer Clulow – and their two sons Darius and Paul.
He married actress Jennifer in 1967. She is best known for her roles in The Avengers, Keeping Up Appearances, and No Hiding Place.
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Following his death at the age of 31, the French rapper and singer Werenoi was laid to rest in a Paris suburb on Tuesday, where hundreds of fans paid his final respects.
Werenoi, known as Jeremy Bana Owona, was the most popular artist in France over the past two years, surpassing Jeremy in album sales. He was born in a Paris suburb to Cameroonian parents.
Fans of the Seine-Saint-Denis district northeast of Paris hailed him as an artist who spoke about the realities of daily life.
Read more about French Town breaking the Smurf Number World Record here.
Nicolas, 25, said he thought it was “great that he’s buried here, in his neighbourhood,” standing in front of the municipal cemetery’s green gates.
“It really touched me how a Cameroonian artist like me, who was born here, has received such a lot of hype. I adored how he layered instrumental music over his words.
800 people showed up after prayers in a packed mosque, which was blocked by security personnel.
The artist, who was 31 years old, passed away suddenly in a Paris hospital without a cause of death.
His producer made the announcement in an X post on Saturday.
Werenoi’s private life was private, with his eyes obscured, and his enormous popularity among French youths contrasted with his absence from traditional media.
Moussa, 33, claimed that because he was trustworthy, people came to him and didn’t create a false image. He “grew up on the streets of this country.”
All of his music videos were taken down from YouTube shortly after the announcement of his death. Even his most recent duet with rapper Gims, “Piano,” and other audio tracks, are still available online.