International

The Sudanese Army takes a Khartum neighborhood in an offensive to recover the capital

The Sudanese Army announced on Sunday the capture of a residential neighborhood located in northwestern Khartum as part of a large-scale offensive to recover the capital of Sudan, in the hands of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR) since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023.

“The Sudanese Armed Forces Armored Corps, which operates from the Al Shajara military zone, has successfully taken control of the Al Ruwad residential complex,” the military institution announced in a brief statement published on its official Facebook account.

During the offensive, Army soldiers and fighters of allied armed groups “inflicted great losses” on the FAR, although the Armed Forces indicated that they respected “international law and its rules of intervention to guarantee the security of private and public property.”

The advance of the Army in northern Khartoum comes one day after the military regained control of the strategic city of Wad Madani, the capital of the central state of Al Yazira located south of the capital of Sudan and which had been under the control of the FAR since December 18, 2023.

The recovery of Wad Madani, the second largest city in Sudan in terms of population, was possible after four months of army offensive in the state of Al Yazira and after the withdrawal of the paramilitaries from the city, where hardly any fighting was recorded after the entry of government troops on Saturday.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

This is an important development for the Sudan war and for the Army’s plans to “liberate” Khartum, where it is carrying out an offensive from the north and will now be able to advance to the Sudanese capital from the south after the capture of Wad Madani.

The leader of the Sudanese Army, Abdelfatah al Burhan, said on Sunday that his forces will recover “every inch” of Sudan, while the head of the paramilitaries, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – alias Hemedti – has promised that his fighters can continue fighting for more than two decades if necessary.

The war in Sudan has caused tens of thousands of deaths and forced more than 14 million to flee their homes, which has made the country the scene of the worst displaced persons crisis on the planet, according to the United Nations.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.