Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Ati, and discussed with him “ways to advance bilateral relations and expand the horizons of joint cooperation between the two countries, in addition to consultations on enhancing security and stability in the region,” according to an Egyptian statement.
The meeting came on the sidelines of the meetings of the 52nd session of the “Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation” in Baghdad. During it, Abdel Ati stressed that “Egypt views Iraq’s security and stability as a pivotal element in the Arab national security system, based on the historical ties and common interests that bring together the two brotherly countries.” He stressed "his country's full support for Iraq's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national institutions, and its rejection of any interference in its internal affairs."
According to a statement by the official spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nader Zaki, on Sunday, Minister Abdel Ati “conveyed the greetings of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Iraqi Prime Minister, expressing his aspiration for his expected visit to Cairo on November 23, and praising the momentum witnessed by Egyptian-Iraqi relations and the continuous communication at various levels.”
Abdel Ati pointed to “the importance of promoting economic, commercial and investment cooperation, enhancing the participation of Egyptian companies in infrastructure, reconstruction and development projects in Iraq, and benefiting from Egyptian expertise in the sectors of construction, transportation, energy, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries, as well as increasing the volume of trade exchange and facilitating the access of Egyptian products to Iraqi markets.”
According to a Foreign Ministry spokesman, the meeting discussed “ways to activate the tripartite cooperation mechanism between Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, and accelerate the implementation of joint projects, especially in the fields of electrical and oil connectivity, in a way that supports economic integration and achieves the common interests of the three countries.”
During his meeting with Al-Zaidi, Badr Abdel Ati appreciated “the Iraqi government’s efforts to strengthen internal security and consolidate the authority of the state and its institutions, including restricting weapons to the state,” and praised “the Iraqi approach that is keen not to engage in regional conflicts or allow its lands to be used to threaten neighboring countries,” stressing “the importance of protecting Iraq from the repercussions of regional tensions and preserving its gains in the fields of security and development.”
The talks also included developments in the situation in Syria and Yemen, and the repercussions of regional tensions on the security of international navigation, especially in the Strait of Hormuz. The two sides agreed on “the importance of intensifying consultation and coordination between the two countries during the coming period.”
In turn, Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Haibat Al-Halbousi, discussed with Abdel-Ati ways to strengthen bilateral relations, especially at the parliamentary level.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Minister Abdel-Ati stressed “the importance of strengthening parliamentary cooperation and coordinating positions in regional and international forums, including the Arab Parliament,” expressing his aspiration to hold the fourth session of the “Joint Egyptian-Iraqi Supreme Committee” in Cairo, as well as enhancing the participation of Egyptian companies in development and reconstruction projects in Iraq.
Abdel-Ati also held talks in Baghdad with the head of the “National Wisdom Movement,” Ammar al-Hakim, which dealt with developments in Syria and Yemen, security and freedom of navigation, including the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasizing the necessity of reducing escalation, giving priority to political and diplomatic solutions, and continuing Egyptian-Iraqi coordination to support regional security and stability.
During a meeting with the head of the Iraqi Taqaddam Party, Muhammad al-Halbousi, Abdel Ati also highlighted “the promising opportunities to expand economic and trade cooperation and increase the contributions of Egyptian companies to infrastructure and reconstruction projects.”
During his meeting with the former Iraqi Prime Minister and head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, the Egyptian Foreign Minister appreciated “the Iraqi approach based on avoiding involvement in regional conflicts, and the importance of building on it to enhance Egyptian-Iraqi coordination in facing common challenges, and contributing to containing tensions and preserving the security and stability of the region.”
Drones believed to be from the Rapid Support Forces targeted the strategic city of Gedaref, the town of Khashm al-Girba in Kassala State, and the vicinity of Sidi Setit and Upper Atbara in eastern Sudan. Eyewitnesses said that the army’s ground anti-aircraft missiles responded to these drones and opened fire on Sunday morning, without the extent of the losses or the sites that may have been hit.
Media platforms loyal to the army accused the “Rapid Support Forces” and held them responsible for the attacks, and said that the defenses confronted the drones and shot them down, while platforms loyal to the “Support Forces” said that their drones targeted “army positions and gatherings of its forces.”
Local witnesses reported hearing the sounds of ground-based anti-aircraft missiles in the sky of Gedaref in the morning, coinciding with reports of targeting that included the city and Khashm al-Girba in Kassala State, and the upper reaches of the Atbara and Setit dams between the two eastern states.
The attacks came the day after explosions in the Al-Kadro military area, north of Khartoum Bahri. The army said that an explosion occurred on Saturday afternoon in one of the weapons’ ammunition stores, resulting from the contact of ammunition inside the store, followed by limited explosions. It explained in another version of the statement that a fire broke out in the store and led to explosions without specifying the causes of the fire, confirming that the situation was contained and the area was secured, while eyewitnesses said that the military area was attacked with drones, a story that was repeated by platforms loyal to “Rapid Support,” without independent verification to determine the cause of the accident.
This is not the first time that drones have targeted the city of Gedaref and eastern Sudan. The city and its airport were previously subjected to drone attacks during the war. On April 9, 2024, the headquarters of the General Intelligence Service and other sites in the city were targeted, and according to local reports, two people were injured in the attack.
On May 12 of the same year, military sources said that the defenses shot down two drones that attempted to target Wad Zayed Airport, the city’s airport, about 35 kilometers away from its center.
On July 11, 2024, two drones targeted a pro-army gathering at the headquarters of the Gedaref state government. The Sudan Tribune newspaper reported at the time that the two marches missed their target and fell near the “Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital” in the Al-Sadaqa neighborhood, and two civilians were injured as a result of the incident.
The Upper Atbara and Setit dam complex and the Khashm al-Girba reservoir were subjected to an attempted targeting by drones on September 15, 2026. Military and local sources said at the time that the defenses intercepted the aircraft without human losses or structural damage. The complex is linked to electricity generation and irrigation in eastern Sudan.
Gedaref State is located on the border with Ethiopia, and includes the Sudanese Fashaga region, which is witnessing a conflict between the two countries. Last September, the Chief of Staff of the Sudanese Army, Yasser Al-Atta, accused Ethiopia of seeking to control border areas, including Fashaga and areas in the Blue Nile.
Khartoum has repeatedly accused Addis Ababa of allowing its territory to be used to launch marches on behalf of the Rapid Support Forces, accusations denied by Ethiopia, and no independent information was available specifying the locations of the marches launched in Sunday’s attacks.
On the other hand, Addis Ababa accused the Sudanese army of supporting the “Tigray People’s Liberation Front” and hosting meetings of opposition armed Ethiopian groups. The International Crisis Group had reported that “thousands of fighters from Tigray, within a formation known as (Army 70), fought alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces against (the Rapid Support), after they took refuge in Sudan during the Tigray war between 2020 and 2022.”
The German "Deutsche Welle" quoted Magnus Taylor, the group's official in charge of the Horn of Africa Program, saying, "These fighters participated in the advance of the Sudanese army in the east of the country, reaching Khartoum."
On the other hand, on February 10, 2026, Reuters published an investigation into a camp in the Ethiopian Benishangul-Gumuz province, to train fighters for the “Rapid Support” group, based on interviews with 15 sources, security and diplomatic documents, and satellite images.
Since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, Human Rights Watch has documented the use by both parties, the army and the Rapid Support, of multiple types of drones, including small aircraft modified to drop ammunition, winged aircraft, and one-way drones that explode upon impact. Its documentation included the army’s use of Turkish “Bayraktar” drones, while the “rapid support” used single attack drones and winged drones. (CH-95) and (Fh-95) are Chinese made.
The attacks extended to Port Sudan, which was used by the pro-military government as a temporary capital, and in May 2025, fuel depots and facilities linked to the entry of aid into the coastal city were damaged.
The political scramble is heating up in Mauritania as the date of the national dialogue approaches, expected before the end of this year, as the “National Rally for Reform and Development (Tawasul)” party, the largest opposition party in the country, announced its “three noes” in the face of the ruling regime, in order to reject the “third mission,” “restrictions on freedoms,” and “corruption.”
While the opposition party was announcing, on Saturday, a series of protest activities during the coming period, Mauritanian Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Ajay was touring the capital, Nouakchott, to visit government projects that the government is betting on as part of a major project to develop the capital and raise the standard of people’s lives. During this tour, he pledged to protect public funds and fight corruption.
In the same context, the opposition “Salvation Forces Alliance” held a press conference, in which it said that the regime of President Mohamed Ould Sheikh Ghazouani “spent more in 7 years than the country spent in 60 years,” criticizing “the economic policies of the ruling regime.”
“No communication”
The head of the “Tawasul” party, Hamadi Ould Sidi Al-Mukhtar, who is also the leader of the “Democratic Opposition Foundation,” said at the opening of the “political entry program” at the party’s headquarters in Nouakchott, that his party adheres to the “three nos”: “No to the third mission,” “No to restrictions on freedoms,” and “No to corruption and deterioration of services,” stressing that these will be “the most prominent headlines” of its activity for the next political season.
Ould Sidi Al-Mokhtar, in a speech to his party’s supporters, focused on the “rejection of the third mission” of current President Ould Sheikh Ghazouani, which is demanded by a number of the ruling presidential majority parties. He said that it “threatens unity and harmony, and is not in the interest of the nation, the citizen, or the regime,” and represents “a retreat from a major political gain” which is the rotation of power.
The leader of the “opposition establishment” said that officials who propose the idea of a “third mission” and defend it publicly “may be subject to legal accountability.” “For violating the fortified constitutional articles,” in reference to the fact that President Ould Ghazouani was re-elected in 2024 for a second presidential term, the last under the country’s current constitution.
Ould Sidi Al-Mokhtar also criticized what he said was “a restriction on freedoms in light of the arrest of political activists and journalists, and the prosecution of foreign bloggers.” He also called for “stopping non-urgent projects and rationalizing spending.” “Because of the difficult economic conditions and the government’s failure to confront them.”
Spending numbers
In a press conference, the Salvation Forces Alliance, which includes a number of opposition political parties, said, “Based on a review of 67 original budget laws from 1960 to 2026, the total public spending amounted to 13,576 billion ouguiyas, of which the country spent 6,163 billion in the first 60 years, compared to 7,413 billion in the last 7 years, that is, a difference of about 1,250 billion.”
The head of the “Alliance,” parliamentary representative Mohamed Lamine Ould Sidi Mouloud, said, “Every regime has accomplished some projects, with the exception of the current regime.” He asked, “Does the volume of spending equal the volume of achievements?” To which he answered, “No; And a thousand no’s.” He believed that it was “a shame” that the regime had not built what it had built in 60 years, and attributed this to “the suppression of political life,” the imprisonment of representatives, the removal of their immunity, and the “politicization of the judiciary.” Ould Sidi Mouloud accused “a wealthy, corrupt class that emerged under the regime,” and said that “the majority of its members were destitute and now owned homes in Spain and Morocco.” He did not provide evidence for that.
Prime Minister's tour
On the other hand, the Prime Minister, Mokhtar Ould Ajay, inspected service projects being worked on in Nouakchott, which included the health, water, housing, and youth sectors. He said that obtaining basic services and protecting public facilities are “inherent rights of citizens.”
In the new health center in Dar Al-Naim District, the Prime Minister criticized officials at the center and asked: “How are 700 million ouguiya allocated to establish a health facility without providing it with a water network and limiting it to a water container only?”
Ould Ajay said in an interview with officials, and in the presence of journalists, that the government has invested significant amounts of money in financing these projects, “and we will not let anyone spoil them,” pledging to “protect public money and fight corruption.”
