U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, a U.S. government representative confirmed.

The meeting took place in the Saudi capital before a scheduled meeting between Trump and leaders of several Gulf countries.

It is the first between a U.

The meeting also came a day after Trump said that he would be lifting sanctions imposed on Damascus.

Trump, who was in Saudi Arabia for the first leg of his three-nation Gulf tour, said lifting the sanctions were a chance for the war-torn country to shine.

The White House said on Tuesday that Trump had agreed to say hello to the Syrian President.

Sanctions were imposed by the U.S. and other countries in response to former president Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on protesters in 2011.

The violence in his regime carried out against civilians during the ensuing civil war.

Al-Assad was overthrown in early December by an Islamist rebel alliance led by al-Sharaa, who was later appointed interim president.

Once an insurgent leader, al-Sharaa has since renounced both al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

However, doubts remain as to whether he has fully abandoned extremist ideology and he is still listed on U.S. and EU terrorist lists.

The last meeting between U.S. and Syrian leaders was in 2000 between then presidents Bill Clinton and Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad. (dpa/NAN)

The ECOWAS Court has dismissed a suit filed by its Ivorian employee, Ms. Mariame Kone-Toure, seeking to terminate the appointment of her Gambian colleague, Ama Savage.

Kone-Toure had served in an acting capacity from Feb. 2023, as of Head of Administration and Human Resources Division, ECOWAS Court of Justice.

She later applied for the substantive position when it was advertised in May 2023.

However, following the recruitment interview conducted in January 2024, Savage was appointed in October 2024 instead.

In her submission before the court, Kone-Toure had claimed that the selection process violated the principles of fairness and non-discrimination as enshrined in the ECOWAS Staff Regulations.

The applicant had argued that, although she was one of the top candidates, the Management Succession Committee only recommended Savage as the sole candidate for the substantive position.

According to her claims in the suit marked: No. ECW/CCJ/APP/32/24, the process is in contrast to similar recruitments in other ECOWAS institutions, where multiple top candidates are usually recommended.

However, ECOWAS had in its submission before the court through its counsel, argued that Savage was the most qualified candidate for the position.

Delivering judgment, Justice Dupe Atoki, on behalf of a three-member panel of the court presided over by Justice Sengu Koroma, the President of the Court, dismissed all the Ivorian’s claims.

The panel, which also had Justice Gberi-Bè Ouattara as a member, upheld ECOWAS’ submission that Savage was the most qualified candidate for the position.

It declared that Kone-Toure’s claims were unsubstantiated, adding that her non-selection was not in any way a violation of her rights.

The court further held that Savage’s appointment complied with ECOWAS Staff Regulations, and the applicant did not provide evidence of discrimination or procedural irregularity against her colleague’s appointment.

“On the merits, the Court examined allegations of discrimination under Article 4(1) and the principle of equitable geographical distribution under Article 9(2)(f) of the ECOWAS Staff Regulations.

“It found that the applicant failed to provide sufficient, verifiable evidence of differential treatment in similar circumstances.

“The court notes that, while she referenced practices in other institutions, she did not present the names or scores of the candidates allegedly favoured, preventing a meaningful comparative analysis.

“On the claim regarding geographical distribution, the court rules that the principle applies only among equally qualified candidates and does not override the requirement of merit-based selection,” the judgment reads in part.

Earlier, the court ruled on jurisdiction, by affirming its competence to hear the matter under Article 9(1)(f) of the 2005 Amended Protocol.

It also held that the suit was admissible as the applicant had exhausted all available internal remedies by initially appealing in futility to the president of the ECOWAS Commission before approaching the court.(NAN)

 At least four individuals lost their lives, and two others sustained life-threatening injuries in a fatal road accident that occurred along G.U Ake Road in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

The spokesperson for the Police Command in Rivers, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, revealed this development in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Iringe-Koko attributed the collision, which occurred at about 11:42 p.

“The driver of a Toyota Camry, with registration number ABJ 10 EM, lost control and struck six pedestrians.

“Tragically, four of the pedestrians died at the scene, while two others sustained injuries and were immediately taken to the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) for medical attention,” she explained.

She further stated that the vehicle had another occupant, identified as Benson Michael, aged 36.

According to the police spokesperson, the driver was promptly arrested and is currently undergoing interrogation.

“The accidented vehicle has been recovered and taken to the police station.

“The case will be transferred to the State Traffic Department for further investigation,” she noted.

She added that the bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) mortuary.

Iringe-Koko extended condolences to the families of the victims and assured them that justice would be served. (NAN)