Police used tear gas to disperse tens of thousands who marched on the presidential palace in Khartoum on Tuesday to demand that Sudan's military leave politics.
The march was about 500 metres away from the Nile-side palace in the heart of the capital when the teargas was used. Hundreds of police officers had surrounded the palace as the protesters drew closer, witnesses told The National.
Tuesday's march was called to protest against the military’s growing political role following the October 25 coup and a deal that reinstated the prime minister a month after his removal by top army figure, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan. The coup upended Sudan's democratic transition, ending a partnership with civilian, pro-democracy political forces enshrined in a power-sharing deal reached in 2019.
The crowds had gathered earlier on Tuesday in the capital's residential neighbourhoods before they began their march towards the palace, chanting anti-military slogans and waving national flags.
“The people want the regime to fall,” they chanted. “Power to the people,” they shouted. “No negotiations; no partnership!” read one banner carried by the protesters.
Police in convoys of up to 10 armoured cars roamed the streets around the palace before the arrival of the protesters. Others sat in large lorries stationed nearby.
All Nile bridges linking the city's three boroughs remained open, unlike on previous days of protest, when they were closed from the night before.
"We want a totally civilian regime built on the revolution's slogan of freedom, peace and justice," said one protester, a 25-year-old businessman who wanted to be identified only by his first name, Mustafa.
"We are the generation that will stop Sudan's cycle of coups. The military will never rule us again," he shouted so he could be heard over the chanting and women ululating.
Tuesday’s rallies, organised by Khartoum’s resistance committees, will add to pressure on Abdalla Hamdok, the prime minister removed by the coup but reinstated on November 21, to do more to reassure the Sudanese that his return to office will restore the democratic transition.
Mr Hamdok, a British-educated economist, was placed under house arrest by Gen Al Burhan.
His detention and dismissal made his popularity soar. However, the deal he struck with the military has turned him overnight from a popular hero into a man thought to have betrayed the people and their revolution against dictator Omar Al Bashir in 2018-19.
A career UN economist before becoming prime minister in 2019, Mr Hamdok has been seeking to subtly distance himself from the military since the deal, emphasising his independence.
He instructed the police and security agencies to protect rather than clash with peaceful protesters. At the weekend, he fired the police chief and his deputy in what appeared to be a response to the use of excessive use of force against protesters in the four weeks since the coup.
At least 43 have been killed and hundreds injured since October 25, according to a doctors' association linked to the pro-democracy movement, whose figures have in the past proved reliable.
It said the death toll rose when a 21-year-old man died on Tuesday of a brain haemorrhage after policemen beat him on the head with truncheons during street protests on November 25.
“No one gifted us the right to demonstrate. Our people gained that right over decades of struggle,” Mr Hamdok wrote on Facebook late on Monday. In defence of his deal with the military, he said: “The basic value and main challenge of the agreement is its implementation.”
Mr Hamdok, however, has remained silent on the fait accompli created by Gen Al Burhan after his coup, which enshrined the military as the ultimate source of power and guardian of the transition until elections promised for 2023.
He has named himself the country’s de facto leader and appointed a new Sovereign Council of generals and little-known civilians, who replaced representatives of the powerful pro-democracy movement that signed a power-sharing deal with the military after ousting Al Bashir in April 2019.
“Instead of (Mr Hamdok) ascending to this position on the shoulders of the popular will, he was content to take it on the back of a tank,” Omar El Degeir, leader of the Sudan Congress Party, told a news conference on Monday. “Hamdok knows from the evidence history shows us is that it’s the people's will that prevails, not the tank.” Mr El Degeir and several prominent politicians and activists who were detained by the military and later released took part in Tuesday’s rallies.
But Sulaima Ishaq, a prominent activist and a women’s rights campaigner, believes opposition to Mr Hamdok runs much deeper among politicians such as Mr El Degeir than with the grass roots of the pro-democracy movement.
Their quarrel, she explained, is mostly with the military.
“To many of them, he’s ’s like a partner that you broke up with but continue to love. You cannot bring yourself to hate him but you are really upset with him,” she said. “Regardless of the deal, he remains the man of the people.”
Mr Hamdok has been instrumental in overhauling Sudan’s battered economy and was able to persuade a large majority of the Sudanese to endure steep rises in the price of basic goods, such as fuel, as a result of his ambitious reforms.
He said he had agreed to be reinstated to save the country from sliding into chaos, protect the transition and the modest economic gains made in recent months.
He has also negotiated the lifting of international sanctions slapped on Sudan during Al Bashir’s 29-year rule when the country was a pariah state for its links to extremist groups and atrocities in the war against rebels in the western Darfur region.
Moreover, Sudan was on the cusp of foreign debt forgiveness to the tune of $50 billion before the coup, which was internationally condemned and led to the suspension of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of aid.
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Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Hales' batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
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John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THREE
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Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
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Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
