The head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, left Khartoum on Wednesday for the Russian capital Moscow.
The RSF announced on its official Arabic account on Twitter that Gen Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, is making the official trip at the invitation of the Russian government.
It said he will be holding talks with senior Russian officials in his capacity as the deputy head of the Sovereign Council and is leading a delegation of ministers from the interim government.
Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, who led a military takeover in October that removed the country’s transitional government, appointed in November a new governing Sovereign Council.
Gen Al Burhan remained the head of the council, while Gen Dagalo kept his post as his deputy.
The visit comes as Sudan is still reeling under continuing protests in Khartoum and several cities led by pro-democracy activists, who reject military rule and have dismissed the formation of the Sovereign Council as an “extension to the coup”.
Gen Al Burhan’s move has been met with wide condemnation from the international community and suspension of vital US aid, with many countries calling for the restoration of a civilian-led government.
The army rejects such proposals as interference in Sudan's internal affairs, while rejecting the accusation that it has carried out a coup. The generals insist they only intervened when some politicians had earlier tried to “hijack the policy-making process”, causing the civilian government to drift deeper into animosity and division.
Their main criticism was reserved for the Forces of Freedom of Change, the pro-democracy umbrella group that had led the 2019 uprising against Al Bashir and formed the power base of former prime minister Abdallah Hamdok.
There are no details about the nature of the talks to be held by Gen Dagalo in Moscow but the visit comes in the shadow of an escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine, with Russian troops deploying in force inside breakaway parts of the former Soviet republic.
The West announced a range of sanctions on Russian financial interests after Moscow recognised on Monday the independence of the so-called people's republics of Luhansk and Donetsk and endorsed the separatists in the region.
It also comes at a time when western military involvement in Africa could be waning. Last week, France announced the withdrawal of its 2,400 troops from Mali after a decade-long anti-extremist operation in the Sahel region in Africa, which also includes Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Algeria.
Tension has grown between Mali, its African neighbours and the EU, especially after the West African country’s transitional government allowed Russian mercenaries to operate in its territory.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
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Creator: Mike White
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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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
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Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
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WWE World Heavyweight Championship AJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
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United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
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Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
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Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
