Authorities in Sudan's restive South Kordofan province have declared a month-long state of emergency after the fatal shooting of four people at a bus station on Monday.
Officials said four others were injured in the shooting in provincial capital Kadugli.
Activists working for fairer treatment of rural residents identified the four who were killed as between the ages of 27 and 40. They said they were members of the Moro tribe that inhabits the Nuba mountains, site of a long-running civil war.
No group had claimed responsibility for the attack by early on Tuesday evening.
Sudanese media reports said the victims had been on their way to areas controlled by rebels of Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North when the shooting took place. They quoted witnesses as saying the assailants opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles at a tea house at the bus station where the victims had been sitting.
The assailants remain at large, said the activists, but Kadugli was calm on Tuesday.
Provincial governor Moussa Gabr said the shooting was “unfortunate and bitter” and vowed the authorities would do everything to restore security and stability in the area.
"We have been dealing with incidents like these. Our society will be in danger if these attacks continue," he said. The state of emergency came into effect on Monday and the heads of districts in the province will decide whether to impose a curfew in their areas, he added.
"We will not rest until we restore security and stability in the province and the feeling of security for its residents," said Mr Gabr.
The activists told The National that Monday's shooting followed a foiled attempt a week ago to kidnap a member of Kordofan's ancient Salateen aristocracy and a series of kidnappings on the road between Kadugli and Deling, also in South Kordofan.
One of the activists, Nizar Abdullah, blamed a recent proliferation of firearms and the worsening economic situation for the surge of violence in the area.
"The incident alarmed the government because there has been a rise in violence in recent weeks and months," he said.
"This scenario will happen again because of the proliferation of arms and tribal clashes. The local government swiftly declared a state of emergency so it can have the power to contain the violence."
Another activist, Mohammed Ismail, recounted a recent incident in the area in which gunmen tried to free about 20 death-row inmates when a police vehicle taking them to a prison in Obeid in North Kordofan came under attack. The attempt failed but the police driver was killed.
"What happened is simply a reflection of the weakness of the government and its security agencies," he said.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by veteran rebel Abdel Aziz Al Hilu, controls large parts of the province, including the Nuba mountains.
It has been fighting the government for decades for what it says is a fair distribution of national wealth and to end the monopoly on power by an Arabised Muslim elite in northern Sudan.
A ceasefire was declared between the military and the group after the fall of Sudanese leader Omar Al Bashir in 2019 after 29 years in power. However, tension arose between the two sides following the derailment of the country's democratic transition by a military takeover in October 2021.
Critics of the military contend that the October 2021 coup has created a political and security vacuum that permitted a resurgence of ethnic and tribal violence in Sudan's "fringe" regions, such as Darfur in the west and Kordofan and Blue Nile in the south.
The coup also plunged the Afro-Arab nation into its worst economic crisis in living memory, with western powers suspending billions of dollars' worth of desperately needed aid and debt forgiveness to protest against the military takeover. They say they will resume aid only when a credible democratic transition led by a civilian government is in place.
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
AIR
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The%20BaaS%20ecosystem
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STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
