Sudan's main pro-democracy coalition has welcomed a statement by the military this weekend renewing the ruling generals' commitment to the restoration of the country's democratic transition.
Prospects for a lasting civilian government were upended when the military seized power in an October 2021 coup.
In a statement, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition said it was determined to stick to the political process rooted in a preliminary deal reached with the military in December. The deal provides for a civilian-led government to steer the country until elections are held and for the military to quit politics.
The FFC, the military and other civilian political forces that signed the December deal have been engaged in protracted, internationally-sponsored negotiations on contentious issues left out of the agreement. These include restructuring the armed forces and security agencies, as well as bringing to justice anyone found guilty of political crimes since the April 2019 removal of long-time dictator Omar Al Bashir.
At least 125 protesters were killed by security forces since the October 25, 2021 coup.
The FFC statement came in response to a declaration issued by the military on Saturday that emphasised its commitment to the “ongoing political process and the strict and full adherence to what was agreed in the preliminary deal.”
The statement also appeared to be in response to claims made by the commander of a powerful paramilitary force, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, that generals did not want to step down and make way for a civilian-led, transitional government.
Gen Dagalo's comments last week were part of an intensifying jockeying for power by him and military ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, who led the 2021 coup and is head of the army.
Both men are widely thought to harbour political ambitions.
A statement from the military attributed to its spokesman, Col Nabil Abdullah, said: “Talk about lack of willingness by the leadership of the armed forces to continue the process of change and democratic transition is a blatant attempt at political opportunism and the winning of sympathy.”
The two generals met unexpectedly for the first time in weeks on Saturday night, according to a statement by the ruling, military-led Sovereign Council.
Gen Al Burhan is the council's chairman, while Gen Dagalo is his second in command.
“The meeting reviewed the security and political conditions in the country and decided to form a joint security committee … to monitor the security situation”, said the statement. “The meeting also touched on the political process and the necessity to press ahead with the agreed-upon arrangements.”
It was not immediately clear whether the meeting signals the end of the rivalry between the two or a bid to defuse growing concern in Sudan that the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Gen Dagalo are inching closer to armed clashes in Khartoum.
A main point of contention between the two is the assimilation of the well-armed and combat-seasoned RSF into the armed forces, which Gen Al Burhan insists on as part of a final political deal.
Gen Dagalo has said he supports the idea of a “single army” but has never unequivocally stated his willingness for the RSF to be an integral part of the armed forces.
The RSF, in theory, is under the command of the armed forces, but it enjoys near total autonomy, controlling vast economic interests, procuring arms abroad and engaging foreign advisers to train its men. Thousands of its fighters are deployed across the capital.
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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