In a country where civil wars have raged for decades, Khartoum residents say they have little faith in talks to end fighting between Sudan's army and a rival paramilitary force.
It is hoped negotiations in the Saudi city of Jeddah will produce a deal that would spare residents more death and destruction caused by fighting, which broke out on April 15 and is focused in Khartoum.
Nearly a month on, the Nile-side city is ravaged by battles fought on its streets between the army and Rapid Support Forces, with air strikes, artillery shelling and heavy gunfire transforming it into a war zone.
Officially, at least 500 civilians have been killed and thousands injured, but the actual death toll is believed to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have fled Khartoum, either to neighbouring countries or rural areas.
The number of people internally displaced by the fighting stands at more than 700,000, the UN's International Organisation for Migration said.
“Only immense pressure put by foreign powers on the warring sides will end the fighting and produce a peace deal,” said Moaez Bekheit, 38, a Khartoum resident.
“Both sides seem to think they can win when in fact neither side will be able to decide this battle militarily. They have placed us in a dark tunnel.”
Yazid Al Redah, 36, another resident, said: “There is zero optimism that the talks will end this war. We must have a blanket truce if we as civilians are to have a chance of survival.”
Already, the objective of talks between the army and the RSF in Jeddah is to reach an enduring ceasefire that would allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians, not a peace agreement that would restore Sudan's democratic transition, derailed by a military coup in 2021 and made a low priority by the fighting.
Sponsored by the US and Saudi Arabia, the talks are aimed at extending the fragile truce now in effect and reach a deal on the provision of humanitarian assistance.
The top UN aid official, Martin Griffiths, has proposed “a declaration of commitments for the two parties to guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian relief”, said a UN spokesman in New York.
“Together now [the US, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations], we are pressing the warring parties in Sudan to put down their guns and allow life-saving aid to reach the Sudanese people,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.
US and Saudi diplomats, he added, were “deeply engaged in talks”, working with the UK, the UAE, the African Union and other partners.
A series of ceasefires have been breached since the conflict began, with the two sides blaming each other for the violations.
Khartoum has seen reduced hostilities in recent days, but the fighting escalated on Wednesday with clashes and air strikes, witnesses said. They reported ground battles in several Khartoum neighbourhoods and heavy gunfire in the north of Omdurman and in Bahri, two adjacent cities separated from the capital by the Nile.
Since Tuesday, the army has been pounding targets across the three cities as it tries to root out RSF forces that have taken control of residential areas and strategic sites since early in the conflict.
Khartoum is showing clear signs of a city gripped by civil war, a first despite Sudan's long record of military coups, some violent, and the nation's series of protracted conflicts in the west and south.
Millions have either died or been displaced in this violence since Sudan's independence in 1956. South Sudan alone saw two civil wars, one from 1955 to 1972 and another from 1983 to 2005. The mostly animist and Christian south seceded in 2011.
Some who chose not to flee the city spoke of a lack of power or water, food shortages and a scarcity of medicines. Sudan's state commission for human rights says pockets of severe hunger have emerged in parts of Khartoum.
A third of Sudan's 44 million people needed humanitarian assistance even before the fighting began, according to UN estimates.
On Tuesday night, the commission called on the RSF to pull its fighters out of the hospitals, health centres and private homes they have occupied.
It has also urged authorities to ensure that food, water and power are available at prisons across the vast Afro-Arab nation. It said it was investigating reports that prison guards have shot dead inmates in some jails.
'We have erected barricades'
“We demand that both sides issue straight and clear orders to their combatants to stop storming private homes and occupying them for military reasons,” it said.
Some residents spoke of young men arming themselves for self-defence.
“We have erected barricades on our streets to stop the combatants from coming in,” said Bashir Bakry, 42, from Omdurman. “Some of the young men have armed themselves.
“It is essentially a war between two militias in which we serve as fodder.”
The army, suggesting the RSF could have planted booby traps, warned residents against touching “unidentified” objects and instead leaving them for technical teams.
The RSF on Tuesday night said air strikes carried out by the army's jet fighters have destroyed the historical part of the Nile-side Republican Palace, Sudan's traditional seat of power that dates back to the 19th century. The claim could not be independently verified.
The palace was captured by the RSF early in the fighting, along with part of the armed forces' headquarters, the interior ministry and the state radio and television complex in Omdurman.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
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
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Company%20profile
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
