Famous Sudanese singer Shaden Hussein dies in crossfire as fighting rages around Khartoum

Popular Sudanese singer Shaden Hussein has been killed in crossfire at her home in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, her family and friends announced on social media.

Her death unleashed a wave of sympathy online, drawing attention to the dangers to which residents of the Sudanese capital are exposed because of continuing fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Hussein was from the town of Al Obeid in western Kordofan province. She shot to stardom in 2016, when she launched a career immersed in the ballad-singing traditions of the region.

The fighting engulfing Khartoum and other parts of Sudan broke out on April 15, capping weeks of tension between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Sudan's de facto head of state, and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, his deputy on the ruling, military-led Sovereign Council.

In a live audio recording streamed online shortly before her death on Friday, Hussein could be heard telling her 15-year-old-son Hamoudy to stay away from the windows. She also made reference to being appropriately dressed in case she died. "We are going to die ready wearing full clothes," she said.

Shaden Hussein based her career on the ballad-singing traditions of her native Khordofan province. Hakama Shaden / Facebook

Hussein, 37, is one of hundreds of civilians to have been killed since the fighting broke out. Thousands have been injured with at least 200,000 forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring countries. An additional 700,000 have been displaced inside the country.

Her death came one day after representatives of the army and the RSF reached an agreement to protect civilians after talks in Jeddah sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the US. They were due to start negotiations on a ceasefire this week. Both sides continued fighting through previous ceasefires mediated by foreign powers.

Shelling and air strikes pounded parts of Sudan's capital on Sunday, with little sign that warring sides were ready to back down. Shelling struck Bahri and air strikes hit Omdurman early on Sunday, residents told Reuters. Al Arabiya television reported heavy clashes in central Khartoum.

Hussein's home in Omdurman is near the complex housing the state TV and radio, which was captured by the RSF during the early days of the fighting. The area has been the target of heavy air strikes by the army, which has used its advantage of air power to pound RSF positions in Khartoum.

"We have been trapped in our house for 25 days. People are looting before our own eyes and we are watching with regret filling our hearts," Hussein had written in a recent post.

"Yes, we are hungry and living in unimaginable fear. But we feel full with our ethics and values. If we die, we will die with our dignity and values intact," she wrote, alluding to the widespread looting in the capital, allegedly by RSF fighters, as well as civilians desperate to feed their families.

Some accounts on social media spoke of a stray shell hitting Hussein's home, although no official cause of death has been confirmed.

The RSF has repeatedly claimed that air strikes by the army as well as artillery shelling were killing civilians. The army has denied these claims, which it counters with allegations of RSF fighters looting and using civilians as human shields by taking up positions in residential areas.

In its latest statement on Saturday night, the army said RSF fighters were forcing residents out of their homes in Khartoum and were occupying 22 hospitals and healthcare centres in the capital.

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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.

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

The cost of Covid testing around the world

Egypt

Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists

Information can be found through VFS Global.

Jordan

Dh212

Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.

Cambodia

Dh478

Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.

Zanzibar

AED 295

Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.

Abu Dhabi

Dh85

Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.

From Dh400

Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.

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