Sudan’s army on Tuesday said its troops had regained control of the national radio and TV headquarters from the rival Rapid Support Forces paramilitary.
The announcement signals the latest and most symbolically significant battlefield victory in the army's continuing offensive in Omdurman, a city across the Nile to the west of Khartoum and part of the capital’s greater area.
The complex was seized by the RSF last year in the early days of its war against the army, as the paramilitary quickly took over the city’s only international airport, presidential palace and other important sites, including ministries, arms depots and factories.
An army statement did not give details of the fighting over the media complex, which lies near the centre of the capital and houses several historical sites. It is also the main stronghold in the capital of Umma, Sudan’s largest political party.
However, the army posted online videos of its troops celebrating inside the complex with celebratory gunfire, as well as scenes of street battles with the sound of heavy machinegun fire ringing out.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the fate of the complex.
Tuesday’s fighting came a day after the Sudanese army rejected a call for a ceasefire during Ramadan, which began on Monday, saying it intended to continue to fight.
The call for a ceasefire came in a resolution drafted by the UK and adopted on Friday by the UN Security Council. It also urged the warring parties to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to millions of Sudanese in need.
A series of ceasefires brokered by Saudi Arabia and the US soon after the war broke out in April 2023 were short-lived or ignored.
Osman Al Mirghany, a prominent Sudanese analyst and editor of daily Khartoum newspaper Al Tayyar, said the army’s rejection of a ceasefire was rooted in preventing the RSF from using it to reinforce its most vulnerable positions or redeploy its fighters advantageously as it did during previous pauses in hostilities.
“More importantly, the army is regaining the initiative in the capital and is on the offensive," he told The National. "Accepting a truce will disrupt that and give the RSF a chance to regroup.”
The war between the army, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the RSF, led by his former ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, began in April. Differences between the two generals over the details of Sudan’s democratic transition boiled over into violence after weeks of mounting tension.
The fighting has to date displaced nearly eight million people and created a major humanitarian crisis in which, according to the UN, at least 25 million people across the country and neighbouring South Sudan and Chad are struggling with soaring rates of hunger and malnutrition due to the war.
The violence has also destroyed large parts of the capital and left its infrastructure and services in tatters. It has spread to the western regions of Darfur and Kordofan and more recently to Al Jazeerah, the nation’s breadbasket south of the capital.
Both the army and the RSF have been found by the UN to have committed war crimes in the conflict, with the RSF blamed for ethnically motivated killings in Darfur, sexual assaults in Khartoum and using human shields.
The army is accused of air strikes and heavy artillery fire on densely populated areas, a tactic that has killed hundreds of civilians in Khartoum alone.
The humanitarian crisis caused by the war is at its worst among the millions of internally displaced Sudanese.
Sulaima Ishaq, a prominent women’s rights campaigner and political activist, is a native of Omdurman, who last year joined tens of thousands of Sudanese who took refuge in Kosti, a White Nile-side city south of the capital. Many of the displaced in Kosti live in school buildings.
“It’s not as bad in Kosti as it is the west of the country, but there are many cases of severely malnourished children and recently born infants in the city’s hospitals," she told The National on Tuesday.
“Hungry mothers have no breast milk for their infants.”
Company%20profile
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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.
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
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Why are you, you?
Why are you, you?
From this question, a new beginning.
From this question, a new destiny.
For you are a world, and a meeting of worlds.
Our dream is to unite that which has been
separated by history.
To return the many to the one.
A great story unites us all,
beyond colour and creed and gender.
The lightning flash of art
And the music of the heart.
We reflect all cultures, all ways.
We are a twenty first century wonder.
Universal ideals, visions of art and truth.
Now is the turning point of cultures and hopes.
Come with questions, leave with visions.
We are the link between the past and the future.
Here, through art, new possibilities are born. And
new answers are given wings.
Why are you, you?
Because we are mirrors of each other.
Because together we create new worlds.
Together we are more powerful than we know.
We connect, we inspire, we multiply illuminations
with the unique light of art.
Ben Okri,
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
