Sudanese army commander Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has said there will be no peace in Sudan until the military defeats the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that it has been fighting for more than a year, throwing a planned resumption of ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia into doubt.
“There will be no negotiations, no peace, and no ceasefire except after defeating this rebellion and getting rid of these criminal rebels so that this country can live in peace,” Gen Al Burhan said after he visited the front lines in Nile River State on Wednesday.
Sudan has descended into crisis since the war between the army led by Gen Al Burhan, the country's de facto leader, and the RSF, commanded by his former ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, broke out on April 15 last year.
Saudi Arabia was expected to host a new round of peace talks this week in Jeddah, where the kingdom and the US have already mediated several rounds of negotiations without success. The US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Perriello, said on April 16 that the Biden administration “welcomes the decision of Saudi Arabia to restart Jeddah talks within the next three weeks”.
But Gen Al Burhan's remarks have dashed hopes of at least a pause in fighting to alleviate what the UN has called a “humanitarian crisis of epic proportions”, with famine threatening and more than 8.7 million people uprooted – more than anywhere else in the world.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, including up to 15,000 in the West Darfur town of El Geneina in what UN experts said was a campaign of violence by the RSF against civilians there.
Experts have warned the north-east African country is at risk of breaking apart.
“Our fight against the rebel terrorist Rapid Support militia will not stop except by liberating this country from these criminal rebels,” Gen Al Burhan said.
“We will not stop fighting until we defeat these criminals who destroyed this honourable country and who deprived citizens of their property, committed the most horrific violations and raped our free daughters in Khartoum, Al Geneina and Al Jazira.”
Fierce clashes erupted earlier this week, with hundreds of soldiers and RSF fighters killed in battles around the city of El Obeid, the largest city in the central Kordofan region that is mostly controlled by the paramilitary.
On Thursday, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had been forced to suspend work and withdraw staff from the Madani Teaching Hospital, the only functional hospital for the hundreds of thousands of people in dire need of medical assistance in the capital of Al Jazira state.
“The health system and basic services in Al Jazira state have collapsed as a consequence of the fighting and the systematic blockade on supplies and personnel entering the area,” Mari Carmen Vinoles, operations manager for MSF in Sudan, said.
The RSF has seized four out of five state capitals in the Darfur region, home to around one quarter of Sudan's 48 million people.
The International Criminal Court, currently investigating ethnic killings primarily by the RSF in Darfur, says it has “grounds to believe” both sides are committing atrocities in the war.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
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Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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The burning issue
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
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• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Honeymoonish
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Up in the air
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
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Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia
