A report by UN experts has concluded after nearly a year-long investigation that both sides in Sudan's civil war may have committed war crimes in their ruinous 16-month-old conflict.
The report, angrily rejected by the military-controlled Sudanese government, recommended an arms embargo on the war-wracked nation and the creation of an international peacekeeping force to protect its civilians.
The report, released over the weekend, said that both sides in the civil war – the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – stand accused of “harrowing” war crimes, which it listed.
The war broke out in April last year after weeks of rising tension between the army and the RSF over their future role in Sudan. The conflict has had a devastating effect on the vast Afro-Arab nation of 50 million people. More than half are now facing acute hunger as a result.
The fighting has displaced nearly eight million people, with more than two million took refuge in neighbouring nations. Together with nearly three million Sudanese who fled their homes during previous bouts of civil strife, they have created the world's largest displacement crisis.
The war has also killed more than 20,000 people, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organisation. He said the actual death toll could be much higher.
The report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan was commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council in October last year to investigate the circumstances and root causes of violations of human rights and international law by the two warring parties.
“As Sudan is in turmoil and its people within and outside the country are experiencing immense suffering, the Fact-Finding Mission concludes that the SAF [Sudanese Armed Forces], the RSF and their allied militias are responsible for large-scale violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
“Many of these violations amount to international crimes,” said the experts' report, using the UN phrase commonly used to refer to war crimes punishable under international laws.
On Saturday night, the Sudanese government said it rejected the report's conclusions, saying they went beyond its mandate. It also claimed that the report was politically motivated and supported the positions of UN Security Council members known to be hostile to Sudan. It did not elaborate.
“The report claims that fighting is engulfing 14 of Sudan's 18 states but still called for a ban on arms sales that applies to the Sudanese armed forces, the party that stands to that militia and protect citizens against its crimes,” the government said, referring to the RSF.
The call for an international peacekeeping force was “nothing but a dream harboured by the enemies of Sudan that will never come true”, it said.
“The protection of civilians has been a top priority for the government of Sudan,” the government said, saying that a deal on protecting civilians sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the US, reached in May 2023 and known as the Jeddah Declaration, remains the best available option.
The deal has been ignored by both the RSF and the military, although army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has consistently singled out the paramilitary for not implementing its provisions.
The military boycotted US-sponsored peace talks last month on the grounds that priority should be given to implementing the Jeddah Declaration. The RSF attended the talks in Geneva.
The UN experts' report “recommends the deployment of an independent and impartial force with a mandate to protect civilians in Sudan. The protection of civilians is paramount, and the parties must comply with their obligations under international law”.
It added: “The Fact-Finding Mission considers that fighting will stop once the arms flow stops. Therefore, all states and entities must comply with the existing arms embargo in Darfur … This embargo should also be expanded to cover the entire country.”
The 19-page report added little to what has long been known about alleged war crimes in Sudan. However, its 11-month investigation concluded that pledges by the two warring sides to hold accountable individuals suspected of abuses came to nothing.
Already, the RSF has been accused by several entities, including the International Criminal Court and the US, of extrajudicial killings as well as ethnically-motivated killings in the western Darfur region, where its fighters and allied militiamen killed thousands and forced tens of thousands more to flee to neighbouring Chad in the summer of 2023.
The army is accused of killing thousands of civilians in air strikes and artillery shelling of RSF positions in densely populated areas, and of imprisoning and torturing suspected RSF supporters or sympathisers.
“The Fact-Finding Mission finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the SAF and its allied forces have committed the war crimes of violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture,” said the report.
The gravity of accusations levelled against the military's rival appear more serious.
“The Fact Finding Mission further finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the RSF has committed the crimes against humanity of murder; torture; enslavement; rape, sexual slavery, and acts of a sexual nature of comparable gravity; persecution on the basis of intersecting ethnic and gender grounds in connection with the foregoing acts; and forcible displacement of population,” it said.
Al Shafie Ahmed contributed to this report from Kampala, Uganda.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
AWARDS
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
