Hundreds of civilians have been killed or wounded in fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Al Gezira over the last 25 days, the UN says.
Survivors have spoken of “horrific” violence and sexual assaults across the eastern state.
An offensive by the RSF, the latest in the civil war raging since April last year, has killed at least 124 civilians since October 20, according to a UN report. In the same period, an estimated 135,400 people have been displaced in Al Gezira.
Since last month, about 27 women and girls aged between six and 60 have been raped or assaulted, according to Sudan’s Health Ministry. However, the UN Population Fund, which has relief workers on the ground, has said the reported cases are a fraction of the actual number.
Harrowing testimonies have emerged from displaced women revealing the extent of the atrocities.
Fatma, a mother of six who fled Al Gezira, which lies south-east of Khartoum, recounted her experience to UN relief workers from her current base in Al Gedaref.
“They beat us like dogs, so we fled. We left with nothing; we didn't have anything, not even bread,” she said. “We walked in the scorching sun for seven days without anything to eat. Some women died on the way. There was no water to drink; they died of dehydration.”
UN counsellors working in Al Gedaref shared accounts of women throwing themselves into a river to avoid sexual abuse by . The counsellors said many survivors had gone into hiding as even their own families had threatened to kill them after the abuse in an attempt to preserve their “honour”.
“Horrific reports have emerged from Al Gezira, Sudan following a wave of armed violence,” says the report by UNFPA, which described parents telling their daughters to take their own lives to escape sexual violence.
The fighting has also led to a collapse of the health system, with only one in four health centres functional in Al Gezira. This has left women and girls with limited access to essential care including maternal and reproductive services.
Awatef, a displaced midwife who fled Al Gezira to Al Gedaref, described having to deliver four babies as pregnant women travelled from the violence. “I delivered them in the bush, with only very basic sterilisation – I had nothing but water and soap,” she said.
Amina, a 27-year-old displaced mother of five, said she underwent a C-section while on the road. “This was my fifth Caesarean operation. After I delivered Abdul Azeem, I had to start walking again just six hours later, carrying him while my wounds were still fresh and painful,” she said.
“But the shooting was so terrifying that I found the strength to leave the village. Some men from the village saw me walking and offered me a spot on a cart pulled by a donkey. I stayed on that cart for days until I arrived in Al Gedaref.”
The escalation in Al Gezira has been denounced by foreign governments including the US and Britain, which is serving as the UN Security Council’s penholder on Sudan. Both the RSF and SAF have been accused of widespread human rights abuses since the start of the war.
The violence is believed to have been motivated by the October 20 defection of a leading RSF ally, Abu Agla Keikel, to the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.
“Keikel, the commander of an RSF ally force in the state, defected to the SAF, triggering this surge in retaliatory attacks on civilians, including those from Keikel’s tribe,” the rights group said.
The worsening humanitarian situation has been exacerbated by restrictions imposed by the army on access to RSF-controlled areas, as well as looting by the RSF, according to HRW.
On Friday, the UN Security Council Committee imposed sanctions on two RSF commanders, accusing them of perpetuating the war.
Maj Gen Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, the RSF's commander in West Darfur, and Maj Gen Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, head of the RSF's operations department, were hit with travel bans and asset freezes.
Maj Gen Barkalla was also placed under sanctions by the US Treasury on Tuesday, which said that he was a “primary party responsible for the ongoing violence against civilians in Sudan”.
As a top RSF lieutenant, he led the paramilitary’s campaign in West Darfur earlier this year, which was “marked by credible claims of serious human rights abuses, including the targeting of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence and ethnically motivated violence”, the Treasury said.
The UN Security Council is currently discussing a British-drafted resolution that demands an immediate cessation of hostilities between the warring parties and calls for unhindered humanitarian access across front lines and borders.
The UNFPA is one of several relief organisations on the ground assisting with psychosocial support and medical care. However, it is calling for increased funding to scale up its response, as well as a more robust civilian protection mechanism for the Sudanese people and unhindered access for humanitarian workers.
Since April last year, the civil war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. The exact number has yet to be determined but Sudanese health authorities said in June that casualties had passed 40,000. About 11 million people have been displaced in the fighting.
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.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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