The dire humanitarian situation in Sudan is not drawing enough attention from the world, a senior UAE official told The National on Thursday.
“While conflicts are taking place in the Middle East and Europe – and these are important – there is a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportion in Sudan that is overlooked,” said Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation.
The UAE, Ethiopia, the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are set to jointly host a high-level humanitarian conference in Addis Ababa on Friday, aiming to mobilise urgent support for the Sudanese people as the conflict in the country nears its two-year mark.
The conference, held on the sidelines of the AU Summit, seeks to raise international attention to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and ensure aid reaches those in need despite increasing restrictions to access, Ms Al Hashimy said.
Sudan’s civil war, which started in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and devastated the country.
Famine has been detected in at least five areas, including three camps for displaced people in Darfur, the Integrated Food Security Classification has said.
Both the Sudanese government and the RSF have been implicated in obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid during the conflict. Aid groups say they struggle to reach the most vulnerable as warring parties limit access, especially in Darfur.
The UAE is expected to announce a $200 million aid package in Friday’s summit, senior officials told The National, bringing its total humanitarian assistance for Sudan since the outbreak of war to $600 million. The funds will be channelled through UN agencies and other humanitarian organisations.
“The global community should focus on Sudan and take concrete steps to alleviate the suffering of its people,” Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The National. “Relief assistance should not be politicised. It is essential to underscore that no entity should have the right to arbitrarily challenge lifesaving assistance.”
Ms Al Hashimy noted that “the initiative comes ahead of the Holy Month of Ramadan", a time when humanitarian efforts traditionally intensify.
The UAE also called for a ceasefire during holy month, a call rejected by the Sudanese army.
This conference marks the first major international effort this year dedicated to the humanitarian situation in Sudan, with organisers hoping to push the international community to step up support.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
Sri Lanka v England
First Test, at Galle
England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%20turbo%204-cyl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E298hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E452Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETowing%20capacity%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.4-tonne%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPayload%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4WD%20%E2%80%93%20776kg%3B%20Rear-wheel%20drive%20819kg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrice%3A%20Dh138%2C945%20(XLT)%20Dh193%2C095%20(Wildtrak)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDelivery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20from%20August%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
