A major offensive by the army and its allies in Sudan's capital appears to have slowed down in the face of stiff resistance by the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), witnesses say, as the UN appealed on Monday for $6 billion to provide desperately needed aid to the country.
The stalemate in the capital comes as the RSF was preparing to announce the formation of a government in areas under its control, which stretch from parts of Khartoum and its sister cities, Bahri and Omdurman, to the vast Darfur region in the west and large swathes of Kordofan in the south-west.
A declaration of the proposed government was due to be announced in Kenya on Monday but the event has been put off until Tuesday, without explanation.
The RSF move follows comments made by army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan last week that he intended to create a transitional government of technocrats to run the country until the war, now in its 23rd month, is over.
The prospect of Sudan having two rival governments is a source of alarm for many Sudanese who fear it would be a prelude to the break-up of the vast Afro-Arab nation, which lost about a third of its territory and most of its oil wealth 14 years ago when the mainly animist and Christian south seceded after two decades of civil war against the north.
Already, areas under army control in the capital, northern, eastern and central Sudan are using high denomination bank notes not available to parts of the country held by the RSF. Moreover, only pupils in army-held areas have sat their high school diploma exams.
The only functioning international airport in the country now is in Port Sudan on the Red Sea, where Gen Al Burhan, his top generals and military-backed administration are based.
Speaking to The National, witnesses in the capital said the army and its allied volunteers were engaged in intermittent but intense battles in Khartoum close to the Nile-side presidential palace and the commercial hub known as Al Souq Al Araby.
However, they said, neither side appears to have made any major headway for close to a week, with RSF snipers repulsing army attempts to advance.
The army and the volunteers have meanwhile been trying for days to throw the RSF out of Kaffouri, an upmarket district across the Nile from Khartoum in Bahri, where the nation's top politicians and the wealthiest once lived in mansions built on leafy streets.
Most of Bahri and Omdurman are now controlled by the army, but it is in Khartoum where the RSF is putting up stiff resistance, holding on tenaciously to the symbolically significant presidential palace, the city's only international airport, which is not functioning, a section of the armed forces headquarters and government ministries.
With neither side making any tangible changes there to the battle lines, Gen Al Burhan on Monday reaffirmed his resolve to keep fighting until the RSF is defeated.
Gen Al Burhan has already rejected several bids by foreign powers, including the US and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, to get the warring sides to the negotiating table.
"I have a clear message for the regional and international communities: 'Don't bother trying to interfere in the affairs of the Sudanese people,'" he stressed on Monday.
Meanwhile, the UN appeal reflected the dire conditions in Sudan caused by the war, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced about 12 million since it broke out in April 2023. About 26 million people are facing acute hunger in Sudan this year, with pockets of famine surfacing across the nation.
The appeal, jointly made by the UN humanitarian agency Ocha and refugee agency UNHCR, said of the 12 million displaced, about 3.5 million have fled the country.
“Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement. “Famine is taking hold. An epidemic of sexual violence rages. Children are being killed and injured. The suffering is appalling.”
“Today, one third of Sudan's entire population is displaced,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said, highlighting that “the consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan's borders”.
The UN warned that without immediate funding, two thirds of refugee children would be denied access to primary education, “threatening an entire generation”.
Last week, the UAE pledged a further $200 million in humanitarian funding for Sudan, with Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying the crisis in the country demands “immediate and collective action”.
The UAE, Ethiopia, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development hosted a high-level humanitarian conference in Addis Ababa to mobilise urgent support for the Sudanese people.
Representatives of countries including France, Canada and the US joined international partners in calling for a ceasefire during Ramadan this year – expected to start at the beginning of next month – a call previously rejected by the Sudanese army.
The Sudan war is rooted in a struggle for power between Gen Al Burhan and his former ally, RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo. The pair claim to be fighting for the benefit of the Sudanese people, with each promising to restore democratic rule and stay out of politics after free elections are held.
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
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
