Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, posing for a picture at a Rapid Support Forces base in Port Sudan. AFP
Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, posing for a picture at a Rapid Support Forces base in Port Sudan. AFP
Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, posing for a picture at a Rapid Support Forces base in Port Sudan. AFP
Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, posing for a picture at a Rapid Support Forces base in Port Sudan. AFP


It is clear who would win a new conflict in Sudan: no-one


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April 18, 2023

In an exclusive interview with The National in September 2021, Sudan’s then foreign minister, Mariam Sadiq Al Mahdi, said the Sudanese people would not let anything derail the country’s transition to civilian rule after years of military control. Sudan, she said, had become “coup-proof”.

Events since have proved her statement to be premature. The fighting that has broken out over the past few days in Khartoum and several other cities between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation, threatens to deal a severe blow to the country’s already-precarious journey towards political stability.

That so many countries and international organisations immediately called for a ceasefire shows that Sudan’s friends and allies consider this a moment of true crisis. Whatever the proximate cause of the latest clashes, as former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok noted on Sunday evening, “even the winner of this war is a loser.”

It is difficult to disagree with that sentiment, and the time is now for both sides to stop the slide into civil war. Sudan has endured numerous armed conflicts and coups since independence in 1956, and it is difficult to see what yet more violence can achieve for the country’s long-suffering people.

Sudanese soldiers on the streets of the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Sunday. AFP
Sudanese soldiers on the streets of the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Sunday. AFP

What the fighting does reveal is the intense difficulty of transforming a nation where the army has long been used to gain political power into one where a monopoly on the use of force lies strictly with a responsible and truly representative government.

Just over two weeks ago, The National reported that among the country’s most serious challenges was the issue of the RSF. With over 100,000 members in its ranks, it operates independently of the armed forces. How and when to bring this powerful group under civilian control was a sticking point in talks to ratify a political deal that would have relaunched Sudan's civilian-led democratic transition.

Many countries with a long history of conflict have also struggled with the thorny issue of incorporating armed factions into the state’s standing forces. Few of them have found a lasting solution to the problem. A 2018 paper published by the Carnegie Institute says that “efforts to reconstitute and rebuild state security institutions … require not just technical and organisational fixes, but hinge upon a range of sweeping steps and reforms with generational scope”.

Sudan’s people do not have the luxury of waiting for generational change — it is a country with profound economic, political and environmental challenges that require action now. This is a dangerous moment not only for the Sudanese people — who have more than enough to contend with — but for neighbouring countries with problems of their own.

However, there is time to step back from the brink. Sudan’s political dialogue may be a protracted and often frustrating process, but it has continued despite many setbacks, showing that there remains the will to find solutions. As Mr Hamdok said on Sunday: “I’m still optimistic, I’m a born optimist. No matter how grim things seem there’s still a chance for sitting down and resolving issues.”

It is particularly painful that the latest round of fighting has broken out in Sudan as the country approaches Eid — traditionally a time of celebration. But all is not yet lost. If those in positions of responsibility can put their loyalty to the country and its people first, then there is a chance to stop and draw breath.

The way to make Sudan truly coup-proof is a coalition government that is representative and accountable. This is the starting point for a new era for Sudan — rather than an era of renewed fighting that could be detrimental for all.

Paltan

Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Match info

Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 1
Alonso (62')

Huddersfield Town 1
Depoitre (50')

MATCH INFO

Quarter-finals

Saturday (all times UAE)

England v Australia, 11.15am 
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm

Sunday

Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm

The%20specs
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Top Hundred overseas picks

London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith 

Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah 

Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott

Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz

Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw

Trent Rockets: Colin Munro

Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson

Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock

Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon. 

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

'Midnights'
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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

UAE Premiership

Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes

Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai

The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

TOURNAMENT INFO

Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri

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Updated: April 18, 2023, 8:47 AM`