Bedevilled by ruinous civil strife and chronic economic woes, Sudan may finally be approaching a respite from a dilapidating run dating back to the independence of the vast Afro-Arab nation in 1956.
A month after the military removed longtime authoritarian ruler Omar Al Bashir following a popular uprising, protest representatives and the ruling generals are making progress towards an agreement on a transitional administration to run the country until elections are held.
In the biggest breakthrough in weeks of negotiations since the April 11 removal of Mr Al Bashir, the two sides agreed early on Wednesday on the makeup of a key part of the transitional period: A 300-member legislative council.
An opposition umbrella group called the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces will control two thirds of the seats. The remaining seats will be filled by other political parties with the approval of both the umbrella group and the generals.
The negotiating parties also announced a compromise over the length of the transitional period on Wednesday, with both sides agreeing to a three-year interim period. The military had proposed a two-year transition, while the protesters hoped for four.
Significantly, the two sides agreed to devote the first six months of the transitional period to resolving the three conflicts that have over the years created a series of humanitarian crises of gigantic proportions.
The conflicts are in the Nuba Mountains, Darfur west of Khartoum, and in the Blue Nile province to the south of the capital, where rebels fight government forces to press demands for a proportionate share of state resources and an end to their perceived marginalisation by the Arabised north of the country.
As a result of these conflicts, some eight million of the country’s estimated population of over 40 million are displaced, while much of the state’s resources have been devoted to war.
Earlier, protest organisers had argued a longer transition period was needed to give time to draft a new constitution and election law. Dismantling the “deep state” led by Islamists loyal to Mr Al Bashir, and repealing discriminatory laws introduced by his regime would also take time, they argued. Moreover, holding an election soon after the fall of Mr Al Bashir would likely produce a government dominated by Islamists, who over the past three decades have placed their supporters at all levels of state institutions.
Allowing that would be an unwanted repeat of what happened in neighbouring Egypt, where Islamists won a comfortable majority in parliamentary elections after a popular uprising forced autocratic president Hosni Mubarak to step down in 2011. An Islamist, Mohammed Morsi, later won a presidential election in the summer of 2012. The triumph of the Islamists in both votes was attributed as much to the organisational disarray of the liberal and secular forces behind the uprising as the vast influence and expertise available to the Islamists.
Still to be negotiated between Sudan's generals and protest leaders is the thorniest question of all: Who will head the proposed 11-member sovereign council, the body that will collectively function as a head of state with some far reaching powers along with ceremonial duties. The military insists that they need to lead and make up majority of the council. The freedom and change forces insist on a body dominated by their representatives.
Protest leaders argue that they orchestrated four months of anti-Al Bashir demonstrations in which some 100 people died and thousands injured or detained and tortured. It was the military's duty to intervene to protect peaceful protesters and remove a president who elected to use deadly force against them, they argue. They did not go to the trouble of forcing the general-turned-president out of office so that the military replaces him, they say. Backing their position are the tens of thousands of supporters who have staged a sit-in protest outside the armed forces' headquarters since April 6, demanding the generals hand power to a civilian government.
It's difficult to imagine the military surrendering power to civilians in a country where generals ruled for more than 50 of the 63 years since independence. Moreover, the generals can argue with some justification that Sudan's three spells of democratic rule since independence – from 1956 to 58, 1964 to 69 and 1986 to 89 –produced dysfunctional governments that neither ended civil wars nor revived the economy.
However, Mr Al Bashir's 29 years in power, the protest leaders counter, is responsible for one of the darkest chapters of Sudan's modern history, with the government fanning sectarian and religious tensions, setting up paramilitary militias to rival the army and allowing institutional corruption to thrive at a time of acute economic crises.
The two sides were meeting again on Wednesday.
"We are sure of victory and we will not back off until we have it," senior opposition activist Siddiq Youssef said in an interview published on Wednesday.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
Price, base / as tested Dh97,600
Engine 1,745cc Milwaukee-Eight v-twin engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 78hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque 145Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.0L / 100km (estimate)
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
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
