US support to Sudan could be at risk if the country's fragile transition to civilian rule is impeded, US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman warned on Wednesday.
“If the transition is interrupted, if one side or the other in this [civilian-military] partnership tries to prevail, then the US support for all of these issues, including debt relief, will be in question,” Mr Feltman told The National.
The US has this year provided nearly $337 million to support Sudan's transitional government after the military's 2019 removal of dictator Omar Al Bashir.
But a continuing quarrel between the government and the military has highlighted the frailty of the transition to democratic rule.
The two camps engaged in a public and bitter war of words after a failed military coup last month, with each blaming the other for the country’s many woes.
Mr Feltman is visiting Khartoum this weekend, his second trip to the Sudanese capital in less than a month, highlighting the level of engagement and concern US President Joe Biden's administration is dedicating to the situation.
“My trip will just reinforce the strong US support for the Sudanese transition, but also make it clear that our continued support depends on that transition moving forward,” he said.
We want to see what we can do to support the forward momentum, the forward progress
US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman
“We want to see what we can do to support the forward momentum, the forward progress.”
After Al Bashir's fall, Washington removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and helped Khartoum in its talks with the International Monetary Fund, granting the African nation $50 billion in debt relief and $2.4bn in funding last June.
But stubborn troubles including power cuts, medicinal shortages, a devalued currency and rampant inflation have fuelled widespread anger at Sudan's transitional government, led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Large protests are expected in Khartoum on Thursday to call on his government to resign.
“We are hoping that the demonstrations will reflect that peaceful spirit that animated the transition back in 2019, [but] it’s not really a surprise or alarming that there are political debates going on inside Sudan," said the former undersecretary general for political affairs at the UN.
"Transitions are messy," he said, noting that calls for Mr Hamdok to resign and for his Cabinet to be replaced were a "distraction".
"It's a deflection of attention that needs to be devoted to the transition benchmarks," Mr Feltman said.
Asked if the Sudanese military was responsible, the veteran diplomat did not blame either side.
“The civilians in this partnership did not get to choose who their military partners were in this transition," he said. "The military, likewise, cannot choose who the civilian partners are."
Mr Feltman said Sudan's powerbrokers should focus on inclusivity and co-operation.
“Rather than having public spats with each other, the [Sudanese] components of this transition need to focus on key benchmarks," he said, stressing the need for inclusivity and co-operation.
“The military cannot be sidelined in this transition process. They're part of the transition. But the military also has to give the civilians the space to work out the issues on their side.”
He saw that reciprocity as key in the Juba peace accords signed in October 2020 between the transitional government and rebel groups.
“We're calling on the military and the civilians to pull together in a unified way behind the concept of the constitutional declaration and the Juba peace agreement," he said.
Mr Feltman said the agreement finds ways to resolve governance issues by creating a transitional legislative council.
We're calling on the military and the civilians to pull together in a unified way
US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman
Other critical steps needed to exit the crisis include the establishment of a constitutional court and transitional justice mechanisms, and the formation of an election commission, he said.
On role of the Gulf countries and the support they could lend Sudan, Mr Feltman repeated the need to protect the civilian-military partnership as a whole.
“We have been in discussion with our Gulf partners … they understand that the success of the transition in Sudan depends on maintaining this military-civilian leadership up until the election,” he said.
Sudan is expected to hold elections in 2023. Until then, Mr Feltman said that Gulf countries understood the links between debt relief and making progress on the transition, and the priority of backing existing transitional authorities and “not one person or one side.”
On the Abraham Accords and Sudan’s decision to normalise relations with Israel last December, Mr Feltman said the pace of the Sudanese-Israeli engagement is up to the two countries to decide.
“We were encouraged that Sudan signed the Abraham Accords and that shows the recognition of the benefits of expanded collaboration with Israel," he said.
Mr Feltman’s deputy, Payton Knopf, is already in Khartoum.
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
57%20Seconds
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if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EMen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saif%20Al%20Zaabi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Zayed%20Al%20Ansaari%2C%20Saud%20Abdulaziz%20Rahmatalla%2C%20Adel%20Shanbih%2C%20Ahmed%20Khamis%20Al%20Blooshi%2C%20Abdalla%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Hammadi%2C%20Mohammed%20Khamis%20Khalaf%2C%20Mohammad%20Fahad%2C%20Abdulla%20Al%20Arimi.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozah%20Al%20Zeyoudi%2C%20Haifa%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Ayesha%20Al%20Mutaiwei.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
RACECARD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dubai World Cup draw
1. Gunnevera
2. Capezzano
3. North America
4. Audible
5. Seeking The Soul
6. Pavel
7. Gronkowski
8. Axelrod
9. New Trails
10. Yoshida
11. K T Brave
12. Thunder Snow
13. Dolkong
The%20specs
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Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
