Authorities in Sudan’s turbulent Darfur region imposed a night-time curfew in the northern part of the area on Wednesday, after armed attackers overran and looted a base the UN had jointly used with the African Union.
The base in the city of Al Fashir was run by the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (Unamid) and handed over to the local authorities on December 21. It was looted on December 24.
A statement from the government of the North Darfur province where Al Fashir is located said the 6pm-5am curfew would go into immediate effect. The decision to impose a curfew, it said, was taken after a lengthy meeting of the province’s security committee.
The UN did not say what had been stolen in the weekend raid.
UN vehicles, food, furniture and money have been stolen in past attacks on various missions in Darfur.
UN officials have complained that Sudanese authorities should have protected the base.
The identity of the attackers in the December 24 raid was not known.
Aid supplies plundered
Separately, an unidentified armed group late on Tuesday attacked and looted a warehouse belonging to the World Food Program also in Al Fashir, according to Khardiata Lo Ndiaye, UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Sudan.
As many as 1,900 metric tons of food had been stored at the warehouse, meant to be distributed to people in need in the area, the WFP said on Wednesday.
“Such an attack severely impedes our ability to deliver to the people who need it the most,” Ms Lo Ndiaye said.
Sudan is one of the world's poorest counties, with at least 14.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.
Darfur has been hit by violence more than a decade after the end of a full-blown conflict there pitting the government and allied militias against ethnic Africans, who took up arms against what they saw as the racism and neglect shown to their region by the government of autocratic leader Omar Al Bashir.
Al Bashir, removed by a popular uprising in April 2019, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and genocide during the Darfur conflict, which left some 350,000 people dead and displaced over two million, according to the UN.
Unamid completed its mandate on December 31, 2020, two months after the transitional government in Khartoum signed a peace deal with a coalition of rebel leaders to end strife in Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile region.
The October 2020 accords, however, did not include powerful rebel groups that control vast swathes of territory in all three regions.
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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)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group C
Liverpool v Red Star Belgrade
Anfield, Liverpool
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
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Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
