The commander of Sudan’s most powerful paramilitary force on Sunday tacitly set conditions for the integration of his men into the armed forces, saying the process must be free of politics and mostly done behind closed doors.
Gen Mohamed Dagalo also emphasised the commitment by his Rapid Support Forces to the country’s democratic transition, saying it is a strategic choice that he and his force will not forsake.
Gen Dagalo was speaking at the launch of talks on Sunday on how to bring the RSF under the army's control as part of far-reaching reform of the military and security forces.
The talks are the final phase in efforts to finalise an agreement for a new transition leading to elections.
The talks between the military and a major pro-democracy coalition — Forces for Freedom and Change FFC — are a follow-up to a preliminary agreement in December between the two sides to restore Sudan’s democratic transition nearly four years after the removal of dictator Omar Al Bashir.
The December agreement provides for a civilian-led government to steer the country for 24 months until elections are held. It also stipulates that the army, which seized power in an October 2021 coup, quits politics.
Already, April 6 and 11 have been set as the dates for the declaration of a new agreement and the establishment of a civilian-led government.
“Military and security reforms are not a political endeavour and must not be subjected to a political agenda," Gen Dagalo told participants at the start of the talks.
"It’s a nationalistic effort linked to the supreme interests of the nation."
Reminding listeners that the RSF was legalised in 2013, he said reform must be accompanied by legislation and be part of comprehensive reforms of all state institutions.
“There is no place for noise, chants and slogans in this complex and sensitive technical process, many of whose parts must be dealt with behind closed doors," Gen Dagalo said.
“The Rapid Support Forces has and will be unequivocally committed to the choice of democratic transition."
He said the RSF refused to join the security forces that tried to crush the anti-Bashir street protests in 2018 and 2019, which forced the army to remove the former dictator in April 2019.
Assimilating the RSF into the armed forces and placing the military and security agencies under civilian oversight have been key demands by the pro-democracy movement.
Its supporters have staged many protests against the military since the 2021 coup.
The proposed RSF integration has been a contentious issue between Gen Dagalo and army chief and coup leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
Gen Dagalo has declared his commitment to the principal of a “single army” but has not unequivocally accepted RSF integration in his public comments.
Gen Al Burhan has said he would not sign off on a political agreement that does not clearly state and give a timeline for the RSF integration in the armed forces.
Tension between the army and the RSF has heightened in recent weeks, prompting troops in the capital Khartoum to go on a high alert.
RSF’s combat-seasoned and well-armed men have been posted across Khartoum since 2019.
Addressing Sunday’s talks, Gen Al Burhan described reforming the military and security agencies as a “long and complicated process” that would not be easy to handle.
“We want to build an armed forces that’s committed to the measures of democratic governments,” he said, pledging that the military would not be an impediment to Sudan’s democratic transition.
Sudan has been ruled by the military for most of the nearly 70 years since independence in 1956, seizing power in coups that toppled freely elected but dysfunctional governments.
Sudan has also been beset by long civil wars in its south and west, draining the country’s resources and deepening its ethnic and religious divides.
The October 25, 2021 coup deepened the country's economic woes, when Sudan's western backers suspended billions of dollars' worth of aid and debt forgiveness.
They say only when a credible democratic transition is restored will they resume helping the vast and underdeveloped nation.
The power grab also created a vacuum in Sudan's outlying areas in the west and south, with ethnic and tribal clashes leaving hundreds dead and tens of thousands displaced.
MO
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Jetour T1 specs
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More on Coronavirus in France
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The%20specs
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
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Price: From Dh139,000
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
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Price: Dh810,000
