Follow the latest news from the Sudan crisis here
As the fighting rages unabated in Sudan for a fifth day despite both sides agreeing to a ceasefire, diplomatic missions have urged the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to end hostilities immediately without conditions.
Both sides agreed to a 24-hour truce that theoretically started at 6pm on Wednesday, but failed to stop hostilities, witnesses said in the capital Khartoum.
A similar truce was declared on Tuesday but it also failed to stop the fighting, with both sides stepping up their attacks.
The diplomatic missions cautioned military leaders against further escalation, calling on them to observe their obligations under international law to protect civilians, diplomats and humanitarians in the country.
The missions included the embassies of the US, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and the Delegation of the EU.
I was up all night unable to sleep because of the fighting... startled by even heavier fighting and the screams of children from my neighbours’ homes
Khartoum resident
On Wednesday morning, a dark cloud loomed over Sudan's capital Khartoum — a physical manifestation of despair after a night of intense fighting between the army and the powerful RSF, despite Tuesday's ceasefire agreement and another attempt on Wednesday.
The fighting was centred around the airport and the headquarters of the armed forces, both a short distance away from Khartoum's city centre.
Heavy black smoke was billowing from one side of the airport, which has been closed since Saturday and is thought to be under the control of the RSF.
Satellite images show smouldering or damaged airliners sitting on the tarmac.
Both sides have made conflicting claims about the armed forces' headquarters, but witnesses say it remains contested. Video clips posted online show parts of the sprawling complex blackened by fire.
The military said in a statement that it has thwarted an attack by the RSF on its headquarters and captured all-terrain vehicles, ammunition and rifles from the attacking force.
It acknowledged that the RSF was in control of the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police, as well as arms depots belonging to the police.
Tuesday's 24-hour truce, which was expected to take effect at 6pm, was shattered before it began, dashing the hopes of the city’s nearly seven million residents of stocking up on food, medicine and baby formula.
Wednesday 6pm ceasefire also appeared to pass with no pause in fighting.
Fires sparked by shelling sent smoke billowing into the sky above Khartoum to feed the ever-blackening horizon.
“I was up all night unable to sleep because of the fighting, but when I finally dozed off, I was startled shortly after by even heavier fighting and the screams of children from my neighbours’ homes,” a Khartoum resident who lives across the Nile from the city centre told The National.
“The situation was very, very difficult overnight. It is worse this morning, calamitous sounds and children’s screams.”
Both sides blamed each other for the collapse of the truce and increased fighting, with air strikes, artillery shelling and heavy gunfire rocking the city without respite since Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning.
Wednesday is the fifth consecutive day of the violence, which has killed nearly 270 civilians and wounded more than 2,600, including soldiers from both sides, according to official figures.
However, the actual death toll is thought to be much higher.
Residents of the city are taking to social media to report the deaths of relatives, friends and loved ones and to portray the present danger.
“Our young and perfectly mannered uncle has been killed by a stray bullet while on his way to buy food for his family,” wrote one resident on Facebook. “We are so tired of all this pain.”
Another wrote: “Please pray for us. We are hearing large explosions caused by air strikes.”
Social media users posted photos of damage caused by the fighting to their homes or of large-calibre bullets that hit their windows.
“God spared our lives after a bullet hit our home while we were breaking our fast,” wrote a resident next to a photo he posted of the projectile.
Thousands of the city's residents are trying to leave Khartoum to the safety of their home villages and towns, but a shortage of fuel caused by the closure of petrol stations has meant that not everyone is able to flee.
The fighting between the army and the RSF started during the last 10 days of Ramadan, when the faithful focus on their prayers and spend more time at mosques.
The major holiday marking the end of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr, falls next weekend.
The fighting has also upended an internationally backed plan to restore Sudan’s democratic transition following the 2019 ousting of dictator Omar Al Bashir.
The transition was upended by a 2021 takeover led by the leaders of the current fighting, army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo.
The RSF commander became Gen Al Burhan’s deputy on the ruling and military-led Transitional Sovereignty Council.
The fighting has caused what the UN says is a humanitarian catastrophe, including the near collapse of the health system.
The UN World Food Programme suspended operations after three of its employees were killed.
The outbreak of fighting followed rising tension over a plan for the RSF's integration into the regular military, something that Gen Dagalo is known to oppose, preferring that his 100,000-strong force remain independent.
Discord over the timetable for that process delayed the signing of the framework deal to launch a civilian transition that was due to be signed this month.
Both Gen Dagalo and Gen Al Burhan have been trying to frame the conflict as one they are fighting for the sake of restoring Sudan's democratic transition, a claim that is readily dismissed by most Sudanese, who are astounded by the pair's decision to go to war in the heavily populated capital.
Gen Dagalo has described his rival as a war criminal and a liar who is bombing innocent civilians from the air and appealed to the international community to intervene.
Gen Al Burhan has declared the RSF to be a mutinous entity and ordered its dissolution. He also claims that foreign parties he did not name were involved in the fighting in support of the RSF.
The RSF also insists that Islamist extremists loyal to Gen Al Bashir are fighting on the army's side.
Gen Al Burhan is known to have links to Al Bashir's supporters, who he has tried to woo since the 2021 coup to counter the influence of the pro-democracy movement.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEducatly%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohmmed%20El%20Sonbaty%2C%20Joan%20Manuel%20and%20Abdelrahman%20Ayman%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEducation%20technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%242%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEnterprise%20Ireland%2C%20Egypt%20venture%2C%20Plus%20VC%2C%20HBAN%2C%20Falak%20Startups%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Supercharged%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20400hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20430Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
Switching%20sides
%3Cp%3EMahika%20Gaur%20is%20the%20latest%20Dubai-raised%20athlete%20to%20attain%20top%20honours%20with%20another%20country.%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVelimir%20Stjepanovic%20(Serbia%2C%20swimming)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBorn%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20raised%20in%20Dubai%2C%20he%20finished%20sixth%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%202012%20Olympic%20Games%20in%20London%20in%20the%20200m%20butterfly%20final.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJonny%20Macdonald%20(Scotland%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBrought%20up%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20and%20represented%20the%20region%20in%20international%20rugby.%20When%20the%20Arabian%20Gulf%20team%20was%20broken%20up%20into%20its%20constituent%20nations%2C%20he%20opted%20to%20play%20for%20Scotland%20instead%2C%20and%20went%20to%20the%20Hong%20Kong%20Sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESophie%20Shams%20(England%2C%20rugby%20union)%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EThe%20daughter%20of%20an%20English%20mother%20and%20Emirati%20father%2C%20Shams%20excelled%20at%20rugby%20in%20Dubai%2C%20then%20after%20attending%20university%20in%20the%20UK%20played%20for%20England%20at%20sevens.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
%3Cp%3EAl%20Khayma%0D%3Cbr%3EBait%20Maryam%0D%3Cbr%3EBrasserie%20Boulud%0D%3Cbr%3EFi'lia%0D%3Cbr%3Efolly%0D%3Cbr%3EGoldfish%0D%3Cbr%3EIbn%20AlBahr%0D%3Cbr%3EIndya%20by%20Vineet%0D%3Cbr%3EKinoya%0D%3Cbr%3ENinive%0D%3Cbr%3EOrfali%20Bros%0D%3Cbr%3EReif%20Japanese%20Kushiyaki%0D%3Cbr%3EShabestan%0D%3Cbr%3ETeible%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
T20 World Cup Qualifier
Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets
Qualified teams
1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman
T20 World Cup 2020, Australia
Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Silkhaus%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Aahan%20Bhojani%20and%20Ashmin%20Varma%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Property%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247.75%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20VentureSouq%2C%20Nordstar%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20Yuj%20Ventures%20and%20Whiteboard%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
