Talks seeking to end Sudan's six-week war should be more inclusive and possibly involve the UN Security Council if they are to succeed, experts say.
However, they cautioned that neither of the warring sides – the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – seems to have the will to silence their guns and negotiate in good faith to end a war that has already killed hundreds, injured thousands and forced at least 1.2 million people to flee their homes.
The army, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, pulled out of the talks on Wednesday to protest against what the military said was the RSF's failure to honour any of the short-term ceasefires to which the two sides had agreed.
The US, which together with Saudi Arabia is sponsoring the talks in Jeddah, said on Thursday it will mediate a truce only if the two sides are serious about complying with the latest five-day ceasefire, in force since Monday.
"These violations have led us as a facilitator of these talks to seriously question whether the parties are ready to take the actions needed to meet the obligations they have undertaken on behalf of the Sudanese people,” the US State department said.
Additionally, White House National Security Council Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that Washington would work with its partners to “hold the belligerent parties accountable for their unconscionable violence”.
The US accuses both sides of serious breaches of the ceasefire.
But the experts question whether the talks in their present form are capable of delivering a solution even if the army returns to the negotiating table.
"It is not possible to imagine that the Jeddah talks could restore security and stability to Sudan," said Amr Helmy, a former Egyptian career diplomat with experience in dealing with UN agencies.
"The present situation indicates that we are facing a prolonged crisis that's not showing any sign of a near-term end or even the form and nature of such an end," he said.
"The situation calls for the involvement of the UN Security Council," he said, adding that the world body's handling of the Bosnian war in the 1990s – creating humanitarian corridors and safe zones for civilians – should be emulated in Sudan.
Fayez Al Zaki, a Sudanese analyst, agrees that the Jeddah talks may be inadequate, although he is not proposing the involvement of the UN Security Council.
"Many now are convinced that this war cannot be won militarily. For it to end, it needs serious negotiations that go beyond the sponsorship of Saudi Arabia and the United States," he said.
"It requires the participation of the rest of the quartet – the UAE and Britain – plus Sudan's neighbours, particularly Egypt and Ethiopia, as well as effective Sudanese political groups."
The war in Sudan has been primarily focused in Khartoum, a city of nearly seven million people, and the turbulent Darfur region in the west of the country. Of the 1.2 million who fled their homes, more than 400,000 sought refuge in neighbouring countries, mostly Egypt and Chad.
Aside from the danger of being caught in the crossfire, the millions who remain in Khartoum are cowering in their homes, surviving on dwindling food supplies and coping with lengthy and frequent power failures.
Most health facilities are out of service and looting, blamed on RSF fighters and criminal gangs, is widespread.
The looting has targeted homes, foreign embassies, shops and relief food stocks stored in UN warehouses.
But despite the widespread suffering and the displacement of hundreds of thousands, neither Gen Al Burhan nor his rival, Gen Dagalo, appear willing to stop fighting.
"The Jeddah talks are moving slowly, but it's the only feasible avenue at present," said prominent Sudanese analyst Osman Al Mirghany. "Both sides want peace but the military situation on the ground is influencing their negotiating position.
"The army is in a generally better position militarily, but seems to be waiting for a favourable turning point in the fighting before it fully commits to negotiating a settlement," Mr Al Mirghany said.
Mr Al Mirghany explained that Gen Al Burhan might pursue a resolution that removes the root causes of the war.
Foremost among these is Gen Al Burhan's insistence that the RSF be integrated into the armed forces as part of Sudan's democratic transition which, ironically, was derailed when he and Gen Dagalo jointly led a military coup in 2021 that toppled a civilian-led government.
Mr Al Mirghany's assertion on the army's position is borne out by comments made by Gen Al Burhan this week, when he told cheering soldiers that the fighting will be pressed on until the last soldier.
Gen Dagalo, on the other hand, has not been seen in public since the early days of the war, fuelling speculation that he was seriously injured.
However, his older brother and second-in-command, Abdel Rahim Dagalo, appeared in a video shared online on Wednesday in which he delivered motivational comments to his fighters and accused Gen Al Burhan of being loyal to the regime of ousted dictator Omar Al Bashir.
The war, meanwhile, continues to take its toll on civilians.
The UN World Food Programme chief, Cindy McCain, tweeted on Thursday that the agency's food warehouses in El Obeid, south-west of Khartoum, were being looted.
"Food for 4.4 million people is at stake," he said.
In Khartoum, residents reported a surge in fighting early on Thursday in parts of the capital, which is made up of Khartoum and its twin cities of Bahri and Omdurman around the confluence of the Blue and White Niles.
They said heavy artillery fire could be also be heard in northern Omdurman and intermittent firing in southern Bahri.
Clashes continued in southern Khartoum, where a neighbourhood committee reported at least 18 civilian deaths and the injury of 106 in the crossfire, which included stray artillery shells.
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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SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
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
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
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Pakistan T20 series squad
Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shahzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Amir Yamin, Mohammed Amir (subject to fitness clearance), Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Power: 295bhp
Torque: 353Nm
Price: Dh155,000
On sale: now
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
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The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
