Sudan's Gen Mohamed Dagalo once angrily walked out of a live television talk show when the host reminded him of his links to the Janjaweed, the notorious forerunner of his paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, now battling the army on the streets of Khartoum.
The cattle herder-turned-Darfur militia leader-turned-general has over the years used a mix of guile, cunning and opportunism to conceal his murky past and carefully construct an image of a pro-democracy advocate leading a people's army against power-hungry army generals and Islamic militants.
But nearly three months into its ruinous war with the army, the RSF has shown that its old Janjaweed habits die hard, with witnesses, activists and analysts blaming the paramilitary for genocidal killings in Darfur, well-documented sexual assaults against women there and in Khartoum as well as widespread looting.
The abuses, which have drawn strong international condemnation, have largely wiped out any hope for the RSF and its commander to realise their dream of gaining a position of dominant military and political power in Sudan, according to the analysts and activists.
At the beginning of the conflict, the RSF's unspoken goal was to defeat the army and rule Sudan, prominent Sudanese analyst Osman Al Mirghany told The National. That, he added, is now difficult, maybe even impossible, in view of the allegations of war crimes the RSF faces.
"There is no point any more for the RSF to continue to fight except to make battlefield gains that can strengthen its position when negotiations for a settlement begin," Mr Al Mirghany said.
Even in Darfur, the birthplace of the Janjaweed and Gen Dagalo himself, the RSF has no popular support except among like-minded, cattle-herding Arab tribes whose rivalry with the region's farming African tribes is mostly over water and pastures.
"He cannot control Darfur and secede as some believe he will because the international response will be harsh, including freezing RSF's assets abroad, where most of its money is kept.
"His best-case scenario now is to reach a settlement with the army that will allow the RSF to keep the wealth it has amassed from the large economic empire it has built over the years."
Gen Dagalo appears to have realised the harm the actions of his fighters have caused to the RSF image he has invested much time and effort to build.
In a damage-control exercise, he has pledged to bring offenders to justice before special wartime tribunals, created a commission to investigate the killings in Darfur and called on his fighters to discipline themselves.
But it might well be too late for the general to continue to market himself to the war-weary Sudanese as the nation's saviour, fighting the army to spare them another military dictatorship.
Gen Dagalo's political fortunes have significantly risen since the 2019 ousting of dictator Omar Al Bashir. With thousands of his fighters stationed throughout Khartoum, he became the deputy of army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, who chaired the ruling Sovereign Council. The backing of regional powers soon followed and Gen Dagalo, with some success, tirelessly sought international legitimacy.
In 2021, Gen Dagalo joined Gen Al Burhan in staging a military coup that derailed Sudan's democratic transition, toppling a civilian-led government that was making progress, albeit small and slow, in overhauling the country's chronically woeful economy and preparing for free elections.
The coup, moreover, plunged the nation into political and economic crisis.
More recently, he distanced himself from the coup and Gen Al Burhan – now his sworn enemy – and publicly accused the army generals of clinging to power. That, the analysts said, wooed some elements of the largest pro-democracy movement – Forces for Freedom and Change – who saw in Gen Dagalo a man they can more easily deal with than army generals filled with an inherent entitlement to continue to rule alone as they have done for most of the 67 years since independence.
"After four years of intense public relations and the hiring of image consultants, what the Rapid Support Forces now has is a media arm deep in denial and an obvious disconnect between commanders and troops," said Sulaima Ishaq, a women's rights activist and a veteran of the 2018-2019 revolt against Al Bashir.
"They accuse the army of enlisting the help of Al Bashir's old militiamen when the RSF itself has its fair share of remnants of the old regime within its ranks,' she told The National from the southern city of Kosti, where she and her family fled to escape the fighting in Omdurman, part of the greater Khartoum area.
Ms Ishaq and her associates may have single-handedly buried the RSF's drive to gain respectability and establish its credentials as the most dominant power in Sudan.
She chairs the group Combating Violence Against Women, a semi-state agency with a track record of meticulously keeping tally and helping victims of sexual assaults.
In a report dated July 1, CVAW cited 24 sexual assault cases in Khartoum, 25 in the Darfur town of Nyala and 21 in Al Geneina, also in Darfur, since the army-RSF war broke out in mid-April.
Most of the reports filed on the Khartoum cases, according to the CVAW, blamed the RSF, but victims in Darfur held only the paramilitary responsible. Calling the sexual attacks war crimes, it said the agency was also gravely concerned about the "growing targeting of women and girls, which represents a qualitative escalation in conflict-related sexual violence".
On Tuesday, the agency said in a separate report that it was concerned about the growing number of incidents involving RSF fighters abducting women and girls, particularly in Khartoum.
Sexual assaults, including rape, were widely used by the Janjaweed as a weapon during the Darfur conflict of the 2000s, when the militia fought on the government's side against ethnic African rebels seeking to end discrimination by the ruling establishment in the Arabised and Muslim north of Sudan.
The militia is accused of committing large-scale abuses against civilians during that conflict. Al Bashir, together with the Janjaweed commander at the time, were indicted by the International Criminal Court more than a decade ago for crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes.
More recently, the RSF is believed to have played the largest role in the violent break-up in June 2019 of a pro-democracy sit-in protest outside the army's headquarters in Khartoum. At least 100 protesters were killed, some of their bodies were thrown into the Nile.
There were also numerous cases of sexual assaults, including rape, of female protesters.
Last month, a repeat of the Janjaweed's crimes in Darfur in the 2000s played out when RSF fighters staged a genocidal attack against members of the African Masalit tribe in Al Geneina. Backed by Arab militias, they torched homes, businesses and randomly killed hundreds, including women and children fleeing to Chad.
The attack in Al Geneina sparked an international uproar. In response, Gen Dagalo, who has not been seen in public for more than two months, said in an audio recording posted online that he regretted the violence there, although he made no apology.
"We did not need the RSF abuses in Darfur and Khartoum to convince us that there is absolutely no logic to the RSF talk about democratic rule," said Rasha Awad, a prominent Sudanese analyst, who is also the editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Al Taghyier.
"The structure of the RSF is essentially tribal. Its economic interests and regional links can never yield a democratic system that it can embrace or be part of," she said.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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.”
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton
Three stars
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Maestro
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
READ MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Ottewill-Soulsby%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrinceton%20University%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E392%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJuly%2011%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mobile phone packages comparison
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Everton 2 (Tosun 9', Doucoure 93')
Rotherham United 1 (Olosunde 56')
Man of the Match Olosunde (Rotherham)
Company%20profile
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Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett
British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
