Sudan's military ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan flew on Wednesday to Ankara where he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It was Gen Al Burhan's fifth foreign trip in a little more than two weeks. Analysts say the visits reflect the army chief's wish to rally regional support as his troops continue to fight the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in a ruinous conflict that broke out in mid-April.
Gen Al Burhan has since late last month visited Egypt, South Sudan and Eritrea – three of the country's seven neighbours – as well as Qatar.
The visits, according to analysts, also betray Gen Al Burhan's desire to project an image of himself as the sole legitimate leader of Sudan and to debunk what he sees as falsehoods about the conflict propagated by RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, his one-time ally and deputy.
“He is trying to tell the world that there's a government in Sudan and that he exists and functions as the head of state,” said Sudanese analyst Tareq Abu Shura. “Sudan has weakened after the war broke out and many nations in the region are eager to secure a foothold there for when the war ends. These visits strengthen Sudan in the face of these challenges.”
In Ankara, Gen Al Burhan and President Erdogan held talks focused on "bilateral relations and pushing forward cooperation between Turkey and Sudan", according to a Sudanese presidential statement. It gave no other details.
Notably, one of the senior officials accompanying Gen Al Burhan is Gen Mirghany Idrees Suliman, head of Sudan's military industries. That, the analysts said, suggests that Gen Al Burhan was likely to request military aid from Turkey.
He was also expected to request humanitarian aid from Ankara, according to the analysts.
“Turkey is a key regional power that has extensive ties with Sudan and a prominent place on the world stage. Al Burhan will look to it for diplomatic support in the international arena as well as military aid,” said another Sudanese analyst, Omar Atta Al Menan.
Egyptian officials closely monitoring Sudan said that during his recent visit to South Sudan, Gen Al Burhan asked for Juba's help to persuade rebel groups in western Sudan to halt their hostile activities against the army and instead join the fight against the RSF. Juba has traditionally enjoyed close ties with these groups.
The conflict in Sudan has created a monumental humanitarian crisis with more than five million of the nation's 48 million people displaced. Of these, more than a million fled across the border into neighbouring nations, chiefly Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic.
Those trapped by the fighting in Khartoum suffer lengthy water and power cuts, scarce health care and skyrocketing food and fuel prices.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
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Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
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Company profile
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Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
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Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
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- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
