Civilians in Sudan are increasingly being targeted in the battle for supremacy between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has warned.
“As the SAF and the RSF battle for control at all costs in the senseless war that has raged for close to two years now, direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common,” Mr Turk said on Friday.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has taken a dangerous turn for civilians over the past week, with reports of dozens killed in ethnically targeted attacks in the south-eastern state of Al Jazira. The UN Human Rights Office documented at least 21 deaths in just two attacks in the state within the past week.
The SAF recently recaptured Al Jazira's capital, Wad Medani, but the RSF still holds several areas in the strategic province south of Khartoum.
The Emergency Lawyers group, a pro-democracy organisation documenting the conflict, reported that 15 people were killed and more than 20 wounded when RSF fighters attacked Al Khizan village on Wednesday, forcing its residents to flee.
SAF fighters attacked natives of Sudan's Darfur region in Al Jazira after taking Wad Medani last week. Video footage widely circulated online shows fighters murdering and humiliating Darfur natives, who they accused of having RSF sympathies.
The attacks were condemned by Sudanese rights groups and the UN. The army said it would launch an investigation and punish those responsible.
Violence spreads to South Sudan
Videos allegedly showing SAF fighters of Arab descent killing and humiliating South Sudanese citizens of black African descent in Wad Medani led to revenge killings against Sudanese refugees in South Sudan. Angry mobs in the capital, Juba, attacked Sudanese-owned businesses and homes on Friday, resulting in three deaths and seven injuries.
Tension has been high between the two ethnic groups amid continuing arrivals of Sudanese escaping the violence at home. The UN said in October that the number of Sudanese refugees in South Sudan had exceeded half a million.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir called for calm and urged citizens not to take the law into their own hands. The government instituted a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Juba and deployed forces to protect Sudanese people and property. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry thanked the South Sudanese government for its co-operation and warning Sudanese citizens to take precautions.
The US on Friday imposed sanctions on Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, the leader of the SAF, for his involvement in the civil war. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused the SAF of committing war crimes following the killings in Wad Medani.
Sudan's Foreign Ministry criticised the sanctions as “immoral and lacking in fairness and objectivity”, saying they “make light of the Sudanese people” and “practically support those who commit genocide”, alluding to accusations against the RSF.
The SAF-affiliated Sudanese General Intelligence Service also condemned the sanctions, saying the US was meddling in the country's affairs at a sensitive time when the populace supports the armed forces.
The conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, with about half of Sudan's population in need of assistance and protection. Tens of thousands have been killed, and more than 11.5 million people have been displaced since the war began.
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Scorecard:
England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining
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Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
AIDA%20RETURNS
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Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
Lewis Hamilton in 2018
Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months