Sudan's Rapid Support Forces said on Thursday it had shot down an army aircraft in Darfur, as the paramilitary's second-in-command threatened to attack a region north of the capital that has so far been untouched by nearly two years of fighting in Africa's third-largest country.
A statement by the RSF identified the aircraft as a Russian-made Antonov transport plane, which it said was being used to drop “explosive barrels” as a means of bombardment used since the 1980s by the Sudanese Armed Forces against rebels in the south and west of the vast Afro-Arab nation.
Videos shared online purported to show the smouldering wreckage of a plane as paramilitary members celebrated nearby. There was no word from the army on the loss of the aircraft. However, the Sudanese Armed Forces rarely acknowledge material or human losses.
The RSF statement claimed the aircraft was targeting civilians when it was shot down near Al Fasher, the only major city in Darfur still controlled by Sudan's army. Al Fasher has been besieged by the RSF since last May.
“The valiant fighters of the Rapid Support Forces are in full alert and preparedness to deal with any aerial attacks that threaten the life of civilians,” the RSF statement read. It said everyone on aboard the plane was killed, without providing a number.
Separately, the RSF's second-in-command, Abdel Raheem Dagalo, has threatened to attack northern Sudan, claiming 2,000 paramilitary fighting vehicles were already on their way there.
If independently verified, the attack would be the first ground operation by the RSF in Sudan's northern region, for decades home to the nation's political and military elites that have dominated successive governments since independence in 1956.
His threat followed unconfirmed reports that missiles fired by the RSF on Thursday were aimed at the airport in Atbara, a city north of the Sudanese capital. There was no word on damage or casualties.
The RSF, which was thrown out of the capital last week by the army, controls most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan south-west of the capital. It is also active in the southern state of Blue Nile. The army, on the other hand, is now in control of the capital, as well as eastern, central and northern Sudan.
“We are coming for you in Shamaliyah [northern] and River Nile states,” said Mr Dagalo, the younger brother of RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo. “We were wrong when we did not know where the battlefield is. Now, we know that it should have always been in Shamaliyah,” he told fighters in a rousing speech in which he also threatened RSF deserters with death.
“Any officer from the Rapid Support Forces who is not leading our fighters in battle within hours will be decommissioned and put on trial,” he said. “Those who are shown to have sold their arms and ammunition will be executed.”
An independent group monitoring the war in Sudan on Thursday said shelling and heavy machinegun fire blamed on the RSF have killed nearly 100 civilians since March 27 in villages south of Khartoum's sister city of Omdurman. Another 70 civilians have been injured, it added.
The group, the Emergency Lawyers, said RSF fighters have also detained fighting-age men in the villages and forced them to haul goods looted from private residences and shops.
Separately, UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was appalled by reports of extrajudicial killings of civilians in Sudan's capital Khartoum last week after its recapture by the army from the RSF.
“I am utterly appalled by the credible reports of numerous incidents of summary executions of civilians in several areas of Khartoum, on apparent suspicions that they were collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces,” Mr Turk said.
“I urge the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces to take immediate measures to put an end to arbitrary deprivation of life. His office, he continued, had been reviewing “horrific videos” on social media since March 26, apparently showing armed men “executing civilians in cold blood” in southern and eastern Khartoum.
The army and the RSF face accusations of committing war crimes by international rights groups. Both Gen Dagalo and army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan were sanctioned by the US in January for their roles in the war, which enters its third year this month.
Since its outbreak on April 15, 2023, the civil war has claimed the lives of tens of thousands, displaced more than 12 million people and devastated the nation's already fragile economy and infrastructure.
Moreover, the fighting has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, leaving an estimated 25 million people – about half the population – facing acute hunger. Pockets of famine have also emerged in Sudan.
Al Shafie Ahmed reported from Kampala, Uganda
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
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
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
Biog:
Age: 34
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite sport: anything extreme
Favourite person: Muhammad Ali
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
No.6 Collaborations Project
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
