Britain’s Foreign Secretary has said she is “deeply worried” about more atrocities in Sudan after being asked about the growing influence of Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood in the civil war.
During questions in the UK Parliament, Yvette Cooper was asked about her concerns over whether Tehran and the Brotherhood were seeking to “deliberately foment extremism” that was leading to a “rejection of ceasefire efforts by the Sudanese regime”.
While she said she was “deeply concerned” about escalation from both warring parties – the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces – Ms Cooper added she was “deeply worried about the risks of further atrocities”.
Ms Cooper said she was in “continual contact with the US, UAE, Egypt and Saudis” who were all “supporting action for a ceasefire but we need that urgency of action”.
She added: “It’s essential we have the same co-ordinated energy, international energy to get peace in Sudan that we saw to get a ceasefire in Gaza.”
Later on Tuesday, the Foreign Secretary is due to say that the wars in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine have led to an “epidemic of violence” against women and girls.
Ms Cooper will tell an event to launch All In, an international coalition to end violence against women, that abuse is “crossing borders at unprecedented scale and speed”. She will pledge to make tackling violence against women part of “policies for peace” in countries such as Sudan.
“With conflicts raging in Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza, rape is increasingly being used as a weapon of war,” she will tell the coalition, a panel of leading campaigners who have described the issue as a global emergency, in London.
“Numbers alone are inadequate but they should shock us nonetheless,” she will say. “One in every three women and girls worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, 140 women and girls killed every day by a partner or close relative – more than 50,000 a year.”
Last month, Ms Cooper warned that protection for women from sexual violence is going backwards, with nearly a third of women and girls in conflict zones becoming victims. She said while the world experiences its worst cycle of conflict since the Second World War, more women than ever are being subjected to violence.
On Tuesday, she will call sexual violence a “scourge plaguing women”, causing an emergency at domestic and international level. The issue should also become part of policies on peace and security, to tackle the use of rape as a weapon of war “from atrocities in El Fasher in Sudan to the war in Ukraine”.
Ms Cooper will pledge to “go all in as Foreign Secretary” to ensure females around the world “can thrive and flourish, free from violence and free from fear”.
She will announce a British package of nearly £5 million ($6.6 million) to tackle online abuse. The politician, formerly UK home secretary, also launched an initiative to share learning globally.
This includes sharing evidence from Britain’s What Works to Prevent Violence initiative and recent learning from Spain’s database of domestic abuse perpetrators.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
England v South Africa Test series:
First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs
Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs
Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31
Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
