KAMPALA, UGANDA // The South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, said today he is willing to hold talks with his archrival former deputy who he accuses of leading a coup bid against him, as up to hundreds of people were reported killed since Sunday in the world’s newest country.
Clashes between military factions in South Sudan have spread from the capital to the rural state of Jonglei, a South Sudanese military official said yesterday.
The country’s military spokesman, Col Philip Aguer, said that there was fighting overnight among troops in Jonglei, the largest state in South Sudan, and he was trying to confirm reports of desertions from the military.
United Nations diplomats said as many as 500 people had been killed in violence that is believed to be largely along ethnic lines. About 20,000 people have sought refuge at UN centres in Juba, the capital, since fighting started on Sunday, and on Tuesday the United States ordered its citizens to leave South Sudan. The United Kingdom withdrew some embassy staff yesterday.
Meanwhile, EgyptAir said it had resumed flights to Juba after a three-day suspension. The head of EgyptAir holding company, Hossam Kamal, said the flights were resumed after ensuring that conditions were stable at Juba airport
Mr Kiir, said in an address to the nation on Monday that his government had foiled a coup attempt by a group of soldiers loyal to the former vice president, Riek Machar, who is now the subject of a manhunt by Sudan’s military. The foreign minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, said yesterday that Mr Machar was believed to have fled Juba and that the government believed he was in hiding.
“If he wants to become president, he needs to wait for elections,” Mr Benjamin said. “He wants to be president, but in the wrong way.”
At least 10 political leaders have been arrested over their roles in the alleged coup, the government said on Tuesday.
The clashes pit soldiers from the majority Dinka tribe of Mr Kiir against those from Mr Machar’s Nuer ethnic group.
Casie Copeland, the South Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group, said key Nuer leaders in the army are defecting in Jonglei, in an escalation of the conflict.
“The situation is no longer contained to Juba. This extension of conflict to the state level is deeply concerning and poses serious challenges for ongoing efforts to reduce hostilities,” she said.
Tension had been mounting in South Sudan since Mr Kiir fired Mr Machar as his deputy in July, sparking concerns about possible tribal clashes. Mr Machar, who has said he will contest the presidency in 2015, said after he was fired that if the country was to be united it could not tolerate “one man’s rule or ... a dictatorship”.
His ousting, part of a wider dismissal of the entire cabinet by Mr Kiir, had followed reports of a power struggle within the ruling party. At the time, the US and the European Union urged calm amid fears the dismissals could spark political upheaval in the country.
The alleged coup attempt took place on Sunday when some soldiers raided an army barracks’ weapons store in Juba but were repelled by loyalists, leading to gunfights across the city, according to Mr Benjamin. The government has given few details, raising questions about what caused the violence.
Ms Copeland said that “events that led to Sunday’s fighting remain unclear”.
Angelo Izama, a Ugandan analyst who runs a regional security think tank called Fanaka Kwawote, said that the “coup narrative is weak and was preceded by what appeared to be a direct challenge to Kiir’s political authority”.
South Sudan has been plagued by ethnic violence since it peacefully broke away from Sudan in 2011 after decades of civil war.
* Associated Press
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
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.”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
