A masked demonstrator stands in front of burning tyres during a protest on Tuesday against the military takeover in Sudan. AP
A masked demonstrator stands in front of burning tyres during a protest on Tuesday against the military takeover in Sudan. AP
A masked demonstrator stands in front of burning tyres during a protest on Tuesday against the military takeover in Sudan. AP
A masked demonstrator stands in front of burning tyres during a protest on Tuesday against the military takeover in Sudan. AP

Anti-military rallies rock Sudan amid turmoil over Hamdok's resignation


Hamza Hendawi
  • English
  • Arabic

Sudanese security forces on Tuesday fired tear gas at protesters chanting slogans against military rule, two days after civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stepped down, deepening the country’s months-long political crisis.

Tuesday’s rallies in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, along with several other cities across the country, are the 13th set of major demonstrations since army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan seized power in an October 25 coup that derailed Sudan’s democratic transition.

Unlike in some recent demonstrations, there were no attempts by the protesters to march on Khartoum’s Republican Palace, the seat of political power in Sudan.

Gen Al Burhan dismissed Mr Hamdok on the day the of the military takeover and placed him under house arrest. He reinstated him on November 21 and mandated him to form a Cabinet of independent technocrats.

A former UN economist, Mr Hamdok never formed that government and resigned on Sunday. In a televised address to the nation, a sombre Mr Hamdok cited a widening rift between the military and pro-democracy groups that had shared power in a transitional administration that took office in August 2019.

On Tuesday, protesters shouted "No to military rule!" They also chanted “the people are stronger, return is impossible!” and “soldiers back in their barracks!”.

  • A Sudanese protester carries a canister during a protest near the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital and other cities to demonstrate against a deal reinstating Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after his ousting in a military coup on October. EPA
    A Sudanese protester carries a canister during a protest near the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum on Saturday. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the capital and other cities to demonstrate against a deal reinstating Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok after his ousting in a military coup on October. EPA
  • People burn tyres as they clash with security forces in Khartoum. EPA
    People burn tyres as they clash with security forces in Khartoum. EPA
  • Protesters carry away a wounded person. At least 48 people have died in crackdowns during weeks of demonstrations, the Sudanese Doctors' Committee has said. EPA
    Protesters carry away a wounded person. At least 48 people have died in crackdowns during weeks of demonstrations, the Sudanese Doctors' Committee has said. EPA
  • Protesters build a barricade on a street near the presidential palace in Khartoum. EPA
    Protesters build a barricade on a street near the presidential palace in Khartoum. EPA
  • Security forces use water cannon to disperse protesters. EPA
    Security forces use water cannon to disperse protesters. EPA
  • Police fire tear gas at protesters. AFP
    Police fire tear gas at protesters. AFP
  • Phone lines were cut and internet access was restricted during the protests.. AFP
    Phone lines were cut and internet access was restricted during the protests.. AFP
  • A woman using crutches attends the protests. AFP
    A woman using crutches attends the protests. AFP
  • Protesters clash with security forces in Khartoum. EPA
    Protesters clash with security forces in Khartoum. EPA
  • Members of the security forces block protesters from marching into an area of the capital. AFP
    Members of the security forces block protesters from marching into an area of the capital. AFP
  • Police made dozens of arrests during the protests, activists said. AFP
    Police made dozens of arrests during the protests, activists said. AFP
  • Protesters burn tyres at the scene of confrontations with security forces. AFP
    Protesters burn tyres at the scene of confrontations with security forces. AFP
  • A man chants slogans denouncing the October military coup. AP
    A man chants slogans denouncing the October military coup. AP
  • Troops detain a man in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP
    Troops detain a man in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP
  • Protesters march in the Sahafa district of Khartoum. AFP
    Protesters march in the Sahafa district of Khartoum. AFP
  • People march with a banner reading "down with the transitional council" in Arabic. AFP
    People march with a banner reading "down with the transitional council" in Arabic. AFP
  • Protesters are saying they do not want military rule in Sudan. AFP
    Protesters are saying they do not want military rule in Sudan. AFP
  • People chant slogans in Khartoum. AP
    People chant slogans in Khartoum. AP
  • Activists say more demonstrations are planned for December 30. AP
    Activists say more demonstrations are planned for December 30. AP

There were also protests in the eastern city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea and in Nyala in the western Darfur region.

Security forces sealed off streets leading to the palace and army headquarters, both in central Khartoum. Thousands of troops, riot police and members of a government-sanctioned militia were deployed across the city.

Authorities, anticipating a smaller turnout than previous rallies, did not cut off the internet and mobile phone services as it routinely did in the past to deny organisers the ability to mobilise and co-ordinate.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Tuesday’s protests.

At least 57 protesters have been killed and hundreds injured in the anti-military rallies since the coup.

UN envoy warns Sudan's army unable to run the country

The UN special envoy to Sudan, meanwhile, said in a media interview on Tuesday that the army was incapable of running the country and that new leaders are needed to prevent further unrest.

The generals are unable to salvage a democratic transition that was supposed to lead to free elections in 2023, Volker Perthes said. The process must be led by credible civilian politicians backed by the street, he said.

“The country is on a slippery slope,” said Mr Perthes, who met Gen Al Burhan in Khartoum on Tuesday. An official statement said the meeting reviewed the current political situation after Mr Hamdok’s resignation, but gave no details.

In New York, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the use of violence against protesters and called on security forces to exercise the utmost restraint and respect the rights to freedom of assembly and expression.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. AFP
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. AFP

“The secretary general has also taken note of the resignation of prime minister Abdalla Hamdok. He regrets that a political understanding on the way forward is not in place despite the gravity of the situation in Sudan,” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for the UN chief, said on Monday night.

“The secretary general encourages all stakeholders to continue engaging in meaningful dialogue in order to reach an inclusive, peaceful and lasting solution.”

Correspondent James Reinl In New York contributed to this report.

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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.”

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Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Updated: January 04, 2022, 4:17 PM