Security forces shot dead four protesters on Thursday as tens of thousands of people rallied in Sudan's capital Khartoum and elsewhere against military rule, a doctors' union said.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said three of the protesters killed were in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman. The fourth was killed in the capital's East Nile district.
With the latest fatalities, the number of people killed during protests since the military seized power on October 25 and upended Sudan's democratic transition rose to at least 61.
Authorities said 50 policemen and four army soldiers were injured in Thursday's protests. A total of 60 protesters were arrested, they added.
The doctors' committee is aligned with the pro-democracy movement but has established a reputation for accuracy and neutrality since it began to count and verify victims of political violence in 2018.
On Wednesday US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed on Twitter for Sudanese security forces to “cease using lethal force against demonstrators and commit to an independent investigation".
Mr Blinken's appeal echoes similar ones repeatedly made by western leaders over the past two months, but they have gone unheeded.
Tear gas was also used against protesters in Khartoum and the twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri. There were similar protests in the cities of Port Sudan on the Red Sea, and Atbara and Wad Medani, north and south of the capital.
Videos online also showed armoured army vehicles chasing protesters in the capital, apparently trying to run them over on streets strewn with debris. Protesters pelted the vehicles with rocks as they sped away.
One gruesome video purportedly showed a man lying on the ground, his body soaked in blood and his head smashed open by what seemed to be a live round.
Panicking and grief-stricken protesters carried the body away.
Army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan seized power on October 25, derailing Sudan's democratic transition nearly three years after dictator Omar Al Bashir was removed by the military after a popular uprising against his 29-year rule.
The coup drew strong international condemnation and led to the suspension of vital aid worth hundreds of millions of dollars by major donors including the US and World Bank. The African Union suspended Sudan’s membership.
At home, the coup sparked a series of major protest rallies that were met with a violent response by security forces routinely using live rounds, rubber bullets, stun grenades and tear gas.
“Our marches will continue until we restore our revolution and our civilian government,” said protester Mojataba Hussein, 23, in Khartoum.
Another demonstrator, Samar Al Tayeb, 22, vowed not to stop protesting “until we get our country back".
In the hours before Thursday’s protests, authorities sealed off Nile bridges linking the greater Khartoum area and cut off internet and telephone services, an action they have taken at every protest to deny organisers the means to mobilise and co-ordinate.
Authorities also closed roads leading to the Nile-side Republican Palace and the army headquarters, both in central Khartoum.
Thousands of troops, police and fighters from a government-sanctioned militia have fanned out across the capital and its twin cities, manning checkpoints and concrete barriers blocking roads.
But the tight security measures did not stop the protesters from taking to the streets.
They beat drums, chanted slogans demanding the military quit politics and lifted posters bearing images of killed protesters. Many struggled to breathe because of the heavy tear gas, witnesses said.
The protesters set tyres ablaze and lobbed tear gas canisters back at the security troops.
Images shared online showed men, women and children of all ages taking part in Thursday's rallies as clouds of black smoke formed above.
Thursday’s protests come at a time when pressure is mounting on Gen Al Burhan and his associates to step down or come up with a plan that is acceptable to the pro-democracy movement to end the political crisis.
The latter option, however, has become increasingly unlikely, as Gen Al Burhan appears convinced that he and the other generals can ride out the mass protests.
The pro-democracy movement also appears to be in no mood for compromise, insisting that the military step down and vowing to hold him accountable for the deaths of protesters.
In an attempt to appease the protesters, Gen Al Burhan on November 21 reinstated Abdalla Hamdok, the civilian prime minister he dismissed along with his government when he seized power in October.
But Mr Hamdok resigned on Sunday, claiming widening differences with the military. His resignation has deepened the crisis and led to increased pressure by western powers on Gen Al Burhan and his associates.
On Tuesday, the US, EU, Britain and Norway warned the military against naming a successor to Mr Hamdok, saying they would “not support a prime minister or government appointed without the involvement of a broad range of civilian stakeholders".
Additional reporting by AFP
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
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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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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
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Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
