New alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region are being investigated by the International Criminal Court, its chief prosecutor said on Thursday.
Fighting between government forces and the paramilitary Rapid Security Forces has spilt into Darfur which was hit by bloodshed and atrocities in 2003, Karim Khan told the UN Security Council
He said the world, the country and the council are “in peril of allowing history to repeat itself”.
In 2005, the Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the ICC, and Mr Khan said the court still has a mandate under that resolution to investigate crimes in the vast western region.
The bodies of at least 87 ethnic Masalits and others, including women and children, have been found in a mass grave in the West Darfur region of Sudan, the UN human rights office said on Thursday.
The UN said it had “credible information” that the paramilitary RSF ordered the killings.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the killing of civilians and hors de combat individuals, and I am further appalled by the callous and disrespectful way the dead, along with their families and communities, were treated,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.
The UN also said locals were “forced” to dispose of the bodies in a mass grave.
“We are investigating those allegations,” Mr Khan told the council.
“We are by any analysis not on the precipice of a human catastrophe but in the very midst of one.
“There are women and children, boys and girls, old and young, in fear of their lives, living with uncertainty in the midst of conflict, and as their homes are burnt.
“Many as we speak will not know what the night will bring and what fate awaits them tomorrow.”
Mr Khan said the ICC was also looking to investigate other allegations in West Darfur including looting, extrajudicial killings and the burning of homes, as well as alleged crimes in North Darfur.
He said anybody inside or outside Sudan who aids or abets crimes in Darfur will be investigated.
The prosecutor added that he had instructed his office to give priority to crimes against children and sexual and gender-based violence.
“We must act urgently, collectively, to protect the most vulnerable if this oft-repeated phrase of 'never again' is to mean anything,” Mr Khan said.
At least 37 bodies were buried on 20 June in a one-metre-deep mass grave in an open area called Al Turab Al Ahmar (Red Soil), the UN said.
They were found 2-4km north-west of the Central Reserve Police headquarters in western El Geneina.
“Another 50 bodies were buried at the same site on 21 June. The bodies of seven women and seven children were among those buried,” the UN said.
It said the victims were killed around the time that Khamis Abbaker, governor of West Darfur, was killed on June 14 after speaking out against the crimes being committed by the RSF there.
Mr Turk called on the RSF to allow “prompt searches for the dead, their collection and evacuation without distinction, including based on ethnic background – as they are obliged to do under international law”.
In Sudan's conflict areas, bodies of civilians and fighters have been left lying on the ground for weeks, as morgues have become full and paramedics are left unable to tend to those in need due to the security situation.
A war broke out between the RSF and Sudan's army on April 15 this year and has persisted despite numerous ceasefire attempts by the UN, US, Saudi Arabia, African Union, Egypt and others.
The UN said one family had to wait 13 days in West Darfur before being allowed to collect the body of a family member killed around June 9 by the RSF.
“The RSF’s leadership and their allied militia as well as all parties to an armed conflict are required to ensure that the dead are properly handled, and their dignity protected,” Mr Turk said.
“The RSF must record, or allow relief workers to record, all available information related to the dead, including taking proper photos of the bodies and marking the location of the graves, with a view to identification to facilitate the return of the remains of the deceased to the families upon their request,” the UN said.
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
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
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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