Sudan's military ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan flew on Wednesday to Ankara where he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
It was Gen Al Burhan's fifth foreign trip in a little more than two weeks. Analysts say the visits reflect the army chief's wish to rally regional support as his troops continue to fight the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in a ruinous conflict that broke out in mid-April.
Gen Al Burhan has since late last month visited Egypt, South Sudan and Eritrea – three of the country's seven neighbours – as well as Qatar.
The visits, according to analysts, also betray Gen Al Burhan's desire to project an image of himself as the sole legitimate leader of Sudan and to debunk what he sees as falsehoods about the conflict propagated by RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, his one-time ally and deputy.
“He is trying to tell the world that there's a government in Sudan and that he exists and functions as the head of state,” said Sudanese analyst Tareq Abu Shura. “Sudan has weakened after the war broke out and many nations in the region are eager to secure a foothold there for when the war ends. These visits strengthen Sudan in the face of these challenges.”
In Ankara, Gen Al Burhan and President Erdogan held talks focused on "bilateral relations and pushing forward cooperation between Turkey and Sudan", according to a Sudanese presidential statement. It gave no other details.
Notably, one of the senior officials accompanying Gen Al Burhan is Gen Mirghany Idrees Suliman, head of Sudan's military industries. That, the analysts said, suggests that Gen Al Burhan was likely to request military aid from Turkey.
He was also expected to request humanitarian aid from Ankara, according to the analysts.
“Turkey is a key regional power that has extensive ties with Sudan and a prominent place on the world stage. Al Burhan will look to it for diplomatic support in the international arena as well as military aid,” said another Sudanese analyst, Omar Atta Al Menan.
Egyptian officials closely monitoring Sudan said that during his recent visit to South Sudan, Gen Al Burhan asked for Juba's help to persuade rebel groups in western Sudan to halt their hostile activities against the army and instead join the fight against the RSF. Juba has traditionally enjoyed close ties with these groups.
The conflict in Sudan has created a monumental humanitarian crisis with more than five million of the nation's 48 million people displaced. Of these, more than a million fled across the border into neighbouring nations, chiefly Egypt, South Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic.
Those trapped by the fighting in Khartoum suffer lengthy water and power cuts, scarce health care and skyrocketing food and fuel prices.
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UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
