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.
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Reading List
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Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
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Desert Warrior
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
