Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Port Sudan. AFP
Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Port Sudan. AFP
Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Port Sudan. AFP
Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Port Sudan. AFP

Sudan's Al Burhan looks to win legitimacy war with UN general assembly visit


  • English
  • Arabic

Follow the latest news from UNGA

Sudan's military ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York this week, a trip seen as an attempt to cement his position as the nation's legitimate leader.

It comes at a time when his army has been embroiled in a ruinous war since April against rival paramilitary the Rapid Support Forces.

Informed Sudanese sources said on Monday that Gen Al Burhan was expected to travel to New York on Wednesday after first visiting Saudi Arabia, a regional powerhouse that has long been among his country's major financial and political backers.

Saudi Arabia also joined the US in mediating a series of ceasefires between the army and the RSF in the early stages of the war.

The ceasefires were either completely ignored or not fully observed, forcing Riyadh and Washington to suspend their mediation until the two sides showed a genuine desire to end the war.

Gen Al Burhan's visit to Saudi Arabia and New York follows trips over the past month to Egypt, Qatar, Uganda, South Sudan, Turkey and Eritrea.

He has been based in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan since last month when he slipped out of Khartoum, where he had been trapped for nearly four months in a section of the armed force's headquarters controlled by the army.

A raging fire at the Greater Nile Petroleum Oil Company Tower in Khartoum. AFP
A raging fire at the Greater Nile Petroleum Oil Company Tower in Khartoum. AFP

The foreign visits have bolstered Gen Al Burhan's position as the internationally recognised leader of Sudan, but they also drew a sharp response from his nemesis and former ally, RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, who described the army chief's claim to legitimacy as “false”.

The RSF leader also threatened to create a rival government in Khartoum if Gen Al Burhan creates one in Port Sudan, warning that this would effectively divide the vast Afro-Arab nation of 48 million.

The RSF, he boasted, could march on Port Sudan if he gave the order. The paramilitary group was in near complete control of the capital, he said.

Port Sudan is about 1,000km east of Khartoum.

The RSF has escalated its attacks on army positions in Khartoum in recent days, something that analysts believe aims to secure battlefield victories that would undermine Gen Al Burhan's international standing.

That could subsequently give the RSF a strong hand if and when peace negotiations resume.

“There is a need to create a genuine government to replace the existing administration, which is mandated to run the country's day-to-day affairs,” said retired army Maj Gen Amin Magzoub, director of the Centre for Strategic and Security Studies in Khartoum.

“The continuing absence of a genuine government will put Sudan on the road to being a failed state.”

Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo jointly seized power in 2021, toppling a civilian-led government and derailing Sudan's democratic transition. No government has been named since.

“The Rapid Support Forces, on the other hand, does not have the qualified personnel to create a government and, moreover, it's intensely resented by millions because of the looting and sexual assaults blamed on its fighters since the war began,” said Maj Gen Magzoub.

Osman Al Mirghany, a prominent Sudanese analyst, said Gen Dagalo's threats to march on Port Sudan or create a government were empty. The distance to the Red Sea port city would make the RSF's supply lines impossible to secure, he added.

He also suggested that Gen Dagalo's threat to create a government in Khartoum may have been inspired in part by the Forces for Freedom and Change, a pro-democracy alliance that partnered the army in the administration the two generals toppled two years ago.

“They (the FFC) sensed that an internationally recognised government in Port Sudan will leave them out and signal their exit from the nation's political landscape,” said Mr Al Mirghany.

Many in Khartoum, including Mr Al Mirghany, believe a significant FFC faction moved closer to the RSF in the months before the start of the war when the two generals publicly bickered over the assimilation of the RSF into the armed forces.

The sides also differed on the military's place in a democratic and civilian-ruled Sudan.

Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, days after the war broke out on April 15. Reuters
Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, days after the war broke out on April 15. Reuters

“Some in the FFC see benefits in an alliance or at least close ties with the RSF, mostly because of its vast monetary and material resources,' said Mr Al Mirghany.

The RSF, whose forerunner is a notorious militia active in Darfur in the 2000s, has over the past decade evolved into a well-armed and agile force of some 100,000 fighters. It has also amassed a vast wealth from gold mining, economic ventures and sending its men to fight in Yemen as part of a Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The RSF has also responded this week to Gen Al Burhan's growing international stature with renewed attacks on the armed forces' headquarters, engaging the army in fierce fighting that, residents say, left several of the city landmark towers engulfed in flames.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry on Monday blamed the RSF for the fires.

The RSF has also been throwing significant resources into its repeated attempts to capture a key military base in Khartoum – the Armoured Corps in Al Shagara district – where it made inroads last month but has been met with stiff resistance.

The biog

Name: Salvador Toriano Jr

Age: 59

From: Laguna, The Philippines

Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips

Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

THE BIO

Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain

Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude

Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE

Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally

Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.

Benefits:  No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EResults%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EHong%20Kong%2052-5%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESouth%20Korea%2055-5%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EMalaysia%206-70%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3EUAE%2036-32%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFriday%2C%20June%2021%2C%207.30pm%20kick-off%3A%20UAE%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EAt%20The%20Sevens%2C%20Dubai%20(admission%20is%20free).%3Cbr%3ESaturday%3A%20Hong%20Kong%20v%20South%20Korea%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

Torque: 780Nm

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Price: From Dh1,350,000

On sale: Available for preorder now

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

MATCH INFO

Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')

Fulham 0

Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)

Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)

Updated: September 19, 2023, 10:17 AM`