People displaced by the conflict in Sudan walk with their belongings along a road in Wad Madeni, the capital of Al Gezira state, on December 16, 2023. AFP
People displaced by the conflict in Sudan walk with their belongings along a road in Wad Madeni, the capital of Al Gezira state, on December 16, 2023. AFP
People displaced by the conflict in Sudan walk with their belongings along a road in Wad Madeni, the capital of Al Gezira state, on December 16, 2023. AFP
People displaced by the conflict in Sudan walk with their belongings along a road in Wad Madeni, the capital of Al Gezira state, on December 16, 2023. AFP

RSF attack on Wad Madani signals ominous turn in Sudan's war


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An attack by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on the city of Wad Medani is an ominous development in its war with the Armed Forces and threatens to drag the country's southern and eastern regions in the eight-month-old conflict, analysts said.

The RSF has been fighting troops from the garrison in Wad Medani, capital of the Al Gezira state – Sudan's breadbasket, since Friday. The army sent warplanes to drive the paramilitary back.

The fighting forced thousands of people to flee their homes, joining the more than six million who have been displaced since the war broke out in April with clashes in Khartoum, according to UN figures.

The conflict has also created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with more than half the country's estimated 50 million people in need of assistance. About 1.3 million have sought refuge abroad.

The RSF said its attack on Wad Medani, 180 kilometres south of Khartoum, was a pre-emptive move to thwart the army's use of the area as a launching pad for an offensive. The army said the attack underlined the paramilitary's resolve to kill civilians and loot their property.

The RSF claimed the army planned to use 40,000 volunteers to attack its forces.

The army has assured Wad Medani's residents that it is in control of the situation and urged them to stay at home and disregard what it called rumours and lies on social media.

People displaced by the conflict in Sudan ride atop the back of a truck moving along a road in Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state. AFP
People displaced by the conflict in Sudan ride atop the back of a truck moving along a road in Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state. AFP

Videos posted online by residents purport to show RSF fighters inside the city. Other clips show warplanes overhead as gunfire and explosions sound in the background.

There was also video of traffic disruption as hundreds of vehicles loaded with passengers and their belongings abandoned the city.

“Those who are running this country and everyone involved in this war are not worthy of respect,” said Wad Medani resident Hesham Abdel Malek.

“They never took the side of the ordinary folks or helped us move to safer areas.”

The UN said that 14,000 people had fled at the weekend.

Al Gezira state is home to about 500,000 people displaced by fighting, mostly from Khartoum. Of these, an estimated 90,000 live in Wad Medani.

The area was being used as a centre for relief efforts, but the fighting has forced the UN humanitarian agency to suspend its work in Al Gezira “until further notice”.

More than 270,000 of Wad Medani's 700,000 residents are dependent on humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

Sudan's army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan (right) and his one-time deputy and ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces. AFP
Sudan's army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan (right) and his one-time deputy and ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces. AFP

The US State Department has called on the RSF to immediately cease its advance in Al Gezira and to refrain from attacking Wad Medani. It also urged the army to avoid clashes with the RSF and other actions that would endanger civilians.

An RSF advance risked mass civilian casualties and significant disruption of humanitarian assistance efforts, the US said.

“This latest development will only result in the displacement of more civilians and deny them and others assistance,” said Sudanese political analyst Abdul Rahman Al Hady.

“The Rapid Support Forces has no political vision to guide it. Its culture is based in large part on terrifying people, looting and violating sanctities.”

The RSF's forerunner is the Darfur-based Janjaweed militia, which is accused of committing war crimes during a civil war that raged in the western region in the 2000s, when it fought on the government's side against ethnic African rebels.

The International Criminal Court said it is investigating the ethnically-motivated killing last summer by the RSF and its local allies of hundreds, possibly thousands, of ethnic Africans in western Darfur.

The violence also forced tens of thousands to flee across the border into Chad.

The RSF denies the charges, saying the violence was the result of tribal clashes in which it had no part.

A man displaced by the conflict in Sudan walks with his belonging along a road in Wad Madani south of the capital Khartoum. AFP
A man displaced by the conflict in Sudan walks with his belonging along a road in Wad Madani south of the capital Khartoum. AFP

The RSF is also accused of large-scale looting in Khartoum, which it virtually controls. It is also accused of arbitrary arrests, torture and sexual assaults in the capital.

Analysts said the capture of Wad Medani could herald further RSF incursions into eastern and southern Sudan, with the cities of Sennar, Kassala, Damazeen, Kosti and Qadaref among those at risk.

“This is possibly the gravest moment in Sudan's modern history. The country could break up,” said analyst Ashraf Abdul Baqi. “The Rapid Support Forces may not be able to control the whole of Sudan, but its actions disrupt life in the country.”

The RSF controls a string of cities in Darfur and maintains significant military presence in the western Kordofan region.

The latest escalation signals the unwillingness by both warring sides to stop fighting and is likely to delay or cancel altogether a much-heralded meeting between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and a representative of the RSF to discuss a permanent ceasefire.

The RSF already said its commander, Mohamed Dagalo – Gen Al Burhan's one-time ally – would not attend the proposed meeting.

Neither the army nor the RSF have been able to gain the upper hand in the conflict, with the army's shortage of trained men prompting the enlistment of able-bodied civilians.

It has relied heavily on artillery shelling and air strikes to dislodge RSF fighters deep in the capital's residential districts, with little success.

The RSF ranks, on the other hand, have been decimated by the army's air strikes, forcing the militia to recruit fighters from neighbouring Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, according to analysts.

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UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

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Fixtures
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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.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

Two products to make at home

Toilet cleaner

1 cup baking soda 

1 cup castile soap

10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice) 

Method:

1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.

2. Add the essential oil to the mix.

Air Freshener

100ml water 

5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this) 

Method:

1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.

2. Shake well before use. 

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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If you go

The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.


The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.


The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.

History's medical milestones

1799 - First small pox vaccine administered

1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery

1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases

1895 - Discovery of x-rays

1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time

1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin

1953 - Structure of DNA discovered

1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place 

1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill

1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.

1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out

ARGENTINA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

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Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

A little about CVRL

Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.

One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases. 

The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery. 

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto

Price: From Dh39,500

Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder

Transmission: Four-speed auto

Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km

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Score

Third Test, Day 2

New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)

Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings

The specs

Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km

The biog

Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates

Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.

Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.

Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.

Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile 

Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran

Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Updated: December 18, 2023, 1:56 PM