December 2018: Omar Al Bashir triples the price of bread, sparking street protests across Sudan that quickly morph into a movement calling for the removal of the president, who seized power in a 1989 military coup.
April 2019: Tens of thousands begin a sit-in outside the army's headquarters in Khartoum to demand that the military remove Al Bashir, whose security forces had killed scores of protesters since December.
April 2019: Al Bashir's generals, including his one-time supporter Mohamed Dagalo of the Rapid Support Forces, remove him from power on April 11 and place him under arrest. Gen Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf, Al Bashir's last defence minister, is appointed interim leader but is forced to step down after one day following protests against his appointment. He is replaced by the army's inspector-general, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
June 2019: Security forces widely suspected to be dominated by members of the RSF break up the sit-in protest, which continued after Al Bashir's overthrow to demand that the military hand over power to a civilian government. More than 100 protesters are killed. Talks take place between leaders of the protest movement and the military on a transition to democratic rule.
August 2019: Leaders of the protest movement and the military sign a historic power-sharing agreement that creates a transitional administration. An 11-member Sovereign Council led by Gen Al Burhan is created to act as a collective presidency and career UN economist Abdalla Hamdok is appointed prime minister. They are supposed to lead the country until legislative and presidential elections can be held.
February 2020: Gen Al Burhan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a secret meeting in Entebbe, Uganda. They agree to gradually normalise relations.
October 2020: The military and several rebel groups in the west and south of the country sign a peace deal in Juba, capital of South Sudan. Major rebel groups stay away.
December 2020: The United States removes Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, opening the way for western economic aid and debt forgiveness to begin after decades of international isolation under Al Bashir's Islamist regime.
October 2021: Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo seize power in a military coup that plunges the country into economic and political crisis. The coup sparks months of street protests that security forces try to suppress with deadly force. The West, led by the US, suspends all aid and negotiations on debt forgiveness involving billions of dollars.
December 2022: Civilian groups and the military sign a framework agreement to restore the democratic transition. Details of the restructuring and role of the armed forces and associated paramilitaries such as the RSF are left for further negotiations.
April 2023: Weeks of tension between Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo boil over into violence. The RSF swiftly seizes Khartoum's international airport and the presidential palace and lays siege to the army headquarters.
May 2023: A series of ceasefires brokered by Saudi Arabia and the US collapse soon after coming into force, with both sides accused of breaching them.
July 2023: The RSF and allied militias are accused of killing thousands in campaign against ethnic Africans in the western Darfur region, and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
October 2023: The UN accuses both the army and the RSF of committing war crimes.
December 2023: The US accuses both the army and the RSF of committing war crimes.
December 2023: The RSF captures the city of Wad Madani, south of Khartoum, dealing the army a major blow. The city is in Al Jazeerah region, Sudan's breadbasket.
March 2024: The army rejects a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan.
April 2024: The US says it is seeking resumption of indirect negotiations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between the RSF and the army.
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
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.”
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
World%20Cup%202023%20ticket%20sales
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Bawaal%20
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
