Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, has been selected to head an alliance of political parties and rebel groups, seen as a step towards setting up a parallel government in areas held by the paramilitary.
The Foundation Alliance, better known by its acronym Taasees, met in the RSF-held city of Nyala in Darfur on Tuesday and selected a 31-member leadership with Gen Dagalo as its head. Abdul Aziz Al Helu, commander of a powerful rebel group active in south and south-west Sudan, was selected as his deputy.
"The selection followed a series of plenary meetings that were transparent and serious," Taasees spokesman Alaaeldeen Noqd said in a statement.
He described the alliance, founded in Kenya in February, as a national platform that aims to "dismantle the old Sudan by confronting its sociopolitical legacy and the creation of a new state on the basis of a social contract that enshrines just peace, equal citizenship and comprehensive justice".
The formation of the alliance comes amid a devastating civil war between Gen Dagalo's RSF and the armed forces led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan. After 26 months of fighting, the RSF controls all of Darfur region in the West, except the city of El Fasher, and parts of Kordofan to the south-west; the army controls the capital, eastern, central and northern Sudan.
"The announcement in Nyala is the prelude to creating a government. Taasees is the equivalent of a ruling party that will inevitably announce a government," said Osman Mirghany, a prominent Sudanese analyst.
"The whole process is designed to give the Rapid Support Forces a political arm or support base to use as a bargaining chip if negotiations to end the war were to start," he said, alluding to plans to convene a meeting on Sudan in Washington that would bring representatives of regional powerhouses like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to lay out a road map to end the war.
The US and Saudi Arabia brokered a series of ceasefires during the early days of the war, but they proved to be short-lived. The army now insists it will continue fighting until the RSF is defeated.
Gen Al Burhan named a career UN diplomat, Kamil Idris, as prime minister in May to head a 22-member government based in the eastern city of Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast. Only two portfolios – defence and interior – have been filled so far as rebel groups now aligned with the military demand proportionate representation.
The war between the RSF and the army, essentially over control of the vast and resource-rich country, has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced about 14 million and left half of the 50 million population facing hunger.
Both Gen Dagalo and Gen Al Burhan claim to be fighting for a democratic and prosperous Sudan. However, the pair face accusations by the UN and rights groups of war crimes committed during the current conflict.
The RSF has pivoted its political narrative to the pursuit of equal rights for Sudan's so-called marginalised citizens, a reference to the inhabitants of such outlying regions like Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile.
However, it has been accused by the UN and the International Criminal Court of ethnic cleansing against African tribes in Darfur and of sexual assaults in the capital Khartoum and central Sudan.
The army is accused of reckless shelling that is believed to have killed thousands of civilians since the war began.
Both Gen Dagalo and Gen Al Burhan have been sanctioned by the US for war crimes.
Mohammed Latif, another Sudanese analyst, said the consequences of Tuesday's announcement by Taasees would invariably lead to a government that runs RSF-held areas.
"We will then have a government in eastern Sudan and another one in western Sudan, a situation that to some degree mirror that in Libya," he said, alluding to the emergence of two rival administrations in Sudan's neighbour after an uprising toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
"It will enshrine the partition of Sudan, which every one has been warning against."
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
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.”
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
