Sudan’s Al Burhan accuses rival Rapid Support Forces of war crimes in UN speech

Sudanese army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan accused the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of war crimes and called for its designation as a terrorist group, in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

“These rebel groups have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in many corners of Sudan,” Gen Al Burhan said of the RSF, which the army has been fighting for five months.

“They have carried out ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, as well as sexual violence and killing based on ethnicity.

“They are guilty of torture and actions that amount to war crimes in Darfur, Khartoum and other places,” he said.

He also called for the international community to designate the RSF as a "terrorist group" and said, without elaborating, that the paramilitary's outside “sponsors” must be held accountable.

Gen Al Burhan's army has been locked in vicious fighting with the RSF, led by his one-time ally Gen Mohamed Dagalo, since mid-April. The war is essentially a battle for political and military supremacy in the vast Afro-Arab nation of 48 million people.

Shortly before Gen Al Burhan spoke, Gen Dagalo – better known as Hemedti – said in a video message to the UN that his forces were fully prepared for a ceasefire and comprehensive political talks to end the conflict.

Gen Dagalo appeared in military uniform, seated behind a desk with a Sudanese national flag behind him, as he read out his speech. His location was not clear.

Most of his recent communications have been audio messages, and his whereabouts have been a source of speculation.

“Today, we renew our commitment to the peaceful process to put a halt to this war,” he said. “The RSF are fully prepared for a ceasefire throughout Sudan to allow the passage of humanitarian aid … and to start serious and comprehensive political talks.”

Fighting was initially centred in the Sudanese capital but has since spread to several parts of the country, including the western region of Darfur, an area that has seen decades of violence.

RSF forces are trying to “obliterate the history” of Sudan, Gen Al Burhan has claimed.

Gen Al Burhan, who flew to New York from Port Sudan, where he has been based since fleeing Khartoum, sought to portray himself as Sudan’s rightful leader and said he was “committed to our previous pledges to transfer power to the people of Sudan”.

The war has plunged Sudan into a humanitarian crisis, which the UN High Commission for Refugees fears is only going to worsen.

An estimated five million Sudanese have now been forced from their homes, including more than one million who sought refuge in neighbouring nations, chiefly Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, stretching the region's capacity to respond to humanitarian needs.

Those trapped in Khartoum have been suffering lengthy cuts to power and water supplies, scarce health care and soaring food and fuel prices.

Gen Al Burhan said the conflict was no longer just a Sudanese problem.

“I would like to assure you that the danger of this war is now a threat to regional and international peace and security,” he told the General Assembly.

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

Financial considerations before buying a property

Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.

“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.

Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.

Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.

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While you're here

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'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'

Director:Michael Lehmann

Stars:Kristen Bell

Rating: 1/5

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

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.”