Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar Al Bashir stands in the defendant's cage during the opening of his trial for corruption in Khartoum in August 2019. AFP
Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar Al Bashir stands in the defendant's cage during the opening of his trial for corruption in Khartoum in August 2019. AFP
Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar Al Bashir stands in the defendant's cage during the opening of his trial for corruption in Khartoum in August 2019. AFP
Sudan's deposed military ruler Omar Al Bashir stands in the defendant's cage during the opening of his trial for corruption in Khartoum in August 2019. AFP

Former Sudan president Omar Al Bashir admitted to hospital


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Former Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir has reportedly been admitted to hospital with suspected Covid-19 symptoms.

The former ruler of Sudan was taken to Alia Military Hospital in Omdurman for a 24-hour period, which can be extended if necessary, his lawyer Muhammad Al Amin said.

Normally, Al Bashir, 76, would be held in Kober prison in Khartoum.

Last week it was reported that Maj Gen Abdullah Al Bashir, the former leader’s brother, died of Covid-19.

Al Bashir, who was deposed by the military in 2019 after mass protests, suffered several health problems and had surgery on his vocal cords in 2012 in Qatar.

A rule of infamy 

Omar Al Bashir came to power in 1989 after organising a military coup against Sadiq Al Mahdi, Sudan’s last democratically elected prime minister.

While Al Mahdi’s rule was regarded by some as a constant struggle to find compromise in a politically fractured nation, Al Bashir quickly took control of state institutions.

He filled key positions with loyalists and mounted an escalating series of purges.

Al Mahdi succumbed to Covid-19 on November 26.

Allying with the Islamist politician Hassan Al Turabi, Al Bashir attracted controversy by hosting Osama bin Laden during the 1990s, after the Al Qaeda leader, described by Al Bashir as a businessman, was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991.

Bin Laden was eventually forced to leave Sudan in 1999, three years after openly declaring war on the US.

Under Al Bashir and Al Turabi, who died in 2016, Sudanese laws were increasingly steered towards a politicised brand of Sharia.

The former president faced constant intrigue against his rule but was known for directing state resources to loyalists, always staying a step ahead of any potential coup.

An oil boom in the 1990s and early 2000s boosted Al Bashir’s fortunes, helping his government to maintain high levels of military spending and shore up loyalist support as a decades-long civil war with the south continued.

His suppression of an uprising in the Darfur region led to him being indicted for war crimes against civilians by the International Criminal Court in 2009.

This overshadowed a 2005 peace agreement aimed at ending the country’s war with secessionist South Sudan, creating an autonomous zone and eventually a new country in 2011.

But peace did not last. Fighting between the north and south continued sporadically, particularly over coveted oilfields.

A new agreement with South Sudan was reached in 2012, covering oil and trade, but shortly after the agreement South Sudan had its own civil war.

Further arguments between Sudan and South Sudan over oil exports and revenues led to a sharp collapse in production, before global prices entered a long period of decline.

This accelerated Sudan’s economic collapse, stripping away the patronage powers of Al Bashir and paving the way for a popular uprising.

Under Al Bashir, Sudan failed to build an economy that was not dependent upon oil while corruption span out of control, restricting private sector growth.

For these reasons, the former president gradually the lost support of the military.

He is in a special jail for elderly prisoners and on February 11 the transitional Sudanese government agreed to hand him over to the ICC for trial.

MATCH INFO

Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
 
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

Volvo ES90 Specs

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Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

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On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

THE BIO

Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren

Favourite travel destination: Switzerland

Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers

Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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

While you're here
Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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