Sudanese men gather in prayers in a street in the capital Khartoum after breaking their fast during Ramadan on April 25, 2020 amid a curfew due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. AFP
Sudanese men gather in prayers in a street in the capital Khartoum after breaking their fast during Ramadan on April 25, 2020 amid a curfew due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. AFP
Sudanese men gather in prayers in a street in the capital Khartoum after breaking their fast during Ramadan on April 25, 2020 amid a curfew due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. AFP
Sudanese men gather in prayers in a street in the capital Khartoum after breaking their fast during Ramadan on April 25, 2020 amid a curfew due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. AFP

Sudan's revolutionary medics turn activist networks against coronavirus


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Dr Alshafie Hussein spends every waking hour treating the sick at Jubra hospital, the main battleground against Covid-19 in Sudan's capital of Khartoum. Since early March, the 37-year-old hasn't seen his wife or child for fear of infecting them.

Even now, during Ramadan, he only interacts with his colleagues and patients and sleeps alone in an office near the hospital.

Dr Hussein is just one of the medical professionals who are once again rallying together to try and save Sudan.

"People trust us because we were on the frontlines during the revolution," said Dr Hussein, referring to the role doctors played in toppling former dictator Omar Al Bashir in 2019. "Now we have a duty to help our people again."

With Sudan already navigating a tumultuous transition to democracy, authorities are struggling to contain a Covid-19 outbreak. So far, health officials have detected 237 cases and pronounced 21 people dead from the disease.

But the real number is believed to be higher since a lack of testing kits is stopping the government from collecting data.

Filling the void are activists that spearheaded protests against Al Bashir. Along with doctors like Mr Hussein, other medical workers and activists are raising awareness about the disease, supplying hospitals with equipment and providing food to the poor.

Dr Mouzan Abdelrahan, 30, is just one person doing her part. Beyond working in a hospital in the city of Omdurman across the Nile River from the capital, she also speaks to communities regularly about the importance of hand-washing and social distancing. Most people welcome the information, yet others still believe that the pandemic isn't real.

"Some people are in denial because deep down they're panicking," she told The National over the phone.

The government is also sounding the alarm. On April 11, Sudan's Health Minister Akram Ali Altom told reporters that his country needs at least $120 million to fight the epidemic. He added that a large outbreak would quickly overwhelm a health sector, which suffers from a chronic shortage of ventilators and hospital beds due to decades of neglect during Al Bashir's repressive rule.

To date, no country has answered Mr Altom's plea and US sanctions held over from the old regime's support for terror groups including Al Qaeda also cut it off financially from donor organisations.

Sudan's Minister of Health Akram Ali Altom discusses concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease in Khartoum. Reuters
Sudan's Minister of Health Akram Ali Altom discusses concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease in Khartoum. Reuters

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday called for the US to drop the sanctions to help Khartoum manage the pandemic and also break the dire economic turmoil that sparked the protests that led to Al Bashir's ousting.

"The only way Sudan will ever be able to break out of this cycle of poverty and desperation is to be freed from the impediments of sanctions imposed at the time of the previous government," said Ms Bachelet.

But, support is coming from the network of overseas and exiled activists.

Solafa Saada, a Sudanese refugee living in the Netherlands, is the co-founder of Sharaa Hawajz, an NGO that distributed medical aid to doctors and pharmacists during the uprising last year.

Now, the group is collecting donations and paying local companies to produce much needed protective gear for medical workers.

"Importing supplies was going to be too expensive, so our group had to find ways for Sudan to produce them domestically," Ms Saada told The National. "One company we approached has already made a batch of medical gowns. Sanitizer is also being made and handed out to communities."

Despite Ms Saada's efforts, inflation and poverty are compounding the challenges to slow the spread of Covid-19. Communities reliant on the informal economy are particularly worried about going hungry if they stay indoors.

Coronavirus around the Middle East 

That didn't stop the government from imposing a three-week lockdown on Khartoum on April 19.

A sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases prompted the move, which also exposed tensions between local and national authorities – most notably, Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok fired the military governor of Khartoum for refusing to enforce the lockdown.

Once he was dismissed, a curfew was put in place while soldiers set up checkpoints to stop civilians from leaving their neighbourhoods.

Activists haven't decried the show of force, yet many say that financially supporting the poor is a more effective way to get people to stay inside.

The economic crisis has compelled activists like Hadia Hasballah to assume that role. As the head of the civil society group Al Harsat – or The Guardians – she notes that many Sudanese women are heading their households after losing their husbands and sons to the decades-long civil war that split Sudan into two countries.

"We have delivered 2,400 food packages to women-led households in Khartoum," Ms Hasballah said proudly. "It's a small bit of help that enables women to stay indoors for at least a couple of weeks."

While that may be true, the pattern elsewhere suggests that the government will have to maintain the lockdown for months to eliminate the spread. But the bigger issue may be the stigma surrounding the virus.

Just last month, about 300 people escaped quarantine hospitals after refusing to take a test. Medical workers say that many of those who fled showed symptoms of the virus.

"Patients are still understanding the disease," said Dr Hussein, the medic from Jabra hospital. "Many believe that they will surely die or be permanently ostracized by their communities if they contract Covid-19."

The misinformation has prompted health officials to provide counselling to patients. Medics say that attitudes are gradually changing, yet a catastrophic outbreak appears inevitable after so many patients escaped.

"Doctors and volunteers share the same motive to save this country," said Dr Hussein. "But we know that we don't have the capacity to fight this virus."

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

While you're here
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Bharatanatyam

A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (All UAE kick-off times)

Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (11.30pm)

Saturday

Union Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)

FA Augsburg v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Werder Bremen (6.30pm)

SC Paderborn v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)

Hoffenheim v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)

Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Monchengladbach (9.30pm)

Sunday

Cologne v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)

Mainz v FC Schalke (9pm)

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

MATCH INFO

Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')

Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')

Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)

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UAE%20PREMIERSHIP
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%20v%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3E%0DSaturday%2C%208.15pm%2C%20Al%20Ain%20Amblers%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%20results%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDubai%20Exiles%2020-26%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3Cbr%3EDubai%20Tigers%2032-43%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETable%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1%20Dubai%20Tigers%2C%2033%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E2%20Dubai%20Exiles%2C%2024%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E3%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%2C%2018%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E4%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%2C%2014%20points%0D%3Cbr%3E5%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%2C%2014%20points%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):

Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Match will be shown on BeIN Sports

Where to apply

Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020

Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.

The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020. 

Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)