US support to Sudan could be at risk if the country's fragile transition to civilian rule is impeded, US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman warned on Wednesday.
“If the transition is interrupted, if one side or the other in this [civilian-military] partnership tries to prevail, then the US support for all of these issues, including debt relief, will be in question,” Mr Feltman told The National.
The US has this year provided nearly $337 million to support Sudan's transitional government after the military's 2019 removal of dictator Omar Al Bashir.
But a continuing quarrel between the government and the military has highlighted the frailty of the transition to democratic rule.
The two camps engaged in a public and bitter war of words after a failed military coup last month, with each blaming the other for the country’s many woes.
Mr Feltman is visiting Khartoum this weekend, his second trip to the Sudanese capital in less than a month, highlighting the level of engagement and concern US President Joe Biden's administration is dedicating to the situation.
“My trip will just reinforce the strong US support for the Sudanese transition, but also make it clear that our continued support depends on that transition moving forward,” he said.
We want to see what we can do to support the forward momentum, the forward progress
US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman
“We want to see what we can do to support the forward momentum, the forward progress.”
After Al Bashir's fall, Washington removed Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and helped Khartoum in its talks with the International Monetary Fund, granting the African nation $50 billion in debt relief and $2.4bn in funding last June.
But stubborn troubles including power cuts, medicinal shortages, a devalued currency and rampant inflation have fuelled widespread anger at Sudan's transitional government, led by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Large protests are expected in Khartoum on Thursday to call on his government to resign.
“We are hoping that the demonstrations will reflect that peaceful spirit that animated the transition back in 2019, [but] it’s not really a surprise or alarming that there are political debates going on inside Sudan," said the former undersecretary general for political affairs at the UN.
"Transitions are messy," he said, noting that calls for Mr Hamdok to resign and for his Cabinet to be replaced were a "distraction".
"It's a deflection of attention that needs to be devoted to the transition benchmarks," Mr Feltman said.
Asked if the Sudanese military was responsible, the veteran diplomat did not blame either side.
“The civilians in this partnership did not get to choose who their military partners were in this transition," he said. "The military, likewise, cannot choose who the civilian partners are."
Mr Feltman said Sudan's powerbrokers should focus on inclusivity and co-operation.
“Rather than having public spats with each other, the [Sudanese] components of this transition need to focus on key benchmarks," he said, stressing the need for inclusivity and co-operation.
“The military cannot be sidelined in this transition process. They're part of the transition. But the military also has to give the civilians the space to work out the issues on their side.”
He saw that reciprocity as key in the Juba peace accords signed in October 2020 between the transitional government and rebel groups.
“We're calling on the military and the civilians to pull together in a unified way behind the concept of the constitutional declaration and the Juba peace agreement," he said.
Mr Feltman said the agreement finds ways to resolve governance issues by creating a transitional legislative council.
We're calling on the military and the civilians to pull together in a unified way
US special envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman
Other critical steps needed to exit the crisis include the establishment of a constitutional court and transitional justice mechanisms, and the formation of an election commission, he said.
On role of the Gulf countries and the support they could lend Sudan, Mr Feltman repeated the need to protect the civilian-military partnership as a whole.
“We have been in discussion with our Gulf partners … they understand that the success of the transition in Sudan depends on maintaining this military-civilian leadership up until the election,” he said.
Sudan is expected to hold elections in 2023. Until then, Mr Feltman said that Gulf countries understood the links between debt relief and making progress on the transition, and the priority of backing existing transitional authorities and “not one person or one side.”
On the Abraham Accords and Sudan’s decision to normalise relations with Israel last December, Mr Feltman said the pace of the Sudanese-Israeli engagement is up to the two countries to decide.
“We were encouraged that Sudan signed the Abraham Accords and that shows the recognition of the benefits of expanded collaboration with Israel," he said.
Mr Feltman’s deputy, Payton Knopf, is already in Khartoum.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Tuesday, July 11
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court
Adrian Mannarino v Novak Djokovic (2)
Venus Williams (10) v Jelena Ostapenko (13)
Johanna Konta (6) v Simona Halep (2)
Court 1
Garbine Muguruza (14) v
Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
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2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
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4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
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6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
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1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m; Winner: Dhafra, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Al Ajayib, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
4pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Ashtr, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Falcon Claws, Szczepan Mazur, Doug Watson
5pm: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Al Mufham SB, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Badar Al Hajri
5.30pm: Sharjah Marathon – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,700m; Winner: Asraa Min Al Talqa, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
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
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