Sudanese security forces shot dead seven protesters during antimilitary rallies on Monday, witnesses and a medical group aligned with the pro-democracy movement said.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum dancing and singing in the latest round of rallies against military rule in Sudan, where an October 25 coup upended the country's democratic transition.
Thousands of soldiers and police were also out in force across the city, the witnesses said.
“The regime has committed another massacre and grand crime against the people of Sudan and their peaceful rallies,” said the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, whose thorough tallying and verification of victims of political violence has earned it a reputation of authority since 2018.
Scores sustained gunshot wounds on Monday, it said.
News of the latest deaths were followed by an announcement by an alliance of political parties for two days of civil disobedience starting on Tuesday.
“Let the period of civil disobedience be a time for regrouping and uniting our revolutionary forces and preparing them for the decisive battle to bring down the coup regime,” the alliance, the Forces of Freedom and Change, said in a statement.
The latest deaths take to 71 the number of protesters killed since a wave of mass demonstrations began, sparked by the October military coup. More than 2,000 have been injured,
UN mediators are pressing ahead with preparations for round-table negotiations to end the political crisis.
The military has accused the protesters of using violence, a charge denied by the pro-democracy movement, and something not backed by the pronouncements made by Sudan's western backers, who have consistently denounced the use of excessive force by security forces against peaceful protesters.
In a statement, the military-led Security and Defence Council spoke of the emergence of new “trends” that encouraged people to damage public property and praised the “wisdom” and “restraint” shown by security agencies and forces in dealing with the unrest.
The council consists of leaders of the military, police and the intelligence agency.
Its statement commended operatives of the much-feared intelligence agency for what it called pre-emptive strikes against terrorist cells.
Britain and France, meanwhile, were among nine UN Security Council members who urged all parties in Sudan to “exercise the utmost restraint” amid Monday's deadly violence.
“We express our serious concern about the military coup in Sudan on October 25, 2021", said the text, which was also signed by Mexico, Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, Ireland and Norway.
The statement, released after a meeting of the 15-member council, also urged all parties to “refrain from the use of violence and emphasise the importance of full respect for human rights, including the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression".
The meeting involved Karim Khan, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The UN mission in Sudan also strongly denounced Monday's violence, describing the use of live rounds by security forces as unacceptable.
“Violence must stop. We again call on authorities to cease using force against peaceful protesters and conduct credible investigations into such incidents,” it said on its Twitter account.
Monday’s protesters, many wearing masks to protect themselves from tear gas, struck an upbeat mood earlier in the day as they danced and sang along to revolutionary songs that blared out of giant loudspeakers.
They waved Sudanese flags and carried banners bearing the images of protesters killed by security forces during the past three months of protests. Demonstrators used bricks, rocks and burnt tyres to block roads while chanting slogans against army chief and coup leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
“Civilian!” they shouted, referring to their demand for civilian rule.
Videos widely shared online on Monday showed heavy clouds of tear gas hanging over protesters, many of whom can be seen taking cover behind metal barriers as the sound of gunfire rings out in the background.
“Don't stand still or you will be shot,” a protester is heard yelling at others in one of the videos.
The three major pro-democracy groups — the Forces of Freedom and Change, the Sudanese Professionals’ Association and the Resistance Committees — say they are willing to engage with the UN-sponsored process but will not have any dealings with the military, whose withdrawal from politics must be included in any negotiated end to the crisis.
Those groups were behind the uprising that toppled Omar Al Bashir’s regime in 2019 and have again taken the lead in the current antimilitary movement.
In a break with past tactics, authorities left all Nile bridges open on Monday except for one on the Blue Nile that connects Khartoum with Bahri. The bridge leads directly to the Republican Palace, on the riverbank.
Authorities blocked all roads leading to the palace and the headquarters of the armed forces in central Khartoum.
Organisers of Monday’s rallies instructed participants to march to the palace peacefully and to avoid provoking security forces, but the marchers were expected to draw a violent response.
The Interior Ministry said a senior police officer on duty during the last round of rallies on Thursday was stabbed to death by protesters. It was the first fatality among the security forces in three months of unrest.
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The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
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Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.”
