NEW COLD WAR? Africa must not become ‘geostrategic battleground’ warns AU leaders

Report at TheAfricaReport.com

By AFP (Agence France-Presse)

Dated Friday 26 May 2023; 09:24 - full copy:

NEW COLD WAR?

Africa must not become ‘geostrategic battleground’ warns AU

Moussa Faki Mahamat (1st L), Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) looks at a photo exhibition during the 60th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU), at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on May 25, 2023. (Photo by Amanuel Sileshi / AFP)

Africa must not become a “geostrategic battleground” for global powers, as it grapples with several threats to its own peace and security, African Union leaders warn.

The continent of 1.3 billion people has found itself at the centre of a tussle for influence among the major powers, which has redoubled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago.

And just as the AU marked the anniversary of the creation of its forerunner, the Organisation of African Unity, on this day in 1963, Ukraine itself announced it wanted to boost ties with Africa.

“In this international context of confrontation of divergent political interests, the will of each side threatens to transform Africa into a geostrategic battleground, thereby creating a new Cold War,” AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said.

“In this zero-sum game, where the gains of others would translate into losses for Africa, we must resist all forms of instrumentalisation of our member states,” he added in an address at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Moscow is seeking deeper political, economic and military ties in Africa as well as Asia as Russia becomes increasingly isolated on the international stage over the conflict in Ukraine.

‘Capacity for resilience’

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who is currently on a tour of Africa, on Wednesday urged certain African nations to end their “neutrality” over the war.

In February, 22 AU member states abstained or did not vote on a UN General Assembly resolution that called for Russia withdraw from Ukraine.

Two of them – Eritrea and Mali – voted against the resolution.

And in a statement to mark the pan-African body’s anniversary, Kuleba also announced a Ukrainian diplomatic push on the continent.

“We want to develop a new quality of partnership based on three mutual principles: mutual respect, mutual interests, and mutual benefits,” he said, announcing plans to establish new embassies in Africa and hold a Ukraine-Africa summit.

In this zero-sum game, where the gains of others would translate into losses for Africa, we must resist all forms of instrumentalisation of our member states.

Moscow itself has scheduled a Russia-Africa summit in July, following a trip to several African countries at the start of the year by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

China and the US have also despatched their foreign ministers to the continent in rival diplomatic offensives this year.

Beijing has funded major infrastructure development in Africa but denies Western charges it is practising “debt-trap diplomacy”, while Russia is a key arms exporter and is making forays through mining projects, analysts say.

‘Conflicts and terrorism persist’

Faki meanwhile also hailed the successes of the 54-nation AU which succeeded the OAU in 2002: “Independence and victory against apartheid, that of significant economic and scientific progress, sports, arts, the growing international role of Africa and so on.”

However, he also acknowledged “negative factors such as democratic decline through unconstitutional changes of government, with their litany of oppression and gagging of freedoms, insecurity, the spread of terrorism, violent extremism, the uncontrolled circulation of arms, the harmful effects of climate change”.

Despite the difficulties, Faki said, Africa remains “characterised by its greater capacity for resilience”, pointing for example to its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The current head of the African Union, Comoros President Azali Assoumani also denounced “the unconstitutional changes of power” which have multiplied in Africa in recent years.

“Inter and intra-African conflicts but also terrorism persists and consequently the peace, security, democracy and development of our continent are threatened in several of our countries,” he said.

Assoumani spoke of the conflict between rival generals in Sudan which erupted in mid-April and has persisted despite several truce agreements.

“We must convince our brothers in Sudan to favour dialogue so that the fratricidal war raging in this country ends,” he added.

View original: https://www.theafricareport.com/310874/africa-must-not-become-geostrategic-battleground-warns-au/

[Ends]

Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) starts 2-week training rapid reaction forces at UN centre in Uganda

COULD THIS BE what I hope it is: a long awaited African rapid reaction force for crises such as Sudan? This report says 10 East African countries started a 2-week joint training at a UN Regional Service Centre in Uganda.

Report at The Independent Uganda

By Xinhua

Dated Tuesday 23 May 2023 - full copy:

East African countries start training of rapid reaction forces

Joint training started. FILE PHOTO

Kampala, Uganda | Xinhua | Troops from 10 East African countries on Monday began a two-week training at the United Nations Regional Service Centre in Uganda.

Personnel from Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda participated in the training that aims to create synergies and enhance the knowledge and understanding of peace support mission planning, said the East African Standby Force (EASF) in a statement.

“We cannot fulfil our mandate of enhancing peace and security without an effective planning entity for our region,” said Uganda’s Chief of Staff of the Air Force Brig. David Gonyi.

He said the training will enable regional countries to respond to scenarios like terrorism, election violence and disaster management.

“There is no doubt that the commitment given to this learning process is a clear testimony that capacity building and enhancement have a place they deserve in Africa and the region,” Gonyi said.

The EASF, which consists of military, police and civilian components, was established to provide capability for rapid deployment of forces to carry out preventive deployment, rapid intervention, peace support and stability operations, and peace enforcement.

View original: https://www.independent.co.ug/east-african-countries-start-training-of-rapid-reaction-forces/

___________________________

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

AFRICAN STANDBY FORCE (ASF) 

The African Standby Force (ASF) is an international, continental African, and multidisciplinary peacekeeping force with military, police and civilian contingents that acts under the direction of the African Union. The ASF is to be deployed in times of crisis in Africa.^[2] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, serves as the Force's Headquarters. Douala, Cameroon, was selected in 2011 as the site of the AU's Continental Logistics Base (LOGBASE).^[3]

Map of the partitioning of RECs and RMs of the ASF

___________________________

EASTERN AFRICA STANDBY FORCE (EASF)

In the East of the continent, the regional agent of African Standby Force (ASF) is known as the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF).

The Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), formerly Eastern Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG), is one of the five regional forces for Peace Support Operations (PSOs) of the African Standby Force, consisting of military, police and civilian components. 

EASF constitutes the regional operational arm of the peacekeeping elements of the African Peace and Security Architecture, put in place by the 2002 Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union.^[1][2]

East Africa Standby Force Logo

[Ends]

UN chief Guterres: “With international cooperation and solidarity, this can be Africa’s century”

Stand with Africa: Guterres

Meanwhile, UN chief António Guterres noted that cooperation and solidarity to advance the continent’s future is more needed than ever.

“I look forward to African governments continuing to seize the opportunities presented by the continent’s natural, human, and entrepreneurial richness, by working to increase private investment and raise resources at home,” he said in his message for Africa Day.

The annual commemoration May celebrates the founding of the Organization of African Union, the African Union precursor, on 25 May 1963.

The Secretary-General urged the international community to stand with Africa as multiple rises – from COVID-19 to climate and conflict – continue to cause great suffering there.

He further stated that African countries are underrepresented in global governance institutions, such as the UN Security Council, and denied the debt relief and concessional funding they need.

“Africa deserves peace, justice and international solidarity,” he said.  “With international cooperation and solidarity, this can be Africa’s century.” 

Read full story at UN News report 25 May 2023:

Security Council urged to step up on financing for AU peace operations

https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1137047

[Ends]

MSF says Sudan healthcare situation is dire. BBC says attacks on hospitals and staff are potential war crimes

ONLY A HANDFUL of the 88 hospitals in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, remain open after weeks of fighting, according to Sudan's Doctors Union. Both sides in Sudan's conflict could be carrying out war crimes on medical facilities and staff, according to evidence seen by BBC News Arabic. Read more.

⚠️Humanitarian operations in many parts of the country may grind to a halt⚠️

Looting and attacks on healthcare facilities and warehouses have reduced our stock significantly.

We call all conflict parties to ensure humanitarian access and allow us to assist the Sudanese people. pic.twitter.com/acpBrpqNyC

— MSF Sudan (@MSF_Sudan) May 26, 2023

Report at BBC News

Dated Friday 26 May 2023 - excerpt:

Sudan conflict: Hospital attacks potential war crimes, BBC told

Both sides in Sudan's conflict could be carrying out war crimes on medical facilities and staff, according to evidence seen by BBC News Arabic.

Hospitals have been hit by airstrikes and artillery fire while patients were still in the building and doctors have also been singled out for attack - all of which are potential war crimes. 

Only a handful of the 88 hospitals in the capital, Khartoum, remain open after weeks of fighting, according to Sudan's Doctors Union.

Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65718968

[Ends]

US says Wagner provides missiles to RSF's terrorists

Report at Time Turk online

Dated Friday 26 May 2023; 12:37 - excerpt:

US accuses Russia’s Wagner of providing missiles to Sudan's paramilitary forces

Russia's Wagner Group ‘supplying Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces with surface-to-air missiles to fight against Sudan’s army,' says US Treasury Department

ISTANBUL - US Treasury Department accused Russia's private military company Wagner Group of providing missiles to Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and “contributing to a prolonged armed conflict.”

This came on Thursday when the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Wagner's head in Mali, Ivan Aleksandrovich Maslov, blaming him for attempting to acquire weapons for Russia's war in Ukraine.

“Most recently in Sudan, the Wagner Group has been supplying Sudan's Rapid Support Forces with surface-to-air missiles to fight against Sudan's army, contributing to a prolonged armed conflict that only results in further chaos in the region,” a Treasury statement said.

Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Sudan's legitimate authorities have the right to use the services of the Wagner group.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced "deep concern" over the military company's activities in the war-torn country.

"It's in so many different countries, and in Africa, an element that, when it's engaged, simply brings more death and destruction with it," Blinken said during a joint press conference with his Kenyan counterpart Alfred Mutua.

View original: https://www.timeturk.com/en/us-accuses-russia-s-wagner-of-providing-missiles-to-sudan-s-paramilitary-forces/news-76159

[Ends]

Prigohzin's Wagner group to 'refocus' on Africa

Report at The Telegraph, UK
By Joe Barnes
Dated 23 March 2023 6:50pm - full copy:

Yevgeny Prigohzin's Wagner group to 'refocus' on Africa after failures in Ukraine

The mercenary group has repeatedly blamed Moscow for failing to keep them supplied with ammunition and manpower

PHOTO Yevgeny Prigozhin, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, has advertised for new recruits for Africa CREDIT: Prigozhin Press Service

The Wagner Group is preparing to refocus its efforts in Africa and away from Ukraine amid a long-running dispute with Moscow, it has been reported.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary group, has repeatedly accused Russia’s defence ministry of stymying his supply of ammunition and manpower. 

Western analysts believe Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defence minister, is trying to stifle Prigozhin's growing political influence.

Wagner mercenaries have spearheaded Moscow's eight-month attempt to capture the besieged city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Prigozhin's private military has lost tens of thousands of men, mostly former convicts recruited out of Russian prisons, during the assault – the longest and costliest battle of the war.

Marred by the failure to capture Bakhmut, Prigozhin is planning to shift focus back to Africa, the Bloomberg news agency reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The suggestion will likely prompt concerns in Moscow after a top Ukrainian general said Kyiv's armed forces were ready to launch a counter-offensive on Bakhmut.

PHOTO Yevgeny Prigozhin, on a roof of a high-rise building in what is said to be Bakhmut, has denied preparing to withdraw from Ukraine

"The attacker has not lost hope of taking Bakhmut at all costs, despite the losses of men and equipment, very soon we will take advantage of this opportunity, as we did near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Balakliya and Kupiansk," Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, said.

Prigozhin, who is known as “Putin's chef” for the catering contracts he won from the Kremlin leader, admitted earlier this month his Wagner forces would have to "reset and cut down its size" after the battle of the Donetsk region city.

Western officials have corroborated reports that the mercenary group has been forced to slow down after deliveries of artillery by Russia's MoD were halted and future prison recruitment drives blocked.

A recruitment notice posted earlier this week invited applicants to come forward for a six-month stint in Ukraine or nine to 14 months in Africa. Those wanting to service in African countries, where Wagner has contracts to protect mines and offer governments security services, were told they would be placed on reserve.

In response to the press reports, Prigozhin denied Wagner was preparing a withdrawal from Ukraine.

"It seems that Bloomberg knows better than we do what we are going to do," he wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "As long as our country needs us, we will remain fighting in Ukraine."

Lull in Bakhmut fighting

British military intelligence has revealed a recent lull in the fighting around Bakhmut, which could be fuelled by Wagner's lack of firepower. The mercenary group recruited up to 40,000 convicts, half of whom have been killed or wounded in the attempt to capture the salt-mining town.

Many of them, former murderers, rapists and thieves, were killed in frontal, human wave attacks, reminiscent of tactics from the First World War.

Prigozhin last week announced a new recruitment drive in sports centres and martial arts clubs across 42 Russian cities. But it is unclear how successful he will be in attracting new recruits given the publicised casualty rate of Wagner's troops.

It is likely the Russian defence ministry will seek to blame Prigozhin personally for an apparent slow down in Moscow's assault on Bakhmut.

In a recent report, the US-based Institute for the Study of War wrote that Shoigu was “likely seizing the opportunity to deliberately expend both elite and convict Wagner forces in Bakhmut in an effort to weaken Prigozhin and derail his ambitions for greater influence in the Kremlin".

View original: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/03/23/yevgeny-prigohzins-wagner-group-refocus-africa-failures-ukraine/

[Ends]

US points to Wagner plot against Chad's president

Report at The Wall Street Journal - wsj.com

By Benoit Faucon

Dated 23 February 2023; 7:58 am ET - full copy:

U.S. Intelligence Points to Wagner Plot Against Key Western Ally in Africa

Officials say U.S. has shared information with Chad that Russian group is working to destabilize nation’s government

PLAY VIDEO: From action movies to techno music clips, videos on Russian social media urge young men to join the Wagner mercenary group to fight in Ukraine. The pop culture push is even more important as Wagner’s losses mount on the battlefield. Illustration: RIA FAN/Aurum Production/Cyber FrontZ

The U.S. has shared intelligence with authorities in Chad that the head of Russian paramilitary company Wagner Group is working with Chadian rebels to destabilize the government and potentially kill the president of the African nation, a key counterterrorism ally of the West, according to U.S., African and European officials.

The vast, oil-rich desert nation of Chad sits at the center of Africa’s Sahel region, where Russia, with Yevgeny Prigozhin’s help, is openly challenging decades-old economic, military and political alliances with the West. A former French colony, Chad shares long, porous borders with Libya in the north, the Central African Republic in the south and Sudan in the east—three countries where Wagner already has a presence.

Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

View original: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-intelligence-points-to-wagner-plot-against-key-western-ally-in-africa-29867547

[Ends]

VIDEO: Wagner Group releases 100 Ukrainian PoWs

Report from The Telegraph, UK

By James Kilner

Dated Sunday 16 April 2023; 6:24pm - full copy:

Watch: Wagner Group releases 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war

Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen freeing Ukraine’s captured soldiers in what appears to be a scripted video to mark Orthodox Easter

VIDEO [ Try watching this video on www.youtube.com here: https://youtu.be/kapmHct2L3w 

or here: https://youtube.com/shorts/6iUHzG_VdlA?feature=share]

The Kremlin’s Wagner Group freed more than 100 Ukrainian prisoners to mark the Orthodox Easter in what may be the mercenary organisation’s only prisoner release of the war.

A video posted by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief, showed his fighters wearing balaclavas as they watched the thin, dirty and unshaved Ukrainian soldiers walk down a muddy tree-lined road.

They were still wearing the combat fatigues that they had been captured in. Many were wounded, one man was being carried on a stretcher and another was supported by two other soldiers as he hobbled along.

“I hope you don’t fall back into our hands,” an armed Wagner soldier was filmed saying to the men before they were ordered into a truck, some loading packs of water bottles.

The PoWs are in good spirits following their release CREDIT: Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Reuters

Since being ordered to deploy his Wagner Group mercenaries to Bakhmut last summer, Mr Prigozhin’s prominence has risen significantly and he rarely misses an opportunity for publicity.

He has accused the Russian elite of being too “decadent and lazy” and blamed them for undermining the war effort, carefully drawing comparisons between what he sees as his doughty Wagner fighters battling it out on the front line and his own high work ethic.

In what appeared to have been a scripted scene at the start of the prisoner release video, Mr Prigozhin was seen briefing a Wagner fighter.

“Prepare all of them, feed and water them, check the wounded,” he said.

He also released an earlier video of himself wearing combat uniform and carrying a rifle as he lit a candle in what appears to be a dark and abandoned church to mark Orthodox Easter. He didn’t give the location of the church but Wagner fighters have been focused on Bakhmut, which has become the focus of some of the fiercest battles since Russia’s invasion.

PHOTO The location of the prisoner swap, where the photographs and video were taken, is unknown CREDIT: Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War/Reuters

On Sunday, Wagner claimed to have taken two more blocks of the city, where Ukraine’s fighters are holed up in an increasingly tight corner. The Ukrainian authorities described levels of “unprecedented bloodshed”.

View original: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/04/16/wagner-group-prisoners-of-war-easter-release-prigozhin/

[Ends]

Wagner starts withdrawing from Bakhmut. 10,000 prisoners hired to fight have been killed on battlefield

Report at DW (Deutsche Welle)

Dated Thursday 25 May 2023 - excerpt:

Ukraine updates: Wagner starts withdrawing from Bakhmut

"We are withdrawing the units from Bakhmut. From today at five in the morning, May 25 until June 1, most of the units will rebase to camps in the rear. We are handing our positions to the military," he said in a video posted on Telegram.

Prigozhin announced the capture of Bakhmut on Saturday after the longest and bloodiest battle of the war. He said his fighters would pull out by June 1 and regular Russian troops would move in to replace them.

According to Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar, Russia has replaced its Wagner private military units with regular soldiers on the outskirts of Bakhmut, but the group's fighters remain inside the devastated city.

On Wednesday, Prigozhin said that around 10,000 prisoners he recruited to fight in Ukraine have been killed on the battlefield.

View original: https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-updates-wagner-starts-withdrawing-from-bakhmut/a-65728823

[Ends]

From Russia with gold: UAE cashes in as sanctions bite

Report at Reuters.com

By Peter Hobson

Dated Thursday 25 May 2023; 12:05 PM GMT+1- full copy:

Exclusive: From Russia with gold: UAE cashes in as sanctions bite

Employees cast ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

LONDON, May 25 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has become a key trade hub for Russian gold since Western sanctions over Ukraine cut Russia's more traditional export routes, Russian customs records show.

The records, which contain details of nearly a thousand gold shipments in the year since the Ukraine war started, show the Gulf state imported 75.7 tonnes of Russian gold worth $4.3 billion - up from just 1.3 tonnes during 2021.

China and Turkey were the next biggest destinations, importing about 20 tonnes each between Feb. 24, 2022 and March 3, 2023. With the UAE, the three countries accounted for 99.8% of the Russian gold exports in the customs data for this period.

In the days after the Ukraine conflict started, many multinational banks, logistics providers and precious metal refiners stopped handling Russian gold, which had typically been shipped to London, a gold trading and storage hub.

The London Bullion Market Association banned Russian bars made from March 7, 2022, and by the end of August, Britain, the European Union, Switzerland, the United States, Canada and Japan had all banned imports of Russian bullion.

The export records show, however, that Russian gold producers quickly found new markets in countries that had not imposed sanctions on Moscow, such as the UAE, Turkey and China.

Louis Marechal, a gold sourcing expert at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said there was a risk Russian gold could be melted down and recast and then find its way back into U.S. and European markets with its origin masked.

"If the Russian gold comes in, is recast by a local refiner, sourced by a local bank or trader and then sold on into the market, there you have a risk," he said. "This is why carrying out due diligence is instrumental to end buyers wishing to ensure they respect sanctions regimes."

The UAE government's Gold Bullion Committee said the state operated with clear and robust processes against illicit goods, money laundering and sanctioned entities.

"The UAE will continue to trade openly and honestly, with its international partners, in compliance with all current international norms as set down by the United Nations," it said.

THRIVING GOLD HUB

In a bid to further isolate Russia, Washington has warned countries, including the UAE and Turkey, they could lose access to G7 markets if they do business with entities subject to U.S. sanctions.

The data reviewed by Reuters does not suggest there has been any violation of U.S. sanctions by those countries.

The U.S. Treasury, whose Office of Foreign Assets Control enforces sanctions, did not respond to requests for comment.

The shipments in the customs data, supplied to Reuters by a commercial provider, show exports of 116.3 tonnes between Feb. 24, 2022 and March 3 this year, although consultant Metals Focus estimates Russia produced 325 tonnes of gold in 2022.

The rest of the gold dug in Russia likely either stayed in the country or was exported in transactions not included in the records. Reuters was unable to determine what proportion of Russia's total gold exports were covered by the data.

Most of the Russian gold shipments to China went to Hong Kong. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country's cooperation with Russia "shall be free from disruption or coercion from any third party".

Turkey's finance ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The Russian government, customs authority and central bank did not respond to requests for comment about gold exports.

The shift in Russian exports away from London is not seen as a major blow as the hub is not reliant on Russia. In 2021, for example, gold from Russia accounted for 29% of London's imports but in 2018 it made up just 2%, British trade data shows.

The UAE, meanwhile, has long had a thriving gold industry. Trade data show it imported about 750 tonnes of pure gold a year on average between 2016 and 2021 - meaning the shipments in the Russian records would only account for about 10% of its imports.

The UAE is a major exporter of bullion and jewellery.

DISCOUNT PRICES

The manager of one company that shipped large amounts of Russian gold to the UAE told Reuters that Russian firms had been selling bullion there at a discount of about 1% to global benchmark prices, offering an incentive to trade.

The manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said most of the gold his firm shipped to the UAE was destined for refineries, where it would be melted down and recast.

Reuters asked four of Russia's largest gold miners for comment. Nordgold and Norilsk Nickel (GMKN.MM) declined to comment. Polyus (PLZL.MM) and Polymetal did not respond.

For a FACTBOX with details about some of the main companies involved in Russian gold shipments since the Ukraine war started, click here.

In many cases, the customs records show only shippers or traders involved in the transactions, not the end buyer, which could be a refiner, jeweller or investor.

The records show the biggest handler of Russian gold exported to the UAE was Temis Luxury Middle East, a Dubai subsidiary of French logistics firm Temis Luxury involved in the shipment of 15.6 tonnes valued at $863 million from April 2022 to March 3.

Broca Houy, head of compliance at Temis Luxury Group, said the company "fully complies with the laws and regulations of the United Arab Emirates for freight forwarder business".

He said Temis did not buy Russian gold and only accepted transport orders from operators not subject to U.S. sanctions.

Asked about the shipments, France's finance ministry said it would not comment on individual cases but it was very committed to the application of sanctions.

European sanctions do not typically apply to overseas subsidiaries, so European firms whose subsidiaries were involved in shipments of Russian gold to the UAE, Turkey or Hong Kong would not have necessarily broken any laws, said Tan Albayrak, a sanctions lawyer at Reed Smith in London.

The second-largest handler of Russian bullion in the UAE, with involvement in shipments of 14.6 tonnes worth $820 million, was logistics firm Transguard, part of the Emirates Group, the airline-to-hotels company owned by the Gulf state's wealth fund.

Emirates said it had not bought any Russian gold, operated in full compliance with applicable laws and had now stopped transporting it.

"Due to recent regulatory developments, Transguard is no longer providing logistics services pertaining to shipments of gold to or from Russia," it said.

In Hong Kong, most Russian gold shipments were handled by Vpower Finance Security Hong Kong Ltd, a Chinese logistics company. It was involved in the import of 20.5 tonnes of gold worth $1.2 billion between May 2022 and March 3, the records show.

Vpower Finance Security did not respond to requests for comment.

Reporting by Peter Hobson; Additional reporting by Layli Foroudi in Paris and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by David Clarke

View original: https://www.reuters.com/markets/russia-with-gold-uae-cashes-sanctions-bite-2023-05-25/

[Ends] 

Sudan crisis: Actress Asia Abdelmajid one of Sudan's first theatre stars killed in Khartoum cross-fire

Report at BBC News
By Zeinab Mohammed Salih 
Dated 4 May 2023 - full copy:

Sudan crisis: Actress Asia Abdelmajid killed in Khartoum cross-fire

IMAGE SOURCE, ALFAITORY FAMILY

Image caption, Asia Abdelmajid was one of Sudan's first theatre stars

The death of a well-known actress, killed in cross-fire in the north of Khartoum, has shocked residents of Sudan's capital. But she is just one of many civilians still in the city who are paying with their lives as the fighting continues to rage despite the latest ceasefire.

Zeinab Mohammed Salih is a journalist living in Omdurman, next to the Sudanese capital - she describes daily life for people caught up in the conflict.

__________________________

Asia Abdelmajid, who was born in 1943, was famous for her theatre performances - first coming to prominence in a production of the play Pamseeka 58 years ago.

It was put on at the national theatre in Omdurman to mark the anniversary of Sudan's first revolution against a coup leader. She was considered a pioneer of the stage - and the country's first professional stage actress, later retiring to become a teacher.

Her family say she was buried within hours of her shooting on Wednesday morning in the grounds of a kindergarten where she had been most recently working. It was too dangerous to take her to a cemetery.

It is not clear who fired the shot that killed her in the clashes in the northern suburb of Bahri. But paramilitary fighters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who are ensconced in their bases in residential areas across the city, continue to battle the army, which tends to attack from the air.

The RSF says the military tried to deploy members of the police's special force unit on Wednesday - but the group alleges it rebuffed their ground offensive.

The UN's top aid official has warned that the "will to end the fight still was not there" after speaking to Sudan's rival military leaders.

With a military jet flying overhead as I write and WhatsApp messages arriving with more bad news of my friends caught up in the fighting, it feels like neither side is serious about ending their deadly confrontation.

"I was sitting with my brother in the sitting room when we heard the loud noise of the shell and the dust coming from the kitchen - we thought the whole wall had just collapsed," my friend Mohamed el-Fatih, a fellow journalist, told me.

His apartment in Burri, east of the army's headquarters in central Khartoum, was bombed on Monday night.

"My neighbours upstairs and downstairs were terrified and screaming, we had to evacuate immediately to another area."

His suburb is completely occupied by the RSF and rockets are often fired from the military headquarters where it is believed Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief, and his aides are staying.

My friend Hiba el-Rayeh has also just been in contact in great distress after her mother Sohair Abdallah el-Basher, a respected lawyer, and two uncles were killed last Thursday by a shell that came from a bridge over the River Nile directed towards the Presidential Palace. They were living close by.

Her uncles had actually come to help them escape during one of last week's so-called humanitarian ceasefires.

In another suburb called Khartoum 2, to the west of the military headquarters, estate agent Omer Belal has decided to stay and guard his home.

The 46-year-old has sent his family to a safer district while he and a few other men in the neighbourhood seek to protect their properties from the looting and armed robbery that is occurring across the city.

People's houses, banks, factories, supermarkets and clothing shops are all being ransacked.

Another friend, who asked not to be named, spent five days in a restaurant in Khartoum 2 when the battles first broke out on 15 April.

He managed to escape during the first shaky ceasefire. First he went to the north of the city then decided to go overland to Ethiopia, a trip that took five days.

Now in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, he messaged to say he had seen piles of bodies as he left Khartoum 2.

Basil Omer, a medic and volunteer, described fleeing his flat when it was shelled in al-Manshiya, east of the army headquarters.

"We spent three days only sleeping on the ground. In the end it was impossible to stay there, I sent my children and their mother to el-Gezira state with my in-laws and I went to stay with my parents in Khartoum North," he said.

I live in Omdurman, regarded as one of the safest places in town - though bullets are constantly flying through people's windows.

A couple of days ago my neighbour was hit by a bullet in her leg while she slept following an airstrike, which have been happening about two times every hour. Although there were fewer strikes on Wednesday.

The Sudanese factions have agreed to a new seven-day truce starting on Thursday, but given that they are currently meant to be observing a humanitarian ceasefire and previous ones have broken down - none of us are holding our breath.

Each day we grow more despondent. Most residents of Khartoum feel abandoned and at a loss that the international community seems unable to exert their influence to bring the generals to heel, given they managed to get them to agree to share power with civilians in 2019 after long-time leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted.

IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS

Image caption, Central Khartoum has been devastated by almost three weeks of fighting

View original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65467934

Condolences. God bless. Rest in Peace. + + +

Sudan: Peter Kiano headmaster of Comboni College Khartoum is reported to have been shot dead

ACCORDING to several posts on social media, Mr Peter Kiono was a very popular teacher, adored by his students. Reportedly, he was killed in crossfire or by a stray bullet. He taught physics and made it fun. I am chronicling his sad death here for posterity. Rest in peace Peter Kiono.

Sad news from Khartoum. Peter Kiano headmaster of Comboni College Khartoum is reported to have been shot dead. He is a South Sudanese.@SouthSudanGov@hiba_morgan pic.twitter.com/DrJ3P85Oh4

— Oryema James OJ (@JamesOryema1) May 19, 2023

Condolences. God bless. Rest in Peace. + + +