Latest news with #AlAzhari
Malay Mail
09-08-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
Khartoum families finally lay war dead to rest as volunteers exhume makeshift graves
KHARTOUM, Aug 10 — In Sudan's war-scarred capital Khartoum, Red Crescent volunteers have begun the grisly task of exhuming the dead from makeshift plots where they were buried during the fighting so their families can give them a proper funeral. Teams of workers in dust-streaked white hazmat suits comb vacant lots, looking for the spots where survivors say they buried their loved ones. Mechanical diggers peel back layers of earth under the watchful eye of Hisham Zein al-Abdeen, head of the city's forensic medicine department. 'We're finding graves everywhere—in front of homes, inside schools and mosques,' he told AFP, surveying the scene. 'Every day we discover new ones.' Here, in the southern neighbourhood of Al-Azhari, families buried their loved ones wherever they could, as fighting raged between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). When war broke out in April 2023, the RSF quickly swept through Khartoum, occupying entire districts as residents fled air and artillery bombardments and street fighting. In March, the army and its allies recaptured the capital in a fierce offensive. It is only now, after the front lines of the conflict moved elsewhere, that bereaved families can give their loved ones a proper burial. 'Proper burial' 'My daughter was only 12,' said Jawaher Adam, standing by a shallow makeshift grave, tears streaming down her face. 'I had only sent her out to buy shoes when she died. We couldn't take her to the cemetery. We buried her in the neighbourhood,' she told AFP. Months on, Adam has come to witness her daughter's reburial—this time, she says, with dignity. Each body is disinfected, wrapped and labelled by Red Crescent volunteers before being transported to Al-Andalus cemetery, 10 kilometres (six miles) away. 'It's painful,' said Adam, 'but to honour the dead is to give them a proper burial.' Many of the war's deadliest battlegrounds have been densely populated residential districts, often without access to hospitals to care for the wounded or count the dead. That has made it nearly impossible to establish a firm death toll for the war. Former US envoy Tom Perriello has said that some estimates suggest up to 150,000 people were killed in the conflict's first year alone. In the capital, more than 61,000 people died during the first 14 months of war -- a 50 percent increase on the pre-war death rate—according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Of those deaths, 26,000 were attributed to violence. Members of the Sudanese Red Crescent carry in a bag the exhumed remains of a person from a makeshift grave for reburial in the local cemetery in Khartoum's southern suburb of al-Azhari on August 2, 2025 after the dead were buried in a rush when the area was under control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries. — AFP pic 'Tip of the iceberg' At first glance, the vacant lot in Al-Azhari where Red Crescent volunteers are digging seems to be full of litter—pieces of wood, bricks, an old signpost. Look more closely, however, and it becomes clear they have been placed in straight lines, each one marking a makeshift grave. Volunteers exhumed 317 graves in that one lot, Zein al-Abdeen said. Similar mass graves have been uncovered across the capital, he said, with 2,000 bodies reburied so far. But his team estimates there could be 10,000 bodies buried in makeshift graves across the city. At the exhumation site, grieving mothers watch on silently, their hands clasped tightly to their chest. They, like Adam, are among the lucky few who know where their loved ones are buried. Many do not. At least 8,000 people were reported missing in Sudan last year, in what the International Committee of the Red Cross says is only 'the tip of the iceberg'. For now, authorities label unclaimed bodies, and keep their details on file. With the bodies now exhumed, the community can have some degree of closure, and the vacant lot can be repurposed. 'Originally, this site was designated as a school,' said Youssef Mohamed al-Amin, executive director of Jebel Awliya district. 'We're moving the bodies so it can serve its original purpose.' The United Nations estimates that up to two million people may return to Khartoum state by the end of the year—but much depends on whether security and basic services can be restored. Before the war, greater Khartoum was home to nine million people, according to the UN Development Programme, but the conflict has displaced at least 3.5 million. For now, much of the capital remains without power or running water, as hospitals and schools lie in ruins — AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-08-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Volunteers Help Families Give Khartoum War Dead Proper Burials
In Sudan's war-scarred capital Khartoum, Red Crescent volunteers have begun the grisly task of exhuming the dead from makeshift plots where they were buried during the fighting so their families can give them a proper funeral. Teams of workers in dust-streaked white hazmat suits comb vacant lots, looking for the spots where survivors say they buried their loved ones. Mechanical diggers peel back layers of earth under the watchful eye of Hisham Zein al-Abdeen, head of the city's forensic medicine department. "We're finding graves everywhere -- in front of homes, inside schools and mosques," he told AFP, surveying the scene. "Every day we discover new ones." Here, in the southern neighborhood of Al-Azhari, families buried their loved ones wherever they could, as fighting raged between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). When war broke out in April 2023, the RSF quickly swept through Khartoum, occupying entire districts as residents fled air and artillery bombardments and street fighting. In March, the army and its allies recaptured the capital in a fierce offensive. It is only now, after the front lines of the conflict moved elsewhere, that bereaved families can give their loved ones a proper burial. - 'Proper burial' - "My daughter was only 12," said Jawaher Adam, standing by a shallow makeshift grave, tears streaming down her face. "I had only sent her out to buy shoes when she died. We couldn't take her to the cemetery. We buried her in the neighborhood," she told AFP. Months on, Adam has come to witness her daughter's reburial -- this time, she says, with dignity. Each body is disinfected, wrapped and labelled by Red Crescent volunteers before being transported to Al-Andalus cemetery, 10 kilometers (six miles) away. "It's painful," said Adam, "but to honor the dead is to give them a proper burial." Many of the war's deadliest battlegrounds have been densely populated residential districts, often without access to hospitals to care for the wounded or count the dead. That has made it nearly impossible to establish a firm death toll for the war. Former US envoy Tom Perriello has said that some estimates suggest up to 150,000 people were killed in the conflict's first year alone. In the capital, more than 61,000 people died during the first 14 months of war -- a 50 percent increase on the pre-war death rate -- according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Of those deaths, 26,000 were attributed to violence. - 'Tip of the iceberg' - At first glance, the vacant lot in Al-Azhari where Red Crescent volunteers are digging seems to be full of litter -- pieces of wood, bricks, an old signpost. Look more closely, however, and it becomes clear they have been placed in straight lines, each one marking a makeshift grave. Volunteers exhumed 317 graves in that one lot, Zein al-Abdeen said. Similar mass graves have been uncovered across the capital, he said, with 2,000 bodies reburied so far. But his team estimates there could be 10,000 bodies buried in makeshift graves across the city. At the exhumation site, grieving mothers watch on silently, their hands clasped tightly to their chest. They, like Adam, are among the lucky few who know where their loved ones are buried. Many do not. At least 8,000 people were reported missing in Sudan last year, in what the International Committee of the Red Cross says is only "the tip of the iceberg". For now, authorities label unclaimed bodies, and keep their details on file. With the bodies now exhumed, the community can have some degree of closure, and the vacant lot can be repurposed. "Originally, this site was designated as a school," said Youssef Mohamed al-Amin, executive director of Jebel Awliya district. "We're moving the bodies so it can serve its original purpose." The United Nations estimates that up to two million people may return to Khartoum state by the end of the year -- but much depends on whether security and basic services can be restored. Before the war, greater Khartoum was home to nine million people, according to the UN Development Program, but the conflict has displaced at least 3.5 million. For now, much of the capital remains without power or running water, as hospitals and schools lie in ruins.
Arab News
09-08-2025
- General
- Arab News
Sudan volunteers help families give Khartoum war dead proper burials
KHARTOUM: In Sudan's war-scarred capital Khartoum, Red Crescent volunteers have begun the grisly task of exhuming the dead from makeshift plots where they were buried during the fighting so their families can give them a proper funeral. Teams of workers in dust-streaked white hazmat suits comb vacant lots, looking for the spots where survivors say they buried their loved ones. Mechanical diggers peel back layers of earth under the watchful eye of Hisham Zein Al-Abdeen, head of the city's forensic medicine department. 'We're finding graves everywhere – in front of homes, inside schools and mosques,' he said, surveying the scene. 'Every day we discover new ones.' Here, in the southern neighborhood of Al-Azhari, families buried their loved ones wherever they could, as fighting raged between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). When war broke out in April 2023, the RSF quickly swept through Khartoum, occupying entire districts as residents fled air and artillery bombardments and street fighting. In March, the army and its allies recaptured the capital in a fierce offensive. It is only now, after the front lines of the conflict moved elsewhere, that bereaved families can give their loved ones a proper burial. 'My daughter was only 12,' said Jawaher Adam, standing by a shallow makeshift grave, tears streaming down her face. 'I had only sent her out to buy shoes when she died. We couldn't take her to the cemetery. We buried her in the neighborhood,' she said. Months on, Adam has come to witness her daughter's reburial – this time, she says, with dignity. Each body is disinfected, wrapped and labelled by Red Crescent volunteers before being transported to Al-Andalus cemetery, 10 kilometers (six miles) away. 'It's painful,' said Adam, 'but to honor the dead is to give them a proper burial.' Many of the war's deadliest battlegrounds have been densely populated residential districts, often without access to hospitals to care for the wounded or count the dead. That has made it nearly impossible to establish a firm death toll for the war. Former US envoy Tom Perriello has said that some estimates suggest up to 150,000 people were killed in the conflict's first year alone. In the capital, more than 61,000 people died during the first 14 months of war – a 50 percent increase on the pre-war death rate – according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Of those deaths, 26,000 were attributed to violence. At first glance, the vacant lot in Al-Azhari where Red Crescent volunteers are digging seems to be full of litter – pieces of wood, bricks, an old signpost. Look more closely, however, and it becomes clear they have been placed in straight lines, each one marking a makeshift grave. Volunteers exhumed 317 graves in that one lot, Zein Al-Abdeen said. Similar mass graves have been uncovered across the capital, he said, with 2,000 bodies reburied so far. But his team estimates there could be 10,000 bodies buried in makeshift graves across the city. At the exhumation site, grieving mothers watch on silently, their hands clasped tightly to their chest. They, like Adam, are among the lucky few who know where their loved ones are buried. Many do not. At least 8,000 people were reported missing in Sudan last year, in what the International Committee of the Red Cross says is only 'the tip of the iceberg.' For now, authorities label unclaimed bodies, and keep their details on file. With the bodies now exhumed, the community can have some degree of closure, and the vacant lot can be repurposed. 'Originally, this site was designated as a school,' said Youssef Mohamed Al-Amin, executive director of Jebel Awliya district. 'We're moving the bodies so it can serve its original purpose.' The United Nations estimates that up to two million people may return to Khartoum state by the end of the year – but much depends on whether security and basic services can be restored. Before the war, greater Khartoum was home to nine million people, according to the UN Development Programme, but the conflict has displaced at least 3.5 million. For now, much of the capital remains without power or running water, as hospitals and schools lie in ruins.
Al Etihad
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Al Etihad
Dubai-raised Al Azhari reflects on driving roots ahead of UK stint
15 May 2025 00:29 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)At just 17 years old, Dubai's Keanu Al Azhari has taken a significant leap in his motorsport career – one that could put him on the path to Formula rising UAE driver has joined the Alpine Academy, the junior development programme in England, and is set to compete in the GB3 Championship with the Silverstone-based Hitech GP this move marks a turning point for Al Azhari, who has long been seen as one of the UAE's brightest racing prospects. Having already made a name for himself in Formula 4 over two seasons, the teenager sees his latest step as both validation of his talent and a gateway to bigger things."Joining Alpine is a big milestone in my career and a reflection of all the hard work that I have put in," he said."I'm really proud to be part of the Alpine family, and they will help develop me during my junior single-seater career. Hopefully, this move will be another step towards reaching my career goal of reaching F1 one day, as that is my dream. It's going to be a tough few years, but I am ready to show everyone what I have now."And he is thankful to Dubai Autodrome, where his career roots have been entrenched. Motorsport runs in the family. Keanu's father, Karim Al Azhari, was a regular on the local racing scene, and Keanu was immersed in the world of racing from an early age at the Autodrome and even got his racing license from there."My first memories of going to the track were at a very young age, when I was three years old, watching my dad race," he trajectory so far certainly supports that ambition. Last year, he secured four wins, nine podiums, and five pole positions, finishing runner-up in the Formula 4 Spanish Championship, while in the Formula 4 UAE Championship in the same year, he earned two wins, five podiums, and four pole positions to secure third place Azhari is among a number of young drivers who have transitioned from karting to motorsport. That list includes UAE's Rashid Al Dhaheri, former Dubai Kartdrome O Plate champion, who recently joined Mercedes' Junior Driver Programme, Zack Scoular, competing in British GB3, Jamie Day, an ex-karting champion and part of the Aston Martin drivers' junior team in European Endurance GT3, Edward Jones, who finished third in Indy 500, and Federico Rifai, a multiple-karting champion and former Saudi F4 winner."He always had a passion for motorsport and the hunger to succeed in every race and it is wonderful to see that he still has that commitment," said Dubai Autodrome General Manager Faisal Al Sahlawi, who has seen Al Azhari come through the ranks."With plenty of years ahead of him, he possesses all the correct attributes to be an even better driver and become a future world motorsport champion. We hope many young drivers across the UAE can follow in his footsteps." For now, Al Azhari's focus is firmly on GB3 and proving he belongs in the upper echelons of junior motorsport. With the backing of Alpine and a competitive seat at Hitech GP, he has the tools – and the drive – to take his dream all the way to Formula One.
Gulf Today
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- Gulf Today
UAE prodigy Al Azhari targets Formula 1
A young UAE motorsport driver hopes his move to Alpine Academy can help him achieve his goal of racing in Formula One in the future and praised Dubai Autodrome for its role in his development so far. Dubai Autodrome is a subsidiary of Union Properties. Dubai-based Keanu Al Azhari, 17, recently joined F1's Alpine Academy and will race for Hitech GP in the GB3 Championship this year after two seasons in Formula 4. It is a move that he describes as a 'milestone' achievement, especially as he comes from a racing family, and he is looking forward to his latest chapter in his racing journey, hoping it can eventually lead to a seat in the pinnacle of motorsport-the F1. 'Joining Alpine is a big milestone in my career and a reflection of all the hard work that I have put in,' he said. 'I'm really proud to be part of the Alpine family, and they will help develop me during my junior single-seater career. Hopefully, this move will be another step towards reaching my career goal of reaching F1 one day, as that is my dream. It's going to be a tough few years, but I am ready to show everyone what I have now.' Al Azhari has made an impressive start to his motorsport career. Last year, he secured four wins, nine podiums, and five pole positions, finishing runner-up in the Formula 4 Spanish Championship, while in the Formula 4 UAE Championship in the same year, he earned two wins, five podiums, and four pole positions to secure third place overall. Before getting behind the wheel, he came through the ranks in karting at Dubai Kartdrome, where he was part of its DAKA programme and raced in some prominent competitions, including the IAME Series UAE. His fond memories of the venue came at a very early age, having followed his father, Karim, in his motorsport journey, and he is grateful for the support he has received from Dubai Autodrome. He said: 'The Dubai Autodrome and Kartdrome have been a big part of my life. My first memories of going to the track were at a very young age, when I was three years old, when my dad, Karim Al Azhari, was racing in local competitions. After finishing my karting career, it was the place where I learned how to drive a racing car and got my racing licence. 'I have taken to the track and driven in so many different layouts of the track, which have helped me develop before I went into the Formula 4 European Series races. I'm really grateful for their support, as they have played a big role in my journey today.' Al Azhari is among a number of young drivers who have transitioned from karting to motorsport, having tested themselves at Dubai Kartdrome. The list includes UAE's Rashid Al Dhaheri, former Dubai Kartdrome O Plate champion, who recently joined Mercedes' Junior Driver Programme, Zack Scoular, competing in British GB3, Jamie Day, an ex-karting champion and part of the Aston Martin drivers' junior team in European Endurance GT3, Edward Jones, who finished third in Indy 500, and Federico Rifai, a multiple-karting champion and former Saudi F4 winner.
