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Israeli & Palestinian Sides Affirm Commitment to Peace Agreements; 5.2 Magnitude Aftershock Strikes Eastern Turkey; At Least Three People Killed in West Bank Violence; Egypt's Foreign Minister Travels to Syria; Meroe Gold Sanctioned after CNN Investigation into Gold Exploitation; EU Sanctions Russia's Wagner Subsidiary in Sudan. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 27, 2023 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, a rare meeting in Jordan this past weekend tried to restore calm between Israel and the

Palestinians. But can it succeed? We speak to the key architects of that effort this hour.

But first, the death toll in Turkey and Syria stands at more than 50,000 three weeks after the major earthquake that struck the region and another

aftershock hitting today killing at least one person. Britain and the EU have just reached an agreement on new trade rules that would cut red tape

in trading goods between Northern Ireland and Britain.

And the Head of the CIA says there's growing concern China might provide weapons to Russia. The Kremlin note in declining to comment on the

allegations. Welcome back to "Connect the World" live from our brand new studio here in Abu Dhabi.

As we reported last hour, it's been a deadly weekend in the West Bank. On Sunday, two Israeli settlers were shot and killed south of Nablus and that

prompted an angry reaction from other settlers who went on a rampage, burning Palestinian houses at least one person was killed in that violence.

Well, these attacks overshadowing a rare gathering between both sides of this conflict brokered by Jordan in the coastal city of Aqaba. The meeting

was meant to be the first step in defusing the recent violence so tonight we ask can calm be restored in the West Bank.

Well, the meeting in Jordan would quite simply not have gone the way it did. But then our next guest Ayman Al Safadi the Jordanian Foreign Minister

and Deputy Prime Minister played a key role in proceedings.

He joins us from Amman tonight. So Mr. Foreign Minister, a meeting like this is the first of its kind in many years. Regional and international

players, and those involved in both politics and security. Just describe the significance of this Aqaba Summit, if you will?

AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Thank you, Becky. The meeting was the culmination of tremendous effort that his Majesty the King has been

putting into bringing the parties together against the backdrop of complete collapse of any meaningful engagement as such, bringing the parties

together under U.S. umbrella.

Egyptian presence, Jordanian presence was an important political step to try and bring some common sense to the table and talk real measures that

could deescalate the situation and save us all the danger of further eruption of violence and loss of hope.

ANDERSON: Well, while both sides Israelis and Palestinians reportedly expressed readiness to prevent further violence, we saw a string of attacks

in the aftermath between Israeli settlers and Palestinians that have prompted the IDF to send extra reinforcements to the West Bank. So given

that backdrop back what is going on the ground as you get these parties around the same table, do you see the summit as a success?

SAFADI: The summit, Becky was important in starting a serious political discussion. The meeting yesterday witnessed very frank and very harsh

negotiations on what needs to be done to prevent further violence.

Again, it was the first of its kind in years. It produced an agreement that had both parties committing to work together to de-escalate to end

unilateral measures and commitment to previously signed agreements.

So as a political product as a political step that was very significant. However, it is the situation on the ground that will need to be addressed

now implementing what was agreed on Aqaba and stopping unilateral and provocative measures that are continued to push towards more violence.

[11:05:00]

SAFADI: And as you mentioned, the meeting in Aqaba took place against that horrific incidents on the West Bank yesterday that unfolded, as we were

meeting. And that is another reason why I said those meetings are important because unless the parties sit and talk, unless we try to find agreement,

we're looking at even a worse situation going on.

ANDERSON: One of the commitments was to stop discussion of any new settlement units for at least four months. With respect a similar

commitment was pledged last week after the UN Security Council expressed deep concerns. So there will be those who say, what is really new here?

SAFADI: Absolutely. Obviously, the Israeli government took previously a decision to build more settlements, something of course, which we condemn,

as a measure that will only further undermine prospects for peace and undermine the two state solutions.

But yesterday was the first time the parties got together. The discussion and the negotiation started. The Israelis committed not to discuss any new

settlements, and not to authorize any new illegal outposts that I don't believe will reverse the decision that was taken before which we wish and

would continue to work that it does.

But ultimately, what we got yesterday is an agreement, work to de-escalate work to stop unilateral measures. And both parties should have an interest

in that because everybody is going to pay a tremendous price from the violence that we see erupting, particularly as we approach the holy month

of Ramadan which would also coincide with Passover?

There is simply too much to lose here. There is so much at stake. And if the commitment in Aqaba yesterday, is honored, then we might see some

progress towards these escalations.

ANDERSON: Can you just underscore for us the risk that we are dealing with if the aim of restoring peace through this summit, of course, is not

achieved? How concerned are you? What are the risks?

SAFADI: The risks are too high. And we only have to look at the events of the past year and before to see that we're going down a very dangerous

path. The number of Palestinians killed in the last year is has not been seen in over 10 to 15 years, that people are losing hope.

Despair is engulfing the whole situation. So we're seeing a tremendous amount of violence erupting. We're seeing settler violence, and we're

seeing radicals, continuing to incite against peace and continuing to try to drive us towards the best.

So the danger is real Becky. And if we're not able to control the situation and stop further violence, we could be looking at a whole eruption of a new

cycle of violence that could mean complete collapse and could mean wide scale confrontations.

ANDERSON: Extremely worrying. While I've got you Foreign Minister, I must press you on your visit to Damascus earlier this month. You met with the

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in the wake of what was the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria. More than 50,000 lives now lost

across that region. Is Bashar Al Assad once a pariah on the global stage now, welcome around this region of the Gulf and wider Middle East?

SAFADI: Well, as you said the visit took place in the wake of a horrific earthquake that caused tremendous amount of death in both Syria and Turkey.

And therefore, the visit initially was an expression of solidarity with the Syrian people and also the Turkish people.

But also it was an opportunity to discuss the political situation. Our position in Jordan has always been is that we need to work towards a

political solution to the crisis. The truth pick is that there has been no effort to solve the crisis in the past few years.

It is the status quo politics. That is something that we believe is only producing more suffering and more danger to the Syrians and to the region.

As such enjoy than we had a couple of years ago we came up with that white paper that is now a Jordanian initiative.

[11:10:00]

SAFADI: That is predicated on having a leading Arab role in a political engagement with the Syrian Government with a view to incrementally find a

solution that will end the crisis. And that will address all its consequences humanitarian security and political.

We've been in discussions with partners and friends in the region and beyond about this initiative. We're going to move ahead with it because

it's a benchmark initiative that seeks an incremental approach on the basis of four steps.

And in the coming days, you will be seeing more Jordanian engagement with friends and partners to operationalize that initiative. The alternative to

this is more of the same means more suffering for the Syrian people, more dangerous consequences for all of us in the region and beyond.

ANDERSON: Ayman Al Safadi appreciate your time today, important insight on two stories, of course, not just important around this region of the Middle

East, but for our viewers around the world, very much appreciate it.

As we've been reporting, this all comes and when I say this, I'm talking about the Aqaba Summit that Ayman and I have just been discussing, this all

comes as new violence has exploded on the West Bank. In the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces now describing Sunday night's attacks by Israeli

settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank is, "Actions of terror".

Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem with the very latest. I do want to ask you to get your thoughts on what you just heard. Let's just start with that news

from the IDF if you will. Just bring us bang up to date?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, I mean, I think this is an interesting statement from the IDF, because they are essentially then in

agreement with Palestinian officials who have been highlighting settler attacks that have been increasing over the past year or so.

And especially last night, the message we're getting from the Israeli military is that these attacks by the settlers were unacceptable, and that

they do see them as acts of terror, then, you know, that's also what they called the attack that killed two Israelis, the shooting attack that killed

two Israelis, earlier on Sunday was as a terrorist attack.

And in fact, Becky, just in the last few minutes, we are getting word of a another shooting attack that's taken place in the West Bank, not far from

Jericho, and not far from the northern part of the Dead Sea.

What we're hearing right now from emergency medical professionals is that they're saying that a 25-year-old man was shot. It seems to be while he may

have been in his car on the road on this route 90, and that he is in critical condition being taken to the hospital, and this is still a

developing situation.

But if it turns out to be another shooting attack, I mean, these emergency medical services are already calling it a terror attack. That just goes to

show you the sort of situation on the ground here is still incredibly tense and incredibly violent, despite this summit in Aqaba that you were

discussing there with a Foreign Minister.

ANDERSON: Yes. What did you make of what you just heard from the Jordanian Foreign Minister? I mean, the Linchpin architecture of that meeting, and

how does this situation on the ground prevent further challenges for Benjamin Netanyahu?

GOLD: Well, I think most people would say that it was vital that at least get the parties to sit down together and have these conversations at least

get the ball rolling. And I think what we heard from the Foreign Minister was pretty clear that.

You know, he said, this is the beginning of the conversation, the beginning of the political conversation, and then you need to see the implementation,

the actual actions on the ground, because after what they announced from this meeting that settlements, will there won't be any discussion on

settlements for a few months.

There won't be actions against the Israel and against Israel, from the Palestinians in the United Nations. That's all great. But I don't think

that will really affect anything on the ground in the immediate term. What affect things on the ground in the immediate term will likely be the

actions of the Israeli military, whether they will continue their pace of these regular rates, or whether they will tone this down?

Whether there will be secure - most important thing out of that meeting was actually the announcement about kind of joining this new security committee

to potentially talk about returning to the security cooperation with the Israelis and the Palestinians.

That is seen by many security officials here as a vital way to try to tamp down this violence because it's Intel sharing often between the

Palestinians and the Israelis to try to prevent these sorts of attacks. But clearly, what we're seeing just in the last 24 to 36 hours or are a level

that I think many here have become fearful of not only these attacks on Israelis but also the settler attacks on Palestinians.

All the while, of course, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing many fronts, he's not even been in office for I think two months and

already he has so many challenges ahead of him.

[11:15:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOLD (voice over): Benjamin Netanyahu is the most experienced Prime Minister in Israeli history, but he's facing unprecedented multifaceted

battles on nearly every front. Tensions and violence between Israelis and Palestinians at a 20 year high on Sunday, the occupied West Bank burned two

Israeli brothers shot point blank killed while sitting in traffic and what officials say was a terrorist attack.

Then in what's been deemed revenge attacks by Israeli settlers. A Palestinian man shot and killed houses and cars burned just hours after

Israeli and Palestinian officials met in a summit in Jordan meant to calm tensions. A joint communique pledging to take steps to restore calm seeking

a just and lasting peace.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu's far right wing coalition partners seemingly dismissing the summit and Jordan claiming there will be no freezing

settlement construction considered illegal under international law. Netanyahu biographer Anshel Pfeffer says much of the controversy around

Netanyahu is thanks to these governing partners.

ANSHEL PFEFFER, AUTHOR, THE TURBULENT LIFE AND TIMES OF BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: And I think this is the least Netanyahu's ever been in control as a Prime

Minister. He's not basically - he's not running his government, his government is being run by the coalition partners who have him over a

barrel.

GOLD (voice over): Meanwhile, for eight weeks in a row tens of thousands of Israelis have been taking to the streets to protest against Netanyahu's

planned massive judicial reforms. The most sweeping of these changes would give the Israeli parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions.

Many critics arguing its part of a ploy to help Netanyahu out of his ongoing corruption trial, something he denies. Dramatic scenes in

Parliament as the legislation is pushed through its first stage, but also dramatic warnings from the normally a political and lucrative Israeli high

tech sector the money is starting to leave Israel thanks to these reforms.

JACOB FRANKEL, FORMER GOVERNOR, BANK OF ISRAEL: We have been called the startup nation. And we basically say, come on, don't risk it. Foreign

investors have voted with their feet.

GOLD (voice over): And Netanyahu faces increasing international pressure from allies, notably the United States, which has criticized not only

settlement expansion and some of Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank, but also a rare presidential incursion into internal Israeli

politics. President Biden urging a consensus is reached on the judicial reforms.

PFEFFER: We've never had this kind of differences between Jerusalem and Washington. It's always been over the Palestinian issue. It's been over the

Iran issue. It's never been about the way the Israeli government is legislating on a Democratic agenda. And this is the first time that we've

ever seen a President almost openly rebuking an Israeli Prime Minister over such matters.

GOLD (voice over): Looming ahead in the calendar the highly sensitive period of overlapping Muslim and Jewish holidays of Ramadan and Passover,

threatening to set Jerusalem a flame as well yet another Battlefront for Netanyahu, Israel's ultimate survivor for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Hadas Gold reporting for you from Jerusalem. And do stay up to date on all the developments here in the Middle East with our newsletter,

"Meanwhile in the Middle East". That is cnn.com/middies newsletter, you can subscribe there. You get update three times a week on all of the big

stories plus exclusive features.

All right coming up, the UK and EU reach an agreement on the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol. We're going to get you the details on what is this

key deal and why it matters coming up? Plus, a glimpse inside the daily struggles of hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims who are now left

homeless in Turkey, you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back, you're watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson for you, a decisive breakthrough that will allow a new chapter to

begin. That is how British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are characterizing what is a new

agreement they have just reached. They hope the winds of framework as its known will resolve some of the issues with the Northern Ireland protocol.

Here's Mr. Sunak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Today's agreement delivers smooth flowing trade within the whole United Kingdom, protects Northern Ireland's

place in our union and safeguard sovereignty for the people of Northern Ireland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, this map here it helps explain it put simply the deal will allow one lane for goods crossing from Great Britain into Northern Ireland

that will go unchecked and another for goods that continue to the Republic of Ireland where checks will be carried out the Republic of Ireland of

course a member of the European Union.

CNN's International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson joining me now from London. Why does - what was announced to date matter, Nic, what's the big

picture here?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The big picture is peace and stability in Northern Ireland, that the relationship between the

UK and the EU gets on a better footing as we heard Ursula von der Leyen and Rishi Sunak say there is a lot that the countries while the UK and the EU

are working on together, Ukraine, climate change, but this has been a very thorny issue.

The UK getting out of the European Union has been a very, very painful process. And this perhaps is the last major thorn that's being removed

here. Because it was still contentious because the UK wasn't doing what was agreed with the EU and it even threatened legislation to unpick and undo

and not go along with the agreement as it was.

So that led to a lot of tension. Why Rishi Sunak says this is going to work as because he thinks that will appeal to the Unionist community in Northern

Ireland, whose principal political party, the DUP who refused to continue in a power sharing government with the other political parties in Northern

Ireland.

Which means that all sorts of things from health care to roads to education have been affected now for a long time damaging the sort of social

infrastructure in Northern Ireland, potentially leading to further tensions, as had been witnessed, and that was mentioned at the top of the

press conference that the attempted murder of a police officer just last week in Northern Ireland.

So really, this is big, because it hopes to stitch things up again the relationship with the European Union and get politics back on a peaceful

track in Northern Ireland.

ANDERSON: Nic Robertson out of London for you, thank you. A 5.2 magnitude aftershock hit Eastern Turkey on Monday killing at least one more person.

The death toll in Egypt and Syria since in Turkey and Syria sorry, since the initial 7.8 magnitude quake hit three weeks ago today, now tops 50,000.

Well, Egypt's Foreign Minister traveled to Syria today to meet with the President Bashar Al Assad and offer a message of solidarity. Sameh Shoukry

says his country is committed to continue to provide aid to the earthquake- stricken region. He also met with his Syrian counterpart. Shoukry says so far Egypt has sent more than 1500 tons of relief aid to the country.

[11:25:00]

ANDERSON: Well, hundreds of people, hundreds of thousands of people left homeless from that quake are currently living in temporary shelters with no

end in sight. Nada Bashir has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Amid the rubble in Antakya, there was quiet buildings teetering on the edge of collapse. The air thick with

dust, as excavators comb through the destruction, there were no more survivors to be rescued, only bodies to be recovered. For the living, life

has changed forever. And all that remains is the trauma of the earthquake.

The moment the earthquake happened, our electricity was cut off. It started to rain and hail fell from the sky - tells me. I pray no one ever has to

witness such a moment. Homes cracked and collapsed in front of us. This family has lost everything. Three generations now housed in this small tent

in the nearby city of Iskenderun.

They are among the hundreds of thousands of people displaced across Southeast Turkey with camps like this expanding each day. Every effort is

made to provide families with a semblance of normality. Hot meals, medical care, and even psychological counseling are provided at this humanitarian

hub.

But there are also many smaller camps with little in the way of infrastructure or even shelter. 73-year-old - tells me that he has not only

lost his home, but he has lost loved ones too. Now his family is living on the street.

Many of the families still waiting for a tent at this camp of Syrian already made refugees by a cruel ward home now some say they feel they are

being side-lined in favor of Turkish families. They've given tents to the Turkish families here, but still no tents for us, - says. Each day we wait.

But they say the Turkish families come first.

Aren't we all one, and we all brothers and sisters, this earthquake affected all of us. Her sister-in-law Danya says that they along with their

young children have spent every day and every night on the streets since the earthquake struck. Accounts like this have been shared with us by

numerous Syrian families here in Iskenderun.

Though authorities and volunteers alike have told us that no distinction is made between Turkish citizens and Syrian refugees the hope for many now

living in tents is that this will all be temporary but aid workers tell us that these camps could be in place for years and the threat of yet another

earthquake still hangs over this already shattered population. Nada Bashir, CNN in Hatay Province, Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Coming up on "Connect the World", the European Union places new sanctions on a subsidiary of brushes Wagner group just months after a CNN

investigation, how Russia was exploiting Sudan's goals to help fund its war chest, more on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

ANDERSON: Russia's war on Ukraine has triggered the most "Massive violation of human rights we are living today". Now those the words of the United

Nations chief not mincing words describing what he calls widespread death, destruction and displacement as the fighting grinds into a second year.

But on the ground Russia's relentless assault in eastern Ukraine shows no sign of slowing down, Ukraine reporting heavy shelling in the Luhansk and

Donetsk regions while Russian troops aids towards the eastern city of Bakhmut from three sides. Meanwhile, the Director of the CIA is weighing in

after U.S. intelligence suggested that the Chinese government is looking at providing Russia with lethal support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS BURNS, CIA DIRECTOR: We're confident that Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment. We also don't see that a

final decision has been made yet. There's no foreign leader who's watched more carefully. Vladimir Putin is experiencing Ukraine the evolution of the

war then Xi Jinping has.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, traditionally holding a neutral stance on the war, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has shown his support for Ukraine this weekend

meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. That was the first such visit since the two countries established diplomatic ties 30

years ago.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Sau, Mr. Zelenskyy formalized a $400 million aid package for Ukraine from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It includes 100

million in humanitarian assistance and 300 million in what they describe as oil products. Well, President Zelenskyy thanked the kingdom for supporting

peace in Ukraine and sovereignty.

And that support coming in various different forms. European Union has placed sanctions on a Russian national and a subsidiary of Russia's Wagner

mercenary group over human rights abuses. That is after a CNN investigation last July into the group's activities in Sudan.

CNN found the Wagner subsidiary was part of an elaborate Russian scheme to plunder Sudan's riches to help Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. Excuse me.

Nima Elbagir was in Sudan for that exclusive report; here is part of her team's investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Deep in Sudan's Gold Country, miners toil in the searing heat,

barely surviving in what should be one of Africa's richest countries. Providing gold for a war a continent away we investigate a force more

powerful than Sudan's government controlling its gold, subverting Sudan's destiny, threatening me and our sources and - democracy to evade sanctions

in Russia's war on Ukraine.

Russian manager is on his way they say; we uncover the extent of Russia's grip on Sudan. --Sudan has produced some of the most sought-after gold in

the world. And Putin's private army, the notorious paramilitary group Wagner knows it.

ELBAGIR (on camera): Sudan's government is denying Wagner's existence in country, but we're not buying it and we've come to investigate.

[11:35:00]

ELBAGIR (voice over): Wagner's tentacles stretch right across Africa. We've discovered some of its most notorious operatives are working on Sudan.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Head of Wagner, Mikhail Potepkin, Prigozhin's Head of Sudan ops and Alexander Sergeyevich Kuznetsov, Wagner's key enforcer,

previously convicted of kidnap and robbery.

Working with this man, Sudanese General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, AKA Hemetti in a quid pro quo for training and weaponry. We traveled 200 miles north

from the capital Khartoum to gold country to take a closer look at Wagner's main money-maker, artisanal gold. Miners bring rocks they extract here to

be processed. 85 percent of Sudan's gold is produced artisanal.

ELBAGIR (on camera): Fists right here, it may not look like much. This is what's left after the rocks that the miners have brought in are milled. Now

they've taken what they can out of it, but this gets sold. And when it's properly processed with someone who has superior technology, you can make

10 times what those miners over there are making.

ELBAGIR (voice over): 10 times more money without any of the back breaking work. And the only foreign processing plant operational in Sudan is

Wagner's Meroe Gold. Despite a Sudanese law limiting ownership to locals. Also, troubling Meroe Gold was sanctioned two years ago by the United

States for exploiting Sudan's natural resources and spreading their malign influence around the globe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Nima Elbagir joining me now from London. And the European Council now confirming CNN's findings, how significant a move is this,

Nima?

ELBAGIR: Well, it really speaks to two things, Becky, first of all, it speaks to not only building on the U.S. has previous sanction regime, but

it speaks to an expansion of the European Council sanction regime Alexander Sergeyevich Kuznetsov had already been sanctioned by the European Council

in 2021.

And now we're really seeing not just the U.S. moving to try and cut off much of that key pipeline of resources and funding that Russia was able to

siphon back into its war effort into Ukraine circumnavigating, the U.S. sanctions.

It actually puts the European Council one step ahead of the U.S. The U.S.'s sanctions against Meroe Gold in Sudan date back to 2020, as you saw in this

piece. Now the European Council is signaling that it is more serious than the State Department that it is able to move within a legal framework that

not only targets Russia and its exploitation of Sudan, but actually moves to the Central African Republic.

And moves too much of this fertile territory that Russia has found for new resources across Africa that has brought with it so much pain and death and

the executions and the torture that the European Council has spoken about sanctions take a while because they are legal mechanisms.

And what we were able to show in our piece, Becky, which this European Council statement has now confirmed was the sanction evasion mechanism that

Meroe Gold was able to use in Sudan, which is via this Sudanese front company with the complicity of Sudan's generals.

So, the European Council is actually striking against Mikhail Potepkin and Meroe Gold. They're also hitting out Sudan's generals, this is absolutely a

warning blow to Sudan and in its complicity with Russia, and what Russia is doing in Ukraine, and other potential Russian partners in Africa, who are

helping support the Russian pipeline to the war in Ukraine, Becky.

ANDERSON: This is the story today and the European Council making their moves off the back of your team's investigative reporting. Meantime,

briefly, what's going on, on the ground in Sudan? Is this still continuing?

ELBAGIR: Well, what we saw in the aftermath of the broadcast of - and we spoke about that, Becky, where these tens of thousands of demonstrators in

Sudan calling for accountability for the generals and that pressure has actually held and there has been some moves forward in the negotiation

process.

But what we saw today what the European Council did over the weekend, that's absolutely going to be felt in Sudan. The pressure on Sudan to cut

ties with Russia just got much, much worse. And the generals are going to be squirming Becky, and I've already been hearing from context in Sudan

today, a lot of those within the civilian movement are very happy to see the European Council acting in this kind of a way, Becky.

[11:40:00]

ANDERSON: Nima, appreciate it. Thank you very much indeed. And you can watch Nima Elbagir's full investigation, Russia, plundering gold in Sudan

to boost Putin's war effort in Ukraine cnn.com on your computer, or through the CNN app, on your smartphone. If you don't have it, download it folks

taking a short break, back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, it has taken a very long time for Manchester United that Red Devils to add another trophy to their cabinet. But on Sunday night,

they lifted their first in six years making their manager very, very proud. He was so happy.

He actually had a little boogie on the pitch. Our World Sports team will have all the reaction after this short break. From the team working with me

here in Abu Dhabi and those working with us around the world, it is a very good evening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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(WORLD SPORT)

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