The simmering tension between Sudan & United Arab Emirates (UAE) has erupted into an open dispute, fueled by Sudan’s growing impatience with the alleged interference by the UAE in its internal affairs. The Northeast African nation and the Middle Eastern powerhouse have engaged in a series of acrimonious exchanges as a result.
Sudan’s military had maintained relative silence for several months despite being aware of the UAE’s purported meddling in the country’s civil war. The conflict, initiated in April of the current year, involves the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan’s military, resulting in a tragic toll of over 12,000 casualties and the displacement of millions.
General Yasser al-Atta, second-in-command to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, broke the silence in November, seven months into the conflict. He asserted that the UAE was channeling weapons through Chad, Uganda, and the Central African Republic to the RSF, aided by the Wagner Group. Al-Atta went further, labeling the UAE a “state mafia” and accusing it of “supporting evil.” He detailed, “With the weakening of Wagner, their planes have also passed through Chad, landing for a week at N’Djamena airport.”
The breaking point came in November when hundreds of pro-army protestors took to the streets of Port Sudan, an eastern city, demanding the expulsion of the Emirati ambassador. Sudan’s acting foreign minister, Ali al-Sadiq, confirmed shortly afterward that Abu Dhabi had expelled Sudanese ambassadors from the country.
In August, the Wall Street Journal reported firearms destined for the RSF were discovered in relief supplies routed through Uganda, intended for Sudanese refugees in Chad. The UAE swiftly denied the report, stating that Abu Dhabi “does not take sides in the current conflict,” as seen in the East African report
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