In a speech at the United Nations, Sudan’s de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan implicitly criticized the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia.
Al-Burhan on Friday slammed “regional and political actors” who have supported the RSF in its more than year-long deadly struggle with Sudanese forces, without naming the UAE. Financial aid.
His comments came a day after Burhan launched a major offensive to retake the capital Khartoum from RSF paratroopers led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
RSF “receives political and logistical support at local and regional levels,” al-Burhan added.
He stressed that without this support from countries that want to “control the wealth of their people through the use of force, especially the use of money,” the war in Sudan would have ended.
Al-Burhan said it was “most unfortunate” that the RSF “is supported by some states in the region, states that provide funds and mercenaries for their own political and economic interests.” ” he pointed out.
The government, which works with the Sudanese military, has previously provided the United Nations with evidence of UAE support for the RSF, including claims that UAE troops are on the ground.
This comes despite the UAE repeatedly rejecting this claim. Back in April, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the Security Council denying Sudan’s accusations against the Persian Gulf Arab state.
However, a leaked UN report pointed to “credible” evidence proving that the UAE is providing military support to the RSF.
After Al Burhan’s speech late Friday, Burhan stressed that UAE ruler Mohammed bin Zayed had promised to “review the situation” during a phone conversation the two men had in July.
Sudanese leaders did not provide further details.
During the 2023 Sudanese War, heavy fighting in Khartoum caused much of the military government to relocate to Port Sudan, leading many to refer to it as the country’s de facto capital.
Port Sudan, located on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, is Sudan’s main port and accounts for 90% of the country’s international trade.
Burhan and Dagalo seized full power in a 2021 coup, but the strained relations that followed have plunged Sudan into greater turmoil and deeper turmoil over the past 17 months.
Both the military and the RSF have been accused by African and international human rights groups of war crimes, including targeting civilians, torturing prisoners, and indiscriminate shelling of residential areas across Sudan.