UAE calls for stability in Sudan as conflict escalates

The UAE has emphasised that it is closely following the recent developments in Sudan, and has called for calm and avoiding escalation of the conflict in the African country.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation “stressed the need to preserve the political and economic gains that have been achieved and all that aims to protect the sovereignty and unity of Sudan, emphasising its support for the Sudanese people”, official news agency WAM reported.

“It is keen to see stability as soon as possible in a manner that achieves the interests and aspirations of the Sudanese people in development and prosperity,” it added.

Read: Sheikh Mohammed orders humanitarian airbridge from Dubai to Sudan

Sudan has been in political turmoil since a failed coup attempt a month ago exposed festering divisions between civilian and military officials sharing power in the transitional sovereign council.

Its army detained the Prime Minister and several members of his cabinet in an apparent coup early Monday, threatening to derail a fragile democratic transition and imperil newly-won support from the US and international donors.

Premier Abdalla Hamdok’s home was surrounded at dawn and he was later moved to an unknown location after refusing to endorse a military takeover, the Information and Culture Ministry said in a statement on its Facebook page, calling for protests to thwart the coup. Internet outages were reported in the capital Khartoum.

Sudan has worked to end its international isolation since mass demonstrations overthrew long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019, normalising ties with Israel and repairing relations with the US, which rescinded its almost three-decade designation as a state sponsor of terror. Buffeted by a collapsing currency and soaring prices, Sudan has also managed to secure International Monetary Fund support and a pledge by the Paris Club of creditors to restructure $23.5bn of its debt.

All that is now under threat as the United Nations condemned the military takeover.

The head of the United Nations mission in Sudan, Volker Perthes, expressed concern over “reports of an ongoing coup and attempts to undermine Sudan’s political transition.” The reported detentions of Hamdok and other government officials and politicians was “unacceptable,” he said in a statement, calling for their immediate release.

Those detained include Sudan’s ministers of cabinet affairs, information, telecommunications and industry, according to a person familiar with the situation.

With inputs from Bloomberg