15 Emirati diplomats are ordered to leave Sudan.
According to the official Sudanese news agency SUNA, Sudan's foreign ministry has ordered 15 employees of the United Arab Emirates embassy to leave the country after declaring them persona non grata.
The agency said on Sunday that the diplomats had been instructed to depart the nation "within 48 hours". The acting UAE charge d'affaires was called by the foreign ministry to convey the decision, it was further said. Regarding the rationale for the order, nothing was disclosed. Leading general Yasser al-Atta, who reports to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, charged last month that the United Arab Emirates was supplying the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
According to Atta, the supplies were transported by the UAE via airports in the Central African Republic, Uganda, and Chad.
The UAE responded by expressing its consistent call for de-escalation, a ceasefire, and diplomatic dialogue. In August, the UAE refuted a Wall Street Journal report alleging the discovery of weapons in its aid shipments to Sudan, asserting its stance of not taking sides in the ongoing conflict.
Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have conflicted since April 15, resulting in 12,000 deaths and seven million displacements, according to the United Nations. Unicef reports extreme deprivation and protection risks for at least five million children in Darfur due to the conflict.
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is believed to be favored by Egypt, while RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has support from wealthy backers in the UAE. The UAE, a significant importer of gold from Sudan, has a $6 billion initial pact for the development of the Abu Amama port and economic zone in Port Sudan.
