The finish of a troubled partnership between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates | EUROtoday

On May 9, 2025

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Lhe mirage of a security island in Sudan has dissipated. Since Sunday, May 4, day by day drone assaults have been focusing on Port-Soudan, which has develop into the federal government’s withdrawal capital. A primary because the begin of the battle, April 15, 2023. The members of the Sovereignty Council-directed because the Sudanese armed forces (FAS) by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane-, the ministers and different humanitarian companies had taken refuge in the primary port metropolis of the nation after the bursting of the preventing between the common troops and the paramilitaries of the fast help forces (FSR). Located 800 kilometers east of the historic capital, Port-Soudan now hosts the one worldwide airport after the destruction of that of Khartoum through the first days of the battle.

The authorities accuse the FSR, but in addition their major ally, the United Arab Emirates, of being on the origin of the hearth of latest days which have up to now brought about materials injury to key infrastructure: gas deposits, an electrical station, a naval base … Abu Dhabi has all the time denied its involvement within the preventing. And but, many observers, together with the UN, have documented common flights between the petromonarchy and the Chadian bases, leaving little room for doubts about arms deliveries to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo nicknamed “Hemeti”. On the third day of the assaults on Port-Soudan, on May 6, the pro-Fas authorities introduced to interrupt their diplomatic relations with Abu Dhabi, though a full divorce appears unimaginable.

Too slim relationships for complete rupture

“As soon as the de facto government has appointed Emirates as an aggressive state, the next step was to suspend links between the two countries. However, the relations between the Emirates and Sudan are very deep, both economically, socially and politically. This prevents a total cut, ”summarizes analyst Dallia Abdemmonmon. The Emirates are the first destination of Sudanese gold, extracted both in the north and east controlled by the FAS and the west in the hands of the FSR.

“This gold is either officially exported to Dubai from Port-Soudan, or illegally via border countries. There are multiple direct and indirect routes to feed this war economy, but the final destination remains the Emirates, explains Ahmed Soliman, specialist in the horn of Africa at the Catham House reflection circle. It would be very difficult in terms of trade, supply of raw materials and financial transactions for the army and the authorities of Port-Soudan to completely freeze their relations with the Emirates. Several Sudanese banks also depend on the Gulf country to compensate for financial transactions and for bank correspondence, including the popular Bankak mobile payment application.

The Emirates also welcome an important Sudanese diaspora whose activity is essential both for the Emiratic economy and to support civilians trapped. General Burhane must have had these elements in mind when he addressed the nation in a video message on May 6, the smoke escaping from the fuel deposit affected by the drones in the background. He was thus content to designate the “militia”-a term devoted to the FSR since the irruption of the conflict even though the latter were formed by the army under the regime of Omar El-Béchir-and “those that help and assist them”.

The balancingist of the army chief

“The tone used within the assertion of the Minister of Defense who introduced a couple of minutes earlier the breakdown of diplomatic ties was way more aggressive,” notes Dallia Abdemmonmon. This suggests that two different forces operate within the government of Port-Soudan, and one wonders who really shoot the strings … “The chief of the military performs the balancingist between a radical fringe, the Islamists from the get together of the National Congress of Béchir who’ve no real interest in placing an finish to the battle on the danger of getting to surrender the facility to the revolutionaries having ousted them in 2019, and his extra average helps pushed for peace talks.

The resumption of Khartoum by the military, on March 26, nonetheless satisfied all of the pro-Fas {that a} victory by arms was potential. Hence the brand new technique deployed by Hemeti’s males. “The FSRs wish to exhibit that they will attain territories militarily with out worrying about governing them. At the identical time, they want to forestall the FAS from administering the areas they management by weighing a safety menace, “said Kholood Khair, director of the Sudanese Circle Confluence Advisory.

A risk of regional conflagration

To uncover

The kangaroo of the day

Answer

The Port-Soudan authorities additionally accuse the Emirates of getting shot drones who’ve fell on their provisional capital from their bases within the Red Sea. But, in response to Kholood Khair, these drones had been extra seemingly launched from Nyala, the capital of South Darfur which homes the primary airport supplying the paramilitaries. “The FAS are trying to point out the expansion of the Emirates in the region which could jeopardize Turkish interests in Somalia or the security of Saudi Arabia. It is a way of encouraging these allied nations to support them more effectively, ”says the researcher.

In a notice, the International Crisis Group alerts to this menace of regional climbing: “These assaults might encourage the nations riparian of the Red Sea, reminiscent of Egypt, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia – which help the FAS -, to supply extra direct support, fearing that battle will now unfold to their borders. For his half, Abu Dhabi rejected the rupture of diplomatic relations with Port-Soudan, calling into query the legitimacy of those authorities with out offering the argument of the putsch by which Burhane took over the reins of the State in October 2021, on the time in live performance with Hemeti. The tried negotiations between these two powers, initiated by Ankara on the finish of December, has not but introduced any outcomes. Humanitarians lastly worry that the assault on Port-Soudan aggravates the catastrophic scenario of the 30 million Sudanese relying on meals deliveries to outlive. The UN will need to have suspended its provide flights.

https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/la-fin-d-un-partenariat-trouble-entre-le-soudan-et-les-emirats-arabes-unis-08-05-2025-2589137_3826.php