Sharjah 24 – WAM: In a significant statement outlining the United Arab Emirates’ letter to the United Nations Security Council, the UAE called for urgent action to avert famine and reiterated its support for all initiatives to achieve a ceasefire and a return to civilian government including formally calling on all the warring parties to participate in the Jeddah talks process.
At the UN, the UAE Mission commended the role of Uganda and key African Union (AU) officials and regional leaders in their efforts to end the crisis.
The UAE has joined the call by the African Union Peace and Security Council to the leaders of the warring factions to meet under the auspices of the AU and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development without further delay, and to participate in the forthcoming all-inclusive Sudan political dialogue process in Addis Ababa on 10th to 15th July 2024.
In a statement issued in New York, the UAE made an urgent call to address the risk of famine. The UAE continues to stress the importance of allowing and facilitating the urgent, unhindered and sustained passage of humanitarian relief for the civilians in need.
“The international community must significantly increase its support to Sudan. The response to this crisis is too important to continue to be held back by warring factions who do not represent the interests of the Sudanese people. The UAE remains focused on working with international partners to mitigate the risk of famine and to encourage the warring parties to engage positively in a political process. Furthermore, the UAE supports all initiatives aimed at ending this conflict, and firmly believes that peace talks should be supported by all those who wish to see a peaceful resolution to the conflict”.
The UAE reaffirmed its “support for efforts to de-escalate tensions, implement a ceasefire and advance negotiations leading to the restoration of a legitimate government that is representative of all Sudanese people”. The continued violence only underscores that none of the warring parties represent the people of Sudan. The UAE reaffirms that there is no military solution to this conflict.
Furthermore, the UAE countered fabricated allegations made by the representative of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) against the UAE. The evidence outlined that:
Images from passports that the SAF claimed were ‘found on the battlefield’ were actually photographs of scans or photocopies of the data pages of six passports belonging to charity workers and a businessman who visited Sudan well before the conflict. The defamatory allegations made against these individuals are in stark contrast to the welcome they previously received from Sudanese authorities. The individuals are all in possession of their passports, and reserve their right to take legal action.
A photograph of a damaged armoured vehicle published by the SAF representative was erroneously identified as a “Nimr armoured vehicle with Ford interior”. The UAE statement demonstrates conclusively that it is not a Nimr vehicle and, in fact, that no Nimr vehicle is produced on a Ford chassis or with a Ford interior.
The UAE rejects the false allegations regarding the supply of arms and military equipment to a warring party. The UAE has not provided any arms or related material of any kind to any of the warring parties since the start of the conflict. The UAE provided military assistance to Sudan prior to the outbreak of the conflict, and at the request of the Government of Sudan, through the Ministry of Defence of Sudan and the SAF, to support Sudan’s efforts in upholding peace and stability in the country.
General Al-Burhan in his then capacity as President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan officially requested military assistance from the UAE within the framework of a defence agreement signed between the two countries on 29th July 2020. The support and assistance by the UAE was consistent with our obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions.
Photographs of phones are those of commercial phones that were widely sold decades ago. These models are obsolete civilian phones that are no longer in production. The ‘Etisalat’ logo and markings which appear on some of the phones are old – dating from before the year 2000 – and are no longer used by the company.
A UAE Government Spokesman said, “The allegations made by the Sudanese representatives are nothing more than fabrications without context or corroborating evidence and should be summarily disregarded. The statement also highlights the deep relations between the two countries “The impacts of this conflict are acutely felt by the large community of Sudanese people in the UAE, who comprise a valued part of our society and who are testament to the deep-rooted relations between our two countries”.
The statement illustrates the substantial direct help provided by the UAE to the people of Sudan. “The UAE has sought to help meet the humanitarian needs of the Sudanese people. After the SAF regrettably declined our offer of 25th May 2023 to establish a field hospital in Sudan to provide aid and medical support, the UAE established two field hospitals near the Chad-Sudan border. These field hospitals continue to be a critical lifeline for those in need of medical care. Moreover, last week, the UAE signed new agreements with the UN to increase aid for Sudan, allocating a further USD 70 million in aid for Sudan through key partners and UN agencies, in addition to the USD 130 million the UAE has provided in humanitarian aid to Sudan since the conflict erupted in April 2023”.
The UAE will continue to make its case through the UN to help end the conflict and remove the fog of disinformation from international discussions that seeks to obscure the path towards the resolution of the conflict and an end to the suffering in Sudan.
The full UAE Permanent Mission statement can be viewed at: https://uaeun.org/statement/uae-response-to-false-allegations-sudan-27june
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