Egypt's el-Sisi Assures Sudan Army Chief of 'Continued Support'

By Al Mayadeen English

5 Nov 2024 17:33

Tens of thousands of Sudanese have been killed as a result of the war and over 11 million have been displaced, including 3.1 million who fled outside the country.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi promised "continued support" to the military in war-torn Sudan during a meeting with the country's army leader, according to a statement by his office.

During conversations with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan late Monday, el-Sisi appealed for "a ceasefire and sparing the blood of Sudanese brothers."

Since April of last year, the war between Sudan's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has claimed tens of thousands of lives and sparked one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

Last month, independent UN experts reported uncovering "harrowing" violations committed by both sides, suggesting that these acts "may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity." They urged the immediate deployment of an independent force with the mandate to safeguard civilians.

In response, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry, aligned with the army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a statement late Saturday, saying that "the Sudanese government rejects in their entirety the recommendations of the UN mission."

According to the Egyptian presidency, el-Sisi "reiterated Egypt's continued support for Sudan on all levels to help the country emerge from its crisis" during their meeting. al-Burhan lauded Egypt's "sincere support for de-escalation efforts in Sudan" and commitment to "preserving Sudan's unity, safety, and stability."

Sudan's army leader used his remarks at the World Urban Forum in Cairo earlier this year to criticize his RSF adversaries. He accused them of "targeting Sudan's existence, state, heritage, infrastructure, and achievement."

According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of Sudanese have been killed and over 11 million have been displaced, including 3.1 million who fled outside the country.

The United Arab Emirates is escalating a clandestine operation under the guise of the Red Crescent to funnel money, weapons, and, now, powerful drones to combatants raging throughout the nation, according to authorities, internal diplomatic cables, and satellite pictures obtained by The New York Times.

Aid agencies report that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force fighting Sudan's military, has attacked hospitals, plundered food supplies, and set fire to thousands of houses.

The drones, however, are flying from a location where the UAE claims to be organizing a humanitarian mission for the Sudanese people as part of its "urgent priority" to save innocent lives and prevent hunger in the war. 

According to authorities, the Emirates is playing the greatest and most crucial role in Sudan's conflict, openly promising to alleviate suffering while secretly inflaming it.

For more than a year, the Emirates has been covertly supporting the Rapid Support Forces, and a NYT investigation last year into Emirati weapons smuggling program was corroborated by UN inspectors in January, who highlighted "credible" evidence that the Emirates was violating a two-decade UN arms ban in Sudan.

An airstrip in Chad has been upgraded by the Emirates into a military-style airfield launching a powerful Chinese-made drone, the Wing Loong.

According to photographs, a Wing Loong ground control station lies alongside the runway, which is just around 750 yards from an Emirati-run hospital that has treated wounded RSF forces.

According to authorities, the drones are now providing surveillance and identifying targets on chaotic battlefields in Sudan, rather than performing their own attacks.

Experts and officials believe that after taking flight from the facility, the drones may be remotely flown from Emirati land. They were recently seen patrolling the skies over the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, where residents are hungry and surrounded by the RSF. 

Two American officials with knowledge of the conversation divulged that when Kamala Harris confronted Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in December, the country's leader said he owed the paramilitary group's head, Lt. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan, for deploying forces to fight alongside the Emirates in the war on Yemen.

One American official told the NYT that the Gulf state "cant lie to us anymore, because they know that we know."