Addis Ababa (AFP) – The Chairperson of the African Union Commission confirmed on Monday that the bloc opposes any “interference in the internal affairs of Sudan,” which is witnessing a bloody war amid accusations that the United Arab Emirates is supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons in their fight against the army.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a bloody conflict between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Last week, the Sudanese government aligned with the army announced it was severing diplomatic relations with the UAE, accusing it of providing the RSF with advanced weaponry.
The UAE denies these accusations, despite reports from UN experts, American political officials, and international organizations indicating otherwise.
During a press conference in Addis Ababa, African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf stated, “The Commission’s position is that member states are sovereign and the AU Commission will not accept any interference in the internal affairs of Sudan.”
He affirmed, “We will not support any intervention or interference in the crisis in Sudan.”
The former Djiboutian foreign minister, elected head of the African Union in February, avoided commenting directly on the UAE’s alleged involvement, saying, “It is not the role of the African Union to confirm this. Sudan is the party that accused the Emirates, and it must provide the evidence.”
The war has divided Sudan into spheres of influence between the former allies. The army controls the center, east, and north of the country and most of the capital, while the RSF holds most of Darfur (west) and parts of the south.
In recent days, drone attacks attributed by the army to the RSF have intensified, targeting strategic sites in Port Sudan (east), which has served as the temporary seat of government since the war began and where international organizations and diplomatic missions have relocated.
In February, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a halt to the “flow of arms” into the country.
The war has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced 13 million people, and caused a humanitarian crisis that the United Nations considers among the worst in this nation of about 50 million people
