Beyond Al Burhans visit to the UAE
Abdallah Rizk Abusimaza
The United Arab Emirates has never been far from or involved in Sudans affairs. Since 25 October 2021, the United Arab Emirates has been a member of the Quartet, which included Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The Sudan, together with the UAE, was part of the Arab Alliance for the Restoration of Legality in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, some of the UAEs interests in the Sudan, which may have been of concern to the Sudan, in particular those related to investment in agriculture, have been surfaced by apartments, in eastern Sudan, and by ports, through the Dubai World Port Company, in the management of Port Sudan or the construction of a new port in Abu Ummah, on the Red Sea.
The United Arab Emirates has extensive ties, perhaps also lobbies, including political windows, leaders of armed struggle movements, journalists and businessmen, while ambassadors are rallying with reports of the UAEs relationship with General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemeti, commander of the RSF, and with accusations that the UAE has supported him militarily in his war with General AbdAbdul Fatah al Burhan. They were denied by the United Arab Emirates and ignored by proof, as did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the de facto authority, which had long invoked Kenya, IGAD and the United Nations in similar matters.
The UAE is therefore a candidate to be part of the countries that will contribute to shaping Sudans political future. General Al-Burhans visit to the United Arab Emirates, following the unannounced visit of his deputy, General Shams Al-Din Kabashi, during which he continued, for the first time since the coup d Abdullah Hamdok, President of the Coordination of Democratic Civilian Forces (Progress), on the war and its endeavours to stop it, and restore the path of democratic civilian transition, is of particular importance.
Al Burhan visits the UAE in early December, at the invitation of the African Union and IGAD, alongside the UN Secretary General, to participate in a presidential meeting on climate. To the extent that it raises questions, it seems confusing to intersect with the call of the IGAD Summit, which was agreed upon at the meeting of President William Ruto of Kenya in Nairobi, in the context of the ceasefire and facilitation of the passage of humanitarian assistance to those in need, and the call for "no exception" dialogue from the parties to the Sudanese crisis, according to the SoCouncil.
The meeting is an important turning point in the tendencies of proof. In particular, the African Union supports the trend of involving Islamists in any political settlement of the crisis. As IGAD has been adopting, since early on, an effort to bring the two generals, Burhan and Hamiti, together to end the war. The United Arab Emirates therefore seems to be an appropriate place to bring together, on the sidelines of the climate summit, Burhan and Hamidti. Hamdoks meeting with African facilitators may also be possible to support efforts to stop the war.