Khartoum, Sudan

Sudan on Sunday (Dec 10) declared at least 15 members of the UAE’s diplomatic staff in the country persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave the country.

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According to the Sudanese state news agency, the acting UAE Chargé d’affairs was summoned on Sunday by the foreign ministry and informed about the decision.

The news agency or the Sudanese government gave no further explanation behind the move.

Earlier, the UAE had declared three Sudanese diplomats persona non grata and ordered them to leave the country within 48 hours.

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UAE-Sudan tensions

Over the past few weeks, pro-army loyalists and demonstrators have stepped up verbal attacks on the UAE, accusing it of backing the rival Rapid Support Forces by supplying arms and weapons.

Watch: Resilient pastoralists of South Sudan

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Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is led by Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The two sides have been fighting a bloody war since April 15 in which more than 12,000 people have been killed. Efforts of negotiations have yielded no results, with neither side managing to seize a decisive advantage on the battlefield.

Sudan’s scathing remarks against UAE

Sudanese Assistant Commander-in-Chief Lt Gen Yasir al-Atta has pulled no punches in blasting UAE for its alleged support to the RSF.

In his Nov 27 speech, Al-Atta outrightly labelled the UAE as a “mafia state.”

Also read: US says warring parties in Sudan committed crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing

Previously, it was reported in foreign media that the UAE had been providing material and financial support to the RSF in its ongoing conflict with the Sudanese military.  

Allegations against UAE

A Wall Street Journal report claimed that the UAE had been accused of funnelling arms and support to the RSF, which controls much of the country's lucrative gold mining sector.

However, UAE authorities have consistently denied these allegations.

Experts and world leaders including United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have said unnamed actors supplying "financial and weapons" support to both warring sides have contributed to the ongoing carnage.

It is to be noted that Egypt and Turkey openly side with the Sudanese Army in their conflict against the RSF.

(With inputs from agencies)