Sudan says evaluating participation in Yemen’s war

May 2, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Defence Ministry on Wednesday said it is assessing the participation of the Sudanese troops in the Saudi-led war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Speaking to reporters at the parliament on Wednesday, the State Defence Minister Ali Mohamed Salim said his ministry is currently evaluating pros and cons of the participation in the Yemen war in order to decide on it soon.

He added the assessment is being carried out by the Defence Ministry and the General Staff of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), pointing out that the evaluation covers several aspects of the participation in the war.

“Eventually, we would make a decision that serves the interests of the country and maintains its security, stability and dignity and at the same time meets our regional and international commitments,” he said

The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.

However, following recent reports about the death of dozens of Sudanese troops and Houthi’s threats to launch missile attacks against Sudan, several legislators called last week to withdraw the forces from Yemen.

Also, critics point that several countries members of the Saudi-led coalition did not send troops to Yemen. Others say Saudi Arabia and UAE provides financial support to other countries but not Sudan despite its difficult financial situation.

Last October, President Omer al-Bashir thanked Saudi Arabia and UAE for their strong support to the lift of 20-year U.S. economic embargo. The two countries vowed to continue supporting Sudan removal from the list of countries supporting terrorism.

(ST)