Hemetti says Sudan’s TMC refused to receive Qatar’s Foreign Minister
June 26, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The deputy head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemetti” Wednesday disclosed they had refused to receive the Qatari Foreign Minister after the ouster of former President Omer al-Bashir.
A week after the power takeover in Khartoum on 18 April, TMC spokesperson denied reports that they had refused to receive Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani after his arrival to Khartoum.
“We recognize that from the first time we boycotted them and we did not receive them. We admit that we were wrong, we had not to boycott them, and we are supposed to welcome them like others,” Hemetti said in an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik Arabic.
He further said that the foreign minister came to Sudan without informing them, stressing “he had to respect the sovereignty of the country. So, he came and we refused his visit.”
By the end of May, the military council closed the Khartoum office of Qatari news TV Al-Jazeera, and its staff members’ work permits had also been withdrawn.
Hemetti accused Qatar of using Al-Jazeera to attack the TMC and his Rapid Support Forces.
“Qatar now has directed its full strength to destroy the military, council and the Rapid Support.”
On the first of June and after ordering the closure of Al-Jazeera office in Khartoum, the TMC summoned its ambassador to Qatar back home for consultations and he regained Doha after.
Historically, the two countries had strong ties and during the rule of the Islamist regime of al-Bashir Qatar provided significant political and economic support to his government.
However, Doha distanced itself from al-Bashir, following the popular protests that collapsed his regime in April 2019.
The Emir of Qatar refused to give him money and the Doha supported Islamist international body called for al-Bashir’s resignation.
TMC’s leaders visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the two countries gave Sudan a three billion grant.
(ST)