Sudan-UAE diplomatic rift casts shadow over Arab League summit in Baghdad
May 16, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – A member of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, Ibrahim Jaber, arrived in Baghdad on Friday to participate in the Arab League summit, amid tension overshadowing the gathering due to a dispute between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates.
The 34th ordinary Arab Summit begins tomorrow, Saturday.
Sudanese Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is absent from the Baghdad summit. His absence is reported to be related to the ongoing war in Sudan and Khartoum’s frustration over the lack of response to its earlier request for an emergency Arab summit on regional support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been fighting the Sudanese army since April 2023.
According to the Sovereign Council’s media, Jaber, a council member and Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Army, arrived Friday to attend the Arab summit.
He was accompanied by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hussein Alamin, Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the Arab League, and Ambassador to Cairo, Emad Adawi.
The summit will discuss several regional issues, including developments regarding the Palestinian cause and other crises concerning Arab affairs.
Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki denied any country’s withdrawal from the Arab summit in Baghdad, responding to a question about a potential UAE withdrawal due to the crisis with Sudan.
Zaki confirmed at a press conference in Baghdad on Friday that the UAE is represented at a very high level. Commenting on the crisis between Sudan and the UAE, he said: “This issue is difficult and thorny and requires the intervention and wisdom of some senior politicians and diplomats.”
He added that addressing the situation requires time and might not be fully resolved at the current summit. “We are all hopeful that things will happen in the near future that will restore relations to their normal course,” he said.
The crisis in relations between Sudan and the UAE recently escalated. The Sudanese Security and Defence Council announced it had cut diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi and described it as an “aggressor state”. The UAE responded by announcing its non-recognition of the legitimacy of the “Port Sudan authority” that took the decision.
The Arab League Foreign Ministers’ Council adopted a resolution yesterday on supporting peace and development in Sudan. It emphasized solidarity with Sudan and its people in securing resources, protecting territory and vital infrastructure, preserving sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, rejecting interference, and strengthening efforts to maintain national institutions and prevent their collapse.
The Council affirmed that Sudan’s security is an integral part of Arab national security and highlighted the importance of the Arab League’s role in defending the unity, safety and stability of all member states. It also called on all Arab states and organizations to provide humanitarian and development support.
Iraq Supports Sudan Stability
Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid confirmed on Friday Iraq’s support for Sudan’s stability and maintaining its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
The Media Department of the Iraqi Presidency said in a statement published by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that Rashid received the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssef, at Peace Palace in Baghdad, in the presence of the Commission’s Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, Ali Darwish.
The meeting reviewed developments in Sudan, and the president affirmed Iraq’s support for Sudan’s stability and maintenance of its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.