Sudan denies Sovereign Council head Burhan made comments on UAE talks
May 21, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Sovereign Council media office denied on Thursday statements attributed to its chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, regarding potential talks with the United Arab Emirates.
The Sovereign Council said in a statement that Burhan has not made any statements to any local or international media outlet recently.
The denial followed a report published by Middle East Eye on Thursday detailing a mediation effort led by Bahrain to bridge the gap between Sudan and the UAE.
The website quoted unnamed sources as saying that Burhan’s recent Gulf tour, which included Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Bahrain, was part of Bahrain’s efforts to mediate talks with the UAE.
It added that the head of the Sovereign Council’s tour aimed to initiate negotiations with the UAE.
Burhan visited Riyadh, Muscat, and Manama late last week on a tour kept relatively secret, except for his officially announced talks with the King of Bahrain, which focused on the situation in Sudan and ways to end the war.
Middle East Eye had attributed quotes to Burhan saying he was ready to open a dialogue with the UAE, provided certain conditions were met. These conditions included the UAE ending its support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The report further quoted Burhan as saying that Sudan is ready to enter into peace talks with the UAE, but that these talks must be conducted on Sudan’s terms and that the UAE must respect Sudan’s unity.
A Sudanese intelligence source and four European diplomatic sources familiar with the discussions told Middle East Eye that efforts to open a communication channel between Abu Dhabi and the Sudanese government are ongoing but have not yet succeeded.
The sources said Bahrain’s close political ties with Abu Dhabi and its ability to convey messages between the government and Emirati officials are crucial to the effort.
The Sudanese government has long accused the UAE of involvement in the war between the army and the RSF, alleging that Abu Dhabi provides military and logistical support to the paramilitary group through neighbouring countries, notably Chad, Libya, and Ethiopia.
The UAE has repeatedly denied these accusations, which have been reinforced by satellite imagery and reports from international experts.