UAE shares U.S. concerns about Sudanese crisis: Feltman
November 2, 2021 (KHARTOUM) – U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Tuesday said that the United Arab Emirates shares their concerns about the situation in Sudan.
Jeffrey Feltman held a phone briefing attended by the Sudan Tribune about the situation in Sudan after the military coup that took place on 25 October hours after his departure from the Sudanese capital.
Feltman spoke dismissed concerns about the support that al-Burhan receives from the United Arab Emirates to undermine the democratic transition in Sudan.
He stressed he is in “contact with the UAE and other countries in the region about the situation in Sudan. The Emiratis share our concerns about the situation in Sudan,” he added.
“The current situation will not contribute to the stability of Sudan and the region, and we are in contact with them and others to restore partnership in Sudan between civilians and the military on the basis of equality between them,” emphasized the special envoy.
Sudanese say on social media they believe that the Gulf country encouraged the Sudanese military to overthrow the civilian government.
After the military takeover, there were reports about the involvement of the “Axis countries” including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the coup. However, after the Saudi condemnation of the coup, the criticisms were focused on the two other countries.
Feltman said the mass protests on 30 October have shown the Sudanese support for the civilian-led government and that the military have to re-establish the civilian-military partnership.
He reiterated calls for the head of the military council to reinstate the Hamdok cabinet and the Sovereign Council.
The U.S. further implicitly dismissed reports about his travel to Sudan when he said working in Washington for the time being and was considering travelling to the region in the future without giving further indications.
The Sudanese information ministry loyal to Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok said that Feltman would return to Khartoum on Tuesday to join the mediations to send the Sudanese crisis.
U.S. Blinken meets UAE counterpart
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Tuesday with the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the margins of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
In a statement released after the meeting, the State Department said Blinken and Al Nahyan discussed developments in the Middle east
“Secretary Blinken also reiterated the strong U.S. support for the aspirations of the Sudanese people for democracy and underscored the need for the immediate restoration of Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government,” further said the statement.
(ST)