UAE accuses Sudanese army of bombing ambassador’s residence

September 29, 2024 (DUBAI) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday accused the Sudanese army of bombing its ambassador’s residence in Khartoum. It said it would file a formal complaint to the United Nations and regional bodies.

The UAE foreign ministry said in a statement that the attack, by a Sudanese military aircraft, caused “significant damage” to the building. It did not say when the incident took place.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs … will submit a letter of protest to the League of Arab States, the African Union and the United Nations against this attack by the Sudanese Armed Forces, as it represents a flagrant violation of the fundamental principle of the inviolability of diplomatic premises,” the statement said.

All foreign diplomatic missions left the Sudanese capital in April 2023 after fighting broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Most relocated to Port Sudan on the east coast.

The Sudanese army, which carries out a major attack on the RSF positions in Khartoum nowadays, accuses the RSF of looting and attacking foreign embassies in Khartoum.

Relations between the UAE and Sudan have deteriorated since the conflict began, with the Sudanese army accusing the UAE of supporting the RSF. The UAE has denied these allegations.

The UAE ambassador to Sudan left the country after the fighting started, and a large number of his personal guards departed this month. However, the embassy remains open in Port Sudan.

Sudan has filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, alleging it has evidence the UAE has supplied weapons to the RSF via Chad. The UAE has dismissed the allegations as “utterly false and baseless.”

The two countries also expelled each other’s diplomats earlier this year.

(ST)