UAE warns its nationals against hunting in Sudan’s war areas

November 13, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned its subjects against going on hunting expeditions in Darfur region and South Kordofan and Blue Nile states saying it involves security risks.

In a press release on Thursday, UAE’s foreign ministry said the Sudanese authorities issued directives to regulate the exercise of hunting inside the Sudan’s territory, demanding its nationals to adhere to those directives in order to guarantee their security and safety and avoid legal accountability.

Large numbers of tourists particularly from Saudi Arabia and Gulf States go on hunting trips in Sudan annually. The department of wildlife issues hundreds of licenses for exercising hunting which yields large amounts of hard currency for the treasury.

UAE’s foreign ministry added the Sudanese authorities warned that western states including North, South, West, East and Central Darfur besides South Kordofan and Blue Nile are dangerous and insecure, warning against exercising hunting in those states for security reasons.

The Sudanese army and its allied militia have been fighting Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011 and a group of armed movements in Darfur region since 2003.

The press release further said the authorities noted that hunting is allowed in all the Sudanese states except the River Nile and the Red Sea.

In March 2014, authorities in the River Nile state detained eight Saudi hunters and charged them with poaching and entering the state without permission.

(ST)