South Darfur receives bodies of 4 militiamen killed in Yemen

October 29, 2018 (NYALA) – Bodies of four fighters from the government militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) participating in the Saudi-led military alliance in Yemen have arrived in Nyala, capital of South Darfur State on Monday, Sudan Tribune has learned from a reliable source

According to the source, a Sudanese battalion had been hit by missiles at a military base in Hodeidah, 226 km from the Yemeni capital Sanaa on the west coast of the Red Sea, killing 4 troops and wounding 13 others.

He pointed out that the injured have been transferred to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for treatment.

The same source said families of the dead have received the bodies on Monday morning at Nyala airport in the presence of the RSF commander in South Darfur.

The Sudanese army hasn’t issued any statement regarding the incident.

The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels.

However, following reports about the death of dozens of Sudanese troops and Houthi’s threats to launch missile attacks against Sudan, several legislators called to withdraw the forces from Yemen.

Also, critics point out that several countries members of the Saudi-led coalition did not send troops to Yemen. Others say Saudi Arabia and UAE provides financial support to other countries but not Sudan despite its difficult financial situation.

Last May, State Defence Minister Ali Mohamed Salim said his ministry was evaluating pros and cons of the participation in the Yemen war in order to decide on it soon.

But three weeks later, President Omar al-Bashir underscored continued participation in the military coalition, pointing to Sudan’s declared position to “defend the land of the Two Holy Mosques’’.

(ST)