UAE rejects claim that it is supplying warring parties in Sudan with arms

Civilians recruited by the Sudanese army take part in military training in the Kassinger area of Sudan’s Northern State. (AFP file photo)
Short Url
Updated 14 August 2023
Follow

UAE rejects claim that it is supplying warring parties in Sudan with arms

  • ‘Since the beginning of the conflict, the UAE has called for de-escalation, a ceasefire, and the initiation of diplomatic dialogue’

RIYADH: The UAE on Sunday categorically refuted claims made by a media outlet that it was supplying arms and ammunition to warring parties in Sudan.

The UAE has not supplied arms and ammunition to any of the warring parties in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, and does not take sides in the conflict in the country, the director of strategic communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Afra Al-Hameli said.

“Since the beginning of the conflict, the UAE has called for de-escalation, a ceasefire, and the initiation of diplomatic dialogue through bilateral and multilateral meetings alongside its partners,” Al-Hameli added.

The UAE has consistently supported the political process and efforts to achieve national consensus toward forming a government, she said.

It will continue to support all efforts aimed at achieving security in Sudan and enhancing its stability and prosperity until a ceasefire is secured, Al-Hameli continued.

The Gulf country continues to monitor the humanitarian situation affecting the Sudanese people and its impact on neighboring countries, and seeks to provide all forms of support to alleviate humanitarian suffering, the official said.

Through operating air and sea bridges, the UAE has provided approximately 2,000 tons of medical aid, food, and relief materials for the most vulnerable groups including the sick, children, elderly, and women.

The UAE has also built a field hospital in the Chadian city of Amdjarass in July for those in need of medical care regardless of nationality, age, gender, or political association. The hospital has successfully treated 4,147 cases.

The UAE also recently inaugurated a coordination office for Emirati aid in the city.


One killed in attack on oil tankers off Iraq, rescue operation ongoing: authorities

Updated 7 sec ago
Follow

One killed in attack on oil tankers off Iraq, rescue operation ongoing: authorities

  • Iraq’s oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday it had “deep concern” about incidents involving oil tankers in the Gulf, without providing details

BAGHDAD: An attack on two oil tankers near Iraq killed at least one crew member, authorities said on Thursday, as Iran carries out a campaign to disrupt global energy markets.
Farhan Al-Fartousi, from Iraq’s General Company for Ports, told state television that one crew member had been killed and 38 rescued while the “search continues for the missing.”
He did not specify the crew members’ nationalities or provide details on who was behind the attack, which occurred roughly 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the coast.
The Iraqi government’s media cell told national news agency INA that “two tankers were subject to sabotage.”
Iraq’s oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday it had “deep concern” about incidents involving oil tankers in the Gulf, without providing details.
“The safety of navigation in international maritime corridors and energy supply routes must remain free from regional conflicts,” the ministry added.
The Strait of Hormuz — the waterway carrying a fifth of the world’s oil — remains closed to almost all oil tankers, and Iran has vowed that not one liter of oil would be exported from the Gulf while its war with the United States and Israel continues.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US forces have struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels more than a week into the Middle East war.
Images of a ship at sea with plumes of smoke rising from a huge fire, were broadcast by state television channel Al-Ikhbariya. AFP could not verify the images.
An employee at Iraq’s Basra oil terminal told AFP that it was unclear “whether it was a drone attack or explosive-laden boats.”
The Iraqi State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) confirmed in a statement that two oil tankers were attacked, without providing details on how.
Maltese-flagged oil tanker ZEFYROS was attacked as it was preparing to enter the port of Khor Al-Zoubair, where it would have taken on board an additional 30,000 tons of liquid naphtha — primarily used in petrochemicals, SOMO said.
The second targeted vessel, SAFESEA VISHNU, was sailing under the Marshall Islands flag and was chartered by an Iraqi company, according to SOMO.
The incidents come just hours after the US embassy in Baghdad warned that Iran and Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups might target US-owned oil facilities in Iraq.