Senior Sudanese army officials have accused France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of attempting to divide Sudan and establish a state for West African Arab communities in the Darfur region and parts of Kordofan.
Yasser Al-Atta, a member of the Sovereign Council and assistant commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Army, claimed that the UAE is exacerbating the crisis by supplying military support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) via Chad and the Central African Republic.
In an interview with Al-Manbar, Al-Atta stated, “Talk of deploying international forces in Sudan is part of an international conspiracy sponsored by the UAE and some Western nations, particularly France. It aims to create a homeland for displaced Arabs or fragment Sudan, reducing it to Darfur and portions of Kordofan.”
He further alleged that France is seeking to acquire uranium in Darfur, while accusing UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed of attempting to dominate Sudan’s coastline, agricultural lands, and gold resources.
An international meeting was held in Paris on April 15th by France, Germany, and the European Union to raise humanitarian aid for Sudanese citizens affected by the conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army.
During the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron called on external parties to cease their support for both sides in Sudan’s conflict and pledged to address the issue with regional authorities accused of igniting the war.
Al-Atta vowed to resist any foreign troops entering Darfur, much of which is currently under RSF control.
Additionally, Al-Atta claimed that the UAE had convinced RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to consider forming an Arab state within Sudan, with the aim of securing control over Sudan’s gold, ports in the east, and agricultural land.
The international fact-finding mission in Sudan made several recommendations in early September, including deploying an independent force to protect civilians, extending the arms embargo from Darfur to the entirety of Sudan, broadening the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) jurisdiction across the country, and establishing a separate international judicial body.
Al-Atta criticized the arms embargo, arguing that it would be ineffective since international organizations and the global community are aware that weapons are entering Darfur through UAE-organized operations in Libya and Chad.