Türkiye is ready to step in to mediate the recent tensions between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sudan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday, according to a Communications Directorate statement.
Facilitating peace and stability in Sudan, protecting its territorial integrity and sovereignty and ensuring the country does not become a field for outside interventions are fundamental principles for Türkiye, Erdoğan told Transitional Sovereignty Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a phone call, the directorate said.
Sudan has been mired by fighting between the army, led by al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo.
Türkiye has been sending humanitarian assistance to Sudan, with the latest aid ship carrying 3,000 tons of relief.
Several cease-fire agreements brokered by Saudi Arabia and United States mediators have failed to end the violence.
More than 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes, the country is engulfed in a humanitarian crisis and the head of the United Nations World Health Organization said Sunday that over 20,000 people have been killed.
Friday’s phone call came as the Sudanese government accused the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday of providing weapons to its rival paramilitary force and prolonging the 17-month war.
The UAE called the allegations “utterly false” and “baseless” and accused the government of refusing to negotiate peace with its enemy.
Their latest clash came during a U.N. Security Council meeting. Its 15 members voted unanimously to extend an arms embargo in Sudan’s vast western Darfur region – a key battleground of the rival forces – until Sept. 12, 2025.
Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed accused the UAE of providing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, known as the RAF, with heavy weapons, missiles and ammunition – and of “profiting from this war through the illegal exploitation of gold.”
The Sudanese envoy called for a new examination of arms export policies to the UAE and called for targeted sanctions against the RSF and countries that support the paramilitary force.
The UAE’s ambassador, Mohamed Abushahab, who rushed to the council chamber to respond, called Sudan’s claims “a cynical attempt to deflect attention from the failings of the Sudanese Armed Forces,” or SAF.
He accused its military of showing “zero political courage,” using starvation as a weapon of war and refusing to heed calls to end the war and come to the negotiating table.
During the call, Erdoğan also mentioned how this week, the Ankara Declaration for the resolution of the conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia had significantly contributed to peace in the region.
Over recent years, Ankara has significantly increased trade with African nations, which has surged nearly eight-fold, and has provided diplomatic and military support to various countries.
Erdoğan’s government has a dedicated “Africa initiative” focusing on improving political ties, trade, investments, cultural projects, security and military cooperation and development projects across the continent.
Experts claim that by emphasizing the principle of “African solutions to African problems,” Türkiye has established itself as a reliable partner for African nations by respecting local sensitivities in project development.
