A senior Emirati official said on Sunday that the international community made a “critical mistake” by failing to stop Sudan’s 2021 military takeover, saying countries “stopped short of calling it a coup” in the hope of stabilising Sudan after years of American sanctions.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said the decision not to act more decisively when Sudan’s generals ousted the civilian government paved the way for the devastating civil war that later erupted between rival military factions.
The war in Sudan, which is midway through its third year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 13 million people. About 30 million – more than half the population – are facing hunger, with famine declared in some areas, mainly in Darfur.
The fighting began in April 2023 when tension between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Gen Mohamed Dagalo, erupted into open conflict. What began as a power struggle between the two former allies – who jointly staged the coup in 2021 – has spiralled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian and displacement crises.
“We all made the mistake when the two generals who are fighting the civil war today overthrew the civilian government,” said Dr Gargash at the IISS Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. “That was, in my opinion, looking back, a critical mistake. We should have put our foot down, all of us, collectively.
“What happened later is that the relationship of the two generals deteriorated and led Sudan to the current civil war that we are seeing today,” he said, adding that the UAE’s position is very clear.
In September, at the invitation of America, the foreign ministers of the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt – a group known as the Quad – joined Washington to engage in extensive consultations on the war. A new peace proposal called for an initial three-month truce followed by a return to civilian rule in which the Muslim Brotherhood is kept out of power.
Within that framework, Dr Gargash said, the plan envisions a three-month humanitarian ceasefire to pave the way for political dialogue and, within nine months, the formation of a transitional civilian government.
“Let's take all the fog away and see, are the generals willing to hand over power to a civilian transition? That is really the crux of the question,” he added.
This week, the UN Security Council condemned an assault by the RSF on the city of El Fasher in North Darfur, warning of a “heightened risk of large-scale atrocities, including ethnically motivated atrocities”.
The RSF’s takeover of El Fasher has led to widespread concern as reports and footage of attacks against civilians have emerged. Gen Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary group, acknowledged in a video broadcast that his men committed “abuses”.
Dr Gargash said the UAE is doubling down on its humanitarian support for Sudan. “We're doing it through our hospitals in Chad and in South Sudan,” he said.
“The sooner that unhindered humanitarian avenues will be open also to support people in Sudan, not only in El Fasher, but other areas, you will see much more support not only from the UAE, but from many countries.”
Dr Gargash said this will be done through the Red Crescent and international organisations.
Ties with Iran
On Iran, Dr Gargash said there is little value in revisiting the past, except to take a clear-eyed view of Tehran’s policies.
“Iran is a neighbour. We want to resolve all issues politically and have a great relationship. But … we can't ignore, for example, that Qatar, which is part of how we see security, was attacked by both Iran and Israel in a few weeks.”
Qatar was attacked twice this year. During the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June, Tehran struck Al Udeid Air Base in retaliation for US air strikes on its underground nuclear sites. The base hosts American military personnel. Qatar was also attacked by Israel in September.
“While we are striving for a relationship that is diplomatic and that is political and to resolve issues rightly, we have to call a spade a spade. And that policy of considering regional influence and regional encroachment as part of the defence of Iran has failed. I think it's time really to revise and review that policy.”
