Listen to this articleListen to this article | 5 minsinfoSudan’s Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salem has said his government is protecting Africa from external plots by confronting foreign interference in his country’s brutal civil war, deep into its third year, as he called on the African Union (AU) for support in its efforts to stabilise the country.In an interview with Al Jazeera in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council, Salem said the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) war with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary was a battle against external intervention.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“The war currently being fought in Sudan is a war against foreign interference. It involves a large number of mercenaries and significant external intervention through funding and advanced weaponry,” he said.“Therefore, in Sudan, we are protecting Africa’s back by confronting this conspiracy. What is happening in Sudan is not only targeting our country, but the entire continent.”He said the AU, through its Peace and Security Council, was “deeply concerned and must join hands with the government of Sudan so that we can move towards sustainable stability in Sudan”.Ending the suspension of Sudan’s membership in the AU, in place for more than four years, would benefit Africa, he added.The AU suspended Sudan’s membership in October 2021 after Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council sacked the government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and declared a state of emergency.Sudan alleges UAE interferenceSudan has repeatedly accused the United Arab Emirates of arming and funding the RSF. Advertisement Last year, it filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of “complicity in genocide” committed by the RSF against the Masalit community in West Darfur state. The UAE has vehemently denied the allegations.The UAE has also rejected new allegations in a Reuters news agency report that it financed and supported a training camp in Ethiopia for the RSF.A senior UAE official told The National on Thursday that the Emirates “categorically rejects” claims that it provided weapons, funding, trainers or logistical support to the RSF, reiterating that it is “not a party” to Sudan’s conflict and is focused on humanitarian aid and ceasefire efforts.“The UAE categorically rejects allegations that it has provided, financed, transported or facilitated any weapons, ammunition, drones, vehicles, guided munitions or other military equipment to the RSF, whether directly or indirectly,” said the official.In a statement on Saturday, Saudi Arabia, a key backer of Sudan’s government, condemned “foreign interf …
