Emirati official acknowledges missteps in Sudan crisis response

An Emirati presidential diplomatic adviser said "looking back" everyone made a mistake in the handling of developments in Sudan.

Anwar Gargash made that remark when answering a question about the United Arab Emirates' support of the Rapid Support Forces at the Manama Dialogue.

"We all made the mistake when the two generals who are fighting the civil war today overthrew the civilian government," he told the audience at the annual security summit in Bahrain on Sunday.

"We did not call it a coup. We said it's a C O but did not put the U and P at the end of it," he added.

Paramilitary fighters in vehicles, on camels and on foot rampaged through the Sudanese military’s last stronghold in Darfur on Tuesday, killing and detaining hundreds of people in the latest atrocity of a war that has raged in Sudan for over 31 months.

The Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, overran the city of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, in what the United Nations chief called a “terrible escalation” in the conflict.

The capture of el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, by the powerful Arab-led force raises fears that Africa’s third-largest nation may split again, nearly 15 years after the oil-rich South Sudan gained independence following years of civil war.

The fighting for control of Sudan has killed over 40,000 people and created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with over 14 million displaced.

The Emirates supports a three-month humanitarian ceasefire, with the two parties negotiating and a civilian transitional government being formed in nine months, he said.

"Let's take all the fog away and see, are the generals willing to hand over power to a civilian transition?" Gargash said. "That is really the crux of the question."

The Sudanese government and rights groups have repeatedly accused the United Arab Emirates of being involved in the war by supplying the RSF with weapons, a claim denied by the Gulf country.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said there has to be a "clear mandate" and timeline for the proposed international stabilization force in Gaza.

"That timeline is extremely important because we cannot have an ISF that is there forever," Shahin said.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war took effect on Oct. 10.

The 20-point U.S. peace plan includes the formation and deployment of a temporary international stabilization force of Arab and other partners that would work with Egypt and Jordan on securing Gaza’s borders and ensure the ceasefire is respected.

The U.S. has ruled out American soldiers in Gaza.