WEBVTT - Why Sudan Blames The UAE For Port Sudan Drone Strikes 0:00:02.600 --> 0:00:07.800 Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News. 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:12.960 Two years into Sudan's civil war, the fighting has entered 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:16.480 a new phase, with explosions ripping through the Red Sea 0:00:16.640 --> 0:00:19.200 City Port Sudan. 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:22.920 Sudan has been witnessing over the past two years a 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:26.759 crime of transgressions over its sovereignty and the unity of 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.080 its land and the security of its citizens. 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:32.680 The government has blamed the United Arab Emirates for allegedly 0:00:32.800 --> 0:00:36.080 arming its rival, the Rapid Support Forces, and has cut 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:38.200 off diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi. 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:43.640 The Security and Defense Council has decided the following first 0:00:44.000 --> 0:00:48.720 the designation of the United Arab Emirates as an enemy state, second, 0:00:49.080 --> 0:00:53.000 cutting diplomatic ties with the UAE, Third with during the 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:54.800 Sudanese Embassy and Consulate. 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.680 The UAE strongly denies any involvement, and last week the 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.720 ICE dismissed a case brought against the UAE by Sudan. 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:07.240 On this week's Next Africa podcast, we look at what 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:09.600 this new round of fighting tells us about the state 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:12.160 of the war in Sudan and why the government is 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:15.680 blaming the UAE for allegedly arming the RSF. 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:23.800 I'm Jennifer's Abasajap and this is the Next Africa Podcast, 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:27.400 bringing you one story each week from the continent driving 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.400 the future of global growth with the context only Bloomberg 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:35.840 can provide. Joining me to discuss this this week is 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:39.200 Bloomberg Simon Marx, who's based in Nairobi but has been 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:42.400 following this story very closely. Simon, thank you so much 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:44.200 for joining us. It's great to have you back on 0:01:44.240 --> 0:01:47.039 the podcast. Let's just start here with a bit of 0:01:47.080 --> 0:01:50.680 context before we get into these most recent developments. Tell 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:54.760 us about Port Sudan and how strategic this city really is. 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:59.760 So first and foremost, Port Sudan is a vital entry 0:02:00.400 --> 0:02:05.120 for Sudan. It's also the de facto capital of the country. 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:07.800 Since the war broke out there in twenty twenty three, 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:11.040 there was no way that the military establishment was going 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:14.880 to stay in Khartoum, capital of Sudan, due to the 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:18.680 fact that place was completely overrun with conflict, and it 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:22.919 has since become really the place where decisions are made 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:28.720 by the Sudanese army. The likes of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.960 Russia have all set up diplomatic missions in Port Sudan 0:02:33.680 --> 0:02:36.680 and since the war broke out, have had good relations 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:40.239 with the military backed government, and it's a vital place 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:43.200 for the country based on the Red Sea, which is 0:02:43.200 --> 0:02:45.160 obviously a choke point for a. 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:46.440 Lot of trade. 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:50.760 And there's absolutely no way that the country could really 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:54.919 survive if Port Sudan is shut down. It's already obviously 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:59.120 in a very tricky situation from a humanitarian point of view, 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:02.880 with widespread famine in many parts of the country. 0:03:03.560 --> 0:03:05.920 So then bring us to what's been happening over the 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:08.600 past few days. There's quite a bit of accusations that 0:03:08.639 --> 0:03:11.839 are being held back and forth talk about what these 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:15.000 latest attacks mean and what happened. 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:18.919 I think it's important to note that since the outbreak 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:22.399 of war in early twenty twenty three, Ports Sudan has 0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:27.720 remained unscathed from any of the conflict. The Rapid Support Forces, 0:03:27.800 --> 0:03:31.320 which is fighting the army, have not touched this place. 0:03:32.000 --> 0:03:36.880 They've been pretty much lobbied by the international community to 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:39.640 take their hands off the city. It's where the UN 0:03:39.760 --> 0:03:43.320 have all its agencies, it's where the ministries are based, 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:45.440 and it's where a lot of displaced people from the 0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:49.240 conflict have found some sort of refuge. Both in Port 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:53.119 Sudan and the surrounding area. So it's really that one 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:57.200 last little corner of the country where people can actually 0:03:57.240 --> 0:03:59.880 get work done to try and improve the livelihoods of 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:05.520 Since Sunday of this week, we've seen drone attacks hit 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:10.760 the city in various locations, and it appears to be 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:16.479 barely targeted, looking towards infrastructure that the army is dependent on, 0:04:16.680 --> 0:04:22.039 be it fuel depots or major sites within the port, 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:26.200 the various terminals where the containers are coming in, for example. 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:30.640 So that is basically what's been going on, but as 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.440 you say, shrouded in some mystery because the RSF have 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:39.720 not claimed responsibility for these attacks and the Sudanese governments 0:04:39.800 --> 0:04:43.040 have blamed the United Arab Emirates for being. 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:46.640 Involved, and Simon, I do want to get to those 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:51.040 points and maybe some of the proxies behind these attacks 0:04:51.160 --> 0:04:53.200 in just a bit, but before that, can we talk 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:57.440 about the RSF and what these you just mentioned. They 0:04:57.480 --> 0:05:00.640 are not claiming that they are involved. But does this 0:05:00.720 --> 0:05:04.320 suggest that the conflict is far from over? 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:08.520 I think definitely yes. I mean we've seen various rounds 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:13.320 and phases of this conflict, the latest being a couple 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.680 of months ago. When the army managed to take back 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:20.560 the capital Cartoon from the RSF, which had controlled the 0:05:20.640 --> 0:05:25.000 capital basically since the beginning of the conflict. And there's 0:05:25.040 --> 0:05:29.400 been several rounds of peace talks, both in Europe and 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.840 in the Gulf to try and mediate between the two sides, 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:36.400 but in the end, the two generals spearheading this conflict 0:05:36.480 --> 0:05:40.800 have not met face to face, and so really it's 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:44.479 just continued to escalate in different corners of the country 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:48.960 and now we're really homing in on the real center 0:05:49.000 --> 0:05:53.240 of power of the army, which no one thought was 0:05:53.279 --> 0:05:56.320 going to happen. I don't think this had remained a 0:05:56.360 --> 0:06:00.600 sort of unwritten rule that the conflict it would not 0:06:00.760 --> 0:06:02.080 come to this part of Sudan. 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:06.039 Does it signal that the RSF, though potentially or both 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:09.320 both the army and the RSF, are still quite strong 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.000 in this conflict, and as you mentioned, are not willing 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:12.720 to back down. 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:13.440 I think so. 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:18.480 But it also represents a slight shift in military tactics 0:06:18.520 --> 0:06:23.520 from the RSF, which have been very reliant on ground forces, 0:06:24.320 --> 0:06:30.679 heavily mobile units, often traveling using Toyota high luxters around 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:36.240 especially western parts of Duff Or where they know the 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:40.520 terrain very well an artillery, and I think more and 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:43.320 more as this conflict has moved forward, they've become more 0:06:43.320 --> 0:06:48.200 dependent on drone technology to achieve their objectives. There's no way, 0:06:48.320 --> 0:06:50.280 really they were going to get soldiers to pource you 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:52.880 down just due to the terrain there. It's very flat 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:56.400 leading to the coast and the army are defending it 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.880 very well, and so these drones obviously give it that 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:04.200 strategic advantage where they can just fly in quickly undercover 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:07.760 and take out key infrastructure sites such as the port 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:09.000 and the fuel depots, etc. 0:07:09.640 --> 0:07:11.440 Stick with us, Simon when we come back. We're going 0:07:11.520 --> 0:07:14.440 to dig into this turning point as you mentioned in 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:17.600 the conflict, and more about what you were alluding to earlier, 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.880 who's potentially supporting the rival sides, and what attempts there 0:07:20.920 --> 0:07:23.920 are two broker piece deal. We'll be right back. 0:07:27.640 --> 0:07:28.240 Welcome back. 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:31.240 Today. We're talking about the Sudanese Civil War as new 0:07:31.280 --> 0:07:35.200 explosions rip through the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:37.720 Our reporter Simon Marx is still with us and has 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.680 been covering this story. The Sudanese government is blaming the 0:07:40.760 --> 0:07:44.800 UAE for allegedly arming the RSF what evidence is there 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:46.360 that this is the case, though. 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:50.640 Well, since the beginning of the conflict, you've had a 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:55.520 number of outfits investigate these claims, including investigators working for 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:58.440 the UN who released a report last. 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:01.920 Year where they said that ever that the UAE were 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:06.240 backing the RSF is quote unquote credible. They have used 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.520 a whole host of different elements to back that up, 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:15.120 including like data, including sources on the ground, particularly in 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:18.680 Chad and Darfur, who are telling them that flights have 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:22.960 come in from the UAE and other countries also with 0:08:23.120 --> 0:08:27.679 military equipment allegedly from the United Arab Emirates, but Abu 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:32.000 Dhabi has repeatedly denied this and said they don't back 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:37.160 any side. It's very difficult obviously to track weapons deliveries, 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:43.640 especially when third parties are involved, companies traffickers, so that 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:49.880 the debate is ongoing. However, UN investigators, the European Union, Amnesty, International, 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:54.720 top US politicians, and also many of my diplomatic and 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:59.520 international intelligence sources all say that the United Arab Emirates 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:04.240 point during this war did help facilitate bring arms to 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:08.720 the rss That's, of course, something Abu Dhabi sternly denies 0:09:08.760 --> 0:09:11.360 and has repeatedly pointed out is not true. 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:14.880 Considering all of this, Simon and all of the various 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:19.640 players that may or may not reportedly be involved, what 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:23.120 does this mean for peace talks and ultimately what does 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:28.640 this mean for the Sudanese people and the humanitarian crisis 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.800 that is already the situation at this point. 0:09:31.840 --> 0:09:35.880 Well, as we speak, there are efforts once again for 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:40.160 the unpteethed time from the Saudi Arabia and the US 0:09:40.280 --> 0:09:44.839 to try and get peace talks back on the road again. 0:09:45.640 --> 0:09:48.400 They've so far proved quite infamous. A lot of people 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.480 expected to change in tactics under the new Trump administration 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:56.360 and the officials that he's appointed. So far though we've 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:01.080 not seen a huge amount of focused actually from the US. Obviously, 0:10:01.160 --> 0:10:02.960 things have been very focused. 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:05.040 On Ukraine, on Israel. 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:09.360 Gaza, and even the Democratic Republic of Congo with a 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:14.680 potential minerals deal. So the focused honestly on Sudan has 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:19.200 once again fallen by the wayside to some extent, and 0:10:20.400 --> 0:10:24.480 really it's anyone's guess when one of these sides will 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.960 realize that the game's up. But if proxies continue to 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:29.640 fuel it, it could honestly go on and. 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:33.000 On and on, Yeah, which means for the people on 0:10:33.040 --> 0:10:36.680 the ground, it's even more and more dire of a situation. Yeah. 0:10:36.720 --> 0:10:37.360 Absolutely. 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:40.640 I think the number of areas under famine according to 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:41.600 the UN, there. 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:45.400 Was ten regions last month and that's expected to almost 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.439 double to seventeen in just a few weeks. 0:10:48.679 --> 0:10:50.959 So it's extremely dire. 0:10:51.160 --> 0:10:55.600 And you know, access for humanitarians journalists is pretty limited, 0:10:55.720 --> 0:10:58.439 especially in the west of the country where there's a 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:02.280 lot of conflict, so the public aren't even being exposed 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:06.760 to really die a situation to put pressure on the 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:08.080 generals to stop this war. 0:11:09.400 --> 0:11:12.240 And you can read more of our reporting on Sudan 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:16.920 on Bloomberg platforms right now. Here's some of the other 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:20.960 stories we've been following across the region this week. South 0:11:21.000 --> 0:11:24.720 African President Sira Ramaposa has unveiled the second phase of 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:28.160 a reform program aimed at firing up an economy that's 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:31.520 grown by an average of less than one percent annually 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:37.040 over the past decade, and Nigerian senators on Wednesday backed 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:39.640 four tax bills that are part of President bullet To 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:44.079 Naboo's efforts to lift government revenue, but join lawmakers in 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:47.520 the Lower National Assembly in rejecting his plan to increase 0:11:47.600 --> 0:11:51.160 the value added tax rate. You can follow these stories 0:11:51.200 --> 0:11:54.959 across Bloomberg platforms, including the Next African Newsletter. We'll put 0:11:55.000 --> 0:12:00.440 a link to that in the show notes. This program 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:04.440 was produced by Adrian Bradley and tiwa Adebayo. Don't forget 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:07.560 to follow and review this show wherever you usually get 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:11.240 your podcasts, But for now, I'm Jennifer Zabasanja. Thanks as 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:12.120 always for listening.