British “secret” conference sparks controversy over UAE, Sudan’s RSF participation

LONDON, July 22 (YPA) – The UK Foreign Office is hosting a closed-door meeting at Wilton Park from Wednesday to Friday with a UAE delegation and representatives of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) political wing, without inviting the army-backed Sudanese government, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported, citing British and Sudanese sources.

According to the sources, Nasredeen Abdulbari, a leader in the Sudanese paramilitary’s Tasis coalition, is attending a UK-run conference at Wilton Park alongside a delegation from the United Arab Emirates, according to.

Sudan’s army-backed government was not invited to the conference, which runs from Wednesday to Friday and was described by multiple British government sources as a “discreet” event.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not respond to MEE’s request for comment and clarity on who was attending the conference.

Amgad Fareid Eltayeb, an adviser to Sudan’s army-backed Transitional Sovereignty Council, condemned the British government’s decision.

“We saw a lot of statements from the US and UK governments showing concern about what the RSF would do if they took el-Fasher,” he told MEE.

“It’s the same rhetoric we still hear, the same talk… But while the British government is echoing concern about possible crimes committed by the RSF, a possible genocide committed by the RSF, they have invited RSF affiliates to England to discuss the future of Sudan.”

The meeting follows recent testimony before a parliamentary committee by Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), who said the UK had prioritized its relationship with the UAE over efforts to prevent atrocities in Sudan.

@E.Y.M