As Sudan’s brutal civil war enters its third year, Sudan’s government is protecting Africa from outside conspiracies by fighting foreign interference, Foreign Minister Mohiruddin Salim said, calling on the African Union to support its efforts to stabilize the country.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Thursday in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. a meeting Salem, a member of the AU Peace and Security Council, said the war between the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary forces was a battle against external intervention.

“The war currently ongoing in Sudan is a war against foreign intervention. It involves large numbers of mercenaries and significant external intervention through funding and advanced weapons,” he said.

“So, in Sudan, we are protecting Africa’s back by confronting this conspiracy. What is happening in Sudan is not just against our country, but against the entire African continent.”

He said the AU, through its Peace and Security Council, was “deeply concerned and must work hand in hand with the Sudanese government so that we can achieve sustainable stability in Sudan”.

He added that Africa would benefit from ending the more than four-year suspension of Sudan’s AU membership.

The AU suspended Sudan’s membership in October 2021 after Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council dissolved Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok’s government and declared a state of emergency.

Sudan accuses UAE of interference

Sudan has repeatedly accused the United Arab Emirates of arming and funding SSF.

Last year it filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of “complicity” in the “genocide” perpetrated by Doctors Without Borders against the Masalit community in West Darfur. The UAE strongly denies the accusations.

The UAE also denied new accusations in a Reuters report that it financed and supported a Médecins Sans Frontières training camp in Ethiopia.

A senior Emirati official told The National on Thursday that the UAE “categorically rejects” suggestions that it provides arms, funding, training personnel or logistical support to Forces Without Borders, reiterating that the UAE is not “a party” to the conflict in Sudan and is focused on humanitarian aid and ceasefire efforts.

“The UAE categorically denies allegations that it directly or indirectly supplies, finances, transports or provides any weapons, ammunition, drones, vehicles, guided munitions or other military equipment to Forces Without Borders,” the official said.

Saudi Arabia, the main backer of the Sudanese government, said in a statement on Saturday that Condemned “foreign interference” The conflict includes “a continued influx of illegal weapons, mercenaries and foreign fighters.” The Saudi Foreign Ministry statement did not name the alleged foreign actors.

Salem speaks at AU meeting

Salem made the comments during a meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa to discuss matters such as ongoing conflict Sudan has killed an estimated 40,000 people and pushed more than 21 million people, almost half the population, into severe food shortages.

Ahead of the meeting, the EU appeared to be moving towards lifting Sudan’s suspended status by inviting Salem to the meeting, which would allow representatives of suspended member states to attend for the first time.

Speaking at the meeting, Salem reiterated his call for the restoration of membership in the Sudanese government, saying the conflict in Sudan was over and highlighting efforts for peace in the country, Anadolu Agency reported.

“War is not our goal and we will continue to seek peace,” he said, blaming unnamed foreign actors for inciting the conflict.

AU condemns foreign interference

While the Security Council did not reinstate Sudan’s membership, it issued a statement strongly condemning external interference in Sudan’s affairs and urged foreign actors to refrain from actions that “continue to exacerbate the conflict.”

The statement expressed deep concern about the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in widespread civilian casualties, damage to infrastructure and a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Last week, UN-backed experts warn In two other areas in Sudan’s western Darfur region, severe malnutrition has reached famine proportions due to intense fighting in the region.

The Council condemned violence against civilians, called for unhindered humanitarian access and protection of aid workers, and urged an immediate humanitarian truce to achieve a ceasefire.

In comments that may herald a possible shift in the diplomatic landscape, the Security Council also welcomed the return of Sudan’s transitional government to the capital, Khartoum, last month after operating from a wartime base in the eastern city of Port Sudan for nearly three years.