UAE minister Lana Nusssibeh says Sudan is ‘too big to fail’ and explains Emirati peace efforts

Speaking to Becky Anderson, host of CNNConnect and CNN Abu Dhabi Managing Editor, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and FM Envoy, explained the Gulf state’s role in attempting to bring about peace in Sudan.

A brutal fighting has been raging in Sudan for more than a year. The UAE has been calling for immediate and permanent ceasefire in the country, besides stressing the need to find a peaceful solution to the crisis by returning to the negotiation table.

The UAE is one of the leading contributors of humanitarian assistance to Sudan. The GCC nation has long been helping enhance the living conditions and safety of displaced persons and refugees. The total amount of UAE to Sudan in the past 10 years exceeds $3.5 billion.

Lana Nusseibeh calls for urgent action over Sudan crisis

Speaking to Becky Anderson of CNNConnect, Lana Nusseibeh called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, cross-border and cross-line access for humanitarian aid through Sudan, and a political process that leads to civilian transition.

She called for urgent international action, urging all parties involved in the conflict to “agree to come to talks and discuss with the civilian population the future of their country.” She said there is a need to see a scale-up of humanitarian aid.

“The weaponisation of food aid is unacceptable in Sudan, just as it was unacceptable in Gaza,” Nusseibeh noted, adding that the civilians in Sudan have come out with a “global message about what they would like to see for the future of Sudan.”

Sudan crisis could be a regional destabiliser

Raising concerns about the threat the Sudan conflict poses to regional stability, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh said: “Sudan is too big to fail. It could be a destabiliser to neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa and impact the regional security of the Middle East.”

The UAE recently concluded a deal for a $30 million contribution to support UNHCR’s operations in Sudan and neighbouring countries. It is part of a commitment of $70 million dedicated to helping the Sudanese through UN agencies and humanitarian organisations.

The aforementioned funding is a portion of the $100 million pledge made by the UAE earlier this year at the “International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighbouring Countries” to improve the living conditions and safety of displaced persons and refugees.

UAE aid to Sudan amid rising humanitarian crisis

In a statement highlighting the $70 million funding, the UAE Foreign Ministry emphasised that the contribution is aimed at preventing further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Sudan. It is part of a strategy that includes a full range of assistance.

The UAE has established an air bridge since the beginning of the Sudan crisis. The Gulf state has already provided tonnes of food and medical supplies through scores of relief planes. The UAE has also dispatched a ship transporting tonnes of aid for the Sudanese.

The UAE has also been supporting refugee camps for displaced Sudanese people in Chad. The nation has also built a couple of field hospitals. Both UN relief chief Martin Griffiths and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi thanked the UAE for its support.