“Sudanhorizon” Highlights the Press Conference by the Ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Information

Port Sudan – Sudanhorizon – Talal Ismail

At the General Intelligence Service hall in Port Sudan, Defense Minister Yas Ibrahim, Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf Al-Sharif, and Minister of Information Khalid Aleiser presented documents and evidence implicating the UAE and Chad in supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their war against Sudan. The ministers stated that the war, which began in mid-April 2023, shifted from a militia rebellion against the Sudanese army to a war waged by both the UAE and Chad against Sudan.
Minister of Information Khalid Aleister began by greeting the journalists and saying, “Allow me to start by welcoming the esteemed ministers, Defense Minister General Yas Ibrahim, Foreign Minister Dr Ali Yusuf, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense Major General Ahmed Saleh Aboud, and the Director of International Relations at the Ministry of Defense Major General Dr Abu Bakr Abu Daqn Faqiri. I also welcome the Executive Director of the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier General Hisham Abdel-Raouf Mohamed Saleh, and the esteemed attendees, including media professionals, international news agency correspondents, and television stations.”
Aleiser continued, “Today, we are providing the first briefing from the Sudanese Ministry of Defense under the title ‘Escalation and Direct Aggression by the Countries Sponsoring the Terrorist Militia,’ which aims to present evidence of the enemy’s use of suicide and strategic drones. Let me first introduce Defense Minister General Yassin Ibrahim.”

Good News from the Defense Minister
In the press briefing, Sudan’s Defense Minister welcomed the press and said, “I welcome you to this important conference to provide the public, both internally and internationally, with the latest developments on the battlefield and to present irrefutable evidence of the involvement of certain countries in the war against the Sudanese people.” He added, “These attacks are supported by evidence of the weapons used, which constitute clear and blatant aggression against the state.”
The Defense Minister affirmed Sudan’s full right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place.
He continued, “As for the latest developments on the battlefield, today, this morning, we have taken control of the Umm Al-Qura locality in East Gezira and the sugar factory west of Sinnar. God willing, the ‘Hunter’ forces have moved to the outskirts of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, and the attacking force in the Al-Abassiya axis has been completely destroyed, along with the field commanders in the area.”

Documents from the Ministry of Defense
The Ministry of Defense provided evidence to the media through a presentation by its Secretary General, Major General Ahmed Saleh Aboud, and its Director of International Relations, Major General Dr. Abu Bakr Abu Daqn Faqiri.
Major General Aboud said, “Since September 2021, a company based in the UAE has executed over 50 cargo flights from the UAE to a neighbouring country using a Ukrainian-registered Yushan cargo plane. These flights carried the drones you see in these images.”
He noted that the same shipping company had previously transported military equipment to Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya.
Aboud confirmed that the Sudanese Armed Forces successfully downed all of these drones using ground-to-air missiles and advanced jamming devices.
He also explained the difference between suicide drones and how the armed forces neutralized the militia’s launch sites, which they used to execute attacks on cities and safe sites.
He added, “The militia has carried out repeated attacks with limited military losses. The Armed Forces successfully handled all these attacks, and all drones were shot down. These drones have achieved no field results for the enemy, except for the killing of many innocent civilians.”

UAE and Chad’s Aggression
The Director of International Relations at the Ministry of Defense, Major General Dr. Abu Bakr Abu Daqn Faqiri, revealed a dangerous plan and, while displaying aerial photographs of N’Djamena airport, said, “After many suicide drones failed to achieve their objectives, the militia and their backers in the UAE and Chad started to apply the following plan: intensifying the use of strategic large suicide drones, which use satellite-guided missiles to provide control and communication with the ground station. This started last Sunday when the militia launched its first attacks using strategic drones. They attacked positions with six missiles, and a strategic drone was launched from one of Chad’s airports.”
He pointed out that the Sudanese Armed Forces’ specialized teams inspected the remnants of the attacks on Sudanese forces in various areas.

Foreign Minister’s Statement
Foreign Minister Dr Ali Yusuf stated, “In the past few days, the country has witnessed a dangerous escalation from the RSF, which intensified its attacks and crimes against innocent civilians, actions that represent a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and basic human values that respect human dignity.”
He added, “The competent authorities have documented, as you have seen, the use of long-range drones by this militia in random attacks targeting Meroe, Atbara, Khartoum, and Al-Fasher, resulting in civilian casualties.”
The Foreign Minister emphasized that the crimes targeting Sudanese citizens demonstrate the militia’s and its supporters’ disregard for international norms and laws designed to protect civilians during conflicts.
He confirmed that initial investigations indicate that these drones were assembled in the UAE and launched from Chad near the Sudanese border. He also cited reliable reports confirming that the UAE recruited thousands of mercenaries from neighbouring countries and even from outside the continent, including Colombia, to use them in killing Sudanese people.
He stated, “This direct military support to a militia committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity makes the UAE a direct partner in these crimes, bearing legal responsibility both criminally and civilly.”
The Foreign Minister continued, “On the other hand, facilitating the transfer of these weapons and providing safe passages for mercenaries by the Republic of Chad and other regional countries blatantly contradicts the principles of good neighbourliness, the UN Charter, and international law. These actions clearly breach the legal and ethical obligations imposed by international relations, placing these countries in a contradictory position with the principles of international humanitarian law.”
He further stated, “Sudan strongly condemns this brutal aggression and affirms its commitment to using all available legal means to guarantee its security and protect its people from these blatant attacks. Sudan reminds the countries that have abandoned the values of good neighbourliness and historical and geographical ties that these principles form the foundation of sustainable relations and cannot be replaced by temporary interests or suspicious agendas aimed at destabilizing Sudan.”
The Foreign Minister called on the international community to take its legal and moral responsibilities seriously and decisively to put an end to these grave violations threatening Sudan’s security and stability, stressing that “the international community’s silence in the face of the UAE’s aggression and the crimes committed by the RSF constitutes a moral failure that cannot be ignored.”

Minister of Media’s Messages
Minister of Culture and Information Khalid Al-Ayser said, “This is a briefing from the Sudanese Ministry of Defense about the direct intervention of some countries in the war against Sudan and its people, and this is certainly a serious development. These countries have provided the militia with drones and trained them to use both suicide and strategic drones. This is a very significant development in the course of the war being waged by this rebellious militia against the Sudanese people.”
He added, “With this, the war has taken a new turn with the appearance of new strategic weapons launched from platforms in a neighbouring country, namely Chad. As clarified in this statement, we have irrefutable evidence showing the UAE’s involvement in this war, a war in which the Sudanese people are being killed and which is destroying Sudan’s infrastructure. This is a dangerous and very serious development.”
Al-Ayser also mentioned the diplomatic efforts of the Sudanese government to submit complaints supported by evidence.
He confirmed, “We, in the Sudanese government, consider this to be direct aggression from the UAE and Chad against Sudan and its people. We hold these two countries responsible for any hostile actions carried out by this militia against the Sudanese people, the infrastructure, and the symbols and leaders of the state. The UAE provided military logistical support, and Chad has become a platform for external aggression. This is no longer an internal war by a rebellious group, but a war being waged by states.”

Messages to the Media
The Minister of Culture and Information called on media outlets to respect professionalism and objectivity when covering issues in Sudan. He said, “We want all Sudanese in these media institutions to support their country and their people because this war is against the state’s existence, its sovereignty, and its independence. It is absolutely unacceptable for any Sudanese person, wherever they are, to pass on media agendas that undermine the state and dismantle its infrastructure.”
He concluded, “We call on them to cooperate with us on professional grounds, and we reaffirm for the second time that we will provide them with all the assistance they require. However, anyone who violates journalistic objectivity will not have a place in Sudan. If we decide to close any media institution in Sudan that violates journalistic values, its office in Khartoum or Port Sudan will be closed permanently until we leave this ministry.”