Egypt Struck Arms Shipment Bound To UAE Allies In Sudan

Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Amy Abbott)

The Egyptian Air Forces carried out strikes against an arms shipment bound to the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the border triangle between Egypt, Sudan and Libya, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on January 12.

An Egyptian official told the London-based Arab news outlet that the strike took place on January 9, two days before a visit to Cairo by Saddam Haftar, a senior commander in the Libyan National Army (LNA).

During the visit, which was his second to Cairo within a month, Saddam Haftar met Egypt’s defense minister, Abdel-Magid Saqr, to discuss military cooperation and regional developments, according to the official, who revealed that Cairo had previously warned LNA leader Khalifa Haftar, the father of Saddam, against providing support to the RSF.

The official added that this was not the first time Egypt has struck targets linked to the RSF, noting that Egyptian strikes targeted the Sudanese side of the border triangle in June.

The border triangle, also known as the “Uwaynat Triangle,” is a remote and vast desert area located southeast of the city of Kufra in southeastern Libya

A separate report released by Italy’s Agencia Nova news agency said that the latest strikes hit a large military convoy including dozens of vehicles loaded with fuel, weapons, and military equipment in the border triangle, causing significant losses.

The RSF, which is backed by the United Arab Emirates, has been engaged in a power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), allied to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and others, for close to three years now.

The Uwaynat Triangle has witnessed escalating tensions since the RSF took control of it last year. The paramilitary group began to move weapons from Libya through the region, causing a backlash from the SAF and its backers, with the UAE getting much blame.

Egypt and the UAE are generally considered to be close allies, and both are known to be backers of the LNA in Libya. Still, the latest Egyptian strikes appear to be a part of wider regional efforts, led by Saudi Arabia, to quell Emirate influence.

The capture of the city of El Fasher in western Sudan by the RSF in October, which reportedly saw tens of thousands of civilians getting killed by the group, caused a serious rift between the allies of the SAF and the UAE, with Saudi Arabia even requesting the diplomatic intervention of the United States to bring the war in the country to an end.

In December, tensions moved to Yemen, with Saudi Arabia expelling UAE forces from the country, and later completely dismantling its allies there.

Notably, the latest Egyptian strikes came just a few days before Somalia annulled all security and defense agreements with the UAE citing alleged breaches of the country’s sovereignty, national unity, and political independence. The UAE has been accused of backing the breakaway region of Somaliland in the north of the country, which was very recently recognized by Israel.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

NOW hosted at southfront.press

Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.

The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com

SOUTHFRONT.PRESS

MORE ON THIS TOPIC: