Chad Denies Interference in Sudanese Conflict

The minister Chadian minister of foreign affairs stressed that position of his country on the conflict in Sudan is the same as it was before the outbreak of fighting, and pointed out that the internal dispute did not affect the recognition of Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan as head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council and Hemedt (head of Rapid Support Force) as his deputy.

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Chad's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohamed Salih Nazif, denied accusations about his country's support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

He explained that Chad tried to mediate between Generals Burhan and Hemedti before the outbreak of war.

He said that Chad was determined to come to Khartoum to mediate in the crisis, but war broke out on April 15, 2023.

The Chadian minister confirmed in an interview on Al Jazeera Live on Tuesday that the accusations made by Sudanese officials were not transmitted to him in an official and direct manner.

The Chadian Foreign Minister said that he would dare Sudanese officials to provide any evidence confirming Chad's involvement in the fighting in Sudan. He regrets the accusations “that come without evidence” and that contribute to distorting the image of Chad.

He pointed out that Chad's position on the conflict is the same as it was before the outbreak of fighting, pointing out that the internal dispute did not affect the recognition of Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan as head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council and Hemedti (head of RSF) as his deputy.

The minister stated that Chad has asked the Sudanese parties since the outbreak of the war not to transfer the war to the Chadian border, noting that Sudan and Chad share 1,300 kilometers of common border, in addition to the presence of 30 common ethnic groups.

Saleh accused Sudanese parties, whom he did not name, of supporting Chadian armed movements in Port Sudan and trying to change the regime in Chad.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out that Chad is the only country that has received about one million Sudanese refugees, which has affected the course of life in Chad in terms of the stability of schools, hospitals and other institutions. He said: “We were waiting for thanks, but now we find accusations.”

Saleh expressed his country's strong readiness to host direct negotiations between the armed forces and the RSF.

The Foreign Minister stressed that Chad does not believe in the effectiveness of the military solution, pointing to Chad's experience of 20 years of fighting that ended in dialogue.

Al-Nadif revealed a meeting he held recently with several Sudanese parties in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, including Hemedti, Hamdok, and former Foreign Minister Ali Al-Sadiq.

Saleh confirmed that Chad did not receive any significant financial compensation from an Arab country to open its airports to support the RSF.

It is noteworthy that a member of the Sovereign Council, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, had explicitly accused the State of Chad of using its airports to supply weapons to the RSF, through the support of the United Arab Emirates.