What is Saudi Crown Prince’s plan for Sudan?

Monitoring Desk

KHARTOUM: Mohammad Dahlan, who is known as UAE Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed’s chief hitman in the Middle East, has made a secret visit to Sudan, which is currently plagued by internal conflict.

The former security chief for the Palestinian Authority who is also known as the “hitman” of the Middle East, was the main mediator between the UAE government and an assassination squad in Yemen. He was accompanied by high-level Arab authorities consisting of Saudi Crown Prince Moha-mmad bin Salman’s brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who is Riyadh’s deputy defense minister, and Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Anwar Gargash, reported al-Quds al-Arabi, a London based Arabic-language newspaper.

Stability in Sudan is crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya. Various powers, including Russia and the Gulf Arab states, are trying to influence its path.

The report, citing unidentified Sudanese sources, specified that the delegation were only in Sudan for a few hours on Friday to meet with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the country’s Transitional Military Council. The trio, who arrived from Abu Dhabi, immediately departed for Saudi Arabia following the meeting’s end. On April 11, the Sudanese army announced the “removal” of President Omar al-Bashir following months of popular protest against his 30-year rule. The MTC is now overseeing a two-year “transitional period” during which it has pledged to hold free presidential elections.

Demonstrators, however, have remained on the streets to demand that the military council hand over power — at the earliest possible date — to a civilian authority. Saudi Arabia and the UAE in April said they had agreed to send Sudan $3 billion worth of aid, throwing a lifeline to the country’s new military leaders after protests led to the ousting of president Omar al-Bashir, however activists have condemned the interference of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt at demonstrations.