UAE-mediation efforts lead to release of Egyptian soldiers held in Sudan: Statement

The United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday that it had successfully mediated the release of several Egyptian soldiers that were held by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), state news agency (WAM) reported.

The soldiers were handed over to the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum as part of the Emirati mediation efforts and in coordination with Egypt, the WAM statement said. Both countries, it added, hailed efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross to ensure the safety of the soldiers.

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The RSF said it had detained 27 Egyptian air force personnel after storming Merowe air base in northern Sudan on Saturday. Earlier on Thursday, the RSF said that it had handed over the 27 Egyptian soldiers in its custody to the ICRC.

The announcements come as the Egyptian army said on Thursday that several of its remaining soldiers safely arrived at the embassy pending their evacuation from Sudan.

The army added that the move was done in coordination with “the relevant Sudanese authorities, friendly and brotherly countries and the International Committee of the Red Cross.”

The Egyptian army also said that three flights carrying other soldiers had arrived at a Cairo airbase from Sudan the previous day, confirming an earlier statement by the Sudanese Armed Forces on the return of the troops to Egypt.

With Reuters

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