Sudan rejects claims of supporting armed groups in Libya

Claims made by a Libyan military spokesman that Sudan, in collusion with Qatar, has been supporting armed opposition groups, including the militant group Daesh, are “lies and fabrications”, the Sudanese foreign ministry said.

In a statement released prior to yesterday’s press conference by Colonel Ahmed Al-Mismari held in the Egyptian capital Cairo, Sudan’s foreign ministry said Al-Mismari’s claims included “clear mistakes in the names and titles of Sudanese officials” and exposed the ignorance of those making such claims.

Speaking to media outlets, Al-Mismari repeated the allegations made in an interview with the “Cairo Time” television programme in which he produced a 30-page document allegedly written in 2014 by Sudan’s Armed Forces detailing its involvement in the supply of weapons and support for militant groups.

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The Colonel accused the Sudanese of coordinating and cooperating with Qatari leaders to carry out “terror” operations in Libya. He also claimed that the arms were manufactured in Iranian and Qatari ammunitions factories that he were present in Sudan.

Al-Mismari revealed that the 30-page document implicating the Sudan government and armed forces was obtained by the Libyan command and control intelligence services. The document is alleged to contain recorded minutes of meetings of ministers and military and security leaders in the presence of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir.

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Al-Mismari is spokesman for the Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar who leads a rival Libyan government in the east of the worn-torn country. His statement has been widely seen as an effort to discredit Sudan’s neutral stance and side with Egypt and the three GCC states in their dispute with Qatar.