Full details regarding the suspension of flights between the UAE and Port Sudan

On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) abruptly suspended flights between the country’s cities and airports and Port Sudan, causing significant disruption to flight schedules.

The aforementioned decision naturally invoked numerous questions in Sudanese circles, and activists took to discussing the real reasons behind the closure of airspace to the de facto authority in Port Sudan.

Journalist Mujahid Bushra wrote on his Facebook account, “Why did the (UAE) suspend flights from Port Sudan Airport? And what are the reasons behind the Sovereign decision that the Islamist (Kizani) media chose to ignore.!”

He explained, “The Sudanese were surprised today by the UAE’s announcement to suspend all flights from Port Sudan Airport,” adding: “As per usual, the media loyal to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the remnants of the ousted regime rushed to promote flimsy explanations devoid of any logic, deliberately ignoring the complex and dangerous reality surrounding an airport that has lost all Sovereign standards or peace criteria.”

The journalist continued, “Nevertheless, facts aren’t subject to speculation.” He clarified that the (UAE) didn’t issue the decision to close the airspace in vain, but rather in response to a declaration of war. He pointed out that on more than one occasion, Port Sudan authorities have described the (UAE) as an “Enemy State,” and military leaders, the most prominent of whom is Yasser Al-Atta, have previously threatened to bring the war into Emirati territory.

According to Bushra, “No sane person could expect the (UAE) to allow the arrival of aircraft from an airport controlled by a military coalition that cooperates with Iran and maintains active relations with the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) without considering it a direct threat to Emirati national security.”

He pointed out that Port Sudan Airport has become a gateway for smuggling and weapons, sharing that the airport isn’t subject to any independent civilian oversight, but is controlled by elements of the terrorist Islamic Movement regime, and its armed wing, the “Sudanese Army,” utilizing it as a corridor for military operations and suspicious arms deals.

Bushra added that the (IRGC) aircraft openly land at Port Sudan Airport, explaining, “This alone is enough to classify the airport as a high-risk security facility, not a civilian airport.”

The journalist emphasized the near-total absence of safety measures and that the (UAE) isn’t the first country to lose confidence in Port Sudan Airport. He pointed out that in (October 2023), Egypt imposed additional inspections on Sudanese passengers’ luggage on the same runway after they passed the inspection gates, an incident documented by journalists. He noted that Port Sudan Airport has witnessed hundreds of reports of theft, extortion, and smuggling.

According to Mujahid, Security personnel deployed at the airport fail to enforce safety procedures and instead practice extortion of passengers, stealing their luggage, participating in smuggling operations, and targeting Sudanese based on their appearance and ethnicity in accordance with the “Strange Faces Law.” He went on to state that Sudan’s military and civilian airports are part of a drug network, clarifying that the aforementioned is not just a rumor, but a fact documented by the prosecution and courts.

Furthermore, Mujahid confirmed that Sudan’s airports, including military ones, were used to smuggle massive drug shipments, and that one of the most prominent known perpetrators is Lt. Gen. Mirghani Idris, head of the Sudanese Army’s defense industries department, who is also wanted by international justice.

He pointed to international warnings against using Port Sudan Airport, stating that four major countries have issued clear official warnings against using Port Sudan Airport: theUnited States (Level 4 – Do Not Travel); “The situation in Sudan is dangerous and Port Sudan Airport is unsafe.” The United Kingdom (Do not travel to any part of Sudan); “The airport is vulnerable to attacks and sudden closures.” Canada (Do not travel at all); “Exiting through the airport is possible but risky.” Australia (Do not travel at all); “The airport is vulnerable to attacks and is not reliable in terms of security.”

According to Bushra, the bottom line regarding the UAE’s decision to suspend flights from Port Sudan isn’t a political decision against Sudanese citizens. As there are hundreds of thousands of them in the UAE, and they are being treated with the best possible care, contrary to what the media of the remnants of the ousted regime and the “Blabsa” tried to portray. Rather, it is a rational, Sovereign decision to protect its internal security from clear and declared threats. 

In conclusion, he explained that Port Sudan Airport today is no longer a civilian facility, but rather an unregulated military crossing controlled by an Islamist militia linked to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard, where gangs from the Security Services engage in theft, smuggling, and extortion. He added that its natural, and even perhaps necessary, for any responsible country to refuse to receive flights coming from this hellhole. Most importantly, don’t allow those who profit from the ongoing war become your source of information.