Sudanese troops will remain in Yemen: Al-Bashir

By Mohammed Amin</p> <p>KHARTOUM (AA) – Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Tuesday said he had no plans to withdraw his country’s forces from war-torn Yemen.</p> <p>Al-Bashir made the assertion two days after visiting Damascus and meeting with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad — becoming the first Arab head of state to do so since the Syria conflict erupted in 2011.</p> <p>“Our position [on Yemen] remains unchanged,” al-Bashir said in a statement. “We will continue exerting efforts to ensure the stability and security of the Arab region.”</p> <p>He added: “Our membership in the [Saudi-led] Arab coalition, which is aimed at securing Yemen’s legitimate government, is only one example in this regard.”</p> <p>Khartoum has never stated the number of Sudanese troops taking part in the coalition’s operations in Yemen.<br></p> <p>Al-Bashir also reaffirmed his support for a peaceful solution to Yemen’s years-long crisis, in which tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians are believed to have been killed.</p> <p>“We support all initiatives that seek a peaceful solution and an end to the Yemeni people’s suffering,” he said.</p> <p>According to some analysts, al-Bashir’s recent visit to Damascus suggests that Khartoum is distancing itself from the Saudi/UAE axis, which has long represented the leading proponent of regime change in Syria.