Sudanese allege relatives lured to Libya, Yemen conflict zones

KHARTOUM: Dozens of Sudanese protested Tuesday in Khartoum, alleging that their relatives had been recruited by a UAE firm as security guards but were despatched to war-zones in Libya and Yemen.

Men and women carrying banners that read "Our sons are nor for sale" and "Bring back our sons" demonstrated outside Sudan´s foreign ministry in central Khartoum. Several demonstrators AFP spoke to said their relatives had been given United Arab Emirates visas by travel agencies following advertisements in local newspapers for Sudanese men to work as security guards for a UAE firm called Black Shield. "My brother travelled to UAE on August 20 but six days ago we lost contact with him," said Salma Mohamed, one of the demonstrators. "We saw on social media that he and others had been taken to Libya or Yemen. We have no information, we want him to return."

Another demonstrator, Imad Osman, was giving out sweets to fellow protesters after he was told that his son was returning from Libya. "My son travelled in September to UAE but 10 days ago we lost contact with him," Osman said. "Today he informed me that he and some others were brought back from Ras Lanuf in Libya to Abu Dhabi." The United Nations said in a December report that five Sudanese and four Chadian armed groups had contributed thousands of combatants to fight in Libya.