On Wednesday, Sudanese sources reported that Dr. Moaz Tango, the head of Sudan’s National Border Commission, have been detained by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities. Dr. Tango is also among the members of the Sudanese delegation, which was in Abu Dhabi, to attend official talks held in the city to mediate the border issue between Sudan and Ethiopia.
According to allegations, the UAE authorities stated that Dr. Tango tested positive for COVID-19, and for this reason, he should be in isolation and could not take part in negotiations. However, the Sudanese delegation claimed that Dr. Tango had been tested twice and received negative results when he was in the Sudanese Embassy. The sources familiar with the matter also claimed that the UAE officials did not allow Dr. Tango to leave the country after the round of negotiations ended. According to the sources, Dr. Tango is still held there.
Dr. Moaz Tango is well-known as the leading figure in the delegation. For this reason, preventing Dr. Tango from participating in the negotiations caused the Sudanese officials to suspect that the UAE has a secret agenda with Ethiopia. According to another source, on the other hand, Tango’s family rejected the allegations that he was detained in Abu Dhabi. The family said that Tango is still in Abu Dhabi because he wanted to rest.
The Sudanese authorities have not yet issued any comments. After the first round of negotiations ended, the Sudanese delegation, comprised of Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Sadiq, Minister of Defence Lieutenant General Yassin Ibrahim, Minister of Justice Nasreddin Abdel Bari, and Deputy Director of the Intelligence Service, Lieutenant General Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal, returned back to the country.
Meanwhile, Sudanese social media activists launched a campaign, demanding inquiry about the situation of Dr. Tango.
