By Bahram Abdel-Moneim
KHARTOUM (AA) - Sudan’s Defense Ministry on Wednesday said it was “assessing” its ongoing participation in a Saudi-led military coalition cobbled together in 2015 to fight Yemen’s Houthi militia group.
“We are considering different aspects of our participation [in ongoing military operations in Yemen] and evaluating them before deciding on the next step,” Sudanese Defense Minister Ali Mohamed Salem told members of parliament on Wednesday.
“Ultimately, we will do whatever is in the best interest of our country’s security, while simultaneously fulfilling our regional and international obligations,” he added.
Sudan has never publicly stated the number of its troops currently serving in Yemen. It has indicated in the past, however, its readiness to send as many as 6,000 soldiers to the war-torn country.
In recent days, Sudanese opposition MPs have stepped up calls to withdraw all Sudanese military forces from Yemen.
Notably, on Apr. 7, Houthi spokesmen announced that several Sudanese soldiers had been killed in clashes with Houthi fighters near the city of Midi in Yemen’s northwestern Hajjah province.
The assertion, however, was never confirmed by either the Saudi-led coalition, Khartoum or the Yemeni government.
Yemen has been racked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy force -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the conflict, in which more than 10,000 people have been killed, according to UN figures.