Sudan turns down US request for talks to host expelled Gazans
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Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland said they have not received any proposal from the United States or "Israel" to take in Palestinians expelled from Gaza.
Sudanese authorities said they have rejected the US proposal to discuss taking in Palestinians from Gaza as part of Donald Trump's desire to ethnically cleanse the area.
According to an Associated Press report, the US and "Israel" contacted officials in Sudan, Somalia, and Somaliland about "resettling" Palestinians uprooted from Gaza.
Two Sudanese officials confirmed to the Associated Press that the Trump administration had approached the military-led government about taking in Palestinians.
One said the contacts began even before Trump’s inauguration with offers of military assistance in the army’s fight against the RSF, assistance with postwar reconstruction, and other incentives. Both officials said the Sudanese government rejected the idea. “This suggestion was immediately rebuffed,” said one official. “No one opened this matter again.”
The US and "Israel" have engaged with officials from three East African governments regarding the possibility of using their territories to "resettle" Palestinians forcibly displaced from the Gaza Strip under US President Donald Trump’s proposed plan, AP reported earlier, citing American and Israeli officials.
Talks have reportedly taken place with Sudan, Somalia, and the self-declared independent region of Somaliland, highlighting Washington and Tel Aviv’s push to advance a plan that has faced widespread condemnation and raised significant legal and ethical concerns.
While Sudanese officials said they rejected the US outreach, Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland revealed that they have not received any proposal from the United States or "Israel" to take in Palestinians expelled from Gaza, their foreign ministers said on Friday, adding that they were “not aware of any contacts."
Somalia's Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said his country would categorically reject "any proposal or initiative, from any party, that would undermine the Palestinian people’s right to live peacefully on their ancestral land."
He told Reuters that Somalia's government had not received any such proposal, adding that Mogadishu was against any plan that would involve the use of Somali territory for the resettlement of other populations.
On his part, Abdirahman Dahir Adan, Somaliland's foreign minister, told Reuters that "there are no talks with anyone regarding Palestinians."
How it started
Initially, Egypt and Jordan were proposed as destinations for displaced Palestinians, but both strongly rejected the idea. Arab governments have proposed an alternative multibillion-dollar rehabilitation plan that would keep the Palestinians in place, but according to the White House, Trump "stands by his vision."
Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a secret diplomatic endeavor, US and Israeli officials told the AP about interactions with Somalia and the breakaway Somaliland region. They stated it was unclear how far the attempts had progressed or at what level the conversations were held.
International legal experts have informed The Guardian that, given the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, such expulsion could be unlawful and potentially constitute a war crime.
US officials, seemingly aware that few Palestinians would want to relocate to such a precarious situation, attempted to sweeten any deal by offering a variety of incentives to Sudan's government, including assistance to the army in its fight against the RSF, which is supported by the United Arab Emirates, a significant US ally accused of war crimes.
Sudan had previously stated that it would reject any attempt to transfer Palestinians in a country dealing with the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophe. Sudan's army chief and de facto ruler, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, told a Cairo conference last week that his country "categorically rejects" any attempt to expel "the brotherly Palestinians from their land under whatever justification or name".
An American official confirmed that the US is in quiet talks with Somaliland about potential support in exchange for recognition. However, Somaliland officials stated they had not been approached regarding taking in Palestinians. Somalia, a strong supporter of Palestinians, also denied any discussions about "resettling" Palestinians.
