PORT SUDAN, Nov. 4 (AGCNewsNet) - Sudan has cancelled a $6 billion agreement with the United Arab Emirates to develop a strategic port on the Red Sea, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim announced Sunday, accusing the UAE of providing support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the country's current conflict.

The deal, originally signed in December 2022, involved Abu Dhabi Ports and Invictus Investment, a firm managed by Sudanese businessman Osama Daoud, to build and operate the Abu Amama port, located approximately 200 km (124 miles) north of Port Sudan. The investment package included a free trade zone, an agricultural project, and a $300 million deposit to Sudan's central bank.

"After what happened, we will not give the UAE a single centimeter on the Red Sea coast," Ibrahim said at a news conference in Port Sudan, referring to reports that the UAE has supported the RSF, which has been clashing with the Sudanese army since April 15.

Ibrahim, who also leads the Justice and Equality Movement, denied rumors of his resignation as finance minister, which had been speculated due to the recent dismissal of the head of the tax authority. “We are still in our position, but we have reservations about the signals from our executive body,” he said. “Reservations are not managed by resignations.”

The scrapped Red Sea project underscores mounting tensions between Sudan's government and external entities amid its ongoing internal strife, highlighting the broader challenges faced in securing investment while the conflict remains unresolved.