LONDON: An Emirati prince is seeking asylum in Qatar after fleeing the UAEsaying he feared for his life because of a dispute with the rulers ofoil-rich Abu Dhabi, the *New York Times* reported on Sunday.
Sheikh Rashid bin Hamad al-Sharqi, 31, is the second son of the emir ofFujairah, one of the seven monarchies making up the United Arab Emirates.
He arrived in Doha on May 16, the report said.
Abu Dhabi is the capital and richest emirate of the UAE.Speaking to the* New York Times,* Sheikh Rashid accused Emirati rulers ofblackmail and money laundering but did not offer evidence to back up hisclaims.
He also spoke of tensions within Emirati elites over the UAE’s commitmentof troops in the war in Yemen.
Sheikh Rashid said there had been more UAE war deaths than the 100 thathave been reported publicly and said “there have been more deaths fromFujairah than anywhere else”.
An Emirati official contacted by *AFP* declined to comment, but UAEminister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash made a veiled reference onTwitter to “conspiracy against this or that ruling family by those who lackcourage and instead resort to leaks and interviews”.
Along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates cutall ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of supporting Islamistgroups and being too close to Gulf archrival Iran.Qatar, the world’s largest exporter of liquified natural gas, denies theaccusations.
The* New York Times* report said that Sheikh Rashid appeared to be thefirst time in the UAE’s nearly 47-year history that a member of one of itsseven royal families had publicly criticised its rulers. – APP/AFP