Sudan's prime minister said on Sunday Khartoum had reduced the number of troops it has in Yemen from 15,000 to 5,000, confirming a drawdown in a conflict which he said could not be solved militarily.

Abdalla Hamdok, who heads a transitional government formed in September under a power-sharing deal with the military after it ousted former leader Omar al-Bashir, gave details of troop levels in public for the first time on his return from talks in Washington.

Sudanese troops have been deployed as part of a Saudi-led alliance that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthi rebels that control the capital, Sanaa.

"Regarding Yemen, we said that there is no military solution and there must be a political solution," said Hamdok.

There had been speculation that Sudan would reduce its troop numbers since the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said in June it had scaled down its military presence in Yemen, and later withdrew troops from the southern port of Aden.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine.

Hamdok said there had been no discussions during his visit to Washington about withdrawing Sudanese forces from Yemen.

During the visit, he said he had held successful talks with U.S. officials on Sudan's removal from the U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list, a step that would allow Khartoum to access badly needed financial support from international lenders.

During his five-day visit, Sudan and the United States agreed to exchange ambassadors for the first time in 23 years.

Hamdok said he had also held talks with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank over Sudan's foreign debt of nearly 60 billion U.S. dollars.

(With input from Reuters)