The Guardian: UAE’s Influence Deepens Sudan’s Civil Strife

The British newspaper The Guardian confirmed that the UAE is fueling the civil war in Sudan, and there will be no peace until the international community confronts Abu Dhabi’s aggressive role.

In an article by Hossam Mahjoub, the newspaper reported that the UAE is supplying weapons and support to one party in the conflict, yet British and American officials have steered clear of confronting this matter.

The war in Sudan has become one of the worst ongoing humanitarian crises in the world.

In just over a year of fighting between the SAF and the RSF, 6.8 million people have been internally displaced, 2 million have fled the country, and 24.8 million people, nearly half the population, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The newspaper emphasized that the UAE is the most heavily involved foreign participant in the conflict. It pointed out that the Rapid Support Forces would not have been able to conduct the war on the same scale without the UAE’s direct and extensive support.

Sudan is key to the UAE’s strategy in Africa and the Middle East, which aims to achieve political and economic dominance while limiting democratic aspirations. Since 2015, it has gotten fighters from both factions to join its conflict in Yemen.

Abu Dhabi is the main importer of Sudanese gold and has multi-billion dollar plans to develop ports along Sudan’s Red Sea coast.

By supporting Reporters without Borders in Sudan, the democratic transition following the ousting of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s dictator for 30 years, in 2019 was undermined.

At the onset of the conflict, it was allegedly noted that it had set up logistical channels to deliver arms to the RSF, utilizing its connections in Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Uganda, as well as the Haftar and Wagner militias.

The UAE funds these networks with weapons and supplies as humanitarian aid. In addition, RSF’s work, finance, logistics, and public relations operations are carried out from the UAE.

Injured fighters are reportedly being transported for medical care to a military hospital in Abu Dhabi. It’s been mentioned that Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the leader of the Rapid Support Forces, has traveled to several African nations aboard a plane owned by a company belonging to an Emirati royal prince and advisor to the president.

A UN report in January found that accusations of UAE military support for the support forces were credible. The UAE has denied this support, but several US lawmakers have said so publicly.

American and British officials have displayed a greater degree of caution, often directing attention toward the adverse contributions of external actors or allies who back the RSF.

However, the UAE was conspicuously vocal in refuting the allegations. In April of last year, it scrapped ministerial gatherings with the UK due to the latter’s failure to offer support during a UN assembly concerning Sudan.

Meanwhile, civilians are increasingly threatened by famine, disease, and conflict. Furthermore, the purported international community has taken minimal action to prevent this, with just 12% of the $2.7 billion aid requested for Sudan having been raised.

The pattern of targeting civilians, burning villages, committing mass murders, and sexual violence was witnessed in all areas that came under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.

Human Rights Watch has proved that the RSF was involved in genocide, crimes against humanity, extensive war crimes, and ethnic cleansing.

Sudanese forces also engaged in their war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the arbitrary arrest, torture, and killing of civilians.

The United States has formally concluded that both Sudanese forces and the Rapid Support Forces were responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.

Last week saw an increase in the conflict for dominance over El Fasher, the final bastion of the Sudan Armed Forces in the western Darfur region.

Hundreds of thousands of individuals have sought sanctuary there, escaping atrocities perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces in other areas of Darfur, a region twice the size of the United Kingdom. The outcome of the El Fasher conflict could significantly affect the entire region.

The RSF’s victory gave it effective control over most of the states west of the Nile River, which represents more than half of Sudan’s area, population, and resources.

As reported by the Guardian, the outlook for peace in Sudan seems dim. The primary endeavor to attain peace is evident through the Jeddah Platform: a series of negotiations facilitated by the United States and Saudi Arabia, initiated shortly after the commencement of the conflict.

Nevertheless, the Army and Rapid Support Forces have continuously fallen short of fulfilling the obligations outlined in the May 2023 Declaration, which aimed to safeguard civilians and uphold international humanitarian law.

They also did not respect numerous ceasefire agreements, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, or confidence-building measures, such as evacuating civilian homes occupied by RSF fighters.

Tom Perriello, the US special envoy to Sudan, suggests revitalizing the Jeddah Platform, with a focus on fostering and aligning political determination within the region to secure a peace agreement and engaging the support of prominent African and Arab leaders in the negotiations.

However, Sudan has a track record of prolonged conflicts and never-ending peace negotiations, and the Jeddah initiative runs the risk of becoming another addition to its catalog of “too many disregarded agreements” unless the international community shifts away from its unsuccessful approach and advocates for peace agreements that prevent the recurrence of violence and oppression.

The Guardian emphasized the necessity of holding accountable the leaders of both the Sudanese Air Force and the Support Forces for their multitude of crimes against the Sudanese populace. It asserted that they should not be granted further rewards by being included in any resolution aimed at ending the conflict.

Above all, the global community must address the detrimental involvement of the UAE in the conflict, which it has pursued without facing consequences, utilizing its alliances with Western nations and Russia. Failure to do so could result in Sudan spiraling into a state of perpetual warfare.