Washington Issues Formal Protest Against UAE’s Backing of Sudan’s Civil War
The United States has officially lodged a protest against the UAE for backing the Sudanese civil war and contributing to the country’s instability through its support of the Rapid Support Forces militia.
According to The New York Times, the UAE has repurposed a Red Crescent hospital into a military base to aid the Rapid Support Forces in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Additionally, the UAE has transformed an airport, allegedly serving the hospital in Amdjaras, Chad, into a base for deploying Chinese-made armed drones used by the militia for reconnaissance and targeting enemy positions.
The report also revealed that the UAE has established a drone control system and constructed drone hangars near the hospital.
Last year, U.S. officials discovered that a $20 million hospital built by the UAE in Chad was being used to transport weapons to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces.
Although they have raised concerns with the UAE since then, their ability to influence its actions has remained limited, as noted by The New York Times.
In May, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, referenced U.S. intelligence on the UAE’s activities during a conversation with his Emirati counterpart.
Sullivan’s call came after U.S. Vice President Harris revealed that the U.S. had raised objections to the UAE’s arms smuggling to Sudan during a December meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The New York Times reported that the Emirati leader gave what seemed like an “implicit acknowledgment” by explaining that the UAE owed a debt to Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, for sending mercenaries who fought for the UAE in Yemen. He also told Harris that he viewed Dagalo as a safeguard against Islamist movements in the region.
Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces are currently fighting a proxy war against the Sudanese military, with both U.S. allies and adversaries getting involved.
Unlike earlier regional conflicts, such as those after the 2011 Arab Spring, the war in Sudan is more complex, with key U.S. allies now clashing on opposite sides.
The New York Times reports that the Houthis in Yemen, at Iran’s request, have supplied arms to the Sudanese army, while gas-rich Qatar has provided six Chinese warplanes. Egypt has also backed the army, led by Chief of Staff Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Sudan has turned into a proxy battlefield between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. According to the New York Times, Saudi Arabia has been financing Burhan’s army to purchase Iranian drones. While Russia initially backed the Rapid Support Forces, officials indicate that it has shifted its support to the Sudanese army.
Despite this, the UAE’s backing of Sudan seems to have had the most significant impact on the ground. The report highlights a diplomatic note from the European Union’s ambassador to Sudan, Aidan O’Hara, who noted in a confidential memo, obtained by the New York Times, that the “UAE’s supply of drones, howitzers, multiple rocket launchers, and portable air defense systems… has enabled [the Rapid Support Forces] to neutralize the Sudanese army’s air superiority,” as he wrote in February.
In a joint statement issued on Monday after their meeting at the White House, Biden and Mohammed bin Zayed stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan and affirmed their “firm and steadfast position” to achieve a “permanent cessation of hostilities” in the war, the White House said in a statement.
