Emirates Red Crescent Under International Investigation for Suspected Terror Funding

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has announced that an international investigation is underway into the Emirates Red Crescent for allegedly financing terrorism and using its operations as a cover to arm the Rapid Support Forces militias in Sudan.

According to a report by the New York Times, Hemedti’s forces have been using the Emirates Red Crescent to smuggle weapons from the Chadian city of Am Jaras into Sudan.

Alexandra Sasa Jurisic, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, emphasized that the Emirates Red Crescent operates independently from the Chadian Red Crescent in Chad, a breach of the Federation’s standard practices.

Jurisic further noted that the International Federation dispatched two fact-finding missions to look into the activities of the Emirates Red Crescent, but the organization failed to provide “any responses” to their inquiries.

This development follows US officials informing Sudan’s army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, that they intend to pressure the UAE to halt the supply of weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rebels. The RSF has been accused of committing genocide amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan.

When asked after a press conference at the Sudanese mission in New York if the US was applying enough pressure on the UAE to stop the arms flow to the RSF, Burhan responded: “They promised me they would.”

During his brief appearance at the UN General Assembly last week, Burhan sought international backing to defeat the RSF. The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023, with both sides refusing to agree to a ceasefire.

In his speech at the assembly, Burhan questioned, “Why has the international community failed to take decisive or punitive action against this group and its supporters, despite the crimes against humanity and war crimes we have witnessed, and their disregard for Security Council resolutions and those of regional organizations?”

Burhan asserted that the RSF should be officially recognized as a terrorist organization. “We need to call the RSF what they are. They have rebelled against the state, committed acts of terrorism, and should be labeled as such here at the United Nations,” he stated.

The ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan (Hemedti), has resulted in the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis.

This conflict has also triggered the largest hunger crisis globally, with around 26 million people suffering from “high levels of acute hunger” and over 10 million displaced since the war began in April 2023—half of them children, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In July, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) accused the RSF and its supporters of committing “acts of genocide.”

Humanitarian aid organizations in Sudan are still struggling to reach those in desperate need due to numerous challenges. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stated that the intensity of the conflict is severely hindering aid delivery efforts.

Mercy Corps, a global relief agency, added that beyond the difficulties caused by the fighting itself, “deliberate bureaucratic and administrative hurdles imposed by all parties in the conflict” are also blocking essential supplies from entering Sudan.

Experts and diplomats have highlighted that the UAE’s support for the RSF has been crucial to the group’s military advances.

Confidential documents reviewed by PassBlue in June revealed that the RSF has used weapons, communication devices, armored vehicles, and intelligence provided by the UAE in their battle against the Sudanese Armed Forces.

A Sudanese military airstrike on the RSF-controlled Nyala airport in southwestern Sudan on Tuesday resulted in the deaths of four Emirati soldiers, though the UAE continues to deny any support for the RSF.

Despite a UN Security Council arms embargo, Burhan’s forces reportedly source weapons primarily from China, Russia, and Turkey, according to Amnesty International, and there are also reports that the Sudanese military has sought arms from Iran.

During the high-level week at the UN General Assembly, world leaders alluded to the UAE’s involvement with the RSF, although the rising global power was not named directly. In his address, US President Joe Biden urged that “the world needs to stop arming the generals,” while UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that “external powers continue to interfere, without a unified approach to achieving peace.”

An EU spokesperson added, “We once again call on all third parties, especially regional countries providing weapons and funds to the warring parties, to halt their support immediately. All external actors must work together to find a peaceful solution and avoid further exacerbating this volatile situation.”