Emirati-Backed Crimes Fueling Tribal Conflict in Sudan
Sudanese sources have revealed the documentation of organized crimes supported by the UAE to incite tribal strife, ethnic cleansing, and division in Sudan as part of Abu Dhabi’s malicious schemes to gain influence and expand.
Sudanese thinker Taj Al-Sir Osman stated that hundreds of crimes have been documented by a specialized team, emphasizing, “What caught our attention was not the killing for control, which is understandable in war, but rather the organized crimes with clear Emirati support.”
Osman mentioned that these Emirati-backed organized crimes “aim to incite tribal strife, ethnic cleansing, and division, undermining the ethics of war, driving Sudan to a point of no return,” asking, “Where does the UAE want to go?”
The Wall Street Journal confirmed that the UAE is spreading destruction and conflict in Sudan by funding the recruitment of mercenaries, gradually turning the conflict into an international war.
Le Monde reported that the UAE has undermined the establishment of a democratic alternative in Sudan, instead feeding the civil war as part of Abu Dhabi’s plots to gain influence and expand.
The newspaper published a report highlighting the humanitarian disaster in Sudan, which requires a political agreement, including civilian forces, rather than being limited to the warring factions who have been fighting each other since April 2023.
It noted that the Sudanese people gave a lesson in democracy to the world when they overthrew dictator Omar al-Bashir through a peaceful uprising in April 2019, ending his 30-year rule.
The newspaper mentioned that the democratic transition stopped in October 2021 due to a coup led by Generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces.
Due to their ambitions and conflicting interests, Burhan and Dagalo have been engaged in fierce fighting since April 2023, starting in the capital Khartoum and gradually spreading across the country, leaving tens of thousands of civilian casualties, particularly in Darfur, where the advance of the Rapid Support Forces – which originated from the militias responsible for the 2003 genocide – was accompanied by massacres against non-Arab populations.
According to the newspaper, despite Sudan’s suffering, it does not receive widespread international attention, except from powers opposing the establishment of a democratic alternative in Khartoum, primarily the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
The Guardian reported that the UAE is the largest player fueling Sudan’s ongoing civil war since April 2023, which is nearing its second year.
The newspaper emphasized that such a war in a poor country like Sudan cannot continue at this intensity based solely on local players’ weapons and financial resources.
It warned, “Wars in such countries persist because external actors fund them, while others turn a blind eye. The UAE is the largest player in the Sudan war.”
It stated that the UAE “has a pattern of playing kingmaker in African wars, betting that if its chosen partner wins, Abu Dhabi will gain access to vast resources and geopolitical power.”
It added, “To achieve this, the UAE supplies the Rapid Support Forces with powerful weapons, drones, and even medical aid for their fighters. The country has also become the main recipient of ‘blood gold,’ smuggled by both the army and Rapid Support Forces in exchange for weapons and money.”
