Exposed: UAE’s Covert Role in Sudan’s Civil War – Profiting from Conflict
The UAE has been deeply involved in exacerbating the civil war in Sudan, simultaneously reaping benefits from the conflict and engaging in a covert operation focused on gold smuggling and exploiting the country’s resources.
According to an article in Foreign Affairs, while the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias carry out acts of genocide against Sudanese civilians, Abu Dhabi is supplying these militias with weapons.
Additionally, unethical companies are smuggling Sudanese gold into UAE markets, further fueling the conflict.
The magazine highlights that the UAE has been able to carry out these large-scale criminal activities in Sudan without facing consequences, largely due to its substantial oil wealth and its strategic importance in countering Iran.
The magazine noted that Western leaders are reluctant to apply substantial pressure on Abu Dhabi due to its involvement in escalating the Sudanese crisis, which complicates efforts by external actors to compel the UAE to alter its actions.
In a detailed analysis, the magazine examined how international pressure could be effective in curbing genocidal violence by targeting the UAE directly. The analysis suggests that even if the United States and its allies do not pursue aggressive measures, such as broad sanctions or new peacekeeping initiatives in Darfur, there are alternative means to influence Emirati leadership.
These include leveraging the UAE’s trade in conflict-financed gold, its investments in sports teams and leagues, its procurement of American weaponry, and its use of lobbyists in Washington.
If Abu Dhabi faces enough pressure, it may conclude that its support for the RSF is more trouble than it is worth.
The War on Gold
Gold is a major factor driving the conflict, with the RSF heavily involved in its trade. Both sides have engaged in smuggling and selling substantial quantities of gold to sustain their war efforts, with the UAE currently benefiting from this trade.
Although statistics for 2023 are not yet available, the UAE imported 39 tons of gold from Sudan in 2022, valued at over $2 billion. Shipments of Sudanese gold to the UAE are ongoing.
Additionally, while some gold is smuggled to neighboring countries like Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda, the bulk ultimately ends up in the UAE market.
According to United Nations trade data, 60 tons of gold arrived in the UAE in 2022. A May advisory report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the UAE sources “all” of its gold from Sudan.
The UAE is regarded as a global hub for gold laundering and is the largest destination for gold smuggled from Africa. A report by the Swiss non-governmental organization “Swiss Aid” disclosed that 405 tons of gold were smuggled from desert countries to the UAE in 2022, positioning the UAE as the leading importer of illicit African gold for that year.
Industry experts note that large quantities of smuggled gold, which were undeclared in their countries of origin, are often legitimized when routed through the UAE, underscoring the country’s prominent role in gold laundering.
Between 2020 and 2022, the London Bullion Market Association, a major authority in global gold trade regulation, and the Financial Action Task Force, an international organization dedicated to combating money laundering, applied pressure on the UAE government to address the issue of illicit gold laundering.
In response, the UAE implemented measures such as increased scrutiny of gold-refining entities in line with international standards. However, significant gaps remain in the country’s gold markets, where gold transactions for cash continue unchecked.
Enforcing stricter regulations on the illicit gold trade could prevent Emirati companies from benefiting from the conflict.
Additionally, the London Bullion Market Association should collaborate with other governments to advocate for independent monitoring of the UAE’s gold markets, akin to the Kimberley Process certification scheme used to disrupt the trade in conflict diamonds.
Without independent monitoring of gold markets, local reforms alone are unlikely to significantly disrupt the gold trade in conflict zones. The United States and the European Union need to implement additional sanctions on companies involved in buying and selling gold smuggled from Sudan.
In June, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on seven companies, barring them from trading in the US financial market due to suspected violations related to Sudanese sanctions. While this is a positive step, effectively influencing Emirati leaders requires targeting the network of companies and individuals in the UAE engaged in smuggling Sudanese gold.
The frequent changes in company ownership and the use of fictitious managers to obscure the real owners necessitate comprehensive and rigorous penalties to achieve meaningful results.
Targeting Investments
Disrupting Sudan’s conflict-financed gold trade could be a particularly effective strategy for external actors seeking to shift the UAE’s support away from the RSF. However, it is not the only approach available.
The UAE, similar to Saudi Arabia, has heavily invested in “sports laundering”—a strategy to enhance its global reputation through financial means, either directly or via private companies and prominent sports teams.
Major European football clubs such as Manchester City, AC Milan, Arsenal, and Real Madrid receive significant financial backing from the UAE.
The UAE’s influence extends to other sports as well, including Formula One, the International Auto Racing Association, and Baseball United—a Dubai-based league with ownership that includes former Major League Baseball players and several US sports organizations, such as the NBA, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and the US Open Tennis Championships.
Fans will be rightly disturbed to learn that sponsors of their favorite athletes are also pledging to fund genocidal violence.
If even a few sports teams, leagues, players, and fans use social media to criticize the UAE’s contributions to the Sudan crisis, public embarrassment could make the UAE think twice about its policies.
The United States must reconsider the arms deals and billions of dollars it sells to the UAE every year.
Members of Congress and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have raised concerns about the UAE supplying arms to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and have called on countries that export weapons to the UAE to ensure these shipments do not end up in Darfur.
In response, Democratic Representative Sarah Jacobs, the ranking member of the Africa Subcommittee on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced a bill in May 2024 aimed at halting US arms sales to the UAE until the President certifies that Abu Dhabi has ceased its military support for the RSF.
The proposed ban would impact both the US government and private companies, covering a range of military equipment including firearms, artillery, ammunition, missiles, bombs, explosives, military vehicles, and fighter jets. Should the bill gain traction, it would signal Washington’s commitment to addressing this issue as a priority and convey a clear message to the UAE.
Congressional lawmakers, journalists, and human rights advocates should investigate and critique the public relations firms employed by Abu Dhabi to influence American policy and shape public perception.
For example, FGS Global Strategic Consulting Group obtained two contracts with the UAE government worth $5.6 million, in addition to other expenses, from 2024 to 2025.
Meanwhile, the prominent law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld hired a Washington-based lobbying firm to consult on military sales for the UAE in 2023, earning $3.8 million in fees from the UAE within just six months.
As long as the UAE continues to support and empower the RSF, lobbyists and law firms working for the UAE government are complicit in facilitating atrocities.
The analysis concludes that advocacy groups, companies, policymakers, and anyone with a public platform must leverage all available resources to prevent further escalation of famine and genocide in Sudan.
It emphasizes that while the UAE’s involvement with the Rapid Support Forces makes it heavily responsible for the crisis, it also possesses significant influence. Therefore, exerting pressure on Abu Dhabi could potentially impact the decisions of the RSF and mitigate the crisis.
