Sudan Accuses UAE of Threatening Sovereignty and Sidestepping Government Authority

 

The Sudanese government has strongly condemned the UAE, accusing it of violating the nation’s sovereignty by pushing for the delivery of humanitarian aid across conflict lines without Sudan’s consent.

This rising tension follows a request by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the United Nations Security Council, urging permission for aid to be delivered across front lines and borders to address the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan. In response, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that such actions would infringe upon the country’s sovereignty.

The Sudanese government has consistently accused the United Arab Emirates of intensifying the conflict by providing arms to the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group battling the Sudanese Armed Forces. The government also asserts that it has submitted evidence of these allegations to the Security Council.

In a sharply worded statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs questioned the UAE’s genuine concern for the Sudanese people, stating, “If the UAE truly cares about the safety and lives of Sudanese citizens, it must cease supplying weapons to militias that are killing our people and depriving them of food and aid. Only then can peace be achieved and human suffering alleviated.”

The Ministry also questioned the UAE’s motives in welcoming the Security Council’s involvement, questioning whether the UAE would support an investigation into Sudan’s accusations regarding its role in the conflict, including claims of ethnic cleansing and the use of starvation as a tactic.

The statement further urged the UAE to reveal the amount of public funds it has spent on the war in Sudan and its contributions to humanitarian aid.

This diplomatic dispute adds further complexity to the Sudanese conflict, raising concerns about the influence of external actors on the humanitarian crisis and complicating efforts to reach a peaceful resolution.

This situation would further complicate American efforts to engage the UAE in resolving the war in Sudan, a move strongly opposed by Sudanese military leaders.

The Sudanese authorities have accused the UAE of using the Adre border crossing with Chad to smuggle weapons and fuel to the Rapid Support Forces militias under the pretext of humanitarian work.

Recently, Sudanese Army Commander-in-Chief Yasser Al-Atta renewed his accusations against Abu Dhabi, sharply criticizing Mohammed bin Zayed and labeling him the “devil of the Arabs,” holding him primarily responsible for Sudan’s destruction.

Al-Atta described Mohammed bin Zayed as evil, noting his repeated, but unsuccessful, attempts to thwart the UAE leader’s alleged malicious objectives.

Al-Atta confirmed that the UAE seeks to sabotage Sudan and control its capabilities by supporting the Rapid Support Forces and igniting the fuse of war.

In this context, the Sudanese representative to the Security Council emphasized the UAE’s involvement in the genocidal conflict in Sudan, accusing it of providing weapons to the Rapid Support Forces, escalating the conflict, and displacing the Sudanese population.

Idris Al-Harith also noted that the war in Khartoum would not have continued without the UAE’s support for the armed aggression. Sudan has lodged a formal complaint with the Security Council against the UAE, accusing it of instigating the war and aiding the Rapid Support Forces with assistance from Chad.

According to Amnesty International, the UAE is involved in a global death trade by supporting armed militias and fueling civil conflicts with the continuous flow of weapons, highlighting Sudan as an example of the danger of Abu Dhabi’s conspiracies and its bloody role in killing civilians.

The organization stated that the constant flow of weapons into the country is fueling the conflict in Sudan. It documented how newly made foreign weapons have been transferred into and around Sudan, often in flagrant violation of the arms embargo currently imposed on Darfur.

Amnesty International found that newly manufactured or transferred weapons and ammunition from countries including the UAE, China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Yemen are being brought in large quantities into Sudan, and then in some cases being diverted to Darfur.

To date, more than 16,650 people have been killed since the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces escalated in April 2023.

Amnesty International has documented civilian casualties in both indiscriminate strikes and direct deliberate strikes against civilians.

Some of the violations of international humanitarian law by the parties involved in the conflict are considered war crimes. It is estimated that over 11 million people have been internally displaced, with millions more facing the immediate threat of famine.

“The continuing flow of weapons into Sudan continues to cause civilian death and suffering on a massive scale,” said Debroz Muchena, Senior Director of Amnesty International’s Regional Human Rights Impact Programme.

“Our research indicates that weapons entering the country have ended up in the hands of fighters accused of violating international humanitarian and human rights laws,” he added. “We have systematically traced various lethal weapons, including handguns, close-range, and long-range rifles, being used by the warring forces in Sudan.”

He continued, “It’s clear that the current arms embargo, which only applies to Darfur, is utterly inadequate and must be revised and expanded to cover all of Sudan.” He emphasized, “This is a humanitarian crisis that demands urgent attention. With the looming threat of famine, the global community cannot continue to abandon Sudan’s civilians.”

Amnesty International analyzed more than 1,900 shipping records from two commercial data providers. It also reviewed open-source and digital evidence, including nearly 2,000 images and videos, documenting newly manufactured or imported weapons in Sudan.

The organization also conducted interviews with 17 regional experts on arms and conflict in Sudan between February and March 2024 to verify data analysis and investigate the arms supply lines utilized by different groups.

Amnesty International has identified newly manufactured or transferred small arms and ammunition from various countries being used by multiple parties to the conflict on the battlefield.

Both sides of the conflict have used advanced anti-drone jammers, mortar shells, and anti-materiel rifles made in China.

The Rapid Support Forces used a variety of newly manufactured armored personnel carriers imported from the UAE.

Data collected on the level of shipments indicate that Turkish companies have exported hundreds of thousands of pistols to Sudan in recent years, along with millions of rifle cartridges.

Amnesty International believes they may have been turned into lethal weapons in Sudan on a large scale, indicating a need for closer scrutiny of this barely regulated trade.

Amnesty International has also identified an emerging trend of light weapons typically sold on the civilian market being diverted to government forces and armed opposition groups instead. Companies in Turkey and Russia have exported civilian versions of light weapons used by both sides of the conflict.

Weapons like the Tiger marksman rifles and Saiga-Mk rifles—produced by Kalashnikov in Russia—are usually marketed to civilian gun owners but have been sold to arms dealers with close connections to the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Analysis of small arms trade data has also uncovered that small Turkish companies—such as Derya Arms, BRG Defense, and Dhaliulu Arms—have been exporting Turkish short- and long-range hunting rifles to Sudan in recent years.

For instance, a video posted on the official Rapid Support Forces account on X—purportedly recorded in Nyala, South Darfur, on February 15, 2024—shows a soldier from the Rapid Support Forces equipped with a BRG 55 rifle made by the Turkish company Borgo Metal.

Amnesty International also revealed evidence indicating that modern Chinese mortar shells were used in El Daein, eastern Darfur, and that modern Chinese light weapons are also widely available in other areas of Sudan.

“The UN Security Council should urgently expand the scope of the arms embargo to include the rest of Sudan, and also strengthen its monitoring and verification mechanisms,” Debroz Muchena said.

“It must oversee the expansion of the embargo and effectively prevent both international transfers and the illicit diversion of arms into the country, covering as many types of weapons as possible to address the widespread diversion of short-range rifles, hunting rifles, pistols, and related ammunition,” he added.

He further noted, “By supplying weapons to Sudan, countries party to the Arms Trade Treaty, such as China and Serbia, are violating their legal obligations under Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty, thereby undermining the legally binding framework governing the global arms trade.”

He emphasized that “Given the grave and ongoing risks to human rights, all states and active companies must immediately cease all supplies of weapons and ammunition to Sudan, including direct and indirect transfers, sales, and transfers of weapons and military equipment, as well as related technologies, parts and components, technical assistance, training, and financial support.”

He added, “States must also explicitly ban the transfer of firearms marketed to civilians to Sudan, which Amnesty International has consistently documented as being in the possession of conflict parties.”

Fighting broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and paramilitary forces known as the Rapid Support Forces, supported by the UAE.

Since then, other armed groups and actors have participated in the conflict, allying themselves with either the Sudanese Armed Forces or the Rapid Support Forces.

The fighting came after months of tension between the two groups over reforms to the security forces, which were proposed in the framework of negotiations to form a new transitional government, among other issues.

The conflict has led to a massive displacement of civilians, with estimates indicating that more than 11 million people have been internally displaced since April 2023, according to the United Nations.

Additionally, it is estimated that approximately 1.8 million people have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, where they are living in extremely difficult conditions.