Western Governments Face Growing Embarrassment Over UAE Relations Due to Sudan
Western governments are facing growing embarrassment and widespread criticism over their ties with the UAE and their failure to take action against Abu Dhabi’s support for the civil war in Sudan, which has facilitated heinous war crimes against civilians.
A recent example of this was the backlash faced by British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who was questioned about the UK’s relationship with the UAE and its silence on the UAE’s role in the Sudanese crisis.
Lammy recently visited Adré, a border city in Chad, which now hosts over 230,000 Sudanese refugees, where he launched the “We Must Not Forget Sudan” campaign.
The war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been ongoing since April 2023, causing the displacement of more than 11 million people and leaving potentially up to 200,000 dead.
Western diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have either been ineffective or minimal. Cameron Hudson, a former U.S. State Department official, stated, “Britain, once the colonial power, has been completely absent from Sudan.”
Lammy’s visit to Chad marked the first time a British Foreign Secretary had visited the country. During his visit, he met Chadian leader Mahamat Déby in the capital N’Djamena, where it was announced that an additional £20 million would be allocated to Sudan, and British aid to the country would be increased to £226.5 million in November.
However, Lammy’s attempts to shine a light on Sudan raised uncomfortable questions about the UAE’s involvement, which is a major ally of the UK.
Upon returning to the UK, Lammy was grilled in Parliament by left-wing MP Zara Sultana, who called for an end to arms sales to the UAE until it is confirmed that they are no longer arming the RSF.
Sultana presented a report detailing the “Weapons and Support” provided by the UAE to the RSF, pointing out that Abu Dhabi is one of the largest purchasers of UK weapons, with billions of pounds in defense export licenses in recent years.
The failure to directly address the UAE’s role in Sudan is not new, as similar reports have surfaced both in the UK and the U.S. regarding the networks the UAE uses to support the RSF, which has been accused by human rights groups and the U.S. government of committing genocide.
In December, before leaving office, Brett McGurk from the White House revealed that the UAE had promised not to cease supplying the RSF – implicitly acknowledging their involvement – but continued their support.
During Lammy’s first official visit to the UAE last September, the UK’s briefing focused on “cooperation in clean energy, AI, and regional security and humanitarian issues,” but notably did not mention Sudan.
The British government has faced criticism for prioritizing financial investments from the UAE over addressing Abu Dhabi’s policy of supporting wars and civil conflicts.
Khaloud Khair, a Sudanese analyst and director of Confluence Advisory Research Center, stated, “Geostrategic realities continue to play a role, and Western politicians remain either too scared, unprepared, unwilling, or lacking the imagination and courage to address this in a meaningful way while preserving those crucial relationships.”
She added, “Sudanese lives should not be sacrificed for the sake of geostrategic relations between Washington and Abu Dhabi, or London and Abu Dhabi.”
