UK attempts to block criticism of UAE arms supply to Sudan war: report

Sources who spoke with The Guardian said the British government was trying to quell criticism of the UAE and its involvement in arming Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

International human rights lawyer Yonah Diamond said senior African diplomats had informed her that the UK was actively trying to dissuade states from condemning the UAE during informal negotiations this month – here in Ethiopia.

Diamond, senior legal adviser at the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights, said: “They told me the UK was discouraging states from criticizing the UAE” as fingers are now pointed the UK for prioritizing relations with the UAE over the UAE. fate of civilians in Sudan.

He said: “We were looking to strengthen support for a civil protection mechanism. [in Darfur] and takes steps to hold the UAE accountable before the International Court of Justice or elsewhere in the region.

As co-chair of an independent investigation that found “clear and convincing evidence” of RSF's genocide in Darfur, Diamond said: “We are following the implications of these findings, the violations of [UN] Genocide Convention and the need for States to respect their obligations.

Yet the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to deny these claims, with one of its spokespersons stating: “These accusations are categorically false. The UK uses its diplomatic influence to support efforts towards lasting peace. »

Sudan has been gripped by conflict since April 2023, with the regular army led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan battling the RSF led by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

The Sudanese army has been reporting for months that Abu Dhabi supports the RSF. In April, Sudan formally requested an urgent Security Council session to address the allegations, but it was not convened.

Geopolitical dominance

The head of the Darfur Diaspora Association, Abdallah Idriss Abugarda, accused the FCDO of prioritizing its ties with the UAE over the security of civilians, saying: “We are very concerned about the British interests. It is not beneficial that the UAE appears to have influence over the UK. The UK does not care about its moral obligations.”

Sudanese political analyst Kholood Khair explained that the geopolitical dynamics show why the UK is trying to protect the UAE.

“The UAE has made itself indispensable to the West, particularly the United States, as guarantors of its strategic objectives in the region,” she said, adding: “The UAE has helped the United States to ward off Chinese domination in Africa by spending more than Beijing and in exchange obtains security guarantees from the United States.

Last week, Sudan's ambassador to the UN publicly accused the United Arab Emirates of being behind the conflict in Sudan during a Security Council meeting.

Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith Mohamed used the platform to express Sudan's concerns.

He said the RSF, “supported by arms by the Emirates”, were “deliberately and systematically targeting villages and towns”.

Days earlier, Sudan had urged the UN Security Council to extend current Darfur-related sanctions to the United Arab Emirates and Chad, accusing them of violating UN resolutions, particularly the embargo on weapons established in 2005.

At a Security Council press briefing, Sudan's representative, Ambassador Ammar Mahmoud, called for accountability from countries that support and arm “criminal militias.”