The Washington Center for Human Rights hosted an event on human rights violations in Sudan and war crimes supported by the UAE. The event was organized in the U.S. Congress. The focus of the event was to discuss the armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, along with their allied militias, and the war crimes supported by the UAE that have caused mass civilian casualties through deliberate and indiscriminate attacks.
Since the fighting began, both forces have repeatedly employed heavy explosive weapons in densely populated regions, resulting in numerous civilian deaths and destruction of civilian property and critical infrastructure. United Nations reported that at least 9,000 people had been killed since the beginning of the conflict, most likely a significant underestimation, and 5.4 million forcibly displaced, including 4.1 million internally and over 1 million to neighbouring nations.
The UAE is the foreign player most invested in the war. In fact, without its explicit and all-around support, the RSF would not have been capable of waging war to the same extent. The main wrongdoer is the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has vast economic and political interests and is actively supporting the rebel militia. The international community must do more to provide humanitarian assistance, broker peace and hold those responsible for rights abuses to account – including the UAE.
Sudan is critical to the UAE’s strategy in Africa and the Middle East, seeking to achieve political and economic hegemony while denying democratic aspirations. Since 2015, it has sourced fighters from both factions to join its dispute in Yemen. It is the primary importer of Sudan’s gold and has multibillion-dollar programs to develop ports along Sudan’s Red Sea coast. By sponsoring the RSF in Sudan, it has undermined the democratic transition that followed the 2019 expulsion of Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s dictator for 30 years.
