Reining in the UAE: A key to ending Sudan’s war

Foreign interventions have prolonged and intensified Sudan’s war, which has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces/RSF.

While multiple countries have played a role in fueling the conflict, the UAE stands out as the foreign power most deeply invested in it.

Over the past months, investigative reports have revealed UAE’s systematic support for the RSF, ranging from financial and military backing to logistical, political, and media influence. Driven by its broader regional ambitions, the Gulf state has used every available tool to expand its power, creating a significant barrier to peace in Sudan.

Millions of Sudanese civilians have paid a heavy price for this war. The World Health Organization/WHO estimates that at least 20,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, but independent researchers suggest the real toll is far higher.

However, researchers in Britain and Sudan estimated that approximately 61,000 people were killed in Khartoum alone in the first 14 months of fighting. Meanwhile, millions have been displaced.

Why is the UAE involved in Sudan?

Sudan plays a critical role in UAE’s strategic vision for Africa and the Middle East. That vision aims to consolidate political and economic dominance while suppressing democratic aspirations across the region.

Over the past few decades, the UAE has invested nearly $60 billion in Africa, making it the continent’s fourth-largest foreign investor after China, the EU, and the U.S.

Abu Dhabi has pledged an additional $97 billion in new investments—three times China’s current commitments. These investments span key sectors, including ports, supply chains, mining, renewable energy, and agriculture.

As part of its broader geopolitical strategy, the UAE has aggressively sought control over global trade routes. Through state-owned firms such as DP World and Abu Dhabi Ports Group, it has secured port concessions across Africa.

These include strategic locations along the Mediterranean (Egypt & Algeria), the Atlantic Ocean (Senegal, Guinea, the Congo, Angola), the Indian Ocean (Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya), and the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa (Somaliland, Puntland, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Sudan).

The UAE’s involvement in Sudan fits squarely within this expansionist strategy. It is the largest importer of Sudanese gold and has multi-billion-dollar plans to develop Red Sea ports. The country also holds extensive interests in Sudan’s agriculture and livestock industries—sectors that often involve large-scale land and water acquisitions.

Beyond economic interests, the UAE has fused its financial investments with military influence. It has signed military cooperation agreements with Ethiopia and Chad and participated in NATO-led military interventions in Libya.

In Sudan, the UAE established its influence early. Since 2015, it has recruited Sudanese fighters for the war in Yemen. Later, it threw its support behind the RSF and its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo/Hemedti, whose family controls key gold-mining areas in Darfur.

Undermining Sudan’s democratic transition

As with other uprisings against authoritarian rule in the Arab world since 2011, Sudan’s transition to democracy faltered after the fall of President Omar Al-Bashir, who had ruled for three decades.

Sudan’s democratic project did not collapse solely because of internal political and military divisions. Foreign intervention played a decisive role—particularly the UAE’s.

Following Bashir’s ouster, the UAE aligned itself with Sudan’s military factions, backing both the RSF and the army leadership. By doing so, it actively worked to derail the country’s democratic transition.

When war erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, the UAE sided with Hemedti. It provided logistical support by transporting weapons through its extensive networks in Libya, Chad, and other countries. Some of these arms shipments were disguised as humanitarian aid, ensuring the RSF maintained a steady supply despite international sanctions and an arms embargo on Darfur.

RSF’s gold pipeline

The UAE has also helped sustain the RSF by providing it with commercial, financial, and logistical cover. Many of the group’s operations are managed from Emirati territories, and injured RSF fighters have been flown to Abu Dhabi for treatment.

Additionally, UAE has recruited mercenaries from neighboring African countries and as far as Colombia to fight alongside the militia.

Gold smuggling remains one of the RSF’s largest sources of funding, and the UAE plays a pivotal role in this trade. Hemedti's forces continue to export smuggled gold to the UAE, using the profits to buy weapons, recruit fighters, and sustain military operations.

Beyond financial and military support, the UAE has invested in rebranding Hemedti’s image from that of a warlord to a statesman. Emirati-linked public relations firms have been instrumental in reshaping the RSF’s reputation, portraying it as a legitimate political entity rather than a militia.

What can be done?

Achieving peace in Sudan requires curbing the UAE’s influence. Several steps can help achieve this goal: 

Accountability

Western governments, particularly the U.S. and the U.K, must move beyond diplomatic caution and explicitly call out the UAE’s role in destabilizing Sudan. Publicly exposing Abu Dhabi’s actions would send a clear message that its involvement in the conflict will not go unchallenged.

Media exposure and global awareness

The UAE is highly sensitive about its international image and brands itself as a progressive and neutral player in the Middle East. A concerted media and civil society effort to expose its deep involvement in Sudan’s war could undermine this narrative and pressure Abu Dhabi to reconsider its support for the RSF.

Economic sanctions

Targeting UAE-linked companies that finance the RSF—particularly gold-trading firms—could cut off a key financial lifeline for the militia. The international community should impose sanctions on businesses and networks directly involved in destabilizing Sudan.

Such measures would weaken the RSF’s war effort and push it towards meaningful ceasefire negotiations.

Empowering Sudanese voices

Sudan’s future must be determined by its people, free from foreign interference. Strengthening the voices of Sudanese activists, civil society leaders, and democratic advocates—and supporting Sudanese-led peace initiatives—will be critical in restoring stability.

Sudan’s war is complex, difficult to halt, and unpredictable in both its course and resolution. 

However, as long as foreign powers continue to fuel the conflict, peace will remain elusive—especially with the UAE central role.

This is not just a Sudanese issue; it is a challenge to global values of peace and justice. By confronting the UAE’s policies, the international community can take a stand for the Sudanese people’s right to self-determination.

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(*) A version of this article first appeared in Arabic on January 23, 2025.