The UAE ordered more than €21 billion worth of weapons from France between 2015 and 2024, ranking the country among the top purchasers of French arms, according to a government report released earlier this year.
A UAE government official told POLITICO that Abu Dhabi “categorically rejects any claims of providing any form of support to either warring party since the onset of the civil war,” adding it “condemns atrocities committed by both” sides in the conflict.
“There is no substantiated evidence that the UAE has provided any support to RSF, or has any involvement in the conflict,” the official said. They stressed “the UAE operates a comprehensive and robust export control regime in line with its applicable obligations under international law, including with respect to arms control.”
Warm ties
European Council President António Costa visited Abu Dhabi in late October, calling the UAE “an important and reliable partner for the EU: for the prosperity, stability and security of both our regions and beyond.” Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica is also due to visit the Gulf countries next month, including the UAE, according to an EU official afforded anonymity to discuss the trip.
Kabeir said the EU should use its diplomatic weight and the upcoming visit to press Emirati officials “to cease sending weapons to the RSF.”
“What happens in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact shows in the Mediterranean,” he warned, adding instability in Sudan would spill over into the rest of the region and spur migration flows.