US lawmakers, Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, have thrown a political grenade into Washington’s arms deals with the UAE. The two Democrats issued a stern warning to the Biden administration, vowing to block a $1.2 billion arms sale unless the administration can certify that the UAE is not fueling Sudan’s devastating civil war by arming the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF, commanded by the notorious Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has been accused of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and mass atrocities. Van Hollen and Jacobs emphasized that the US must not arm a nation aiding such a group, stating, “The US should not be sending weapons to the UAE so long as it is aiding and abetting a group that is one of the primary drivers of the humanitarian disaster in Sudan.”
UAE’s Dubious Connections and Mounting Evidence
Accusations against the UAE are not new but are now under renewed scrutiny as Sudan plunges deeper into chaos. UN reports and leaked US intelligence highlight the UAE’s provision of arms and financial backing to the RSF. Hemeti’s gold trading empire, allegedly facilitated through the UAE, has further entrenched the militia’s financial power. The UAE, however, continues to deny these allegations, brushing aside mounting evidence of its complicity in exacerbating Sudan’s suffering.
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Critics have lambasted Biden’s administration for turning a blind eye, with one anonymous US official condemning the double standards: “We’re so good at calling out Russian atrocities in Ukraine or Hamas in Gaza, but when it comes to Sudan and the UAE, we just do finger-wagging behind the scenes.”
Biden’s Balancing Act Between Principles and Partnerships
Biden’s relationship with the UAE is under the microscope as critics question his administration’s moral compass. The UAE has been recognized as a major defense partner, hosting thousands of US military personnel and assisting in broader Middle East strategies. These ties, however, are clashing with the administration’s proclaimed atrocity prevention strategy.
The lawmakers’ letter underscores the hypocrisy: “Your administration has rightly put pressure on the RSF by sanctioning several high-level commanders for their atrocities, but we believe you have yet to use the full leverage at your disposal to hold accountable their primary external backer.”
The UAE’s support for RSF is not an isolated case but part of a broader pattern of meddling in African conflicts. Sudan’s ambassador to Washington, Mohamed Abdalla Idris, admitted that US-UAE ties are complicating accountability, stating, “They know it’s a double standard, but their interests with the UAE elsewhere take precedence.”
As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens, the US faces a moral and strategic dilemma. Will Biden bow to political pressure to hold the UAE accountable, or will strategic alliances continue to shield Gulf autocrats from scrutiny? The world watches as Congress pushes back against an administration reluctant to reconcile its foreign policy with its declared values.