European Council President Antonio Costa travelled to the Untied Arab Emirates on Tuesday 28th October and met with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi. No discussions about Sudan and Al-Fashir were announced despite the fact that the UAE is the weapons supplier and financial backer of the Rapid Support Forces who committed a massacre in Al-Fashir. More than 2,000 people were killed this week in Al-Fashir after the RSF captured the city.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have condemned the RSF and their atrocities. The European Union appealed to the RSF to protect civilians.
There is extensive evidence about the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Darfur, but the RSF leader has called for civilian killings to stop and demanded accountability. Following his speech, the RSF staged a propaganda video supposedly arresting RSF commander Abu Lulu, who filmed himself killing many civilians. The propaganda videos are not very credible because Abu Lulu is in charge of hundreds of armed men and armed pick-up trucks, and it is highly unlikely he would be arrested so easily. Meanwhile, a video resurfaced of Hemedti giving a speech earlier this year demanding his troops not to take any prisoners in Al-Fashir.
The online propagandists of the United Arab Emirates have been very busy this week regurgitating any type of content that could possibly divert attention from the UAE’s role in the ongoing massacre in Darfur. At the United Nations, the UAE blamed both parties in what it described as a “civil-war” for the violence against civilians in Darfur. At the UN Security Council, the UAE gave a speech condemning the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The United Arab Emirates has no political or geographical connection with Sudan and it’s involvement in Sudan with its support for the RSF is mainly driven by commercial interests mostly relating to the gold trade. The UAE also have a foothold in Libya with their support for Khalifa Haftar.
The UAE stepped up its weapons supplies to the RSF this year with weapons deliveries also increasing in October via Puntland, Somalia. During this year, the UAE has also provided drones to the RSF which were used in the attacks against the city of Port Sudan.
There are also reports that the Sudanese Armed Forces are rallying their forces for a counter-attack against the RSF in Al-Fashir but these reports have not been confirmed.
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