UAE assures US not to arm Sudan’s paramilitary RSF as civil war continues unabated

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reportedly assured the United States that it will not supply arms to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as the north-east African country continues to be ravaged by a bloody civil war.

The UAE has reportedly told the US it has cut off weapons supply to the paramilitary forces in Sudan, two US lawmakers said Thursday (19 December). The assurance came as the US announced $200 million in new aid for the conflict-torn country, where tens of thousands have died in fighting since April 2023 and as the civil war continues to foster one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, placing millions on the verge of famine. Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen released a letter addressed to him from the White House that described UAE assurances on its relationship with Sudan’s RSF.

The UAE has informed the administration that it is not now transferring any weapons to the RSF and will not do so going forward, said the letter from a senior White House official. The lawmakers said Abu Dhabi made the promise to address their concerns and that in return, it expects them not to block $1.2 billion in sales of advanced rockets and long-range missiles to the Gulf power. Fellow Democratic senator Sara Jacobs asserted that “without the UAE’s support, the RSF will not have the same capabilities to wage this war — making negotiation and a ceasefire a much likelier alternative.” The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it had a relationship fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.