Hello everyone,
The first Saturday deep dive we did after Proximities relaunched was on Sudan. I felt strongly at the time that it should be first because the grinding war in that country had been one of the most under-reported in modern history despite it being the world’s worst current humanitarian crisis.
This week, as mentioned in our newsletters, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group captured the city of el-Fasher in the Darfur region to which it had laid siege for 18 long months. And now, as widely predicted by Sudanese activists and journalists, a campaign of ethnically motivated killings has begun. The stories and footage coming out are horrendous.
In that first deep dive, we mentioned that the United Arab Emirates was the key backer of the RSF but didn’t explore that in depth. This week, as the bloodletting began, anger poured forth from many Sudanese people towards the UAE.
So, in today’s deep dive, I want to explore that aspect more thoroughly.
Q&A below.
Until next Saturday,
Barry.
What exactly do you mean when you say “supporting”?
There is much convincing reporting that the support is wide-ranging. The UAE is providing arms, supplies, diplomatic cover and has even marshaled a team of influencers to attack the opposing side in the war, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The weapons are reported to come in via a complex network of routes, including from Somalia, Uganda and Libya. Middle East Eye this week ran an exclusive report on an operation to bring arms and supplies in through an airport in Bosaso on the Puntland coast of Somalia. It should be said that the UAE has denied it supports the RSF in any way but all available reporting appears to have proven beyond any doubt that it does, and that it has become the primary external influence in the conflict with a real ability to shift the dial.
Why does the UAE want to be involved?
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