When one thinks of the Middle East or, more specifically, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), they may think of some of the more prominent emirates like Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
One of the main characteristics these Emirates are known for is their tremendous wealth.
Whether it is in gold and jewelry, oil and gases, or textiles, the UAE has immense economic fortune. But have you ever wondered where or how all these products and trading goods came to be?
Now, imagine hiding from artillery shelling in crossfire shootouts. Imagine bomb deployments and militarization in your towns and communities. Imagine witnessing grotesque, brutal public assassinations.
This is the honest and grim reality that Sudanese civilians face every day–all for the deepening pockets of the UAE.
These are two completely separate, but linked realities. One focuses on monetary/earthly value and indulges in disenfranchisement, while the other is subjected to enduring trauma, terror, genocide and greed.
These contrasting realities demonstrate how one cannot have the consuming and ever-lustful financial luxuries of life without the suffering of others.
Firstly, to understand the true gravity of the ethnic cleansing we are witnessing, it is important to understand the who, how and why of this situation. So, what is the United Arab Emirates?
The UAE is a “federation of seven emirates along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Abu Dhabi, its largest emirate, is known for its oil wealth and the emirate of Dubai serves as an international hub for business, finance and travel,” according to Brittanica. “The country’s immense wealth (the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi alone amounted to more than $1.4 million per Emirati in 2024) has fueled a rapid development of infrastructure, luxury tourism, and advanced technological innovation.”
To know how the UAE has maintained this wealth, you must understand who is fueling it—against their will.
Historically, like most countries, there has been political instability within Sudan due to a variety of factors. Recently, this instability has worsened due to the influence of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“The Rapid Support Forces, at face value, are a paramilitary group that just recently capitalized on the chaos of Sudan’s unstable government following the overthrow of Omar al-Bashir,” according to Human Rights Research Center. “The fighting roots of General Hemedti, the face of the RSF, go much deeper. Under his leadership, the Janjaweed militia, Arabic for “devils on horseback,” allied with the Sudanese government to successfully squash rebellion in the Darfur region in 2003 and commit brutal genocide against the indigenous Africans in Darfur.”
This would be the beginning of the genocide within the Republic of Sudan at the hands of the RSF. As time passes, aggression and attacks toward Sudanese civilians continue to worsen.
In a recent study, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (UHMM) discusses how war broke out again in 2023 because the Rapid Support force had begun targeting to same communities targeted in the Darfur genocide 20 years earlier.
Furthermore, they have been deliberate attacks such as the burning of civilians’ homes, the systematic destruction of food stores/sources, lootings, killings and widespread rapes, leading to over 200,000 deaths and 2 million displaced civilians.
Due to the paramilitary being so heavily armed, there have also been immense numbers of bombings as well in West Darfur, leading to further isolation and displacement.
The state of living in Sudan has been completely uprooted by the RSF and UAE, with violent actions from their militias threatening the physical safety and survival of the Sudanese people.
But why? What does the UAE and the RSF gain from this ethnic cleansing?
“The UAE saw Sudan as a great commercial and strategic opportunity. Gold reserves amount to approximately 49% of Sudan’s exports, and its location on the Red Sea presented the possibility of building ports,” according to the European Center for Democracy and Human Rights. “The Central Bank of Sudan reported that in 2024, almost 97% of official gold exports (from army-held areas) went to the UAE, earning $1.52 billion. The UAE has a vested interest in having military supervision of gold production and exports.”
While the UAE sits in the shadows without the public shame of this ethnic cleansing, the anger and outrage is instead focused on the RSF.
When it comes to physically carrying out the genocide in the name of financial greed and continuing to supervise and support the extradition process of natural resources and goods, the UAE is directly complacent.
The UAE and the RSF have not only deprived the Republic of Sudan of its potential economic growth and stability, they have also robbed the Sudanese people of ability to live freely.
