British weapons are fuelling Sudan’s genocide through arms exports to the UAE! End the massacres and forced starvation of the Sudanese people now!
British military equipment exported to the UAE is being used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to commit massacres in Sudan.
Recent images of horrific atrocities occurring in El-Fasher in the Sudanese region of Northern Darfur, as the city fell to the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF), are just one example of the deadly violence Sudan has faced in recent years. In 2024, the RSF was denounced by the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights as perpetuating genocide against the Malasit non-Arab people of Western Darfur. Viral images of Black suffering and death must be understood within a context of anti-Black global systemic racism, and being thoughtful with how one consumes and shares news breaking from Sudan is vital.
After the people of Sudan rose up in a mass movement against the corruption of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir in 2018-2019, the Sudanese military seized power in 2021. Since 2023, Sudan has been plunged into a brutal civil war between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF emerged from forces responsible for the genocide in Darfur in 2003 – 2004.
However, like so many other countries which have faced the violence of British colonialism, Sudan has suffered upheaval and strife for decades since independence, as a result of British and Egyptian colonial legacies.
The role of the British state in violent atrocities in Sudan continues to this day, as it has been revealed that British-made military equipment, sold to the UAE, is being used by the RSF to massacre the Sudanese people. This includes British engines, made by Cummins Inc, found in armoured vehicles and British-made small weapons target devices made by Militec.
Despite the UK government having knowledge that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has diverted arms exports received from other countries to the RSF, the UAE remains one of the UK’s biggest arms customers. The British government has issued £825m worth of single export licences for arms to the UAE between 2020-2024, the 9th largest recipient in that period, in addition to open licences. This includes £219m worth of aircraft, helicopters, and drones, £293m of military electronic equipment, £112m of target acquisition, weapon control and countermeasure systems, and £89m of grenades, bombs, missiles, and countermeasures.
The UK already has an arms embargo on Sudan. All UK export licence applications are supposed to be assessed for their risk of diversion to arms-embargoed countries. The British Militec small weapons target devices that were exported to the UAE would have gone through this assessment, yet still were found in Sudan.
This demonstrates a complete failure of our government’s arms export licensing system. The time is now to call for an arms embargo on the UAE!
These arms exports are lethal. More than 150 000 people have been killed. More than 12 million people have been forced to flee their homes. There are currently almost 25 million people facing acute hunger and over 8 million facing famine.
As people across the country take to the streets in solidarity with Sudan, the time to add your voice and take action is now! Sign and share the following petition for an arms embargo on the UAE. The flow of British weapons from the UAE to the RSF must end immediately.
ARMS EMBARGO ON THE UAE NOW!
Specifically, we demand the government:
- Implement an immediate arms embargo on the UAE.
- This would mean that all current arms export licences from the UK to the UAE would be suspended, and no more approved.
- Open an inquiry into the failure of the UK’s arms export licensing regime to prevent diversion of UK made arms from the UAE to the RSF in Sudan, and provide full transparency to Parliament.
- Use all political, economic, and diplomatic means available to put pressure on the UAE to end its military and political support for the RSF’s genocidal campaign.
- Along with allies and other key powers, use the UK’s role as Penholder on Sudan at the UN to engage in intensive diplomatic, political, and economic efforts to bring an end to the devastating civil war in Sudan, and to support a just peace and transition to civilian rule.
