Dr. Anwar Gargash: UAE and Sudan relationship is smooth sailing

For more than five decades, the UAE and Sudan have had close relations bound by deep ties of trade, culture and friendship. Since the UAE’s founding in 1971, our nations have exchanged goods, ideas and celebrations. The UAE has invested in Sudan – funding agriculture and clean water, and supporting and creating jobs through business investments. Today, the large and highly respected Sudanese expatriate community living in the UAE stands as a testament to this enduring connection.

Throughout Sudan’s turbulent history of wars and coups, the UAE was always there to help and support the Sudanese people. Regrettably, the civil war that erupted in April 2023 has reshaped Sudan’s reality, bringing death, destruction and immense suffering to its people. For nearly two years, we have worked tirelessly with our partners to help alleviate this catastrophe – in concerted attempts to avoid the war following the overthrow of the civilian government and later on supporting negotiations, providing aid, and repeatedly urging both warring sides to stop the fighting and seek a political outcome.

Most recently, this was evident at the UAE-hosted humanitarian conference on Sudan in Addis Ababa, held on the margins of the African Union summit, along with Ethiopia, the AU and the continent’s Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Numerous nations gathered together to call for a Ramadan ceasefire and reaffirm their commitment to Sudan’s future. There, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivered a stark message: the world must act – urgently and decisively – to help the people of Sudan out of this nightmare. We fully agree, which is why our pursuit of a ceasefire remains unwavering.

This commitment is part of our longstanding vision to promote peace, prosperity, partnership and sustainable economic development across Africa. UAE companies have played a vital role in connecting the continent – building ports, expanding flight networks and financing major infrastructure projects. Our collaborations with African businesses have created jobs, fostered innovation, and supported training and education programmes for young Africans. We have built together strong diplomatic and trade relationships and deepened fraternal ties across the continent. Today, the UAE stands among Africa’s largest investors, with a legacy of collaboration spanning more than 50 years. Our goal is clear: we want both Africa and the Middle East to thrive and flourish together.

“Despite ongoing disinformation campaigns, [the UAE] do[es] not support or supply either side. We unequivocally condemn the atrocities committed by both parties and call for their immediate cessation.”

The Sudanese Armed Forces-led government’s farcical actions at the International Court of Justice are nothing more than a political game and publicity stunt – an attempt to drag a longstanding friend of Sudan and Africa into the conflict they themselves have fuelled. This follows the SAF’s absurd actions at the UN Security Council, which were similarly built on fabrications, falsehoods and fiction.

Let there be no confusion: the SAF are one of the two warring parties. Following the military’s seizure of power in October 2021, and the overthrow of the civilian transitional government that derailed Sudan’s civilian-led transition, they have played a central role in the ensuing conflict and instability. Their actions have directly contributed to Sudan’s suspension from the African Union, underscoring their illegitimacy in the eyes of the international community. The UAE is part of an international consensus when it views the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces as two warring parties.

If the SAF truly seek peace, the path is clear – come to the negotiating table that has already been extended in the form of the Jeddah Declaration and the Alps Group, among others. This war can end today if both sides agree to disengage and accept the repeated offers for talks made by the international community and trusted partners.

The tragic reality is that the bullets and bombings killing innocent Sudanese civilians are fired by the forces of both the SAF and the RSF. It is even more disheartening to hear reports about the use of chemical weapons by the SAF during this conflict, and throughout Sudan’s history. Regrettably, both sides continue to fight, committing the very acts that have led to their sanctions from the US and others.

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Meanwhile, the UAE provides medicine, food, shelter and humanitarian aid. Despite ongoing disinformation campaigns, we do not support or supply either side. We unequivocally condemn the atrocities committed by both parties and call for their immediate cessation. We remain committed to Africa’s development and prosperity. Our support for the innocent fleeing refugees – through hospitals to camps, in South Sudan and Chad, established in collaboration with their governments – will continue.

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Most importantly, we will persist in playing whatever constructive role we can to help end this humanitarian catastrophe and senseless war. The people of Sudan deserve more than survival – they deserve a future built on peace and dignity. We must not look away. Our commitment is to these people and not to the warring parties.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Maghrebi.org. Dr. Anwar Gargash is diplomatic adviser to the President of the UAE.

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