Sudan boycotts UN tourism forum in protest against UAE
Sudan’s delegation withdrew from the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly to boycott a vote nominating an Emirati candidate as Secretary-General, according to Middle East Monitor via the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) on November 10th.
The delegation, led by Sudan’s Minister of Culture, Information, and Tourism Khalid Al-Eisir, promptly walked out of the second session, held in Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, after delivering their address.
The delegation consequently did not participate in the voting session that followed soon after, which secured Sheikha Nasser Al Nuaimi’s position of Secretary-General.
SUNA reported that Sudan’s withdrawal from the forum was a “reaffirmation of Sudan’s firm stance rejecting the appointment of a president for the organisation from the United Arab Emirates.”
In his address to the General Assembly, Al-Eisir explained the reasoning behind Sudan’s opposition to vote. He stated that Sudan’s tourism infrastructure has been systematically eradicated by “attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, which is backed by regional and foreign powers.”
The RSF, whose principal backer is the UAE, has been embroiled in a devastating civil war with the Sudanese military since April 2023 after a power struggle turned violent.
Throughout the war, numerous human rights groups and international organisations, including the UN itself, have warned that the RSF has engaged in genocidal attacks and war crimes against indigenous African tribes in the western region of Darfur.
Although the UAE has persistently denied that it backs the RSF, reports and evidence published by UN investigators suggest it is providing extensive financial and logistical support to the group through military and intelligence bases located across the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.
The incentive for this backing is evident when observing that Abu Dhabi’s gold imports from Sudan sharply increased by 70 percent in 2024 compared to 2023 amid the civil war. Non-governmental organisation Swissaid labelled the Gulf state as “a global hub for gold of dubious origin.”
It was uncovered that the UAE also sources gold from Chad and Libya, which were labelled as “exit points” for gold extracted from Sudan in territories controlled by the RSF.
Reports conducted by Middle East Eye plus agencies suggest that the RSF receives funding and arms imports from the UAE’s gold revenues that the paramilitary group helps to secure.
According to the Sudan Tribune on November 9th, Al-Eisir called on all UNWTO members to condemn “practices that contribute to undermining stability and development in member states.”
Middle East Monitor via Sudanese News Agency, Maghrebi.org, Middle East Eye plus agencies, Sudan Tribune
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