From Yemen to Sudan: Relief Work as an Emirati Tool for Chaos and Sabotage

Authorities in the UAE are using relief efforts and slogans of humanitarian support to serve their political and security agendas, which was starkly evident in the case of Sudan, suffering from chaos and civil war due to Abu Dhabi’s conspiracies.

Official documents presented by the Sudanese government to the United Nations Security Council a few days ago reveal new evidence of Abu Dhabi’s government involvement in exploiting “humanitarian aid” to extend its military and security influence over the country engulfed in military conflict since April 2023.

The full report submitted by the Sudanese government to the Security Council included documents with copies of passport photos of Emirati officials active in relief and humanitarian work.

Among the names listed in the Sudanese report is Khaled Abdel Wahab Mustafa Ayaz, known as Khaled Abdel Wahab Al Khaja, who was appointed in December 2020 by His Highness the Ruler of Ajman as the Secretary-General of the Global Charity Works Authority.

Other Emirati names involved in Sudan include “Awaidah Hamad Suhail Awaidah Al Khaili from Al Ain, Mohammad Abdel Rahman Mohammad Zakaria Al Janahi from Dubai, and Abdullah Salem Abdullah Salem Al Kalbani from Dubai.”

Additionally, photos of two Yemeni passports were mentioned, one belonging to Khaled Saleh Ahmed, and the other to Mohammed Naji Mohsen born in Dubai.

According to the Sudanese documents, these images from the Emirati passports were found in a combat vehicle involved in a traffic accident between the areas of Al Jereif and Umm Dom in Sudan in January 2024.

The documents accuse these individuals of exploiting charitable work for acts of sabotage, destruction, espionage, and intervention in states, by participating in the ongoing war there as experts with the Rapid Support Forces financed by Abu Dhabi.

A verbal altercation occurred on Tuesday, June 18, between the UAE delegate, Mohamed Abu Shahab, and his Sudanese counterpart, Al-Harith Idris, during a United Nations Security Council meeting in New York, dedicated to discussing the situation in Sudan.

In the session, the Sudanese delegate reiterated his country’s accusation against the Abu Dhabi government of arming the Rapid Support militias, stating that his country has evidence of this.

Idris stated, “Abu Dhabi sponsors systematic and ethnic terrorism in Sudan and provides weapons to the Rapid Support Forces through Chad, South Libya, and Central Africa.” He added that these forces deliberately and systematically attack the people of villages and towns and called on the UN Security Council to condemn Abu Dhabi.

Official Sudanese government accusations about Abu Dhabi’s exploitation of humanitarian and relief work to execute its agendas were preceded by American and Western reports confirming the validity of these accusations.

From Libya and Chad to Uganda, Abu Dhabi has kept support lines open for the Rapid militias, aiming to sustain the internal war in Sudan.

In August 2023, the American “Wall Street Journal” reported that Abu Dhabi had provided military support to the Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.”

The newspaper stated that an Emirati cargo plane landed at a Ugandan airport in early June, confirmed to have been carrying weapons and ammunition, while official documents indicated the plane was carrying Emirati humanitarian aid to Sudanese refugees.

The American newspaper quoted Ugandan officials saying that the Emirati plane was then allowed to continue its journey to Am Jaras Airport in eastern Chad, confirming that they subsequently received orders from their superiors to stop inspecting flights coming from the UAE and were warned against taking any photos of those planes.

According to the newspaper, the Abu Dhabi government is betting on supporting Hemedti’s forces to protect its interests in Sudan and benefit from its strategic location on the Red Sea and the Nile River, and access to Sudan’s vast gold reserves. Notably, one of the UAE’s major interests in Sudan includes vast tracts of agricultural land and a stake in a planned $6 billion Red Sea port.

About a month later, the American “New York Times” (September 29, 2023) revealed that Abu Dhabi is running a sophisticated secret operation to support the Rapid Support Forces in the escalating war in Sudan, under the guise of refugee rescue.

The newspaper reported that Abu Dhabi “is providing them with heavy weapons, drones, treating injured fighters, and airlifting the most severe cases to one of its military hospitals.”

According to the newspaper, the operation is centered at an airport and hospital in a remote town across the Sudanese border in Chad, where Emirati cargo planes have been landing almost daily since June.

It states that the evidence suggests support for the Rapid Support Forces, noting that the Emiratis “insist that their operation on the Sudanese border is purely a humanitarian mission.”

The report adds: “In reality, the UAE is using its aid mission to mask its military support for the commander of the Rapid Support Forces.”

Previously, UN monitors accused Abu Dhabi of sending weapons, including drones, laser-guided bombs, and armored vehicles, to Libyan General Khalifa Haftar.

Regional and international reports have also revealed the involvement of the Emirati Red Crescent and the Khalifa Foundation in suspicious activities under the guise of humanitarian work to carry out intelligence and military missions in Yemen since the start of the war led by the Saudi-Emirati coalition.