The people of Sudan should feel for their country, yet, as flames erupt across the nation and burn down communities that took decades to build, hope and many other things have been lost to the fighting and devastation. Before fighting took over the capital city Khartoum and countries began closing down their embassies, the friction within Sudan had global involvement from democracies that, now, could result in devastating consequences at an international scale. 

Over the course of the years, the tension between the Sudanese military and the destructive Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has heightened, as the RSF has made efforts to take over the Presidential Palace and the international airport located in the capital. The RSF originated from a larger military group known as the Janjaweed militia, who played a damaging role in the Darfur genocide, resulting in  400,000 deaths. The RSF became a separate identity, led by Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo, in 2013 and since then has been recognized as Sudan’s most powerful militia. 

As the RSF has grown its influence and outreach in Sudanese politics and society, foreign interference with this militia has also contributed to its rapid growth and success. Similarly, the Sudanese army has also benefited from this foreign involvement, with reports of the United Arab Emirates’ government giving both these groups a variety of weapons. However, the UAE’s involvement in this conflict runs deeper than allegedly providing weapons to these military rivals. 

Sudan’s geographical positioning gives the UAE an advantage in having access to the Red Sea; this interest can further be identified by the UAE’s 6 billion dollar investment into creating a new port at the Red Sea in Sudan. With foreign investment comes economic advantages for Sudan. The UAE’s involvement in Sudan’s infrastructure was done at a point where foreign aid to Sudan was close to zero due to the military takeover within the region, highlighting the UAE’s long term economic interest within this nation. 

In addition to economic involvement, the UAE has also been closely involved with the leader of the RSF, Dagalo — more commonly known as Hemedti — as many of Hemedti’s narratives regarding the conflict in Sudan match the UAE’s sentiments on Islam fundamentalism. With this multifaceted interest and involvement from the UAE, it is difficult not to question what action the UAE will take to protect their interests in Sudan. Whether it’s taking a firm stance with the leader of RSF or supporting one side of the conflict monetarily, the UAE’s actions will have international implications and take away from damage being done to Sudan’s communities and people. 

On the other hand, Egypt’s strong support of the Sudanese military adds another dynamic to the global implications of this conflict. This long time support from Egypt for Sudan’s military calls for all nations with interests in Sudan to reconsider their positioning as they interact with this conflict. Seeing the variety of global involvement in Sudan should also alert policymakers and scholars to the potential global impacts and further devastation of the country. On top of potential collapse of Sudan as a nation, the humanitarian efforts required to address the refugee crisis as a result of the conflict and the issues bordering nations of Sudan will experience offer perspective on the reality of this situation. 

While nations like the UAE and Egypt pick sides and focus on specific interests within Sudan, other nations will lose sight as the role of peacekeeper is overplayed in an effort to pursue national interests, leading to a failure in protecting the people of Sudan. Recognizing the devastating realities the RSF has contributed to shows foreign nations the importance of addressing the humanitarian needs of Sudan rather than leaning into respective economic interests, which will ultimately lead to damaging global consequences. Shifting the focus onto responding to the needs of the Sudanese people will direct foreign nations away from picking sides in this conflict and instead help those who are in Sudan without hope for a future.

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