A top State Department official said on Tuesday that pressure from Congress on the United Arab Emirates over its alleged support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan is “helpful.”
“I think the publicity of this hearing and your statement and request to the UAE to consider the detrimental impact of their support to the RSF would be helpful,” US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee told a House hearing.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s subcommittee for Africa held a hearing on US policy options in the Sahel region that spans across the continent below the Sahara desert. Much of the hearing focused on the ongoing conflict in Sudan. In April, fighting broke out between the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF.
The Wall Street Journal reported in August that the UAE is sending weapons to the RSF and its leader in an effort to protect its interests in the country, including access to agricultural products and its stake in a planned Red Sea port in the country. The UAE denied sending weapons to the group.
