US Congress Moves to Block Arms Sales to UAE Amid Sudan Conflict

The Foreign Affairs Committee in the United States Congress has condemned Emirati support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, saying that external backing only fuels the brutal conflict in Sudan, and stressing that involved states must be held accountable by suspending arms sales.

US criticism of the Emirati role in the Sudan war has intensified after Reuters reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) financed a training camp for RSF fighters in Ethiopia.

In a post on the X platform, the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Congressman Gregory Meeks will continue to place a hold on all major US arms sales to the UAE and to any country supporting the militia or any party to the conflict.

The committee added that Congress can cut external support by passing draft legislation introduced by Meeks that would impose sanctions on those involved in the war and ban major US defense equipment sales to countries implicated in fueling the conflict.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs called for removing all external actors from the Sudan conflict, starting with the UAE, and for halting US weapons sales, warning that millions of people face the risk of death due to insecurity and shortages of food, water, and medicine.