HRW Urges Germany to Confront UAE’s Role in Sudan

Moatinoon
Human Rights Watch today called on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and other senior officials to publicly condemn the United Arab Emirates’ human rights record and its role in regional conflicts during their meeting with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Berlin on September 10, 2026.

“The German government’s lack of will to publicly address the UAE’s destructive role in Sudan is deeply troubling,” said Philip Frisch, Germany director at Human Rights Watch. “Germany has been at the forefront of pushing for robust UN investigations into atrocities in Sudan and hosted an important conference in Berlin on the issue earlier this year. Its failure to address the UAE’s harmful role in Sudan is therefore particularly shocking, effectively providing cover for future abuses.”

The organization noted that the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, which Germany helped establish in 2023, published a report on September 1, 2026, documenting the UAEs support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the warring parties in the conflict for control of Sudan since April 2023. The report concluded that the RSF was responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations that UN investigators described as bearing "the hallmarks of genocide."

The UN investigators concluded that "individuals and entities operating from, registered in, or associated with the UAE played a pivotal role in the networks involved in recruiting, financing, transporting, and deploying foreign military contractors and providing military support that benefited the RSF." The UAE has denied these allegations.

In a report published in May 2026, Human Rights Watch concluded that the Abu Dhabi-based security company Global Security Services Group (GSGS) had, since 2024, employed hundreds of Colombian private military contractors who were deployed to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These private military contractors were present in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in October 2025, when the RSF seized control of the city and committed widespread atrocities.

Human Rights Watch urged Germany and other EU member states to investigate the role of GSGS and its CEO, Mohammed Hamdan al-Zaabi, with a view to imposing targeted sanctions. The organization also urged EU countries to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on the UAE and to publicly condemn its support for the RSF.

Media outlets reported that Germany and the UAE would announce a major investment partnership during the upcoming visit. The visit would also include meetings with German arms manufacturers and a state dinner. Human Rights Watch said that Germany’s efforts to strengthen economic and security ties with the UAE should not come at the expense of addressing serious human rights concerns within the country and its role in abuses during armed conflicts.

“How can German leaders feign satisfaction while warmly welcoming Mohammed bin Zayed and bolstering security cooperation with the UAE, while the UAE fuels atrocities in Sudan?” said Frisch. “Germany should make clear its willingness to impose sanctions on Emirati entities that transfer weapons and fighters to support repression in Sudan,.”