Sweden Urged to Halt Arms Sales to UAE Amid Sudan Massacres and Rising Humanitarian Crisis
Amid growing evidence of mass atrocities in Sudan, experts call on Sweden to halt its multi-billion kronor arms exports to the UAE, which supports armed groups committing severe human rights violations.
- • Yale expert Nathaniel Raymond exposes mass killings in Sudan via satellite imagery, urging Sweden to stop arms sales to UAE.
- • Sweden sold over six billion kronor worth of arms to UAE last year, which is supporting RSF militia accused of atrocities.
- • Sudan’s civil war has caused the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with millions displaced and massive food insecurity.
- • Sweden’s increased trade with UAE conflicts with international law obligations related to genocide prevention.
- • Criticism arises over Sweden’s emphasis on short-term humanitarian aid over long-term development in Sudan.
Key details
Nathaniel Raymond, head of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University, has called on Sweden to stop its arms exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the UAE’s support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) involved in grave human rights abuses in Sudan. Satellite imagery analyzed by Raymond’s team reveals mounting evidence of mass killings and mass graves in Al-Fashir, Sudan — including reports that 460 patients were killed during an attack on a maternity hospital. Raymond described the situation as “the most accurately predicted massacre in human history” and indicated that Sweden’s arms exports to the UAE totaled over six billion kronor last year, underscoring the need for Sweden to leverage its influence to push the UAE to cease supporting RSF violence (IDs 134277, 134376).
Despite Sweden’s recognition of the humanitarian crisis, with Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard and Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa acknowledging sanctions against UAE companies linked to RSF, there has been no full halt to arms exports to the UAE. Swedish officials emphasize that exported weapons are defensive and call for more comprehensive sanctions targeting entities aiding the RSF (ID 134376).
Meanwhile, the civil war in Sudan, marked by brutal conflict since April 2023, has produced the world’s largest humanitarian crisis: 25 million people face acute food insecurity and 14 million have been displaced. The RSF, rooted in the Janjaweed militia responsible for past genocides in Darfur, recently captured Al-Fashir after a protracted siege marked by widespread atrocities supported by the UAE. Research based on satellite data has identified over 30 mass graves. However, Sweden has yet to publicly criticize the UAE’s involvement, despite its increased trade relations, raising questions about Sweden’s commitment to the UN genocide convention (ID 134373).
Criticism has also been directed at Sweden’s assistance strategy in Sudan, where short-term humanitarian aid has increased (600 million kronor in 2023), but longer-term development support has decreased. Experts caution that focusing only on immediate relief without sustainable support risks failing to address underlying causes of the crisis (ID 134278).
The escalating violence and humanitarian suffering in Sudan, supported by foreign arms flows, especially from the UAE, place Sweden at a crossroads to reconcile its trade interests with its obligations under international law. Experts like Raymond urge Sweden to send a strong, unified message by suspending arms sales to the UAE until support for RSF violence ends so as not to fuel ongoing atrocities (IDs 134277, 134376, 134373).