Sudan’s conflict involves a dozen foreign backers, not just the UAE

An opinion piece argues that condemning only the United Arab Emirates ignores the wider network of nations supplying arms and money to both sides of Sudan’s war.

Sudan’s civil war is no longer a simple clash between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces; it has morphed into a regional proxy conflict involving more than a dozen foreign powers. The author notes that international outrage has disproportionately targeted the United Arab Emirates, while the contributions of other states—Egypt’s deployment of Turkish-made Akinci drones from East Oweinat Air Base, Saudi Arabia’s financing of a $1.5 billion Pakistani weapons package, Iran’s drone supplies, and similar support from Turkey, Pakistan, Russia and Qatar—receive far less scrutiny.

Citing British assessments and investigative reporting, the article argues that selective condemnation serves political agendas rather than ending the war. It urges the global community to apply the same level of pressure to every nation feeding the conflict, warning that any single country’s withdrawal would not halt the fighting while other supply lines remain open. The piece concludes that only a comprehensive shutdown of all external assistance can give Sudan’s civilians a chance at peace.