Ghanaian writer and development analyst Amos Safo has accused the United Arab Emirates of leading what he described as a “new Arab colonialism” in Sudan through its support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are accused of committing genocide in Darfur. He called on Africans and the African diaspora to boycott the UAE and sever ties with it to pressure Abu Dhabi to halt its interference.
In an article published by B&FT Online, Safo wrote that Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bears responsibility for “every soul lost and every drop of blood spilled in Sudan,” adding that Emirati financial and military support had enabled the RSF to seize the city of El-Fasher and carry out “horrific massacres” against civilians.
He noted that more than 2,000 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed within 48 hours of El-Fasher’s fall, while another 2,000 people remain trapped inside the city without safe corridors to escape, amid “shameful international silence” and neglect from major powers that swiftly intervene in other crises.
Safo added that videos filmed by civilians documented systematic killings, rapes, and torture, stressing that what is happening in Sudan “surpasses in brutality much of what the world has witnessed” and represents “the greatest contemporary humanitarian catastrophe,” as survivors face hunger, thirst, and the absence of safe shelter.
He described the war as a proxy conflict, in which Sudanese people have been “deceived into serving expansionist Arab agendas.” Safo emphasized that the UAE has no gold mines of its own, yet has become a global hub for smuggled gold, much of it from African conflict zones—chief among them Sudan.
The writer also criticized the African Union, describing it as “paralyzed and incapable of protecting the continent,” and urged African elites and youth to confront what he termed the “new colonialism” seeking to fragment African states and plunder their resources.
Safo concluded that the silence of the international community “exposes a double standard” in responding to humanitarian crises, calling for a comprehensive campaign to boycott the UAE and suspend its relations with African nations until it ceases its support for the war in Sudan.
