Germany must press visiting UAE leader over Sudan atrocities, HRW says

September 8, 2026 (BERLIN) – German leaders must publicly challenge United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan over his country’s alleged role in fueling atrocities in Sudan and domestic rights abuses during his upcoming visit to Berlin, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are scheduled to host the Emirati leader on September 10, amid media reports that both nations plan to announce a major investment partnership and hold discussions with German arms manufacturers.

Germany’s foreign ministry said on September 4 that arms supplies and external financing fueling the war in Sudan must stop.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Christian Giese told reporters that weapons deliveries to the warring factions only prolong the conflict and deepen civilian suffering, adding that Berlin delivers its position directly to external actors in private government discussions rather than before rolling cameras.

Rights monitors and United Nations investigators have accused the Gulf state of supplying weapons, funding, and foreign fighters to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been fighting the Sudanese army for control of the country since April 2023.

A report published on September 1 by the U.N. Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan found that individuals and entities linked to or operating from the UAE played a significant role in providing military-related support and deploying foreign contractors to the RSF.

The U.N. report said the RSF has committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts that bear “hallmarks of genocide.” The UAE has repeatedly denied allegations that it provides military backing to the paramilitary group.

“The German government’s lack of will to publicly address the UAE’s devastating role in Sudan is deeply troubling,” said Philipp Frisch, Germany director at Human Rights Watch.

Frisch noted that Berlin had previously pushed for U.N. investigations into abuses in Sudan and hosted a major conference on the crisis earlier this year.

“This makes its failure to address the UAE’s harmful role in Sudan all the more jarring, effectively providing a free pass for future abuses,” Frisch said.

HRW documented in May that an Abu Dhabi-based security firm had recruited hundreds of Colombian mercenaries who deployed alongside RSF fighters in Sudan, including during the capture of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in October 2025.

The rights watchdog urged Berlin and the European Union to investigate the firm, impose targeted sanctions, and enact a bloc-wide arms embargo against the UAE.