President Joe Biden’s administration will provide US lawmakers with an assessment by January 17 on the credibility of the UAE’s assurances that it is not supplying – and will not supply – weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday.
The letter was sent by Brett McGurk, Biden’s coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. The White House has come under pressure from fellow Democrats to block arms sales to the United Arab Emirates until the United States certifies that it is not arming the RSF, one side in a brutal civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Sara Jacobs introduced legislation in the Senate and House last month that would block gun sales.
“Despite reports we have received suggesting otherwise, the UAE has informed the Administration that it is not transferring weapons to the RSF and will not do so in the future,” McGurk wrote.
The Administration “will monitor indicators of the credibility of these assurances provided by the UAE,” he wrote. He added that by January 17, “I am committed to providing you with the updated Executive Branch assessment in this regard.”
US law requires congressional review of major arms deals. Senators can force votes on resolutions of disapproval that would block such sales. While the law does not allow House members to trigger such votes, resolutions must pass both houses of Congress, and potentially survive a presidential veto, to take effect.
War broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF over a transition to free elections. The United Nations said nearly 25 million people – half of Sudan’s population – need aid, famine is looming and around 8 million people have fled their homes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to announce at the United Nations on Thursday additional funding for humanitarian assistance to Sudan and efforts to support civil society in the country.
The Sudanese army has accused the UAE of providing weapons and support to the RSF in Sudan’s 18-month-old war. The Gulf state denies the accusations. UN sanctions monitors called allegations that the UAE provided military support to the RSF credible.
The United Arab Emirates has long been a major buyer of US weapons.
In October, the Biden Administration announced, for example, that it had approved a potential sale of GMLRS and ATACMS munitions, and related support, for $1.2 billion.
The GMLRS, or Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, rockets are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, while L3Harris Technologies produces the solid rocket motor for the system. Long-range ATACMS are manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
The Van Hollen and Jacobs resolutions aimed to block such a sale.
“Without UAE support, the RSF will not have the same capabilities to wage this war, making negotiations and a ceasefire a much more likely alternative,” Jacobs said in a statement.
Van Hollen said he would closely monitor the UAE’s compliance assessment. “Should the UAE fail to comply with these safeguards, we reserve the right to resubmit our Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block the sale in the next Congress,” he said.
