UK Arms Sales to UAE Under Fire as British-Made Equipment Pops Up with Sudan's RSF

The British government is facing mounting pressure and accusations of complicity in war crimes following explosive evidence that UK-manufactured military equipment has been captured from Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group implicated in mass atrocities and genocide.

The discovery has triggered urgent calls for an immediate arms embargo on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the suspected conduit for the diverted weapons, and has thrown the UK's arms export controls into a crisis of credibility.

British Components on the Frontlines of Atrocity

According to damning evidence presented to the UN Security Council, British-made components are being used by the RSF on the ground in Sudan. The recovered equipment includes small-arms training systems and, most critically, engines for armoured personnel carriers.

Investigations by The Guardian have specifically linked these engines to vehicles built in the UAE, revealing a direct pipeline from UK factories to a militia accused of ethnically targeted violence. This provides the most tangible proof to date of long-held fears that UK arms sold to the UAE are being illegally funneled into conflict zones.

A Flood of Licences Despite "Diversion Risk" Warnings

Critics are aghast that the UK government has continued to authorize a massive volume of arms sales to the UAE despite explicit, internal warnings of a high "diversion risk."

Official data reveals a staggering pace of approvals: between April and June 2025 alone, the government issued £172 million in arms export licences to the UAE. A portion of this, approximately £1.97 million, was explicitly for "military vehicles and components"-the very category of equipment now found in RSF hands.

This is not an isolated incident. From 2019 to 2023, the UK exported nearly £750 million worth of arms to the Emiratis. Even more tellingly, government records show that between 2015 and 2024, 21 out of 22 refused licences to the UAE were rejected specifically due to the risk of diversion, proving the government has long been aware of the peril.

"Indefensible" System and Calls for Immediate Action

Human rights organizations and political opponents are describing the situation as a catastrophic failure of moral and legal responsibility.

Amnesty International has condemned the UK's arms licensing system as "indefensible," stating that the presence of UK components with a force accused of genocide is a clear dereliction of duty. Campaigners are demanding an immediate suspension of all arms exports to the UAE and a full, transparent investigation.

Echoing these demands, the Liberal Democrats in Parliament have called for an urgent halt to all UK arms sales to the UAE, warning that British exports may be directly fuelling the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.

Government in Denial as Evidence Mounts

In the face of mounting evidence, the UK government has struck a defensive posture. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) maintains that it takes export control "seriously" and insists all licences are rigorously assessed.

A government spokesperson told MPs that while "a small number" of UK-made items have been reported in Sudan, there is "no evidence ... of UK weapons or ammunition" being used by the RSF. Officials have strongly denied attempting to suppress criticism or downplay the UAE's alleged role.

However, these assurances ring hollow for critics who point to the UAE's established reputation as a "hub" for arms diversion to conflict zones like Libya and Sudan. With British equipment now photographed in the hands of a group led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti," who is widely implicated in severe human rights violations, the UK government finds itself accused of being wilfully blind to a crisis it helped arm.

The scandal now poses a fundamental question: will the UK continue to prioritize arms trade with a key Gulf ally, or will it act to ensure it is no longer a supplier to atrocities in Sudan?