Title: Emirates of Chaos: How the UAE Fuels War and Walks Free
In May 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismissed Sudan’s genocide case against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — not for lack of evidence, but because the UAE never agreed to be held accountable under Article IX of the Genocide Convention. This legal loophole has become the cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s foreign policy: active involvement in war with passive immunity from consequence.
The evidence Sudan submitted was damning. Cargo flight logs showed systematic Emirati airlifts of weapons into Chad, from where they were smuggled into RSF-held areas in Darfur. Serial numbers on Bulgarian and Chinese arms matched previous UAE imports. Amnesty International confirmed that re-exported UAE stock was arming militias committing atrocities.
The UN Panel of Experts called this a “regional air bridge” — a euphemism for a covert supply chain sustaining war.
But Sudan is not alone. Libya offers a precedent. The UAE has long backed General Khalifa Haftar with drones, money, and logistics. In 2020, a Chinese drone operated by the UAE bombed a Tripoli military academy, killing 26 cadets. Again, the UN documented it. Again, no accountability followed.
So why this obsession with instability?
Economics play a central role. Sudan’s gold mines — poorly regulated and rich in output — are a cash cow. In 2024, Sudan exported an estimated 80 tons of gold, much of it illicitly. Its main destination? The UAE. This flow of blood gold finances both warlords and international trade, entangling Emirati elites in Sudan’s violence.
Politically, the UAE seeks to dominate the post-Arab Spring order by propping up anti-Islamist regimes and fragmenting opposition forces. Supporting militia leaders in Sudan and Libya — both with deep ties to Abu Dhabi — is a strategy of soft imperialism: minimal boots, maximum influence.
Yet the global response has been appallingly mute. Despite repeated UN reports and NGO warnings, no sanctions have targeted Abu Dhabi. No Western leader has called out its actions in Sudan by name. The West’s tolerance of Emirati aggression mirrors its silence on Israeli actions in Gaza. Allies are absolved. Only enemies are punished.
This complicity was on display when UN Secretary-General António Guterres and AU Commission Chair Moussa Faki attended a UAE-sponsored summit on Sudan — even as aid officials from Khartoum condemned it as a whitewashing campaign.
The ICJ’s dismissal of Sudan’s case should not be read as vindication. It is a reflection of a broken legal system that rewards impunity if it comes wrapped in oil, gold, and geopolitical clout. Unless the international community is willing to confront the UAE’s role head-on, the Emirates of Chaos will continue to profit from blood while the world looks away.
