The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is facing growing calls for a global boycott, as activists from the Sudanese and wider Islamic and pro-Palestinian communities accuse it of playing a central role in fueling bloodshed across Sudan and Gaza. From propping up warlords in Africa to openly normalising and financing Zionist aggression in Palestine, the UAE is increasingly being condemned as an enabler of genocide and occupation.
Sudanese-led advocacy groups, backed by broader Muslim and justice-oriented networks, have intensified their campaigns to boycott Emirati institutions and companies. The UAE is accused of bankrolling the notorious Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a Sudanese paramilitary group responsible for widespread war crimes, sexual violence, and ethnic massacres, especially in Darfur.
UN experts and human rights organisations have documented the UAE’s involvement in arming the RSF and facilitating their control over Sudanese gold mines, land, and livestock. In return, Sudanese resources are extracted and funneled to the Emirates, enriching the regime while Sudan bleeds. Earlier this month, Sudan formally accused the UAE of violating the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), highlighting the state’s active complicity in atrocities.
“The UAE is not a neutral Gulf state; it is the Zionist regime’s closest Arab ally,” said a spokesperson from Nas Al Sudan, a grassroots organisation supporting Sudanese communities. “From Sudan to Gaza, the fingerprints of Emirati money and weapons are everywhere death is.”
This boycott campaign is not isolated to Sudan. Across the Muslim world, the UAE is being denounced as the official Arab face of Zionism — normalising relations with the apartheid state of Israel, hosting Israeli officials, and offering diplomatic, economic, and media support for Israel’s genocide against the people of Gaza.
‘From Gold to Genocide’
Rania and Tasneem, two Sudanese activists from the UK-based Madaniya and London for Sudan, have been vocal in calling for targeted consumer boycotts, focusing especially on Emirati airlines, luxury brands, and football sponsorships. One of their ongoing campaigns urges Arsenal Football Club to end its sponsorship with Emirates Airlines, a flagship of the regime’s global branding.
“The gold flowing into Dubai has been paid for in Sudanese blood,” Rania noted. Much of the UAE’s gold — it is the second-largest exporter globally — is believed to be smuggled from conflict zones in Sudan, under the control of the RSF.
Activists are urging people to stop flying with Emirates, Etihad, and FlyDubai, calling these companies symbols of blood-soaked luxury.
Defund the UAE: From Dubai to Death Zones
Ghaida Hamdun, founder of For Sudanese Liberation, launched the Defund the UAE (DFUAE) initiative, which connects Emirati exploitation in Sudan with its political alignment with Zionism. Hamdun was part of a high-profile campaign last year that successfully pressured rapper Macklemore to cancel a Dubai concert, citing solidarity with both Sudan and Palestine.
“Macklemore refused to entertain a regime complicit in genocide,” Hamdun said. “We need more artists, athletes, and influencers to stand on the side of justice. The UAE is not just complicit in Sudan; it is a key enabler of Israel’s war machine.”
The campaign connects dots between Sudanese suffering and Palestinian resistance. In Gaza, the UAE has publicly aligned itself with Israel, supplying it with political cover and funding initiatives that whitewash its crimes. While the ICJ has stated that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza, the UAE has remained silent — or worse, engaged in secretive collaboration.
The UAE: Zionism’s Trojan Horse in the Arab World
Activists assert that the UAE’s role is not accidental. “This is a regime that actively undermines Muslim unity,” said a Sudanese community organiser in exile. “It collaborates with Israel, destabilises Muslim countries, and sells our sacred causes to Western powers for the price of luxury towers and global image.”
The image of Dubai as a glamorous tourism destination is increasingly being challenged. “Boycotting the UAE means dismantling the illusion,” said Tasneem. “People are so dazzled by skyscrapers that they don’t see the mass graves behind them.”
Activists say that to truly support Sudanese and Palestinian liberation, there must be a mass rejection of all Emirati institutions. From real estate investments to airlines, from influencers vacationing in Dubai to sports teams funded by Emirati money — all are being called out.
This Is a Proxy War — And the UAE Is Profiting
Activists emphasise that the conflict in Sudan is not simply a “civil war” but a foreign-fueled proxy war. “The RSF would not survive without the UAE’s backing,” said Hamdun. “This is imperialism disguised as investment.”
As over 12.5 million Sudanese are displaced and tens of thousands killed, activists are calling on Muslims and people of conscience to act. “Silence is complicity,” Rania stressed. “And if you still shop with UAE brands, fly with their airlines, or admire their towers — then your silence is paid for.”
Call to Action
Activists are urging:
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- A full boycott of UAE airlines, companies, and tourism.
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- The cutting of sports sponsorships and partnerships with Emirati brands.
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- Raising awareness about the UAE’s support for Israel and its complicity in Gaza’s genocide.
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- Connecting Sudanese liberation to Palestinian resistance, under the banner of One Ummah, One Struggle.
