In a scathing exposé titled “The UAE’s Secessionist Strategy,” France’s prestigious Le Monde has uncovered a disturbing long-term policy driven by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to dismantle the Arab world from within—with direct orchestration by Mohammed bin Zayed, whom the article brands as “the architect of perpetual chaos” in the region.
The analysis, authored by Professor Jean-Pierre Filiu, Middle East expert at Sciences Po, draws on classified Western intelligence reports and on-the-ground investigations, now surfacing in international media as Abu Dhabi’s interference crosses regional boundaries.
A Decade of Destabilisation
Here are the most prominent arenas where this strategy has taken root:
Libya: Backing Haftar and Tearing the Country Apart
The UAE played a decisive role in arming and funding warlord Khalifa Haftar since 2014—despite a UN arms embargo.
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- Emirati warplanes bombed Tripoli, deepening the rift between East and West.
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- Though Haftar failed to seize power by force, Abu Dhabi turned Benghazi into a forward operating base for joint military coordination with Russia.
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- This move gained momentum after Russia’s withdrawal from Syria, with Libya and Africa’s Sahel emerging as the new frontier of UAE-Russia expansionism.
Yemen: Weaponising Secession and Dividing the South
Under the guise of fighting for legitimacy, the UAE:
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- Empowered the Southern Transitional Council (STC)
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- Supplied it with money, weapons, and logistics
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- Allowed it to seize vast portions of southern Yemen
The goal was never the restoration of unity, but rather to divide Yemen into warring statelets controlled through Emirati proxies.
Sudan: Proxy Wars and Manufactured Chaos
In Sudan, Abu Dhabi:
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- Finances and arms the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti)
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- Operates drones targeting civilians, especially in Khartoum and Darfur
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- Exploits conflict to secure control over Sudanese ports and expand Emirati-Russian influence in the Red Sea
Instead of stabilisation, the UAE’s moves undermine Sudan’s transition and risk turning it into a fractured corridor of foreign dominance.
Mohammed bin Zayed: The Counter-Revolution’s Mastermind
Le Monde describes Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) as the central figure behind this orchestrated chaos:
While promoting the UAE as a beacon of modernity and peace, MBZ is in fact behind one of the most dangerous secessionist strategies in the Arab world.
His goals:
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- Crush democratic uprisings
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- Prolong civil wars
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- Break down Arab states into weak micro-entities orbiting Abu Dhabi’s interests
The article highlights growing concern over UAE-Russia military coordination, which has shifted from Syria to Libya’s east and deeper into Africa.
Divide and Dominate: Abu Dhabi’s Blueprint for the Region
Le Monde concludes that the UAE’s agenda is not about “strong state-building” as it claims, but about:
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- Engineering a fragmented Arab reality
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- Controlling separatist pockets under a false umbrella of “security and economic reform”
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- Guaranteeing long-term influence while disguising it as regional stability
The article warns that international silence on the UAE’s actions in Sudan, Yemen, and Libya risks normalising the “failed mini-state” model, threatening what remains of Arab stability and unity.
