Still no sanctions against the United Arab Emirates that arm the bloody conflict in Sudan

Sudan: what happened between June and July

Summary update

Between June and July 2026, the war in Sudan worsened particularly around El-Obeid, in Northern Kordofan, where drone attacks by the RSF targeted civilians and essential infrastructure. The UN verified 15 attacks in three weeks of June, with at least 45 civilians killed, and on 6 July, the UN Human Rights Council opened an urgent investigation into abuses in the area. UNICEF reported at least 330 children killed or injured in the first six months of 2026 in Sudan, while the G7, EU, and the United Kingdom have renewed diplomatic pressure and new sanctions against the networks financing the armed conflict. But no sanctions have been adopted against the United Arab Emirates that arm the conflict, and this is because they are a strategic partner of NATO.

Sudan, July 2026: El-Obeid at the centre of the crisis

Between June and July 2026, the war in Sudan experienced a new and dangerous escalation around El-Obeid, in Northern Kordofan, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified drone attacks and military pressure on the city, still under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but exposed to de facto siege conditions.

According to the UN, in three weeks of June, 15 drone attacks were verified that killed at least 45 civilians in the city and surrounding areas, also hitting essential infrastructure such as electrical plants, water networks, and healthcare facilities. The Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner have openly spoken of the risk of mass atrocities, and on 6 July, the UN Human Rights Council approved a resolution opening an urgent investigation into abuses in El-Obeid.

Humanitarian emergency

The humanitarian impact is very severe. UNICEF warned on 6 July that in the first six months of 2026, at least 330 children have been killed or injured in Sudan, with over 35 child casualties recorded since May in Northern Kordofan, largely due to drones and other attacks. The UN agency also estimates that around 500,000 civilians are at risk in El-Obeid and the surrounding area, while schools, hospitals, water systems, and markets are increasingly damaged.

Humanitarian organisations also report a significant deterioration in access to essential goods and basic services, with direct effects on the displaced population and families already affected by months of war. For this reason, international attention is increasingly focused on the risk that El-Obeid becomes the new major epicentre of the crisis after El-Fasher, in Darfur.

Diplomatic pressure: a deadlocked situation

On the diplomatic front, on 15 July, the G7 and the European Union called on the RSF to immediately cease any actions that endanger civilians in El-Obeid and urged the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo to all of Sudan. On the same day, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report describing the Sudanese war as supported by a genuine “war economy”, with particular attention to the supply chain of gum arabic and the risks it poses to human rights and global supply chains.

However, the negotiating framework remains deadlocked. The parties continue to set conditions incompatible with a credible ceasefire, while the UN and the EU insist on the need to protect civilians and ensure unhindered humanitarian access.

Sanctions and financing of the conflict

On 16 July, the United Kingdom announced new targeted sanctions against 11 individuals and entities linked to the financing, procurement, and trade networks that fuel the war in Sudan. The measures also target international circuits that pass through Dubai and Hong Kong, aiming to disrupt the economic flows that turn gold and illicit trafficking into resources for the conflict.

These sanctions confirm that the Sudanese armed conflict is not only a war on the ground but also a war connected to transnational economic networks that are difficult to dismantle or - worse still - that are not wanted to be addressed at their roots. See the next point.

Still no sanctions against the United Arab Emirates that arm the conflict

No sanctions have been adopted against the government of the United Arab Emirates that arm the conflict. As the United Arab Emirates are firmly linked to NATO, the sanctions have been limited to individual persons, companies, and financial networks connected to the armed conflict in Sudan. The scandal of the West's inaction towards the United Arab Emirates has recently emerged in a clear form.

United Kingdom

On 16 July 2026, the United Kingdom announced sanctions against 11 individuals and entities linked to the gold and war financing networks in Sudan. The measures target trade and financial circuits, and British sources speak of illicit networks that fuel the conflict, not of a sanction against the United Arab Emirates as a state. Available news also indicates the presence of companies based in the Emirates among the affected subjects, but the target remains the network, not the Emirati state.

European Union

On the EU front, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on 8 July 2026 that, for the first time, explicitly names the United Arab Emirates as an actor contributing to fuelling the war in Sudan and calls for targeted actions against certain entities. However, the EU Council chose a different approach, approving on 13 July a ban on the trade of Sudanese gold and on the exports of mercury and cyanide to Sudan, without imposing direct sanctions on the United Arab Emirates. Thus, the EU has targeted the war economy, but has not formally sanctioned the Emirati state.

United States

The information found confirms that the United States have targeted networks and companies linked to support for the RSF, some of which operate or are registered in the Emirates, but have not imposed sanctions on the state of the United Arab Emirates. American and international accusations point to the Emirati role in supporting the RSF, but the level of measures remains that of targeted sanctions, not state-level.

UN and Security Council

No UN sanctions against the United Arab Emirates for the Sudanese conflict have emerged. Sources instead report a strong political and diplomatic clash around the accusations of support for the RSF, but without a Security Council measure sanctioning Abu Dhabi. In other words, the UN signals and documents, but has not imposed restrictive measures against the Emirati state.

In summary

In summary, there are no direct international sanctions against the United Arab Emirates as a state for their role in the conflict in Sudan; instead, there are targeted sanctions against individuals, companies, and economic-financial networks, some based in or linked to the Emirates.