Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) meeting in Strasbourg, France, this week are considering whether to demand a complete halt to discussions on an EU free trade deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), following allegations the country is sending European-made weapons to militia forces in Sudan.
This follows a UN expert panel investigating the discovery of European-manufactured weapons in a Rapid Support Forces (RSF) supply convoy, as well as a report by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International that the RSF paramilitary is receiving European arms through resales via the UAE.
“We will call on the European Commission to stop the trade negotiations with the UAE for as long as we see that weapons are going through the UAE to the RSF,” Marit Maij, a Dutch MEP from the socialist group, told DW.
The RSF is accused of perpetrating extensive atrocities in Sudan, like using rape and starvation as a weapon of war, especially during the recent siege on the western city of el-Fasher. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has recently taken up investigations to determine whether these acts constitute war crimes.
The Emirati government has repeatedly denied claims it is forwarding European weapons to Sudan — which would amount to a serious breach of the UN arms embargo on Sudan — but did not respond to DW’s request for comment for this article.
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EU scramling to expand free trade agreements
As trade with the US becomes increasingly complicated in the wake of Trump’s tariff agenda, the EU has been scrambling to expand its bilateral trade network with Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with third countries around the world.
EU officials had initially hoped that trade negotiations with the UAE could be wrapped up by the end of 2025. The agreement would increase market access and reduce tariffs between the EU and the UAE.
MEPs from pro-trade parties warn against halting the talks altogether, but say the negotiations should be used as a lever to stop the UAE from re-exporting weapons.
“The leverage that we do have is in the relationship that we have with the UAE,” Barry Andrews, an Irish MEP in the economically liberal Renew Europe group, told DW. “We use trade to supply goods and services across borders, but also we use it as leverage for particular European priorities,” he added.
Voices from the other end of the aisle disagree.
“Cut off the external enablers of this conflict through targeted sanctions, arms embargos and sustained diplomatic pressure,” said Merja Kyllönen, a Finnish MEP from the Left Group in the European Parliament. “If we fail to confront those who are financing and arming this war, we are only treating the symptoms and not the causes.”
Sudanese government confirms finding weapons ‘linked to EU members’
Previously, in April, the UN had launched an investigation into the origins of weapons in the Sudan conflict, after sources reported serial numbers of arms and ammunitions, seen in RSF photos and videos published online, being traceable to European weapons manufacturers.
The Sudanese government, itself accused of atrocities against civilians, says it can confirm the reports of foreign weapons being used by the RSF. “What we have actually confiscated on the battlegrounds, the assault rifles or the ammunitions, some of them are linked to some EU member countries, ” Abdelbagi Kabeir, Sudan’s ambassador to Brussels and permanent representative to the EU, told press in late October.
The civil war in Sudan has been ongoing since 2023, waged predominantly between two rival factions — on one side, the internationally recognized, government-controlled Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and on the other, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Their struggle for the upper hand has left an estimated 13 million displaced, according to the UN. In May, the US special envoy for Sudan suggested the death toll since 2023 could be as high as 150,000.
The investigation by Amnesty International also documented weapons and ammunition from China, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Yemen being imported into Sudan.
EU lawmakers concerned about potential increase in Sudanese migration
European lawmakers are also worried the Sudanese civil war will prompt refugees to make their way to Europe seeking safety, with reports that some are already heading towards Libya, where many human traffickers await.
“They are in neighboring countries, in Uganda, South Sudan, and Chad,” said MEP Barry Andrews. “If they feel that there’s no possibility of a reconciliation or resolution of the conflict in Sudan, then they will move, and they will take all the risks that are involved in crossing the Mediterranean and getting involved with traffickers.”
“When we fail to invest in stability in fragile contexts like Sudan,” people there will want to escape and try to come to Europe, Andrews added.
Amnesty, however, warns against creating a renewed “migration crisis” rhetoric in Europe.
“Instead of stoking fears about migration, EU leaders should be using all their diplomatic powers to press all the warring parties to end the devastating violations against civilians in Sudan,” said Eve Geddie, the advocacy director for Amnesty’s EU office.
Parliamentarians working towards a resolution
A motion for a resolution is moving through the European Parliament’s voting process — currently set for Thursday — and is set to call for a significant increase in EU aid to alleviate the worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan.
Not all the political factions may agree to the call for an end of trade negotiations with the UAE, but they are set to demand increased action to prevent European arms ending up in RSF hands.
They will also demand a crackdown on the international trade of gold and minerals mined in Sudan, the proceeds of which finance the militia factions.
European Parliament resolutions are not legally binding, but they do increase pressure for action on EU governments.
Edited by: Carla Bleiker, Maren Sass