Key facts
- The UAE has denied pursuing "imperial ambitions" in Africa, calling such portrayals "patronizing" and "outdated."
- The denial comes in response to a Financial Times article detailing the UAE's expanding military and economic interests across the continent.
- Reports indicate the UAE has built a network of ports, logistics, agriculture, mining, finance, and security interests in Africa.
- A UAE-linked security company allegedly recruited mercenaries to fight alongside Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
- The UAE has committed billions to mining projects in several African nations and operates ports in 13 countries.
- An expert criticized the UAE's denial, stating that strategic investments and imperial ambitions can coexist.
The United Arab Emirates has issued a rare public rebuttal to a Financial Times report that characterized the Gulf state's growing military and economic presence in Africa as evidence of "imperial ambitions."
In a statement published by the FT, Afra al-Hameli, the UAE's director of strategic communications, expressed disappointment with the newspaper's portrayal, labeling it "deeply patronizing" and reliant on an "outdated narrative" that depicts African nations as passive recipients of foreign influence.
The FT's reporting, which has often corroborated coverage from Middle East Eye, detailed how the UAE has established a significant network of interests across Africa, encompassing ports, logistics, agriculture, mining, finance, and security. One investigation revealed that a UAE-based security company with government ties recruited Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the ongoing civil war. Despite UAE denials, evidence has emerged supporting claims of its backing for the RSF, a group accused by the UN and US of committing atrocities.
Further reports have documented arms transfers to the RSF and detailed how UAE military and civilian cargo planes were allegedly used to transport pilfered gold from Sudan. The FT also highlighted the UAE's substantial commercial expansion, with entities like DP World operating or developing ports and logistics infrastructure in numerous African countries. Emirati firms have also committed billions to mining projects across the continent.
Cameron Hudson, a former US intelligence official and Africa expert, commented that the UAE's rebuttal contained "flawed logic," asserting that mutually beneficial economic investments and the pursuit of political and strategic gain through "imperial ambitions" are not mutually exclusive and can both be true simultaneously.