London For Sudan and Action For Sudan held a protest outside Emirates Stadium during the Arsenal vs. Liverpool match, demanding that Arsenal FC sever ties with Emirates Airlines due to the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) role in fuelling the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan:
Sudan: a humanitarian crisis ignored by the world
Sudan is currently witnessing alarming levels of violence following the defection of a regional commander from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The destruction of critical infrastructure and the vastly underreported figures are staggering. In the past 48 hours, the violence has intensified, with reports indicate that the RSF slaughtered more than 500 men in a single village. Shockingly, over 130 Sudanese women have committed suicide to avoid being raped by RSF militia.
For five days last week alone, at least 37 cases of rape were reported around Rufaa in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state,
The RSF has been implicated in crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass rape, forced displacement, and killings.
Yet despite these events, Arsenal FC has shamefully extended its partnership with Emirates Airlines to 2028, a government-owned entity of the UAE:
Credible reports link the UAE’s extensive military and financial backing to the RSF’s operations, contributing to one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises:
The ongoing conflict in Sudan has displaced 10.9 million people, left over 25.6 million facing acute hunger, and forced 24.8 million to depend on humanitarian aid.
Arsenal: complicit
The UAE, driven by its own economic and political interests, supplies arms and funding to the RSF in exchange for unfettered access to Sudan’s resources, including illegal gold mining in Darfur.
The UAE has facilitated weapons transfers disguised as humanitarian aid and engaged in disinformation campaigns to destabilise the region. Emirates Airlines, owned by the UAE government, is tied to this political and economic agenda, profiting at the expense of Sudanese lives.
Arsenal’s continued partnership with Emirates implicitly links the club to the atrocities in Sudan, all while allowing the UAE to sportswash its image.
Arsenal FC must take a stand for human rights by ending its partnership with Emirates Airlines. Furthermore, coordinated and targeted sanctions from the UK government against the UAE and its services are crucial to holding those responsible for this crisis accountable.
The protesters called on fans and the general public to sign the petition, send complaint letters to Arsenal FC, and urge the club to end its partnership with Emirates Airlines:
Don’t let the UAE sportswash genocide in Sudan.
Featured image and additional images via London For Sudan
