US lawmakers ask Biden to raise issue of UAE role in Sudan war with Emirati president

US Congress members are pressuring President Joe Biden to speak with his United Arab Emirates counterpart about the Gulf state’s suspected role in the war in Sudan.

Biden will host UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday, where talks between the leaders will focus on artificial intelligence.

The Sudanese government has accused the UAE of providing weapons to its rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and prolonging the 17-month war that is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people.

The UAE has called the allegations "utterly false" and "baseless" and accused the government of refusing to negotiate peace with its enemy.

A letter sent to the White House was signed by House Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, Daniel Kildee, and Sara Jacobs.

They reportedly expressed their concerns with the UAE’s alleged role in the war and urged Biden to talk with Bin Zayed about this, adding that it contradicted the US’ role in trying to end the violence in Sudan due to Washington’s friendship with Abu Dhabi.

Sudanese Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed accused the UAE earlier this month of providing the RSF with heavy weapons, missiles and ammunition - and of "profiting from this war through the illegal exploitation of gold."

A recent report by the New York Times says the UAE is covertly smuggling weapons to the RSF, even using Red Crescent ambulance vans.

The report alleges that powerful, Chinese-made drones are being flown from an airport in Chad that the UAE expanded into a military airfield.