Commotion in the US House of Representatives Over the UAE Support for the RSF Militias

Washington –Sudanhorizon
A session of the Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, titled “Stop the Bloodshed: The US Response to Crimes Against Humanity in Sudan,” witnessed intense debate on Thursday.
The session’s chairman, Representative Chris Smith, sharply criticized the RSF and the UAE’s support for the militias. He demanded the immediate designation of the RSF as a foreign terrorist organization to open the door to an investigation into the funding sources of Hemedti and his networks. He stated that the US president should contact the UAE leadership directly and demand that they immediately cease funding Hemedti’s militia without delay.
The chairman also called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take further decisive steps to halt the UAE’s destructive role and to present all available evidence to build a strong case against the UAE for its role in fueling the war in Sudan.
Representative Smith stated that this was not the first time this has been said so frankly in Congress, but the evidence was accumulating, and the time for accountability was drawing near.
Smith added that they must also be clear about the external factors fueling this conflict… The illicit flow of gold smuggled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) through the UAE directly funds their war machine. He said they could ignore the UAE’s role in supplying the RSF with weapons that kill innocent Sudanese civilians. At the same time, they see the malign influence of Russia, which is seeking to establish a naval base in Port Sudan, and reports of Iranian drones bolstering the capabilities of the Sudanese Armed Forces.
He added that the Sudan has become a playground for external powers, with the people paying the price as collateral damage… External funding and the flow of weapons must stop immediately. The UAE must cease all forms of support for the RSF, and Turkey and Iran must cease their military support for the Sudanese Armed Forces.” He concluded:

He said in his view, the RSF should be designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The State Department was represented at the hearing by Deputy Assistant Secretary Vincent Spera, who answered a number of questions from Representative Sarah Jacobs.
Youssef, on the X platform, noted that Representative Jacobs drew attention to the numerous and frequent credible reports confirming that the UAE continues to send weapons to the Rapid Support Forces militia. She cited reputable American and international sources such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, France 24, Reuters, Amnesty International, and the Sudan Conflict Monitor, funded by the US State Department, in addition to UN reports, the Security Council Panel of Experts, and US intelligence information.
She emphasized that all these reports indicate the UAE’s continued military support for the militia, then directly asked the US official:
“Do you agree that the UAE continues to provide material support to the Rapid Support Forces?” Spira avoided a yes-or-no answer, merely referring to the Secretary’s statements emphasizing the need to end all external support for the parties.
This reluctance prompted Jacobs to escalate the matter with a second, more sensitive question: how much leverage the United States was using its considerable influence in arms deals with the UAE, including the $1.4 billion deal for helicopter and F-16 spare parts, which President Trump bypassed Congress. She questioned whether the administration was using this leverage to pressure Abu Dhabi to cease its support for the militias and prevent further atrocities.
Here again, Spira evaded the question, referring it to other offices within the State Department and asserting that he was “not directly involved” in these matters.
Jacobs then shifted to another point concerning the weakness of the US institutional structure regarding Sudan. She pointed to the absence of an Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, the lack of a senior director for Africa at the National Security Council, the absence of a special envoy despite the legal requirement, and the lack of leadership at the US Agency for International Development and the Office of Conflict Resolution. This absence, she argued, raises serious questions about who is actually driving policy.
The United States’ approach to Sudan.
Speira reiterated that the Africa Bureau is leading the file, and that Senior Advisor Massad Boulos is directly responsible, stating that the bureau has grown in size following restructuring. However, Jacobs countered that Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and that having an official not appointed by the Senate, who also oversees other files such as those concerning Congo and Arab affairs, is inconsistent with the scale of the crisis and does not give this file the time or political weight it deserves.

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