UAE faces online boycott calls over Sudan war
The UAE is coming under increasing fire on social media over claims it is embroiled in Sudan's civil war, with calls to boycott its crown jewel: the financial and entertainment hub of Dubai.
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, despite accusations from the Sudanese government, U.N. experts and international groups.
Posts blaming the UAE for "funding genocide" and "killing Sudanese" have snowballed in the weeks since the city of El-Fasher fell to the RSF, with reports of mass atrocities being committed in the city.
Public figures including climate activist Greta Thunberg have endorsed a campaign that analysts say threatens to taint the reputation of a country that has long sought to polish its overseas image to attract foreign professionals.
Reports of mass killings, rape and other atrocities have emerged since the RSF seized the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the Darfur region in late October, just the latest horror in more than two years of war.
"The campaign could be damaging to the Emirati brand as the situation in Sudan has cut through into wider consciousness," said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a researcher at Rice University's Baker Institute.
"Dubai in particular has a reputation as a soft power magnet that may be damaged," he said.
Campaigners are pushing the phrase "habibi boycott Dubai", a reference to the viral "habibi come to Dubai" campaign promoting the city.
It's a targeted swipe at the UAE's flagship city, which has become synonymous with flashy influencers, wealth and success.
- 'Habibi boycott Dubai' –
Thunberg and rapper Macklemore, who combined have more than 20 million followers, shared a post titled "habibi boycott Dubai", describing the RSF as "the UAE's hand in Sudan".
Others have joined in, with more users calling for a boycott of the entire country.
X user Anis Mansour accused the UAE of being "the main financier of genocide in Sudan", while Bint Khalifa, another user, blamed it for prolonging "the Sudanese tragedy, under the guise of humanitarian aid".
Commenting on the campaign, the Emirati foreign ministry told AFP it had seen "a marked increase in unfounded accusations and deliberate propaganda from the so-called Port Sudan Authority," referring to the army-aligned Sudanese government.
Analysts agree that it's too early to tell whether the damage would extend beyond a reputational hit because of limited international pressure so far.
"Now they're experiencing perhaps some reputational backlash, which they tend to be averse to," said Emadeddin Badi, a researcher at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
For much of the last two years, campaigners including Thunberg had been focused on the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, but a ceasefire in the Palestinian territory has coincided with the RSF's capture of El-Fasher.
Before the city's fall, there was only limited political backlash, with some US lawmakers calling for a halt in arms sales to the UAE.
In recent days, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted "some country, and we know who they are" must stop sending weapons to the RSF, but he refused to single out the UAE.
"In terms of broader political implications, I haven't seen any and I also haven't seen a significant momentum to sort of look at revising the exports," Badi said.
— 'Fake News' —
In response to the backlash, some pro-UAE users have taken to social media, with Badi saying authorities also used mosque sermons to urge people to ignore online posts.
But Emirati political science professor Abdulkhaleq Abdulla conceded it would be "difficult to keep up" with the campaign.
"Sometimes it's best to just ignore it," he said.
In parallel, the UAE has amped up condemnation of violence in Sudan in recent weeks, with the foreign ministry lamenting crimes against humanity while UAE presidential advisor Anwar Gargash criticized atrocities being committed in El Fasher.
But they stopped short of condemning the RSF, with Gargash decrying "fake news" about the UAE's alleged involvement in Sudan.
With enough political pressure, the UAE may shift its policy or tone on Sudan, Ulrichsen said, but it "will likely be done quietly and communicated through signaling and messaging rather than an acknowledgement of a policy that has gone wrong or is in need of adjustment".
Source: Agence France Presse
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