The dark underbelly of Britain's foreign policy has long been shrouded in controversy. However, a forthcoming parliamentary inquiry into atrocity prevention is set to expose a particularly egregious example: the UK government allegedly prioritising its relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over acting on early warnings of genocide in Sudan's civil war. This explosive claim will be made to a Commons select committee by Nathaniel Raymond, a respected human rights investigator from Yale University.
According to Raymond's testimony, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials informed him that "significant private pressure" from the UAE was a key factor in the UK's decision not to publicly disclose information linking Ethiopia and the emirates to their support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary militia accused of perpetrating atrocities. This alleged reluctance by the FCDO to act on intelligence came despite an estimated 60,000 civilian fatalities during the RSF's actions in El Fasher last year.
Raymond will detail how his testimony is based on three years of encrypted messages, internal meeting notes, memos, and phone records. He will also reveal that a senior FCDO official reportedly attempted to downplay the scale of civilian deaths for "political" reasons after being briefed by Raymond on the estimated death toll. Furthermore, he will share an incident where a British UN official expressed despair over the government's inaction as El Fasher teetered on the brink of falling.
Raymond's evidence will highlight the long-standing Ethiopian involvement in Sudan's war, dating back to 15 May 2024. During his meeting with FCDO officials in London, he shared collated data from mobile phones tracked by Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which showed handsets moving between Ethiopia's capital and RSF-held territory in Sudan. Some phones were also tracked from RSF locations to addresses in the UAE, which HRL believes were shell companies linked to Abdul Rahim Dagalo, the RSF's deputy commander.
The allegations that the UK government prioritised its relationship with the UAE over atrocity prevention will be deeply unsettling for British readers. If substantiated, this would suggest a worrying willingness by policymakers to sacrifice moral principle on the altar of diplomatic expediency. The parliamentary committee is due to scrutinise these claims in detail, shedding much-needed light on Britain's handling of its international obligations.