The United Nations has said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has previously violated an arms embargo imposed on countries including Somalia, after it was discovered that military equipment manufactured in the UK and sold to the UAE had been found in Somalia, particularly in the hands of armed groups operating in Somalia and Libya.
The report suggests that the UAE is part of a network of clandestine arms transfers, which have often been seen in the form of Nimr Ajban combat vehicles manufactured by an Emirati company. These vehicles have been confirmed to have been used in countries with ongoing conflicts and UN arms embargoes.
The new report, seen by members of the UN Security Council, also accused the UAE of supplying British weapons to the RSF group fighting the Sudanese government forces, raising new questions about the UAE’s role in the conflicts in East Africa and the Sahel.
UN experts said the UAE’s move threatens regional peace and increases the opportunity for illegal weapons to enter Somalia, where there is still an insecurity situation where weapons are easily traded.
The UAE government has strongly denied the allegations, but Western countries are under pressure to stop exporting weapons and military equipment to the UAE, as they could be used in war zones, such as Sudan and Somalia.
