Press Release : On 10 May 2026, a group of Sudanese victims, represented by DEMAIN law firm, submitted a formal request to the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Kaja Kallas. On their behalf, the law firm is calling for an investigation and the immediate imposition of targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime (CFSP Decision 2020/1999) against Emirati officials, Sudanese nationals, and legal entities registered in Sudan and in the United Arab Emirates, on the grounds of their alleged close ties to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
As the conflict in Sudan entered its fourth year in April 2026, multiple independent investigations including reports by The Sentry, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and The New York Times indicate that foreign actors play an active role in the armed conflict, most notably the United Arab Emirates.[1] Their involvement reportedly includes the provision of financial resources, logistical support, and the continued supply of weapons to the RSF, thereby facilitating the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide that are now well documented, as well as contributing to the prolongation of the armed conflict for strategic and geopolitical purposes. Whilst the European Union has already adopted sanctions in relation to the armed conflict in Sudan, targeting in particular members of the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), none have to date been directed against officials of the United Arab Emirates alleged to have maintained long-standing ties with RSF leadership. However, it has been revealed that among certain senior Emirati officials, the Vice-President Sheikh Mansour -also the owner of Cty Football Group (CFG) and the prestigious club Manchester City Football in the United Kingdom- acts as a representative of the United Arab Emirates and supports the RSF commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Hemedti.
By submitting an application for sanctions, the victims seek to ensure that such measures impede the foreign support fuelling the conflict, through travel bans, asset freezes and restrictions on financial resources, and help to halt crimes against civilians. They call for an immediate end to all external support for the RSF and its allied paramilitary militias so that the suffering of the Sudanese people can end without further delay. Mujahed Othman Abdelrahim Mohamed, a field-based investigative journalist who was able to interview the group of victims emphasises: “During my stay in the refugee camp, I collected first-hand accounts from civilians describing the atrocities their family members suffered. What I heard defies adequate description. These cases must not be confined to humanitarian reporting alone. These crimes must be brought to the attention of everyone, and anyone who supported, financed or facilitated them must be sanctioned and prosecuted.”
Mohamed Ismail Abdelrahman Hassan, a doctor from El Fasher, who shared his testimony publicly, describes systematic attacks targeting hospitals, medical staff and the civilian population: “We were receiving between 130 and 180 wounded people a day, and on some days the number was even higher. The injuries included shrapnel wounds, gunshot wounds, amputations, severe haemorrhaging and complex injuries caused by artillery shells and bombing. The majority of these cases involved children and women who had seen family members killed before their eyes, or who had been subjected to torture, rape or limb amputations. Responsibility for these crimes lies with the Rapid Support Forces militia and their international backers, who supplied them with the kind of heavy and destructive weapons that have devastated infrastructure, besieged civilian populations and killed civilians indiscriminately and in an extremely brutal manner. All support for the RSF must be condemned and stopped now.”
In light of these allegations, DEMAIN law firm, acting on behalf of the collective of Sudanese victims, has submitted a request for investigations, and as appropriate, the adoption of immediate sanctions by the European Union targeting individuals and legal entities that have had, or continue to maintain, links with RSF officials and with companies already subject to sanctions. The request names eight individuals and legal entities including:
- His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs;
- Mohamed Hamdan Alzaabi, Mazin Gamareldin Mohamed Fadlalla, Naser Helal Abdulla Helal Al Hammadi, and Mohammed Rashed Saif Al Marri, Emirati businessmen;
- Abo Zer Abdelnabi Habiballa Ahmeed and Ahmed Hashim Hamad El Basher, Sudanese businessmen;
- Global Security Services Group;
- Al-Fakher Advanced Works Co. Ltd;
- Prodigious Real Estate Management Supervision Services;
- Aoun Commercial Brokers.
Since 15 April 2023, the escalation of the conflict between the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has subjected the Sudanese civilian population to first-hand atrocities, resulting in one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world according to the United Nations.
The group of Sudanese victims represented by DEMAIN Law firm describes a pattern of widespread and systematic attacks carried out by the RSF and its identified militias, including the killing of family members by drones and bombardment, large-scale attacks on property and homes, pillage, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, mass rape and sexual violence, and the systematic forced displacement of civilian populations. Most of them fled El Fasher towards the end of October 2025, amid attacks of an unprecedented scale, and are currently living in internally displaced persons camps in a different region, where they are now able to share their testimonies and describe the grave and continuing consequences of the conflict.
A.I.S., sole trader in El Fasher: « Following artillery fire carried out by forces affiliated with the RSF militia, an artillery shell struck my family’s home directly. This indiscriminate shelling killed four members of my family: my cousin, aged 47, her husband, aged 50, and their two children, aged 12 and 7. They were all at home when the bombardment took place… »
K.A.A., a housewife who lost both of her sons, one to bombardment, the other to torture in detention, testifies: « He was arrested in the city of El Fasher by members affiliated with the RSF militia and taken to one of the city’s detention centres. All contact with him was completely severed following his arrest. We later learned that he had died in detention as a result of torture and medical neglect. His body was never returned to us, no official document confirming his death was ever provided, and we were not permitted to visit him or communicate with him at any point during his detention... »
Contact:
Sarah SAMEUR
Member of the Paris Bar
DEMAIN | Cabinet d’Avocat
[1] M.TOWNSEND, Sudan paramilitary leaders acquired £17.7m property portfolio in Dubai, investigation reveals, The Guardian, 29 April 2026.
