{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sarajacobs.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-sara-jacobs-leads-the-call-for-the-uae-to-end-material-support-for-rsfs-mass-atrocities-in-sudan", "Rep. Sara Jacobs Leads the Call for the UAE to End Material Support for RSF\u2019s Mass Atrocities in Sudan", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Sara Jacobs", "J000305", "sarajacobs.house.gov", "sarajacobs", "https://sarajacobs.house.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa led a coalition of 10 lawmakers urging the United Arab Emirates to end its material support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, which is committing mass atrocities, including ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity - echoing the genocide in Darfur two decades ago.\n\nRead Rep. Sara Jacobs\u2019 Letter Here\n\nThe lawmakers wrote:\n\n\u201cWe write to express our concern with the United Arab Emirates\u2019 support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, and urge the UAE to reconsider its policy towards Sudan.\n\n\u201cThe conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has gone on for far too long and at great cost. Over 12,000 people have been killed, more than 5 million people have been internally displaced, and 1.4 million people have fled the country. Civilians have borne the brunt of this needless and unconscionable conflict, leading to the world\u2019s largest displacement crisis.\n\n\u201cFor the past several months, we have watched with horror as the RSF and allied militias have systematically destroyed certain communities, attacking non-Arab Muslim ethnic groups, and targeting men and boys of Masalit ethnicity. They have terrorized women and girls through sexual violence across Sudan, attacking them in their homes, kidnapping them from the streets, or targeting those trying to flee to safety across the border. These patterns of violence echo the genocide in which members of the RSF, including its leader, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo \u201cHemedti\u201d, participated in two decades ago.\n\n\u201cIn light of these atrocities, on December 6, Secretary Blinken announced that based on careful analysis of the law and available facts, members of the RSF and allied militias have committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, and members of the SAF and RSF have committed war crimes in Sudan.\n\n\u201cThat is why we are gravely concerned over reports that the United Arab Emirates is providing material support, including arms and supplies, to the RSF, and we urge the end of any such assistance. As you know, the provision of arms into Darfur would be a violation of the UN Arms Embargo for Darfur established under UNSC Resolution 1591. This violation would be a grav reputational risk for the UAE and put the longstanding close partnership with the United States into question.\n\n\u201cWe share UAE concerns about the possible return of Bashir-era officials to power \u2013 and we supported the Biden Administration\u2019s recent designation of Islamist spoilers and former Bashir officials. However, continued military support to the RSF only deepens the conflict along tribal and ethnic lines and adds to the risk of state collapse or division. A divided Sudan could lead to regional instability and a widening of the conflict, which is not in anyone\u2019s interests.\n\n\u201cMembers of Congress are paying attention to the UAE\u2019s actions in Sudan. Most importantly, we are concerned that the UAE is at odds with the efforts of Sudanese civilians, the region, and the broader international community to stop the fighting. Support to the RSF deepens the conflict, emboldens and abets human rights abuses, invites intervention from other regional players, and alienates the Sudanese people \u2013 who will not accept an RSF victory.\n\n\u201cWe hope that our two countries share a desire for a stable and unified Sudan, a civilian government, and preventing the return of Bashir-era Islamists. In pursuit of this goal, we urge the UAE to end its support to the RSF and work with the United States and international community toward a solution that leads to an end to this conflict that is in the best interest of the Sudanese people.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sarajacobs.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-sara-jacobs-leads-the-call-for-the-uae-to-end-material-support-for-rsfs-mass-atrocities-in-sudan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4484180137515068, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}