UK corporations have exported thousands and thousands of kilos’ price of arms and ammunition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since January 2024, FactCheck evaluation finds.
The UAE is at present beneath scrutiny for its alleged position in supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group which is accused of mass killings and conflict crimes in Sudan.
The present battle in Sudan broke out in April 2023.
A report by UN consultants as early as January 2024 discovered “credible” proof that the UAE had provided arms to the RSF.
Reporting within the Guardian means that the UN Security Council, of which the UK is a member, had proof in June 2024 that UK-manufactured arms had been being utilized by the RSF in Sudan and had possible been diverted by way of the UAE.
Our evaluation of HMRC information finds that UK corporations continued to export arms to the UAE all through 2024, with some vital peaks.
The largest month was May 2024, when over £3.5 million price of arms had been exported to UAE.
But there have been later peaks too – over £1.1 million price of arms had been despatched in September final yr, over £1.6 million in November final yr, and over £1.7 million in January this yr.
Since then, exports have declined, however haven’t stopped altogether.
In whole, over £15 million price of UK arms had been exported to UAE all through 2024, whereas round £2.5 million have been exported thus far this yr. The newest figures go as much as September.
We do not need a full image of what arms have been exported, because the UK authorities suppresses some data for confidentiality causes.
Items exported got here beneath a broad vary of classes together with cartridges and “munitions of conflict”, but in addition “non-military arms”.
Export licences
If a UK firm needs to promote arms overseas, it wants to use to the federal government for an export licence to take action.
Data additional reveals that the UK authorities has continued to problem export licences for UK arms exports to the UAE.
In the 4 quarters since Labour got here to energy, we discover the federal government has issued greater than £370 million price of licences for the export of navy items to the UAE.
The newest information now we have is for the second quarter of 2025. In that quarter alone, the UK authorities issued navy export licences for the UAE price £172 million.
This quantity represents an higher restrict on what might be exported beneath these licences – corporations have permission to export this a lot, however the precise worth exported is normally considerably smaller.
Some of the licences issued within the newest quarter lined gadgets like sniper rifles and their parts, weapon sights, parts for hand grenades, and parts for unmanned aerial autos (drones).
We don’t know which of those licences have truly been used to export gadgets, or who the tip customers of the gadgets can be.
Some open licences have additionally been issued for the UAE over this era, which permit an exporter to ship limitless portions of sure items – together with some navy gadgets – all through the licence.
The UK authorities has refused some licences to UAE in latest months. For instance, it refused a licence for small arms ammunition within the second quarter of this yr.
Government responses
UAE officers have denied it has supplied any arms to any group concerned within the battle in Sudan.
The UK authorities advised us it has a really sturdy arms export licensing system in place, and it takes any allegations of diversion of exported weapons to a different nation very significantly. It stated it had reviewed numerous export licences, and located no proof of diverted gadgets being linked to present licences.
Speaking to Channel 4 News right now, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated: “I’ve intentionally made the problems round Sudan one of many prime priorities right here within the Foreign Office as a result of that is the worst humanitarian disaster of the twenty-first century.”
