Saudi and Emirati Neo-Imperialism and Medicide in Sudan
Anaghah Sanikapally
During the 1990’s, Sudan’s relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were mostly influenced by its Islamist government under Omar Al-Bashir, which aligned with Saudi Arabia and other hyper-conservative Sunni Muslim states. In that, Sudan became a major arm of the Saudi-led counter against Iranian influence both in Africa and in Yemen; starting in 2015, Sudanese troops were deployed as a part of a Saudi-led coalition, including the UAE. After the ousting of Al-Bashir in 2019, however, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have continued to play extensive roles in Sudan’s struggling transition of power. These Gulf countries have and continue to actively fund transitional governments, military factions, and paramilitary organizations.
The two Gulf states fund parties that at first glance appear to be in contradictory opposition as they are two entities in a united coalition. However, this is the ultimate goal–the most profitable one. A weak and divided people allows for control and the exertion of influence without any significant resistance, and the systematic targeting of healthcare workers is deeply intertwined with this goal. The deliberate and systematic targeting of medical personnel and healthcare infrastructure, also referred to as “medicide,” is an extremely devastating aspect of neo-imperialism and neo-colonialism. It has and continues to face bombings, destruction of medical supplies, and the deliberate targeting of hospitals at the hands of various armed groups. In the conflict in Darfur (2003-2008), for example, and in the ongoing conflicts post-2011, there have been numerous reports of Sudanese military airstrikes targeting hospitals and medical facilities, a strategy used by different factions to disrupt opposition and to control the population through fear and psychological repression. Emirati-backed entities such as the Rapid-Support Forces (RSF), which originated with the Janjaweed militia, operate alongside the Sudanese military and are clearly implicated in deliberate attacks on healthcare systems. One of which includes an incident in October of 2025 in which the RSF launched a shelling attack on the main hospital in El-Fasher, killing at least twelve people including medical professionals; the attack targeted the maternity ward and other critical areas of the hospital, forcing permanent closure. This came after the RSF maintained a blockade of El-Fasher beginning in May of 2024, severely restricting access to medical supplies and fuel. There have even been reports of international health workers, alongside their Sudanese colleagues, being kidnapped, threatened, or killed while attempting to deliver medical aid. These attacks are a key tactic in intimidating the population, which aids in the consolidation of military control and by-proxy consolidation of Gulf power and influence in Sudan and the surrounding region. Usually, the main intention of targeting healthcare workers and infrastructure is to weaken the perceived enemy’s ability to resist and demoralize the population, subsequently forcing them to submit to whichever entity takes power.
The Gulf’s medicide in Sudan, however, is severely more malicious; the perceived enemy isn’t another government entity or military faction–it’s the peace, security, and liberation of Sudan and its citizens. Emirati and Saudi entities, such as the Al-Dahra and Jenaan Investments, have acquired millions of hectares of fertile Sudanese land for large-scale agriculture. The products of which, including wheat, fodder, and animal feed, are exported to the Gulf while the Sudanese face the near irreparable levels of starvation and famine (IPC Phase 5, representing the most extreme level of acute food insecurity according to the United Nations). Destabilization allows for access to land, minerals, and agricultural products at an extremely low cost, bypassing local labor, environmental, and tax regulations. While Sudan starves, the Gulf veils herself with the ‘fraternity of the faithful’ against the ‘heretic,’ extending her gold-adorned hand and lining the pockets of her royalty and corporate officials while the blood of thousands stains her freshly ironed ‘abaya¹.
- Traditional long, loose-fitting, robe-like garment worn by Arab women, including but not specific to Muslim women, that covers the entire body, except for the face, hands, and feet.
Copy editor: Aubrey Taylor
Photography source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/7/us-says-sudans-rsf-committed-genocide-announces-sanctions-on-leaders