Nesrine Malik rightly highlights that the United Arab Emirates “is the single biggest player in Sudan’s war” (We ignore Sudan at our peril. This campaign of mass murder and rape will have global consequences, 13 January). However, I must take issue with the implicit suggestion in her article that there is political and legal parity between the genocidal Rapid Support Forces militia (the Janjaweed rebranded) and the Sudanese army.
Since the war erupted, Sudanese people have repeatedly made clear that the army is not only their saviour and protector from the RSF but also the embodiment of their nationhood. This is demonstrated by the fact that those fleeing the militia’s massacres and atrocities seek safety in areas where the army is present. The notion of “external patrons” with respect to the army is therefore misplaced.
