Nathaniel Raymond from Yale urges Sweden to use its influence to make the UAE stop arms support to the RSF militia in Sudan. Satellite images reveal ongoing massacres in Al-Fashir, where over 200,000 people are trapped. The Swedish government defends its arms exports but prioritizes humanitarian aid.
Nathaniel Raymond, head of the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health, leads the analysis of satellite images revealing massacres in Al-Fashir, Sudan. The images show blood trails, scattered bodies, burning corpses, and mass graves, described as "the most correctly identified, warned, and predictable massacre in human history." Since the war erupted in April 2023, the team has produced 60 reports to warn the world, including the US, with little success.
Violence has escalated in recent weeks: at least 460 patients were killed at Saudi Maternity Hospital on October 28. Satellite images show small objects, 1.3–2 meters long, resembling bodies, and a pile outside a school after people queued. RSF blocks escape routes and hastens body disposal. Raymond urges Sweden, which sold arms worth over six billion SEK to the UAE last year, to publicly demand the UAE halt support to RSF. "Sweden should use its unique influence to send a public message to the United Arab Emirates," he says.
Sweden's Minister for Aid and International Trade Benjamin Dousa (M) responds that exports are strictly regulated by ISP and only defensive, like signals intelligence and radar. "We have no information that Swedish weapons are used in Sudan." The government has sanctioned UAE companies aiding RSF and pushes for more via the EU. Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) has raised Sudan with the UAE and at the UN. Total aid this year: over 600 million SEK, with 500 million humanitarian and 125 million long-term – a decrease in the latter. An additional 100 million has been earmarked for WFP and UNHCR for food, health, and protection against sexual violence.
Experts like Peter Svensson from Act Swedish Church criticize the shift: "It's first aid, but not building up hospital care." Dousa prioritizes urgent support in "the worst place on earth," but the bilateral strategy is extended only to 2025. Johan Brosché, associate professor at Uppsala University, notes Sweden has exported nearly 20 billion SEK in arms to the UAE over the past decade and can pressure through public conditions.