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UK Christian Entity Launches Campaign Calling on Manchester City Owner to End UAE Involvement in Sudan War

Credit: CSW
Silas Isenjia

By Silas Isenjia

Khartoum, 16 January, 2026 / 2:20 pm (ACI Africa).

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a UK-based human rights organization, has launched a campaign calling on the English Premier League (EPL) to hold Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan accountable for the role of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

According to a report shared with ACI Africa on Wednesday, January 14, the campaign, launched outside Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium on the same day, seeks accountability over allegations that the UAE is supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), formerly known as the Janjaweed militia.

The campaign, CSW says, is a call to sign a petition addressed to the chief executive, board, and member clubs of the Premier League “asking them to raise the issue of the UAE’s support for the RSF with Sheikh Mansour.”

The Christian entity wants the Manchester City owner to be held accountable “for his country’s role in prolonging and profiting from a conflict which has killed over 150,000 people, displaced 13 million, and rendered 30 million in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.”

“While both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with whom it is in conflict, are supported by various international actors, there is credible evidence that the UAE continues to provide military and financial support to the RSF,” CSW said.

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In their media advisory on 15 December 2025, while announcing the campaign, CSW  said that “There is credible evidence that the UAE, of which Sheikh Mansour is vice president and deputy prime minister, continues to provide extensive military and financial support to RSF.”

CSW, which specializes in advocacy for religious freedom and works on behalf of individuals persecuted for their Christian beliefs and other religious convictions, further stated that Sheikh Mansour is described as the RSF leader’s closest ally in the Emirates.

According to the December 15 advisory, CSW situated its campaign within the broader humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan since fighting broke out on 15 April 2023, between the SAF and the RSF. CSW said the conflict has plunged the country into one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises.

In the January 14 report, the officials cite a January 2024 meeting in which the United Nations (UN) Panel of Experts on Sudan concluded that allegations of the UAE providing support to RSF through Chad’s Am Djarass Airport, where the UAE claims to be conducting a humanitarian operation, are “credible.”

CSW further said that “prominent human rights organizations and news outlets have also reported on RSF fighters using a range of sophisticated weaponry either manufactured in or re-exported by the UAE.”

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The Christian entity  said  that “while in July 2024, a leaked document sent to the UN Security Council containing photos of Emirati passports allegedly found in Sudan and linked to RSF soldiers highlighted that the UAE may have deployed personnel to assist in the fighting.”

CSW further said that Sheikh Mansour himself “has well-documented ties with the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo.”

The entity said that Manchester City’s owner  “has been described as Hemedti’s closest ally in the Emirates, and US intelligence officers claim to have intercepted regular phone calls between the two men.”

“Sheikh Mansour is the owner of one of the most decorated teams in the most-watched sports league in the world. That is why we are here today: to call on him to use his influence to end the UAE’s support for the RSF,” CSW’s Sudan Specialist Mohaned Elnour has been quoted as saying at the launch of the campaign.

Mr. Elnour explained, “This isn’t about the clubs, players, or fans, but we are asking all of them to use their voices to make these demands of Sheikh Mansour.”

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On his part, CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said, “We want to make so much noise that the Premier League is compelled to act and uphold its commitments to human rights. We hope that this, in turn, will compel Sheikh Mansour to act and cut off resources to the RSF.”

“We want to see Sudan move towards a ceasefire, followed by a transition to democracy and justice. These are big ambitions. But we know change is possible, and we know that our voices are powerful, especially when they’re raised together,” Mr. Bower further said.

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.