A provocative digital billboard has emerged in central London as part of an international awareness campaign highlighting the United Arab Emirates’ alleged involvement in the Sudan conflict. The striking display features an AI-generated image of a young woman taking a selfie against Dubai’s glittering skyline from an infinity pool. However, the image on her phone screen reveals a stark contrast—the devastating aftermath of war-torn Sudan instead of luxury surroundings.
The installation, which cycles every 80 seconds continuously, carries the caption: ‘Your selfie won’t look so good once you’ve found out what they’re doing in Sudan.’ Complementing the static display, a mobile van projects the same imagery across London’s streets, amplifying the message’s reach.
This initiative, orchestrated by non-profit organization Avaaz, aims to spotlight evidence suggesting UAE’s support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in Sudan. The RSF faces allegations of committing genocide during the ongoing conflict. The billboard incorporates a QR code directing viewers to investigative reports from Middle East Eye, The Guardian, and The New York Times detailing the UAE’s purported role.
Despite the UAE’s consistent denials of supporting RSF—including recent dismissals of Middle East Eye’s reporting as ‘fabrication’—multiple evidentiary streams indicate otherwise. Flight tracking data, weapon serial numbers, diplomatic sources across multiple continents, and video evidence collectively suggest the UAE has been supplying weapons and support to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a long-term associate of Abu Dhabi.
Supply lines reportedly operate through UAE-aligned regions including southern Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, and Somalia’s Puntland and Somaliland. International diplomats describe UAE’s involvement as an ‘open secret,’ with the nation’s sophisticated lobbying efforts and substantial financial resources reportedly shielding it from formal reprimands or consequences.
The campaign deliberately contrasts the UAE’s reputation as a premium tourism destination—hosting over 23 million visitors in 2025’s first nine months with a $70 billion sector GDP contribution—with its alleged wartime activities. Notably, over one million British tourists visited Dubai this year, unaware of the geopolitical implications surrounding their luxury destination.
The RSF, originating from Janjaweed militias deployed by Omar al-Bashir’s regime in Darfur, transitioned into formal Sudanese military structures from 2013 until April 2023. Its subsequent rift with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)—backed by Egypt and Turkey—triggered the current conflict, displacing over 14 million people and creating the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis.