UK: Manchester Mayoral Candidates Should Condemn UAE Abuses

Click to expand Image From left to right: Bev Craig, Geraldine Coggins, Phil Eckersley, and Richard Kilpatrick, in Manchester, UK, July 8, 2026. © 2026 Gary Roberts/Sopa Images via Reuters (London) – Candidates in the upcoming Greater Manchester mayoral by-election should publicly commit to engaging with the Emirati government on its egregious human rights record if elected, Human Rights Watch and FairSquare said today in a joint letter to the candidates. The UAE has invested billions of pounds into both Manchester and its football club, Manchester City. July 24, 2026 Joint Letter to Greater Manchester Mayoral Candidates on the United Arab Emirates and Human Rights Concerns “Manchester City Council’s ties to Emirati officials have given the UAE’s government valuable reputational cover while it backs forces committing atrocities in Sudan,” said Joey Shea, senior Saudi Arabia and UAE researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Mayoral candidates should not stay silent about the UAE’s record despite the money flowing through Manchester.” Manchester City Council has a close financial relationship with senior figures in the Emirati government, in particular through its stake in the Manchester Life Development Company (MLDC), a joint venture ultimately controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president and deputy prime minister of the UAE. The joint venture has offered the Emirati government valuable reputational benefits in the city of Manchester. A May 2026 Human Rights Watch report adds to mounting evidence that the UAE has provided military support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, which is engaged in a conflict with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) for control of the country. The RSF is responsible for widespread war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocities, including as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region. Human Rights Watch found that Colombian private military contractors passed through Emirati military bases before being deployed to Sudan to support the RSF. This is further evidence indicating that the UAE is assisting or otherwise substantially contributing to the RSF’s capacity to commit war crimes. Human Rights Watch located Colombian fighters at the site of abuses by the RSF during their takeover in October 2025 of North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, a city they had besieged for 18 months. Foreign fighters, most likely Colombian military contractors, stood by while RSF fighters massacred men and women, including people with disabilities, and abducted many for ransom. In February 2026, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office added three Colombian nationals to the UK Sanctions List for their involvement in enlisting mercenaries from Colombia “to fight alongside the RSF in areas of Sudan, including El Fasher.” The UAE hosts high-profile sporting, entertainment, and cultural events to promote a public image of openness that is at odds with the government’s efforts to prevent scrutiny of its rampant systemic human rights violations, at home and abroad. The UAE uses these events to burnish its image, despite suppressing dissent domestically and fueling rights abuses abroad. Human Rights Watch has previously sought to engage with civic leaders in Manchester on issues relating to the UAE’s human rights record. In 2016, HRW requested that a then-senior figure in Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, co-sign a letter calling on the UAE to release political prisoners and investigate torture allegations. Leese declined, stating that the Emirati government were “exemplary business partners” and the “alleged” abuses detailed in the letter were beyond the council’s sphere of influence. As outlined in a 2023 FairSquare report, very few political leaders in Manchester have offered any criticism of the UAE, even though the city council has been engaged in joint commercial ventures with entities linked to the Emirati government. The Manchester mayoral candidates should pledge that, if elected, they would press the UAE to end its support for the RSF. They should also promise to conduct human rights due diligence on UAE-linked investment in the city and region, by raising concerns directly with Emirati representatives and meeting Emirati human rights defenders, and speak out on the UAE’s domestic record. “Manchester’s next mayor should be willing to stand up to the UAE given its domestic repression and support for the abusive RSF in Sudan,” said Alex Carlen, research and advocacy manager at FairSquare. “Given local government’s long-standing and extensive ties to the Emirati monarchy, voters need reassurance that investment from the UAE is not being used to deflect from its record as a human rights violator. Our letter offers all candidates the opportunity to speak out and lay out their position clearly.”