ABU DHABI (Middle East Eye) – A coordinated network on Twitter is promoting United Arab Emirates objectives in Sudan and a systematic incitement campaign against civilian political forces in the country, according to a new report.
The Khartoum-based Beam Reports published a probe which analyzed dozens of Twitter accounts using hashtags related to Sudanese politics since the beginning of February.
The hashtags included “Sudan in the heart of the Emirates”, “No to freedom and change” and “Mohammed bin Zayed al-Burhan”, referring to the Emirati president and Sudan’s de facto leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The network sought to influence Sudanese public opinion by attacking several public figures in the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition and promoting Emirati investments in the country, including in a Red Sea port.
In December, Sudan and the UAE struck a $6bn preliminary agreement to develop and operate Abu Amama port on the Red Sea. The deal includes the construction of an airport, a big agricultural scheme, and dozens of railways and roads to link the Nile to the Red Sea.
The agreement has been questioned by local residents and port employees, who said it would result in a loss of land with no clear benefit to the community.
The same coordinated Twitter accounts previously shared content last year to smear the Muslim Brotherhood and the Ansarullah movement in Yemen, the investigation found, in line with Emirati regional interests.