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Akbar Novruz

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The United Arab Emirates has pushed back against a Financial Times (FT) report examining the Gulf state’s expanding military and economic presence across Africa, accusing the newspaper of portraying Abu Dhabi’s engagement on the continent through an outdated “imperial” lens, AzerNEWS reports.

In a rare rebuttal published by the FT on Monday, Afra al-Hameli, the UAE’s director of strategic communications, said Abu Dhabi was “disappointed” by the characterization of its growing African partnerships.

“To describe partnerships negotiated with sovereign African governments as evidence of ‘imperial ambition’ is deeply patronising,” al-Hameli wrote. She argued that such a description relied on a “stereotypical and outdated narrative” that treated African governments as passive recipients of foreign influence rather than independent actors capable of determining their own interests.

The rebuttal followed a series of FT investigations into the UAE’s expanding footprint across Africa. One report published earlier this month examined a network of Emirati interests spanning ports, logistics, agriculture, mining, finance and security.

The FT has also reported on the UAE’s involvement in Sudan, including an investigation into the alleged recruitment and deployment of Colombian fighters by a UAE-based security company to fight alongside Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The UAE has repeatedly denied supporting the RSF, which has been accused of serious atrocities during Sudan’s civil war. The United Nations and the United States have accused the paramilitary force of committing acts amounting to genocide in Sudan.

The dispute highlights the growing scrutiny surrounding the UAE’s role in Africa. Abu Dhabi has increasingly positioned itself as an investor and strategic partner across the continent, particularly in infrastructure, logistics, food security, mining and energy.

The UAE argues that these partnerships are negotiated with sovereign governments and reflect mutually agreed economic and strategic interests. Critics, however, contend that the scale of Emirati investment, combined with its security relationships and alleged involvement in regional conflicts, gives Abu Dhabi influence extending well beyond conventional commercial engagement.

The FT’s reporting has therefore placed the UAE’s African strategy at the centre of a wider debate over whether Gulf states are emerging as new economic and geopolitical powers on the continent, and how African governments are navigating competition among external partners.