FairSquare and Human Rights Watch have today sent a joint letter to candidates standing in the upcoming Manchester mayoral election calling on them to publicly commit to engaging with the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on its human rights record, in particular its support for forces credibly accused of committing genocide in Sudan.
The letter details the UAE’s support for the RSF in Sudan, its repression of dissidents at home and abroad, and its mistreatment of migrant workers, while highlighting Manchester City Council’s extensive financial ties to senior Emirati figures. It calls on candidates to conduct human rights due diligence on UAE-linked investment, and to ensure that Manchester’s financial ties do not provide reputational cover for abuses.
Manchester City Football club is owned by the UAE’s deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and has received considerable investment since the UAE takeover of the club in 2008. Manchester City Council has a close financial relationship with senior figures in the UAE government, in particular through its stake in the Manchester Life Development Company (MLDC), a joint venture ultimately controlled by Sheikh Mansour.
Earlier this year, FairSquare requested that the UK government investigate the links between Sheikh Mansour and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, in a complaint that details the central role of theUAE government in fuelling the Sudanese civil war, and the evidence that points to Sheikh Mansour having played a central role in the UAE’s dealings with the RSF. 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.
FairSquare’s 2023 report, Easy Cities to Buy found that political leaders in Manchester have not only declined multiple opportunities to use their positions of influence to express criticism of serious and systematic human rights abuses in the United Arab Emirates but effectively enabled the UAE to set up ‘soft power enclaves’. In 2016 the former head of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese said that the UAE government were “exemplary business partners” and the “alleged” abuses detailed in an HRW letter calling on the city council to speak out against serious rights abuses in the UAE were beyond the council’s sphere of influence. In November 2023, A coalition of five human rights NGOs, coordinated by FairSquare, urged Manchester City Council to make a public call on the government of the United Arab Emirates to release the political prisoner Ahmed Mansoor and others in the UAE who have been unfairly imprisoned for expressing criticism of its government.
“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.”
“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.”
