The UAE is coming under increasing fire on social media over claims it is embroiled in Sudan's civil war, with calls to boycott its crown jewel: the financial and entertainment hub of Dubai.
Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, despite accusations from the Sudanese government, UN experts and international groups.
Posts blaming the UAE for "funding genocide" and "killing Sudanese" have snowballed in the weeks since the city of Al Fasher fell to the RSF, with reports of mass atrocities being committed in the city.
Public figures including climate activist Greta Thunberg have endorsed a campaign that analysts say threatens to taint the reputation of a country that has long sought to polish its overseas image to attract foreign professionals.
RSF atrocities
Reports of mass killings, rape and other atrocities have emerged since the RSF seized the Sudanese army's last stronghold in the Darfur region in late October, just the latest horror in more than two years of war.
"The campaign could be damaging to the Emirati brand as the situation in Sudan has cut through into wider consciousness," Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a researcher at Rice University's Baker Institute, said.
"Dubai in particular has a reputation as a soft power magnet that may be damaged," he said.
Campaigners are pushing the phrase "habibi boycott Dubai", a reference to the viral "habibi come to Dubai" campaign promoting the city.
Sudanese tragedy
It's a targeted swipe at the UAE's flagship city, which has become synonymous with flashy influencers, wealth and success.
Thunberg and rapper Macklemore, who combined have more than 20 million followers, shared a post titled "habibi boycott Dubai", describing the RSF as "the UAE's hand in Sudan."
Others have joined in, with more users calling for a boycott of the entire country.
X user Anis Mansour accused the UAE of being "the main financier of genocide in Sudan", while Bint Khalifa, another user, blamed it for prolonging "the Sudanese tragedy, under the guise of humanitarian aid."
UAE says accusations 'unfounded'
Commenting on the campaign, the Emirati foreign ministry told AFP it had seen "a marked increase in unfounded accusations and deliberate propaganda from the so-called Port Sudan Authority," referring to the army-aligned Sudanese government.
It also condemned both sides of the war.
Analysts agree that it's too early to tell whether the damage would extend beyond a reputational hit because of limited international pressure so far.
"Now they're experiencing perhaps some reputational backlash, which they tend to be averse to," Emadeddin Badi, a researcher at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, said.
In recent days, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted "some country, and we know who they are" must stop sending weapons to the RSF, but he refused to single out the UAE.
