David Haigh

🇦🇪 🇺🇸 The new Democratic Senate majority will soon decide whether to block US arms sales to the UAE, which sponsors the Rapid Support Forces' genocide and mass rape campaign in Sudan. The Emiratis have now hired someone close to the leader of that majority. Jennifer Poersch, a lobbyist at Guidepost Strategies, registered Oct. 30 to represent the UAE Embassy for $100,000 a month, Sludge found in federal foreign-agent filings. Her husband, J.B. Poersch, runs Senate Majority PAC, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's super PAC, which spent more than $400 million on this year's Senate races. Senate Majority PAC and its affiliates spent in eight Senate races during the 2026 elections: ➤ Ohio, $150 million: Sherrod Brown ➤ Iowa, $67 million: Josh Turek ➤ Michigan, $67 million: Abdul El-Sayed ➤ Maine, $65 million: Troy Jackson ➤ Texas, $40 million: James Talarico ➤ Kansas, $14 million: Adam Hamilton ➤ Mississippi, $2.2 million: Scott Colom ➤ South Carolina, $750,000: Annie Andrews Of these eight candidates, El-Sayed is the only who has publicly condemned the UAE’s role in Sudan. In an October interview with ABC News, he criticized U.S. dealings with the UAE, noting it was perpetrating genocide in Sudan.

Diplomats keep telling me privately that "UAE is looking for a way out of Sudan," that they want the RSF to cut a deal before they lose more territory and can still demand conditions from the SAF. Sounds logical. Except for the increasing weapons flow through Libya and Ethiopia.

"The riskiest outcome is that Lana Nusseibeh wins, but that her victory is seen as the product of a corrupt bargain between Gulf capitals and the veto-wielding powers. That outcome would weaken the legitimacy and independence the job requires from the very start." worldpoliticsreview.com/uae-…

Hundreds of seagrass shoots found in estuary bbc.in/4zE0wZa

Dubai royal's ex-wife begs UAE's UN candidate to help get her children back. Zeynab Javadli has not seen her three daughters since armed officers of Dubai Police and Dubai State Security raided her home on 2 June. She faces criminal proceedings in Dubai and was released on police bail on 8 June, after six days. In this video she appeals to Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE minister who wants to be the next UN Secretary-General, to help bring her children home. Letters to the minister have gone unanswered. "One phone call from Ms Nusseibeh could reunite these children with their mother." International human rights lawyer David Haigh, who represents Zeynab. @ZeynabJavadli @dubaiwatchorg Full story and press release: davidhaigh.co.uk/zeynab-java… #FreeZeynab #JusticeForZeynab #UAE #UNSG

Foreign Office advised UK ambassador to UAE about 'line to take' after City verdict, @stevescott_itv reports itv.com/news/2026-11-07/fore…

Thank you to the African Group for the warm welcome at @AfricanUnionUN and for a constructive, wide-ranging exchange, with such engaging questions. I valued the chance to listen and to share my vision of what the next Secretary-General must deliver: leadership, not just process. Africa must be at the heart of shaping the future of the UN, from peace and security to development to the reform of our institutions. The UN must be a stronger partner in advancing the priorities set by African Member States themselves: better coordinated support for African-led peace efforts, partnerships that enable investment at scale, and a greater voice for Africa in the decisions that affect its future.

Want to understand Lana Nusseibeh, her worldview, her diplomatic philosophy, and her vision for the United Nations? This compelling @FT interview offers a revealing insight into the thinking of a candidate for the UN’s top job. A must-read.

A thoughtful conversation with the @FT about the future of the United Nations and the leadership it needs. During the interview, I highlighted that: * The UN has become "more of a spectator than at the centre of some of the world's greatest crises and conflicts." "The role of the Secretary-General in peacemaking and mediation is more urgent than ever." * When asked about Sudan, I made it clear it would be one of my most urgent priorities. "Judge me by my actions in my first 100 days." The fighting must stop. Humanitarian aid must reach those who need it. And we need a credible and democratic political process that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people. * Asked about my independence, I was clear that my responsibility would be to the UN Charter and the Organisation. "I would speak frankly to every government on all the crises" we face, without fear or favour. * Asked about the Board of Peace, I pointed out its the mandate has been welcomed by a UN Security Council resolution, it and the Board has "played a galvanising role at a time of gridlock". * On the budget, my answer is to "prioritise", delivering a UN that is more focused and partners more closely with the private sector, the World Bank, the IMF and development banks. Countries have not stopped needing one another. The task now is to make cooperation work, for all. ft.com/content/145d971b-d8bc…

The Case of Ryan Cornelius - happy to be a signatory on this letter to @andyburnham initiated by @MPIainDS dailymail.com/news/article-1…

A leaked UN report "establishes conclusively" that the UAE hired Colombian mercenaries for Sudan's paramilitary RSF. The confidential report seen by MEE details Abu Dhabi's involvement in the Sudan war, as Lana Nusseibeh, its candidate for the UN, faces further scrutiny middleeasteye.pulse.ly/nl7kp…

"Very strange headline," wrote Jeff Crisp, the former head of policy development at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in response to the Guardian's report that the UAE's former ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh announced her candidacy for UN Secretary-General. The Guardian's headline - which read 'Emirati diplomat who helped deliver aid to G*za enters UN secretary general race' - obscures how Nusseibeh's campaign faces fierce opposition rooted in intersecting themes. Firstly, the UAE's sponsorship of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia the UN says perpetrated g*nocide in Sudan. Secondly, Nusseibeh’s personal record of whitewashing and suppressing evidence of those atrocities. When the UAE-backed RSF waged war on Sudan in April 2023, Nusseibeh was the UAE's ambassador to the UN, while the Emirates was a non-permament member of the UN Security Council. Under her leadership, the Emirati mission to the UN reportedly threatened fellow Council members to keep Sudan off the agenda. In addition, Human Rights Watch condemned her "disinformation about the UAE’s rights record," particularly her dismissal of the UN’s own findings that the UAE supports the RSF. In 2025, after the RSF carried out massacres in the Sudanese city of Al-Fashir that UN investigators determined bore the hallmarks of genocide, Nusseibeh reportedly engaged in a lobbying blitz to ensure European Parliament resolutions excised all mention of the UAE’s support for the atrocities. Even as her campaign unfolds, Nusseibeh refuses to address Abu Dhabi’s role. Whether taking questions at the UN General Assembly or responding to POLITICO, she persistently relies on rehearsed talking points, offering generic calls for accountability while strictly avoiding any mention of the UAE's support for the RSF. "In that regard Nusseibeh is acting simply as a UAE representative, not a neutral party," argued Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik. This is why a more apt headline for her campaign should be: 'Emirati diplomat who whitewashed UAE-funded g*nocide in Sudan enters UN secretary general race'.

Dubai royal's ex-wife begs UAE's UN candidate to help her get her children back. Zeynab Javadli has not seen her three little girls since armed Dubai Police and Dubai State Security officers raided her home on 2 June. Today she asks Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's candidate for UN Secretary-General, for help. Our letters went unanswered. One call could reunite these children with their mother. davidhaigh.co.uk/zeynab-java… @Lana_Nusseibeh @UAEMissionToUN @antonioguterres @UNHumanRights @ZeynabJavadli #FreeZeynab #JusticeForZeynab #UNSG

Seychelles extends its full support to H.E. @Lana_Nusseibeh in her bid to lead @UN as Secretary-General.Her proven leadership in multilateral diplomacy & her commitment to peace & to the voices of small states make her an outstanding candidate.Seychelles wishes her every success

🇪🇺EU Heads of Mission were pleased to welcome UN Secretary-General candidate @Lana_Nusseibeh this morning, for a substantive exchange on her vision for the 🇺🇳@UN's future and her immediate priorities on key UN files.

Lana Nusseibeh Faces the General Assembly passblue.com/article/lana-nu…

Just the latest reason that should disqualify Lana Nusseibeh from being UN Secretary General 👇 The position should go to someone who has always been opposed to genocide, not just someone who discovered they opposed it while running for a UN office. #KeepEyesOnSudan

Quei “Lupi del deserto” in Sudan. I mercenari inviati dagli Emirati e l’ostacolo alla corsa Onu di Lana Nusseibeh ilgiornale.it/news/politica-…