Often when we think about tensions between countries in this world we think about Israel and Palestine, China, Russia and the United States or the best example - India and Pakistan. However, we forget that in the Middle East there has always been a battle for power and control over the region’s oil supply.

Most recently, we see that the UAE and Saudi Arabia have decided to expand their economic interests to the Red Sea Coast and take advantage of the civil conflict brewing in Sudan - the country that just so conveniently happens to have the best access to the Red Sea.

In Sudan right now, the military and its armed forces are locked in conflict with a paramilitary force that is equally strong. This has resulted in mass migration and acute humanitarian crises across the country especially in regions like Darfur and the capital, Khartoum.

Both of these opposing military factions are looking for international allies to boost their numbers and here is where Saudi Arabia and the UAE come in. While Saudi Arabia has decided to side with the Sudanese Armed Forces the UAE has conversely decided to ally themselves with the paramilitary force. This is an extension of the conflict between the Saudis and the Emiratis over dominance in the Middle East.

Both the countries are hoping that by allying with their chosen military faction they can gain access to Sudan’s natural trade routes and get the opportunity to exploit its mineral rich mines.

Proxy wars are nothing new to this world. They are heavily seen in history throughout the Cold War wherein the US and the Soviet Union used the nationalist/capitalist and communist parties respectively to expand their sphere of influence in Europe and Asia.

One must question, is Sudan the symbol of a new age of proxy wars? Or is it just another regional conflict in a world so keen on violence?