UAE has long been accused of supplying weapons to Sudan rebels. Here's how it's happening

Since Sudan’s civil war broke out in April 2023, multiple allegations have surfaced accusing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying arms to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Sudanese government has accused the UAE of providing heavy weapons, missiles, and ammunition to the RSF.

Amensty International, too, recently reported that it had found armoured vehicles manufactured by the United Arab Emirates and equipped with French defence systems being used by the paramilitary RSF in its fight with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

How do UAE supplies get to Sudan’s RSF?

It is suspected that these weapons make their way to Sudan via Chad.

Since the start of the war, dozens of cargo planes from the United Arab Emirates have landed at a small airstrip in eastern Chad.

UN experts and diplomats suspect that the site is being used to funnel arms to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

More from World

Nepal's new PM pays homage to people died during the Gen Z protest in her first national address This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

Flight data shows at least 86 flights from UAE airports to Amdjarass, a remote airstrip near the Sudanese border. Many of these flights were operated by airlines previously accused by the UN of transporting Emirati arms to Libya.

The UAE has rejected allegations of military support to the RSF, saying its flights to Chad are for humanitarian purposes, including delivering aid to Sudanese refugees and supporting a field hospital. In a statement, the Emirati government said it had sent 159 relief flights with over 10,000 tonnes of food and medical aid.

“We firmly reject the baseless and unfounded claims regarding the provision of arms and military equipment to any warring party since the beginning of the conflict,” the statement said.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

However, video footage from Amdjarass obtained this year and reviewed by AP shows two pallets of khaki metal crates, some bearing the UAE flag. AP cited experts as saying that the crates are unlikely to contain humanitarian aid, which is typically packaged in lightweight cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic. Instead, the crates appeared consistent with ammunition or weapons.

“Based on the design and proportions of the crates, it’s highly probable they contained weapons or ammunition,” said a former UN weapons inspector.

Allegations of support for the RSF

“The flow of weapons and equipment from the UAE to the RSF has not stopped since the outbreak of this war,” Sudanese army spokesperson Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah said.

The RSF denies receiving outside support, saying its weapons are locally sourced. “We use ammunition produced in Sudanese factories,” RSF official Brigadier General Omar Hamdan told reporters last month.

A member of Chad’s security forces said he had seen crates resembling weapon containers being escorted to the Sudanese border, where they were handed over to RSF fighters. Chadian authorities have not commented on the allegations.

Humanitarian concerns and regional impact

The UAE maintains that its activities in Chad are purely humanitarian, pointing to its field hospital in Amdjarass, where over 18,000 Sudanese refugees have received medical care. However, humanitarian organisations have expressed skepticism about the scale of aid deliveries.

Three aid workers familiar with the situation in Chad said the volume of aid flights appeared far lower than the UAE’s claims. The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it had no involvement with the UAE’s hospital in Amdjarass and had not been aware of it until it was publicised.

Flight data also shows that many planes landing in Amdjarass made stopovers in other African countries, including Kenya, Uganda, and Somaliland. In Somaliland, a senior official said that flights from the UAE had carried military equipment, according to landing requests sent to airport authorities.

“Logistics win wars, and the UAE has consistently facilitated weapons to the RSF through this network,” said Justin Lynch of the Sudan Conflict Observatory. “This has shifted the balance of power, prolonged the conflict, and increased civilian casualties.”

The US and other nations have reportedly raised the issue in private meetings with Emirati officials.

For now, the flights to Amdjarass continue.

With inputs from AP