UAE denies sending weapons to paramilitary group in Sudan war
Leaked UN report outlined ‘credible’ evidence that the Gulf state was delivered arms and fuelling the conflict
The Rapid Support Forces are led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti. Foto: AFP via Getty Images
By Gioia Shah & Chloe Cornish
The United Arab Emirates has denied arming the paramilitary group fighting a war with Sudan’s armed forces, after a leaked UN document found “credible” evidence that it was sending weapons to the Rapid Support Forces.
The report, compiled by experts for the UN Security Council and seen by the Financial Times but not yet made public, said several shipments of weapons and ammunition shipments were unloaded each week from cargo planes at an airport in Chad, and handed to the RSF at the Sudanese border.
But the UAE strongly denied arming any group in Sudan, telling the UN panel that these flights carried humanitarian aid, including for a hospital it had set up.
The Gulf state “does not take sides in the current conflict”, a UAE official told the FT, adding that the country had “consistently called for de-escalation, a sustainable ceasefire and the initiation of diplomatic dialogue” in Sudan.
Despite the UAE denial, some analysts believe its alleged backing has been crucial in strengthening the RSF. “If the UAE withdraws its support and cuts ties with the RSF today there’s an 80 per cent chance the war might end tomorrow,” said Hamid Khalafallah, a Sudan expert and PhD researcher at the UK’s University of Manchester.
The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti, have been fighting the Sudanese armed forces for control of the country since April. Government forces are led by the country’s de facto president and army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The fighting has killed more than 13,000 people, forced about 7.6mn to flee and left almost 25mn — more than half of the country’s population — needing humanitarian aid, according to the UN’s humanitarian affairs agency.
Hemeti’s militia now controls most of the western Sudanese Darfur region, its historic power base, and parts of the capital Khartoum. Last month it seized control of the country’s second-largest city, Wad Madani, which had been the centre of humanitarian relief efforts.
The UN report alleged that the RSF — which grew out of the Arab militia Janjaweed — and its allies had, since the conflict broke out, committed atrocities in Darfur that amounted to war crimes and could amount to crimes against humanity.
The Sudanese armed forces also committed war crimes, it added, for instance by using aerial bombing and heavy shelling in urban areas.
Hemeti’s militia exploited the country’s natural resources to fund the war, according to the UN report. It said the paramilitary group invested proceeds from Sudan’s gold trade — most of which it controlled prior to the war — into several industries, which enabled it to “acquire weapons, pay salaries, fund media campaigns, lobbying, and buy support of other political and armed groups”.
Six of the entities that the RSF and SAF have allegedly used to maintain their war efforts had sanctions imposed this week by the EU. Two of the companies linked to the RSF had UAE addresses, and the EU alleged that one — Al Junaid Multi Activities Co Ltd — acted as a conduit for arms from the UAE.
“The RSF is also using Al Junaid’s gold production and exports to secure military support from the UAE, to which most of Sudan’s gold production is smuggled,” the EU regulation stated. The FT could not reach Al Junaid for comment.
The conflict has drawn in several other countries vying for influence in strategically placed Sudan, which borders the Red Sea and straddles the Middle East and Africa.
Aside from the UAE, which over the past decade has expanded its influence in the Horn of Africa region and is an ally of Ethiopia, Egypt has supported Sudan’s military, albeit in a minor capacity, analysts say, while Saudi Arabia maintains relations with both warring parties and hosted peace talks in Jeddah.
However, various peace talks that have also involved the US have failed to curb the violence, with analysts saying they lacked co-ordination and a clear strategy as well as the backing of several important players.
With no sign of the fighting abating, there are fears the Sudan war will drag on. As the conflict fragments, there is a risk of new groups forming and a splintering into localised fighting, which could increase the suffering of civilians and make peace talks more difficult.
This was what happened in the past, Khalafallah said, noting how the RSF was a “militia that the military created, empowered and supported, and now it is fighting against the military”.