UAE Leveraging Wagner Mercenaries to Smuggle Arms into Sudan

The United Arab Emirates is certainly an expert at making its way into the civil wars. Despite its multiple denials, the Gulf nation is frequently found involved in the Sudan war. Credible evidence has proved the Emirates is a major weapon supplied of the RSF.

The UAE has previously conducted covert operations, using Sudan's neighbours, such as Chad, to supply the militia with weapons disguised as humanitarian aid. Additionally, September 2024 reports revealed that the Emirates utilized Russia’s Wagner mercenary group to transport arms to rebels.

The Russian military contractor smuggled weapons to RSF through the Central African Republic (CAR). An investigation revealed that the CAR’s rebel group, Coalition of Patriots for Change, captured shipments escorted by Wagner and were intended for the RSF.

The Wagner Group has been extensively active in the CAR, using it as a channel to direct weapons to RSF. The mercenaries have been reported to transport arms across the border into South Darfur. A CAR rebel leader, Abdu Buda confirmed the interception of two arms shipments, as well as the capture of Wagner fighters with weapons from the UAE.

Smuggling routes from the CAR to Sudan involved transporting of weapons through various means, including helicopters. Reports suggested that Emirati aircraft had been arriving in Bangui at night, carrying military equipment. Wagner facilitated the transfer of these arms from Bangui to Birao, and ultimately to RSF in Sudan.

The rebels confirmed that these arms shipments continued up until at least April 2024. Diplomatic sources indicated that Moscow is shifting support from the RSF to the SAF. Analysts noted that Russia’s involvement and dual support added complexity to the conflict.

In April 2023, leaked documents revealed that apart from the UAE, the Wagner mercenaries also provided training and weapons to RSF. The UAE and Russia’s dual partnership has previously been observed in the Libya war. Back then, the Emirates was funding the Wagner mercenaries as their major financial supporter.

Now involved in Sudan, the UAE and Russia are seeking to achieve their own personal objectives from the crisis. Both factions in the conflict have faced accusations of committing atrocities against civilians. The situation has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis and led to the first formal famine declaration in seven years.

UN investigators recently accused the RSF of engaging in ethnically motivated attacks against non-Arab populations in Darfur. The UAE has longstanding ties with the RSF and has been accused of supplying them with weaponry, though it denies these claims.

#UAE #Sudanwar #WagnerMercenaries
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