UAE accused of using covert arms routes to Sudan's RSF

The United Arab Emirates has developed covert air routes through Africa to supply Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a report by Le Monde, as the group faces mounting accusations of war crimes and acts of genocide.

The report identifies a network of cargo flights departing the UAE for East and Central Africa, including Ethiopia and the Central African Republic, believed to be part of an arms supply chain to the RSF.

One aircraft, an A300 cargo plane registered in the Central African Republic, departed the UAE on 17 March shortly before Iranian missile and drone strikes hit the country.

The plane, which had its transponder switched off, was bound for Addis Ababa and was one of at least nine similar flights over the past month.

The aircraft was previously owned by Gewan Airways, a company linked to a conglomerate controlled by the brother of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, and has previously been flagged for its role in supplying the RSF.

Le Monde reports that the aircraft, along with another cargo plane, is now operated by Invicta Air Cargo, a company established in 2025 in the Central African Republic by a UAE national. Despite attempts to obscure links, the company’s website reportedly connects back to Gewan Airways.

The flights suggest the UAE is expanding logistical routes through neighbouring countries, including Ethiopia, where it is reported to have established a training camp for RSF fighters in 2025.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating conflict between the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and the Sudanese army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The RSF has been widely accused by human rights organisations of committing atrocities against civilians, particularly in Darfur, including mass killings, sexual violence and forced displacement, with some observers warning these may amount to genocide.

Analysts say the UAE’s growing economic presence in the Central African Republic may be linked to efforts to establish new logistical routes for supplying the RSF.

"This economic offensive in the Central African Republic is probably motivated by the Emiratis' desire to make the country a gateway for their arms deliveries to Sudan," Charles Bouessel of the International Crisis Group told Le Monde,

According to regional sources cited in the report, weapons shipments have passed through Bangui and the northern town of Birao before reaching RSF-controlled areas.

The war has increasingly spilled into neighbouring Chad, where President Mahamat Idriss Deby faces pressure over alleged involvement in supplying the RSF, reportedly to maintain ties with the UAE.

Chad closed its border with Sudan in February after a series of cross-border attacks. On Wednesday, around 15 people were killed in a drone strike in the border town of Tine.

Libya remains another key corridor. In the east of the country, controlled by Khalifa Haftar, convoys and air routes continue to supply the RSF.

According to Radio France Internationale, around 600 flights linked Abu Dhabi to the Koufra airbase in southeastern Libya in 2025 before continuing on to RSF positions.

These activities have drawn concern from Egypt, a close ally of Haftar but also a key supporter of Sudan’s army.

After issuing warnings, Cairo deployed drones in southern Libya to strike RSF positions near the Sudanese border. On 5 November 2025, Egyptian strikes targeted vehicles belonging to Hemedti’s forces in Darfur.

"Since these attacks, the pace has gradually slowed," a regional diplomatic source told Le Monde.

The findings highlight the increasingly internationalised nature of Sudan’s war, with regional actors accused of backing rival sides while expanding their influence across the Horn of Africa and the Sahel.