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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia’s Wagner mercenary group have been accused of supplying weapons to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A rebel group engaged in Sudan’s civil war. Reports suggest the Kremlin-backed Wagner group used the neighboring Central African Republic (CAR) to smuggle weapons into Sudan. Thus sparking further international concern.
Wagner Group’s Role in Sudan Conflict
Wagner mercenaries, now rebranded as Africa Corps, have a long history of involvement in conflicts across Africa. In Sudan, they reportedly ferried arms to the RSF using a smuggling route through CAR. The RSF has been in a brutal conflict with Sudan’s national army. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which has resulted in widespread violence and displacement.
Rebel groups fighting the CAR government claim they intercepted weapons meant for the RSF. They were also accompanied by Wagner mercenaries. According to Abdu Buda, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Patriots for Change, Wagner fighters were captured during battles. The rebels claim they seized shipments of arms destined for the RSF that were transported through CAR with the support of Wagner.
UAE’s Alleged Involvement with Wagner
The UAE has also been accused of playing a significant role in arming the RSF. While the Emirati government denies these accusations, United Nations experts have called previous claims “credible.” A leaked dossier compiled by Sudan’s representative to the UN alleges that the UAE has flown 43 arms shipments to Chad, near the Sudanese border, between July 2023 and March 2024. Photographs from one of these flights appear to show crates of Kalashnikov rifles offloaded from a UAE aircraft.
Changing Allegiances
Moscow’s involvement in Sudan is complex. There are rumors that Russia is now supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces instead of the RSF. Diplomatic sources believe that arms shipments to the RSF began to decline in early 2024 as relations between Russia and the SAF improved. Russia’s ultimate goal appears to be securing access to gold mines and a strategic Red Sea port. Sudan has long been a target of Russian interests, with deals signed in 2017 between Moscow and Sudan’s former president, Omar al-Bashir, granting Wagner-linked companies access to the country’s gold resources.
Humanitarian Crisis Worsens
The conflict in Sudan, which escalated in 2023, has resulted in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The conflict has killed as many as 150,000 people and displaced over 10 million. Observers have accused both the RSF and the SAF of committing atrocities. In Darfur, they have accused the RSF of carrying out ethnically driven attacks against non-Arab populations.
The United Nations has declared the situation a famine, the first formal declaration in seven years. With millions of people in urgent need of aid, the ongoing conflict has made it difficult for humanitarian organizations to operate.
Global Power Struggles
The Sudan war has become a battleground for global powers. Russia, the UAE, and other nations are vying for influence in the region. Andreas Krieg, an expert at King’s College London, noted that Wagner’s involvement in Africa began with support from the UAE. There is a strategic alignment of interests between the two countries, as both oppose political Islam and support authoritarian regimes.
As the conflict drags on, the involvement of foreign actors like Russia and the UAE continues to complicate efforts to bring peace to Sudan. With both the RSF and SAF vying for control of the country, it remains unclear how long the bloodshed will continue or what role global powers will play in its resolution.