Sudanese official says RSF running UAE-backed camps inside Ethiopia
September 3, 2026 (KURMUK) – A local Sudanese official on Thursday accused the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces of running four training camps inside neighbouring Ethiopia with backing from the United Arab Emirates.
The allegations came as Sudan’s military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited Ed Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile region, to inspect front-line troops and review operational plans to push back paramilitary forces in the area.
Abdelati Mohamed El Faki, the commissioner of Kurmuk in southeastern Blue Nile, said the facilities in Ethiopia were being used to train RSF fighters and foreign mercenaries, as well as to stage drone operations and channel logistical support.
Sudan Tribune could not independently verify the latest claims. Addis Ababa has previously denied Sudanese government accusations that it facilitates arms transfers or training for the RSF, while the UAE has repeatedly rejected allegations that it provides military backing to the paramilitary group.
However, a Reuters investigation published on February 10 revealed that Ethiopia was hosting a secret camp to train thousands of RSF fighters. Satellite imagery published alongside the report provided the first direct evidence of Addis Ababa’s involvement in Sudan’s civil war.
The fresh accusations follow a sharp escalation in fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and an allied front comprising the RSF and a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North in Blue Nile, along the Ethiopian frontier.
El Faki told reporters the facilities operated under the direct supervision of Ethiopian intelligence services and with Emirati financing.
He said the primary site, named Fano, lies roughly 40 km (25 miles) across the border from Kurmuk, while two other camps, Dabbous and Abramo, are situated southwest of the Ethiopian city of Asosa.
A fourth location, Jabal al-Dush, sits about 30 km from Kurmuk and houses drone launch facilities, El Faki said.
Over the past month, the RSF and its rebel allies seized control of both Geisan and Kurmuk, two strategic border hubs that link regional road networks and supply corridors extending into Ethiopia.
During his visit to Ed Damazin, Burhan inspected the army’s 4th Infantry Division and visited wounded soldiers at a military hospital, the ruling Sovereign Council said in a statement.
The clashes across southern and western Blue Nile have displaced thousands of civilians, many of whom have fled north toward Ed Damazin, according to local sources and aid agencies.