Sudan army denies UAE arms claim, accuses Emirates of backing RSF militia
April 30, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah, on Wednesday, denied statements by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Attorney General that Emirati authorities had thwarted the smuggling of ammunition destined for Sudan.
The accusations came days before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to rule on measures Sudan requested in a complaint accusing the UAE of complicity with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in genocide against the Masalit ethnic group.
Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah told Sudan Tribune: “Whenever the UAE’s failed attempts to invade Sudan are thwarted, it tries to invent a new lie, such as arms smuggling.”
He described the UAE’s statements about the army smuggling weapons via Abu Dhabi as “an attempt to mislead and cover up its heinous crimes, represented by sponsoring and supporting the Daglo militia, referring to the Rapid Support Forces, which is a UAE tool to wage war on Sudan.”
An informed diplomatic source told Sudan Tribune that the UAE’s accusations against the army were merely an attempt to cover up reports from international media and global research centres detailing Abu Dhabi’s role in arming the RSF.
The source indicated that through these statements, the UAE sought to imply that networks were using its airports for arms smuggling without the ruling authorities’ knowledge, attempting to justify how weapons reached the RSF from the UAE.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said in a statement published by the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) that security services thwarted an attempt to transfer weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Army illegally.
Al Shamsi revealed the arrest of cell members involved in illicit mediation, brokerage, and trafficking of military equipment while inspecting ammunition inside a private plane at a UAE airport. The aircraft carried about 5 million rounds of 7.62×54 calibre “Giryanov type” ammunition, he said.
He explained that investigations revealed the cell members’ involvement with army leaders. The group allegedly includes former intelligence chief Salah Gosh, a former Ministry of Finance advisor, a politician close to Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his assistant Yasir al-Atta, and Sudanese businessmen.
Al Shamsi stated that the cell completed a deal for military equipment, including Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, machine guns, and bombs, transferred from the Sudanese Army to an importing company inside the UAE using the “Hawala Dar” method. This was allegedly done in coordination with Sudanese Army financial operations official Colonel Osman Al-Zubair, using fabricated contracts and fraudulent commercial invoices.
Al Shamsi reported that investigations concluded the deals were made at the request of the Sudanese Army’s Armament Committee, with the knowledge and approval of al-Burhan and al-Atta. Politician Ahmed Rabie Ahmed Al-Sayed was allegedly tasked with mediating and finalizing these deals.
He said investigations confirmed Salah Gosh’s involvement in managing illicit trafficking operations within the UAE, in cooperation with cell members, who allegedly obtained $2.6 million as a price markup over the actual value of two deals.
Al Shamsi stated the shipment was seized at a UAE airport aboard a private plane arriving from a foreign country that had landed to refuel. The cargo was officially declared as medical supplies before the military equipment was discovered under the supervision of the Public Prosecution.
Most investigative reports and accusations by the Sudanese government suggest that the UAE supplies the RSF with military equipment and weapons, including advanced drones.
The U.N. Security Council has not yet addressed the complaint Sudan submitted on March 29, 2024, against the UAE, accusing it of funding and supplying weapons to the RSF via Chad.