The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has significantly increased its supply of Chinese-made drones and weaponry to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a report published this week by the Wall Street Journal and corroborated by Middle East Eye and other outlets.
US intelligence agencies, including the Department of Defence’s intelligence arm and the State Department’s intelligence bureau, confirmed in October that the UAE has been funnelling advanced weapons to the RSF, which has been accused of committing atrocities and genocide in Darfur. The shipments reportedly include Rainbow-series drones, small arms, heavy machine guns, artillery, mortars, and ammunition.
One of the drone models, the CH-95, is capable of flying for 24 hours and carrying precision-guided munitions, enabling the RSF to conduct long-range reconnaissance and targeted strikes. Analysts warn that this technology has given the RSF a decisive battlefield advantage.
The UAE’s role in arming the RSF has been documented for over a year. In January 2024, Middle East Eye reported that Abu Dhabi was supplying weapons through a network of supply lines stretching across Libya, Chad, Uganda, and Somalia’s breakaway regions.
In May 2024, Amnesty International revealed that the UAE had transferred Chinese-made GB50A-guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers into Darfur, where the RSF has besieged several cities.
The latest escalation coincides with the RSF’s capture of El-Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, where fighters filmed themselves massacring civilians.
The fall of the city followed the collapse of US-sponsored peace talks, which sources said broke down partly because the UAE, the RSF’s most significant patron, refused to address the humanitarian crisis.
The RSF’s resurgence began after March, when the Sudanese Army, backed by Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, retook Khartoum. In response, the RSF launched a renewed offensive in Darfur, supported by UAE-supplied drones.
In May, Middle East Eye reported that UAE-directed drone strikes on Port Sudan wounded members of a Turkish technical team assisting the Sudanese military.
The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti), has deep ties to the UAE. Hemeti’s commercial empire is headquartered in Dubai, where he and his family have allegedly smuggled vast amounts of gold extracted from Darfur mines under RSF control.
Observers warn that the UAE’s continued support risks deepening Sudan’s civil war and fuelling further atrocities. Calls are growing internationally for greater scrutiny of Abu Dhabi’s role in the conflict, with human rights groups urging sanctions and restrictions on arms transfers.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Middle East Eye, Amnesty International, Truthout
