Sudan’s UN envoy accuses Abu Dhabi of supplying weapons, training and logistical support to the paramilitary force, while the UAE rejects the allegations.

Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of worsening the country’s more than three-year-old war by allegedly providing military support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), escalating a diplomatic confrontation between the two countries at the United Nations.

Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Al-Harith Idriss Mohamed, rejected the UAE’s claim of neutrality in the conflict during an exchange at the UN General Assembly.

Idriss accused Abu Dhabi of maintaining what he described as a “bloodied partnership” with the RSF, alleging that the UAE had helped sustain the paramilitary group’s military operations.

The Sudanese envoy further alleged that UAE-linked networks had provided the RSF with weapons, training, logistics and foreign fighters, accusing Abu Dhabi of seeking to destabilise Sudan and undermine its government.

The allegations come amid international scrutiny of alleged foreign support networks connected to Sudan’s conflict. A UN fact-finding mission has reported that networks involving entities linked to the UAE played a significant role in providing military-related support benefiting the RSF.

Idriss also accused the RSF and its alleged foreign backers of targeting critical infrastructure, including water, electricity and food facilities, worsening conditions for civilians caught in the conflict.

The United Nations has separately documented serious violations by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF during the war, while international investigations have highlighted the role of external actors and supply networks in the conflict.

The UAE has repeatedly denied providing military support to the RSF. Abu Dhabi has called for an immediate ceasefire and a return to a civilian-led political process. During the latest UN exchange, the UAE representative rejected Sudan’s allegations and accused both sides of the conflict of committing violations.

The war between Sudan’s army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.

The fighting has displaced millions of people, killed and injured large numbers of civilians and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

The latest diplomatic confrontation highlights the growing international focus on alleged foreign support networks supplying weapons, equipment and other assistance to Sudan’s rival armed groups, as efforts to end the conflict continue.