Kenya accused of channelling arms to RSF by Sudan army
Kenya was accused of channeling weaponry to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces from the United Arab Emirates by the Sudanese army-backed government, according to The New Arab on June 24th.
In May 2025, the army “uncovered Kenyan-labelled arms and ammunition in the terrorist RSF militia’s weapon caches in Khartoum,” the foreign ministry revealed.
For months accusations have been exchanged between the RSF and Sudanese army regarding the reception of arms from foreign powers, including the UAE, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, and Russia.
The foreign ministry alleged that “Kenya has been one of the main conduits of the Emirati military supplies to the terrorist RSF militia.”
The war, which began in April 2023 as a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced over 13 million. The United Nations recently warned that the risk of genocide occurring in Sudan is “very high.”
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has repeatedly highlighted that “outside powers are fueling the fire” and urged the cessation of foreign arms transfers to the warring factions, without explicitly naming the countries who are culpable.
The UAE has repeatedly been accused of arming the RSF via the neighbouring countries of Chad and Libya.
The army-backed government has been able to rely on continuous support from Egypt since the start of the war. It has also formed closer ties to Turkey, Iran, and Russia as the war has raged on.
The government cut all ties with the UAE in March 2025 after labelling it an “aggressor state” which uses the RSF as a proxy to attack Sudan.
The UAE has denied all the accusations, even though a plethora of reports from UN experts, US lawmakers, and international organisations suggest otherwise.
Kenya has long angered the Sudanese government due to its willingness to host RSF leaders, which has led to a ban on imports from the East African nation to Sudan.
The RSF and allied groups signed a charter in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to establish a rival government in Sudan.
According to the foreign ministry statement, Kenya “admitted” that the Abu Dhabi is supporting the RSF “to seize Sudan’s natural resources and to establish a foothold on the Red Sea.”
Kenyan government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura wrote on June 16th in a now-deleted post on X that “Egypt and Iran back (the Sudanese Armed Forces); the UAE backs RSF.”
Intense hostilities have escalated in recent weeks due to the surge of arms imports into Sudan.
Head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adghanom Ghebreyesus, announced on June 24th that “another appalling attack” on Sudan’s devastated health sector had killed over 40 civilians, including children and medical staff, in a West Kordofan hospital.
According to activist group Emergency Lawyers, an army drone struck Al-Mujlad Hospital, over 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of the capital city Khartoum, on June 21st.
The New Arab, Maghrebi.org
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