Sudan accuses the UAE of sending troops to fight against them
On August 4th, the Sudanese foreign ministry released a statement claiming that the government has “irrefutable evidence” that the United Arab Emirates has sent mercenaries into Sudan, according to the Associated Press.
Sudan has accused the UAE of sending mercenaries from Colombia and hundreds of thousands from neighbouring African countries, to fight with the Rapid Support Forces.
The Rapid Support Forces are the paramilitary groups fighting the Sudanese military in a civil war that broke out in April 2023, with both parties having been accused of committing atrocities including ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence against civilians.
On July 16th it was reported that the RSF killed almost 300 civilians in raids of villages, and on July 21st it was reported that the group had killed eight people in an attack on a displacement camp in the Darfur region.
There was not an immediate response from Colombia, but the UAE’s foreign affairs ministry has sent an email statement to the Associated Press stating that the government “categorically rejects” the allegations made by Sudan and denies any involvement in the war through the backing of armed groups.
“The UAE emphasizes that these claims are merely attempts to derail the peace process and evade the moral, legal, and humanitarian obligations to end the conflict and pave the way for a transitional process that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people for security, stability and development,” the ministry said in their statement.
Sudan’s statement has not included any evidence nor did it name the other countries it is claiming that the UAE has sent mercenaries from.
The Sudanese foreign ministry stated that “this unprecedented phenomenon poses a serious threat to peace and security in the region and across the continent.”
For a long time Sudan has been accusing the UAE of supplying the RSF with weapons, but the UAE has always denied it.
In November of 2024, an Amnesty International Report stated that the Sudanese military had captured armored vehicles manufactured by the UAE and equipped with French defense systems.
At the time a spokesperson for the UAE government said that the country was the “target of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at undermining our foreign policy, regional role and humanitarian efforts.”
The Associated Press/Maghrebi
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