Sudan paramilitary group receives fuel from pro-Haftar forces

Military forces serving under Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan commander, were reported to have been giving smuggled fuel to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on behalf of the UAE according to The New Arab, citing the watchdog, The Sentry, on November 13th.

Sudan has been in the midst of a humanitarian crisis as the RSF have slowly gained control of the conflict-ravaged Darfur region from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), marked by their taking over of El-Fasher. Since 2023, the Darfur region has been overwhelmed by a state of poor humanitarian conditions, with starvation and disease rife, as well as approximately 12 million displaced. Meanwhile, these conditions have been worsened by frequent attacks from the RSF, with eight people being killed in a maternity ward drone strike last month.

The state of emergency in Sudan has seen official responses from multiple parties and international organizations. The UN has made multiple statements, reporting on the aid efforts being made in Sudan which are said to be on the verge of failing, while Red Cross President, Mirjana Spoljaric, described the situation as “horrific”. Elsewhere, countries such as Egypt have urged for peace.

Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) that governs eastern areas of Libya under military rule, is a known supporter of the RSF. He has been accused of supplying weapons and fuel to the RSF on behalf of the UAE, which is something he denies. The Sentry claims that Haftar is a key supplier of fuel to the RSF due to his supposed deep loyalty for the Emirati government. They went onto say Haftar’s “persistent flow of diesel and gasoline has enabled the RSF’s mobility in Darfur and, therefore, its tactical operations there.”

Libya currently lives through an internal political rift between the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, and led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and Haftar’s administration. While there has been ongoing calls for peace from Maghreb states, calling for a unification between the two rival parties, situations such as the smuggling of provisions for the RSF bring into question the ability for the two parties to see eye-to-eye.

Ultimately, the crisis in Sudan is in danger of worsening. With any plans for political unification yet to even be close to materialising, the likelihood that the smuggling allegations can be properly investigated by Libyan authorities seems to be unlikely.

The New Arab via The Sentry, Maghrebi.org