Sudan’s conflict is booming Africa’s war economy
Sudan’s ongoing civil war has renewed and enlarged arms and mercenary trading across North and Central Africa, according to Middle East Eye via a report by Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime on 2nd December.
Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, the country has become a hub for illegal activity. Trading of mercenaries, arms and people has increased in surrounding countries, with criminals seeking to profit from Sudan’s wartime economy.
The UAE’s use of Chad, Libya and neighbouring countries as vessels for their support of the RSF has increased arms trading, according to the report. Abu Dhabi refutes any involvement in the war, despite Middle East Eye documenting RSF-bound military aid from the Emirates in Somalia, Uganda and the Central African Republic.
Emadeddin Badi, author of the report, told Middle East Eye that neighbouring countries have adapted industries to supplement the demands of the war.
He said that the war is “increasingly resulting in the development of infrastructure created at least in part to enable supplies… So, once the Sudan conflict contracts, weapons, mercenaries and the infrastructure will morph to play new roles.”
Additionally, the war has also increased munitions exports from Sudan. The report displayed pictures of DshKM machine guns for sale in markets in Chad and on Facebook. It explained these findings were a result of a crumbling military order and fraying command structures, which were encouraging a rapid increase in arms exports from both the RSF and SAF.
Badi also said that the RSF’s success on the battlefield is linked to their access to supply lines. He told Middle East Eye: “The quality of the supply lines has had a direct impact on military developments in the war”.
When SAF regained control of Khartoum on March 28th, the RSF’s loss of territory in Northern Darfur restricted supply lines for the militia.
However in June, the RSF took the Sudanese portion of the Triangle border region that incorporates parts of Libya and Egypt and borders Chad, giving them an undisturbed supply line to take the capital of North Darfur, el-Fasher, in October.
Middle East Eye, Maghrebi.org,
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