This is a guest opinion article by Mohamed Suliman, a researcher and writer based in Boston, investigating issues such as the War in Sudan and violations committed by the RSF militia.
A recent report by Source Material exposed that the UAE is utilizing Wagner fighters to funnel arms from the Central African Republic (CAR) to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. The report cited credible sources from the Coalition of Patriots for Change in the CAR saying that they have intercepted many weapon shipments from the UAE to Sudan. Local sources mentioned Emarati planes delivering arms to Wagner Group in Bangui, which are transferred via helicopters to Birao and then Sudan.
This is not an isolated case. In fact, cooperation between Wagner, the UAE and RSF has existed for a while albeit not officially declared. Previously, Wagner supplied the RSF militia with missiles from Libya, an operation which was facilitated by General Haftar, the UAE’s main ally in the country. In addition to arms, Wagner also provided the RSF with oil to fuel its ongoing war. Just days before his death, Wagner’s ex-leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, met with five RSF leaders and offered to supply the militia with more arms in exchange for Sudanese gold that was illegally transferred to the UAE, which was then sold to countries such as Russia to fund its war with Ukraine.
Since the outbreak of the war between the Sudanese National Army and the Rapid Support Forces, the UAE has been arming the RSF with weapons and arms. Several independent reports confirmed that the UAE repurposed a hospital in the east of Chad to send arms through the border and fly drones to support the RSF.
UAE passports were also found in Khartoum, showing that the UAE sent personnel to assist the RSF in the battles. International rights groups and celebrities have denounced the UAE for its destructive actions in Sudan and its continuous support to the RSF that’s sustaining the continuation of massacres and genocides. Moreover, celebrities and singers such as Macklemore have canceled their shows in Dubai citing the role of the UAE in arming the militia, and Sudanese people demonstrated in front of UAE embassies in different countries against its reckless intervention that prolong the war and sustain the militia.
In response to the global anger against its coordination with the RSF and Wagner, The UAE launched a PR campaign by assisting the Sudanese who fled the war to neighboring countries, an effort never succeeded. For example, Sudanese refugees in Chad categorically rejected receiving UAE assistance calling upon the UAE to end its support to the militia, as this humanitarian support was meant to serve the PR campaign goals and clear the image of the UAE.
The RSF emerged primarily from restructuring the notorious Janjaweed militia to support the central government’s counterinsurgency operations in Darfur and South Kordofan. In 2017, the Sudanese parliament passed a law legitimizing its activities. Over the years, the militia has committed countless crimes and atrocities during the ongoing war, including the destruction of villages, the killing of protesters, sexual violations and rape, unlawful detentions, the targeting of hospitals and churches, and attacks on journalists and media institutions. Furthermore, the RSF has committed ethnic-based killings and recruited children as soldiers during the ongoing war.
In recent years, Wagner and the RSF have started to strengthen their ties with the regime in the Central African Republic (CAR). In January 2023, the RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo boasted about stopping a coup against the CAR’s central government. The militia is aligning with Wagner in defending the current regime. In January 2024, The Russian ambassador to the CAR announced negotiations to construct a military base. However, it is unclear how Russia will use this base for its regional activities. Wagner Group was reported to be freeing convicted criminals from jails in the CAR and sending them to fight in Ukraine, In the lawless area between Sudan and CAR, Wagner group fighters killed dozens of locals in their effort to plunder the region’s gold. According to some sources, the presidents of Sudan and the CAR recently met in New York and agreed to close the borders and cut arms supplies to the RSF and in return, the Sudanese army will expel CAR rebel group leaders who operate from the Sudan. Still, with pressure from Russia and the UAE, this deal will most likely not be implemented.
The growing alliance between the UAE, RSF, and Wagner fell under the radar of Western policymakers. For instance, the U.S. imposed sanctions on UAE-based companies that were importing gold from the CAR and paying Wagner in cash sent directly to Russia. It also warned warring parties from hiring the Wagner Group in the conflict, Moreover, U.S. Intelligence has been closely tracking the activities of the RSF militia leader in CAR, scrutinizing his mining interests and his alliance with Wagner in the country. In November 2020, the Pentagon issued a report suggesting that the UAE financed Wagner’s operations in Libya, where the group is fighting alongside General Haftar. Recently, members of Congress sent a letter to President Biden requesting him to urge the Emarati president to abstain from sending arms to Sudan. A resolution was also submitted to Congress asking the U.S. government to prohibit U.S. arms sales to the UAE until it ceases support to the RSF.
The consequences of the UAE and Wagner’s support to the RSF will extend beyond Sudan and could impact Europe if the militia emerges victorious. For instance, in 2021, the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, warned that Europe would see an influx of immigrants if it rejected the measures taken by the military government. Given that Sudan represents a traditional immigration route, Putin, who reportedly started weaponizing illegal immigration to Europe, will find the RSF an ideal ally to implement his plans.
Ukraine, from its side, chose to act decisively and launched several drone attacks against Wagner forces that are fighting with the RSF in Sudan. Additionally, Ukrainian forces in the country managed to capture several of its members. In an impromptu meeting with the Sudanese president General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, President Zelensky said he discussed common security challenges, namely groups financed by Russia.
Looking at the big picture, it’s obvious that a regional network of alliances motivated by intersected economic and political interests with the UAE and Wagner playing the central role. Despite the extension of the UN embargo to Darfur for one year, the UAE and Wagner will not respect it and will continue to favor their interests even at the cost of millions of Sudanese lives. The world should exert more pressure on the UAE to stop cooperating with the RSF militia and Wagner and realize the serious impact of this coalition on Sudan, as well as regional security in the long run.
Image Credit: BBC