The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had foiled an illegal arms trafficking operation intended for the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), amid the ongoing civil war in Sudan. According to Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, Emirati security services arrested several members of a cell involved in the trafficking, which was described as a “serious threat to national security.”
The investigation, reported by the official WAM news agency, was launched after the discovery of five million rounds of ammunition aboard a private jet arriving from a foreign country. Cash was also seized in a hotel room in Dubai. Authorities identified a network involving several individuals linked to Sudan’s military establishment, including former intelligence chief Salah Gosh, a former security officer, and an adviser to the former finance minister. Sudanese businessmen were also reportedly involved.
The research revealed a deal to supply weapons worth several million dollars, including Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, and grenades. The funds are believed to have passed through a company based in the UAE, managed by an associate of the Sudanese Armed Forces, in coordination with a high-ranking military financial official. According to WAM, the operation was allegedly authorized by the Arms Procurement Committee chaired by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser al-Atta, and had generated at least \$2.6 million.
This development comes as violence intensifies in Darfur. The Abou Shouk displacement camp near El Fasher was bombarded for three days by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), killing more than 20 civilians and injuring 40 others. Further attacks in El Fasher and in the Zamzam camp led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians in April.
Since April 2023, the conflict has pitted the regular army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the RSF of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as « Hemedti, » in a war that has already killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 13 million people, triggering an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.