Recently arrived Sudanese refugees from the Darfur region waiting in line to receive food on the outskirts of Adre, a town in eastern Chad, in July. The United Arab Emirates is expanding a covert campaign to back a winner in Sudan’s civil war. Waving the banner of the Red Crescent, it is also smuggling weapons and deploying drones. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
DRONES soar over Sudan’s deserts, silently guiding weapons convoys to fighters responsible for widespread atrocities and ethnic cleansing.
They hover over cities devastated by famine, aiding a brutal paramilitary force accused of bombing hospitals, looting food, and burning thousands of homes.
Meanwhile, these drones originate from a base where the United Arab Emirates (UAE) claims to be running a humanitarian operation to save Sudanese lives.
The UAE, a wealthy Gulf state known for its political ambitions, is playing a dangerous double game in Sudan, a nation torn apart by civil war.
While presenting itself as a saviour delivering aid, the UAE covertly fuels the conflict by supplying arms, funds, and now, advanced drones to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of horrendous human rights violations.
This intricate operation, which the UAE denies, has become emblematic of the country’s efforts to cement its influence in the region, all while projecting a false image of neutrality and benevolence.
A humanitarian facade
The drones assisting the RSF are flown out of a base in Chad, just across the border from Sudan. The UAE claims this base is solely for humanitarian efforts.
Yet, satellite images and reports from US officials show that the base has been expanded into a military-style airfield, complete with hangars, a drone control station, and an apparent munitions bunker.
The drones in use, Chinese-made Wing Loong 2s, are among the most advanced in Sudan’s conflict. They are used not only to gather intelligence but also to protect the weapon shipments the UAE is secretly funnelling into Sudan.
The Wing Loong 2 can fly for 32 hours, cover 1,600km, and carry up to a dozen bombs or missiles.
Although these drones have not yet been used for direct strikes, they are providing crucial battlefield intelligence, making them a “significant force multiplier” for the RSF, according to J. Michael Dahm of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Recent reports suggest the drones have been patrolling the skies above El Fasher, a Sudanese city encircled by the RSF, where millions are facing starvation. The city is on the brink of further atrocities, raising fears that the war could escalate even further.
An official denial
The UAE’s involvement in Sudan is not new. For more than a year, it has secretly backed the RSF in its fight against Sudan’s military.
Despite publicly calling for peace and providing millions in humanitarian aid, UN investigators have accused the UAE of violating a long-standing arms embargo by supplying weapons to the RSF.
The UAE denies these allegations, stating that it is not arming any of the warring parties and is committed to an immediate ceasefire.
However, US officials, along with satellite evidence, tell a different story.
The drones operating out of Chad are part of an expanding covert operation aimed at securing the UAE’s influence in Sudan, where a struggle for control over the country’s resources and strategic Red Sea coast is under way.
The global stakes
Sudan’s civil war, which began in 2023 after a power struggle between the military and the RSF, has left the country in ruins.
Tens of thousands have died, millions have been displaced, and a famine, officially declared in recent months, is ravaging the nation.
Foreign powers, including Iran, Russia, and the UAE, have turned Sudan into a proxy battlefield, supplying arms to whichever faction best serves their interests.
Russia’s Wagner mercenaries have played both sides, initially supplying missiles to the RSF but later shifting support to the Sudanese military in exchange for naval access to the Red Sea coast.
Iran has also supplied drones to the Sudanese military, which has been accused of bombing civilians.
Amid this chaos, the UAE’s involvement stands out as one of the most consequential, with its covert support of the RSF prolonging and intensifying the conflict.
The cost of intervention
The UAE’s ambitions in Africa are not limited to Sudan. It has poured billions of dollars into the continent, with much of that investment targeted at securing strategic influence.
In Sudan, however, the cost of this intervention has been devastating.
The RSF, emboldened by Emirati support, has been accused of ethnic cleansing, indiscriminate shelling, and looting humanitarian aid.
In El Fasher, for example, Doctors Without Borders has accused the RSF of stealing food meant for refugees, while bombs have hit civilian areas, including a children’s hospital. Humanitarian workers on the ground describe the situation as “hell on earth”.
Despite calls for a ceasefire and an end to the violence, the conflict shows no signs of abating.
US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have both pressured the UAE to stop its support for the RSF, with Harris confronting Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s leader, during a meeting last December. However, the UAE has shown little willingness to change course.
A shadowy network
The UAE’s support for the RSF extends beyond the battlefield.
Dubai, one of the seven emirates, serves as a hub for the RSF’s gold trading operations, providing the paramilitary group with critical financial support.
Even as the US Treasury imposes sanctions on companies linked to the RSF, the UAE remains deeply involved in sustaining the group’s activities.
Moreover, the UAE’s use of the Red Crescent – a globally recognised relief symbol – as a cover for its arms-smuggling operation has outraged humanitarian organisations.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has been investigating the UAE’s operations in Chad, where a field hospital purportedly treating Sudanese refugees is actually tending to RSF fighters.
Despite repeated attempts to gain access, international officials have been barred from inspecting the hospital, raising suspicions about the true nature of the UAE’s activities.
Proxy war with global consequences
The war in Sudan has become a battleground for rival powers, each vying for influence in the strategically important region.
The UAE’s actions, while designed to counterbalance Iran’s presence in Sudan, have drawn international condemnation.
However, despite the growing criticism, the Gulf state shows no signs of backing down. As Sudan edges closer to collapse, the international community is left grappling with how to contain the fallout from the UAE’s involvement.
For the people of Sudan, the consequences of this proxy war are all too real.
A humanitarian crisis of historic proportions is unfolding, with millions displaced and facing starvation. As the UAE and other foreign powers continue to funnel weapons into the conflict, the prospects for peace remain elusive, and the suffering of Sudan’s population continues unabated.
In the end, it is the innocent civilians who bear the brunt of this geopolitical game – caught in the crossfire of a war driven by foreign ambitions, greed, and the quest for power. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
