The RSF attacks have caused mass deaths, the displacement of millions, and extreme hunger for an estimated 25 million Sudanese. The city of al-Fasher was besieged for over 500 days before falling to the RSF in late October 2025, while a state of famine was declared in the displacement camps.
Thousands of people are believed to have been killed after Sudanese paramilitary forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), took control of the city of el-Fasher last week. Video and satellite images show mass executions and bloodshed in the city. The attack is the latest episode in a civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese army (SAF), a conflict that has displaced an estimated 13 million people since April 2023. The RSF is accused of atrocities, including massacres, rape and torture, while the SAF is also accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing.
How did the crisis in Sudan begin? Sudan, independent since 1956, was ruled by Omar al-Bashir for three decades, who was accused of genocide in Darfur (2003-2005). After Bashir was overthrown in 2019, the military took control, and in October 2021, Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan became the new leader. RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) was appointed his deputy. The RSF, as an extension of the Janjaweed group, has committed horrific crimes against the population in Darfur and is accused of genocide. The civil war began on April 15, 2023, when tensions between the RSF and the SAF erupted into armed clashes, including the control of Khartoum and the government’s flight to Port Sudan.
The UAE supports the RSF militarily, in violation of the arms embargo. Chinese aircraft, ammunition, and military equipment have been distributed via routes from Libya, Chad, Uganda, and Somalia. The Emirates has two bases in Sudan, Nyala and al-Malha, for supplies and intelligence, and uses a base in Bosaso, Somalia, for mercenaries and equipment. Emirati investments in Sudan, including agricultural land and mineral resources, provide the RSF and Hemedti with a major economic advantage, particularly in the gold trade. The UAE also has an interest in the Red Sea port of Abu Amama and controls large agricultural companies that operate on land confiscated from the RSF.
The RSF attacks have caused mass deaths, the displacement of millions, and extreme hunger for an estimated 25 million Sudanese. The city of al-Fasher was besieged for over 500 days before falling to the RSF in late October 2025, while a state of famine was declared in the displacement camps. The international response has not been swift! Sudan accused the UAE of involvement in genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in April 2025, but the case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. The Emirates continue to wield military and diplomatic influence, hindering international efforts to stop the violence.
Yes, why are the Emirates involved? The UAE has strategic and economic interests in Sudan: natural resources, agricultural land, ports on the Red Sea, and the gold trade. This conflict allows them to project power into the Middle East and East Africa, while supporting the RSF to maintain control over these resources. Analysts warn that without effective international intervention, the RSF and the group’s supporters abroad, including the UAE, could continue to commit atrocities and mass exterminations in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.
