UAE says foils bid to transfer weapons to Sudan army

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it had intercepted a major arms shipment intended for the Sudanese army, amid accusations that the Gulf state is backing rival paramilitary forces in Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict.

According to a statement from UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, security services thwarted the transfer of “a quantity of military equipment” and arrested members of a trafficking cell involved in unauthorized brokering and illegal arms trading.

The suspects included former Sudanese intelligence chief Salah Gosh, a former adviser to Sudan’s finance minister, a political figure linked to army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and several Sudanese businessmen, the statement said. Their names were not disclosed.

The arrests took place during an inspection of a private aircraft that was carrying roughly five million rounds of machine gun ammunition. Authorities also seized proceeds from the attempted deal.

“According to investigators, the cell members completed a military equipment deal involving Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, machine guns, and grenades worth millions of dollars,” the statement said.

Gosh allegedly played “a central role in managing illegal military equipment trafficking within the UAE,” coordinating the deals with other members of the cell. The group reportedly earned $2.6 million from two prior transactions.

The UAE has been accused by Sudanese officials and international observers of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in a brutal power struggle with Sudan’s regular army since 2022. The UAE has repeatedly denied these allegations.

Wednesday’s announcement could add new tensions to the UAE’s relationship with Sudan’s military leadership, particularly General Burhan, who has been battling for control of the country against the RSF in a war that has displaced millions and killed thousands.

The conflict has drawn in various regional powers, fueling concerns over arms smuggling, proxy warfare, and humanitarian collapse in Sudan.

The UAE’s public disclosure of the arrests and alleged plot marks a rare move by the Gulf state, which typically avoids high-profile entanglements in regional conflicts.