Description: According to the latest UN report on the civil war in Sudan, the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of General Khalifa Haftar as well as militias loyal to Haftar, such as the Subul al – Salam Battalion (SSB), supported the Sudanese paramilitary group, RSF, with weapons and equipment. LNA and SSB were also responsible for enabling Colombian mercenaries to enter Sudan via the air base located in Kufra in the tristate border area between Sudan, Libya and Egypt. The UAE was also mentioned to have provided direct financial support, equipment and weapons to the RSF in the UN report, which was already know, however, the UAE maintained its denial policy towards the conflict. Conflict Insights Group, a security analysis company, used a tracking software to map out the communications infrastructure used by the Colombian mercenaries to provide evidence of the UAE’s involvement in the civil war.
Impact: The UN report supported by the CIG investigation would likely have small – scale effects on the civil war in Sudan bar increased sanctions prosecution and seizure of assets. The civil war has been fueled by foreign support ever since it began in 2023 and the international community has made little to no progress in stemming the flow of weapons, capital or mercenaries in the country. Publicly and precisely exposing the logistical and capital networks of the RSF could likely prompt the paramilitary force and its foreign backers to pivot towards sophisticating its financial and equipment networks, while attempting to evade sanctions. The report and the investigation would likely enable the UAE to potentially facilitate different channels of weapons and equipment deliveries to the RSF. The war is highly likely to expand outside of Sudan’s borders with the humanitarian crisis intensifying even more.