Months of alleged Emirati interference in Sudan’s civil war have ignited tensions between Sudan’s Army and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). General Yasser al-Atta, second-in-command to Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, openly accused the UAE of being a “state mafia” supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The UAE is alleged to have funneled weapons to the RSF through Chad, Uganda, and the Central African Republic with the help of the Wagner Group, a claim that has led to harsh exchanges between Khartoum and Abu Dhabi. The Sudanese Army’s accusations have prompted the expulsion of 15 UAE diplomats, signaling a public confrontation over the alleged interference in Sudan’s conflict.