Amnesty International has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supplying advanced Chinese-made weapons to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in violation of a UN arms embargo. The watchdog’s report, released Thursday, highlights the continued internationalization of Sudan’s devastating civil war, now in its third year.
According to Amnesty, video and photo evidence reveals RSF deployment of Chinese GB50A guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers during operations in Darfur and around the capital Khartoum. These weapons, Amnesty said, were re-exported from the UAE, the only known importer of the AH-4 system from China, citing 2019 data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The UAE has consistently denied providing arms to the RSF, despite mounting evidence and accusations from UN experts and Western officials. Tensions reached a new peak this week when Sudan’s army-backed government cut diplomatic ties with the UAE, citing its alleged support for the RSF’s recent aerial attacks.
The RSF has escalated its use of long-range drones, targeting key infrastructure in army-held eastern cities. On Thursday, drone strikes hit the Flamingo Naval Base north of Port Sudan and fuel depots in Kosti. Sudanese air defences claimed to have downed 15 drones overnight.
Port Sudan, once considered a safe haven and humanitarian hub, is now under threat. The UN has warned that RSF strikes could cripple aid delivery to millions facing famine-like conditions. Since Sunday, drone attacks have disrupted operations at the city’s airport, fuel depot, and power station.
The conflict, which has fractured Sudan into RSF-controlled western and southern areas and army-controlled northern and eastern regions, has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced over 13 million people.
Civilians in Port Sudan are now fleeing once again. “The smoke is everywhere,” said one resident, Haidar Ibrahim, as he prepared to leave the city with his family. “We have no choice but to leave.”
As both factions dig in, the use of foreign-supplied weapons is likely to intensify an already brutal and destabilizing conflict.
