European Weapons Contributing to the Killing of Sudanese: “Sudanhorizon” Republishes the Most Alarming European Investigative Report on Weapons Delivered to the RSF

By: Mohammed Othman Adam – Sudanhorizon
Over the course of five episodes, France 24 — a French news outlet funded by the French government that broadcasts in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish, providing round-the-clock news coverage to a global audience from its headquarters in Paris — published extensive articles investigating the European sources of weapons currently used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. This is despite the European Union’s arms embargo, in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the position of the United States, prohibiting the provision of weapons to warring parties.
The investigation, using in-depth tracking and analysis by the France 24 investigative team, concluded that these weapons were supplied to the RSF by a third party: the United Arab Emirates.
Were this accusation made solely by the Sudanese government or army, it might have been perceived as routine wartime propaganda. However, the fact that it originates from an “official” outlet — being state-funded by France — lends significant weight to previous accusations made by American and British media, as well as respected Republican, Democratic, and independent members of the US Congress. This recurring and consistent pattern of accusations increasingly affirms the theory that the UAE has been financing the RSF both before and during the war, and has been facilitating weapons deliveries to wherever they are engaged in combat. In this light, the claims by the Sudanese army and government appear valid and substantiated.
What sets this particular investigation apart from previous American journalistic and parliamentary efforts — which often trace weapons to Chinese or occasionally Hungarian sources — is that this is a European investigation confirming that the weapons in question are of European origin. Specifically, they were manufactured in Bulgaria, an EU member state, and sold to the UAE. The investigation further confirms that these arms ended up in the hands of the RSF in Sudan — particularly in Darfur, which is subject to a UN arms embargo — where the RSF has, according to both the United States and the United Nations, committed acts of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Furthermore, the investigation states that the country which sold the arms to the UAE did not authorise their resale or transfer to a third party, especially not to a non-state armed group such as the RSF — or potentially other neighbouring countries — to fight on its behalf and kill civilians in Darfur.
Accordingly, the UAE is implicated in multiple violations:
Breaching its agreement with the arms-manufacturing state by misusing the weapons.
Violating the EU embargo on the sale and use of arms in prohibited regions.
Supporting a rebel group engaged in atrocities against civilians in Sudan — regardless of its stance toward the current Sudanese government — effectively aiding in the murder, torture, and rape of a “brotherly” people using weapons supplied by a “brotherly” state.
The second episode of the investigation focuses on International Golden Group, a UAE-based company known for diverting weapons to states under international arms embargoes.
The third episode examines Colombian mercenaries who travelled with the arms shipments to Sudan.
The fourth episode highlights the consequences of arming the RSF with weapons regularly used to bomb civilian targets.
The fifth and final episode provides documentation from various sources — including the UAE’s own official news agency, WAM — confirming beyond doubt that the ultimate source of all European weapons, whether Bulgarian, Hungarian, or even French, was the United Arab Emirates.
The France 24 investigative team reports that when contacted, the European arms companies named in the series asserted they had conducted their activities in accordance with both local and international laws.
Thus, the previously unanswerable question of how the RSF acquired such heavy weaponry despite the EU embargo begins to receive answers. The investigation explains how, in defiance of international restrictions, Bulgarian mortars ended up in the Sudanese desert — and how combat-grade weapons from Bulgarian factories fell into the hands of RSF militias. How?
The answer, as summarised above, is detailed across five reports in a comprehensive investigation that reveals how European-made arms and ammunition reached the Sudanese battlefield and were ultimately used by a rebel group in Darfur to commit atrocities — despite the EU and UN arms embargoes.
The five-part investigation begins in the heart of the desert with a series of videos filmed by Sudanese fighters — namely, Sudanese soldiers, Darfuri armed resistance fighters, and army-aligned forces — in November 2024.
On a technical note, it is worth mentioning that every word, image, report, or offhand comment shared by individuals, however casually or unintentionally, can be used for intelligence gathering — a tool that may decisively influence war or peace. This extends beyond combat to include economics, agriculture, and culture. One intelligence analyst once remarked that many of our public officials lack a proper security mindset; some send their families abroad for holidays, inadvertently exposing them to surveillance or even recruitment for espionage.
Similarly, journalists — knowingly or not — often become primary sources of danger to their countries and institutions. Security professionals and VIP protection teams will tell you that over 75% of threats come from journalists. Truly. Some journalists are aware of this, while others are not, and some view security protocols as infringements on press freedom. But ask yourself: when was the last time you saw French journalists criticising their own army, let alone exposing its many failings? Never. When the French media writes about their army, it is usually within the confines of official statements or government announcements.
This is the same context in which France 24’s investigative journalists operate — they use information publicly shared in Sudanese private groups and accounts to build a compelling case against those supplying weapons and ammunition to Sudanese rebels.
Sudanhorizon will publish the five episodes of the investigation in succession.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=5713