Le Monde: UAE Arms Supplies to RSF Continue Despite Gulf War

Sudanhorizon- Agencies

Le Monde Afrique has reported that while thousands of commercial flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai were canceled due to Iranian strikes on these cities, cargo planes supplying the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan with military equipment and weapons continued their flights.

According to a summary of an article published by the newspaper on March 18, 2026, written by Noé Hoche-Boudin, the round-trip transport operations were only suspended for four days.

Flights between the UAE and Sudan’s neighboring countries were halted on February 28, when the first Iranian airstrikes targeted the western coast of the Arabian Gulf, before gradually resuming starting Tuesday, March 3. Since then, large cargo planes have resumed flying to Africa, while at the same time, the US consulate in Dubai was targeted by Iranian Shahed drones.

The newspaper’s summary indicates that Abu Dhabi’s negative influence has become increasingly apparent since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, a conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The French-language newspaper asserts that “the RSF receives full support from the United Arab Emirates, which supplies Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as ‘Hemedti,’ with ammunition, weapons, vehicles, drones, and mercenaries from Abu Dhabi to Darfur,” a process requiring complex aerial logistics.

The newspaper notes that cargo planes belonging to cloudy air freight companies supply the RSF via airports in neighboring countries.

It cites as an example one such company, “Batout Airlines,” recently exposed by Le Monde, which was forced to suspend its flights to Sudan for a few days due to the closure of Abu Dhabi airport. However, Ilyushin aircraft quickly resumed flights from Al Ain to Darfur.

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