radiofree.asia

Arms in, gold out: UK military equipment is helping to fuel slaughter in Sudan

British weapons supplied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have being used by a vicious paramilitary group in Sudan, reports suggest. Just days ago, the southern city of El-Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).  There were widespread reports that RSF, who are fighting Sudanese government forces, began mass executions in the streets.

Researchers even claim the carnage was so vast that bloodstains in the sand could be seen by satellite:

RSF are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who have armed and supported the three year long war which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. The UAE has denied involvement – pretty unconvincingly.

And, the UAE are a major customer for British arms and equipment:

The British connection to genocide in Sudan

Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) reported Tuesday that British engines and small-arms equipment has ended up in the hands of RSF:

On 29 October, CAAT media coordinator Emily Apple told the Canary:

The UK arms trade is out of control. Our government has known for years that the UAE has diverted military equipment to the RSF to fuel its genocide in Sudan. However, instead of taking action, it has continually pushed for more sales, even extending UAE an official government invitation to the DSEI arms fair in London.
Apple explained:
UK arms companies do not care that their equipment is used to commit genocide. They do not care about Sudanese lives. They only care about their shareholders profits. They have blood on their hands and it is down to all of us to hold both the companies, and this government, accountable for their actions.

A damning trove of documents

According to a Guardian report on 28 October, the UN Security Council has a trove of documents which show British equipment sold to the UAE is being used by RSF in Darfur.

British involvement has been an ongoing concern at the UN:

Months after the UN security council first received material alleging that the UAE may have supplied British-made items to the RSF, new data indicates that the British government went on to approve further exports to the Gulf state for military equipment of the same type.

Former UN researcher Mike Lewis told the Guardian:

UK and treaty law straightforwardly obliges the government not to authorise arms exports where there is a clear risk of diversion – or use in international crimes.

Security council investigators have documented in detail the UAE’s decade-long history of diverting arms to embargoed countries and to forces violating international humanitarian law.

Lewis added:

Even before this further information about British-made equipment in Sudan, these licences should not have been issued, any more than to other governments responsible for arming the Sudan conflict.

Abdallah Idriss Abugarda, who chairs the Darfur Diaspora Association, urged the international community to “investigate how this transfer occurred and ensure that no British technology or weaponry contributes to the suffering of innocent Sudanese civilians” and added:

Accountability and strict end use monitoring are essential to prevent further complicity in these grave crimes.

UAE: A known diversion risk

The Guardian reported that numerous UK arms licences have been granted to UAE since 2013. And in 2024 – despite evidence that UK equipment had ended up in Sudan – issued a further licence.

There have been warnings in the past that the UAE presented a ‘diversion risk’, specifically when British equipment ended up being used by the Taliban.

The firms involved are Cummins and Militec. Cummins denied any wrongdoing, while Militec had not responded to request for comment as of 28 October.

A UK government spokesperson said:

The UK has one of the most robust and transparent export control regimes in the world. All export licences are assessed for the risk of diversion to an undesirable end user or end use.

We expect all countries to comply with their obligations under existing UN sanctions regimes.

Guns in, gold out

The UK is just one of the Western countries whose arms have turned up in Sudan. Canada is also implicated:

In 2024, Amnesty International identified the French-manufactured Galix modular system in use on RSF vehicles:

In June 2024, Amnesty warned:

This conflict is being fuelled by an almost unimpeded supply of weapons into Sudan by states and corporate actors around the world. Nearly all neighbouring countries are used by various armed groups and states as supply lines to transfer weapons into and around Sudan.

US intelligence reports from October 2025 indicate the UAE is also supplying RSF with Chinese drones. Despite official UAE denials, Middle East Eye has shown how the arms which fuel RSF are smuggled into Sudan. A complex network of supply routes stretches through Libya, Chad, Somalia, and Uganda.

Sudan is a nexus for colonial interests. Arms firm profits are a factor. But at the heart of the conflict is gold. The UAE owns substantial gold interests in the country. And the war has seen production boom.

The winners in this are the UAE. A 2025 investigation by France 24 suggests up to 90% of Sudan’s gold is smuggled out to UAE. And the mines from which it is extracted are in the hands of RSF – making RSF the guarantor of the UAE’s interest in the region. And, that makes the losers the people of Sudan. Just like the citizens of El-Fasher whose blood, if reports are correct, can be seen by satellite.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

This post was originally published on Canary.