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UAE re-routes its weapons airbridge to Sudan's RSF through Ethiopia

Le Monde and US lawmakers say Abu Dhabi opened covert cargo routes via Ethiopia and CAR to keep arming the RSF, contradicting assurances given to Washington

Conflicts·Defence· active Whose Money·What They're Not Saying ·11 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jul 1, 2026
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developments

  1. Lighthouse Reports/Der Spiegel investigation exposed a newer Libya-routed supply chain supplementing the Ethiopia airbridge: UAE-linked cargo uses bases at Seweidiya, Sabha, al-Jufra and Camp 17 near Benghazi, with four previously unknown RSF camps identified in Libya. An RSF official admitted 'The Emirates gave it to us'. ↗

The split

The same story, as told by newsrooms in different countries. Their words, attributed and linked.

France

Le Monde

“UAE-linked cargo flights identified supplying weapons to the RSF through Ethiopia.”

investigative, flight-trackingread the original ↗

Lebanon

The Cradle

“UN probes UAE arms transfers to the RSF militia in Sudan.”

anti-Gulf-intervention framingread the original ↗

Germany

Lighthouse Reports / Der Spiegel (June 29)

“Four previously unknown RSF camps in Libya identified, fed by cargo routes through UAE-linked operators; an RSF official conceded 'The Emirates gave it to us'.”

investigative, flight- and supply-trackingread the original ↗

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Summary

United Arab Emirates-linked cargo flights have re-routed weapons to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces via Ethiopia and the Central African Republic, according to a March 2026 Le Monde investigation and US lawmakers. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Sara Jacobs, citing a US administration briefing, confirmed Abu Dhabi is still arming the RSF, contradicting assurances it gave United States. Investigators name specific aircraft, including a heavy An-124 transport, and UAE-linked operators (Maximus Air Cargo, International Golden Group, Abu Dhabi Aviation) as a covert "airbridge" replacing exposed earlier routes. The UAE denies backing the RSF. A UN panel is probing the transfers. This is the supply line sustaining a war widely described as genocidal in Darfur. See US senators move to block UAE arms over Sudan's RSF.

By the numbers

  • 2, main re-routing hubs: Ethiopia and CAR.
  • An-124, heavy transport flagged in the flight data.
  • 3, UAE-linked firms named (Maximus, IGG, Abu Dhabi Aviation).
  • 2023, start of the RSF war the airbridge sustains.
  • 0, Emirati admissions of arming the RSF (formal denial stands).

Why it matters

External arming is the variable keeping Sudan's war going. If the documented airbridge forces real US or UN consequences for the United Arab Emirates, a close US partner, it tests whether assurances to Washington carry any cost when broken; if not, the proxy supply continues unimpeded.

What to watch

  • Whether Congress conditions arms sales or aid to the UAE on the RSF flows.
  • The UN panel's findings on the transfer network.
  • Fresh flight-tracking exposing new routes or operators.

The briefing, by email