ALBAWABA- The United Arab Emirates has announced the interception of an illegal arms shipment destined for the Sudanese Armed Forces, in what analysts see as a retaliatory move amid deepening diplomatic rifts and mutual war crimes accusations.
According to a statement by the UAE Attorney General, Emirati security services dismantled a smuggling network involved in trafficking military equipment without authorization.
The suspects were caught inspecting around 5 million rounds of 7.62×54.7 mm Giranov ammunition on a private jet at a UAE airport. A portion of the payment was found in hotel rooms belonging to two of the accused.
Investigations linked the operation to senior Sudanese figures, including the former intelligence chief Salah Gosh, a former intelligence officer, an ex-finance ministry adviser, and political operatives close to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Yasser al-Atta.
The deal involved millions of dollars worth of weapons—Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, grenades, and ammunition—allegedly approved by Sudan’s Military Armament Committee.
The accused network profited $2.6 million by inflating the deal’s cost, splitting the difference among themselves and various collaborators.
The UAE’s revelation comes just days after Sudan’s army filed a formal case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the UAE of supporting atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
Sudanese officials, particularly General Yasser al-Atta, have persistently accused the UAE of fueling the conflict by supplying the RSF through Chad and Libya, and even raised the matter at the UN Security Council.
Observers suggest this publicized arms bust is not just a law enforcement action—it is a strategic counter-narrative by the UAE to deflect international scrutiny and complicate Sudan's legal campaign against it.
