UAE Says It Blocked Illegal Weapons Deal Meant for Sudan Army

The United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday that it had intercepted a weapons shipment allegedly intended for Sudan’s national army.

The UAE said it had arrested members of a smuggling network involved in illegally brokering military equipment, despite claims that the Gulf country supports Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—a charge it denies.

According to state news agency WAM, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi stated that the country’s security services blocked the transfer of military gear after apprehending a group attempting to mediate and trade in arms unlawfully.

Among those arrested were high-profile Sudanese figures, including former intelligence chief Salah Gosh, an ex-finance ministry adviser, a political figure closely linked to army leader General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and several Sudanese businessmen.

Authorities said the group was caught during the inspection of a private plane loaded with roughly five million machine gun rounds, with part of the transaction’s proceeds also seized.

Investigators revealed that the suspects had arranged a major arms deal involving Kalashnikov rifles, grenades, machine guns, and ammunition worth millions of dollars.

Gosh was said to have played a key role in managing the weapons smuggling operation within the UAE.

The group reportedly earned $2.6 million in profits from two completed transactions.

The UAE’s announcement comes as tensions remain high in Sudan, where a bloody power struggle has raged for nearly two years between the regular army and the RSF.

Though Sudanese authorities have long accused the UAE of siding with the RSF, the UAE has repeatedly denied any involvement in supporting the paramilitary faction.