MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United Arab Emirates is facing mounting allegations of orchestrating a covert drone supply network that fuels atrocities in Sudan’s brutal civil war while carefully avoiding international accountability for war crimes.
According to British intelligence sources and multiple independent investigations, the UAE has repurposed aging Soviet-era cargo planes into flying drone assembly lines, exploiting weak oversight and legal grey zones across the Horn of Africa.
In clear violation of international arms transfer laws—which mandate end-user certificates and transparent export procedures—these aircraft are used to discreetly ferry disassembled drone components into African airspace. Once on the ground, the drones are swiftly reassembled and delivered to non-state actors, most notably the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of systematic attacks on civilians.
One of the key transit points in this operation is Bosaso, a port city in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. The UAE has established a military footprint there under the pretext of anti-piracy and maritime security operations.
Investigations now suggest that Bosaso is being used as a logistical hub for drone shipments bound for Sudan, enabling the UAE to obscure its involvement behind fragmented supply chains and proxy actors.
However, in addition to operating a runway and logistics center, the UAE installed a radar system near Bosaso Airport, which is ostensibly used to monitor Houthi threats in the Gulf of Aden. Investigations now suggest this infrastructure may be serving a dual purpose, aiding in the coordination and concealment of drone shipments destined for Sudan.
The consequences on the ground have been devastating. In May 2025, RSF drone strikes reportedly killed more than 70 people in El Fasher, targeting a hospital and surrounding civilian neighborhoods.
Port Sudan, a vital humanitarian lifeline on the Red Sea, has also come under attack. The RSF’s growing drone capabilities—including the use of advanced Chinese-made CH-95 and FH-95 UAVs—have transformed the battlefield, dramatically escalating the scale and reach of the conflict.
According to regional experts, these drones are likely delivered with Emirati assistance, including satellite guidance and logistical support routed through Somalia and Chad.
Since violence reignited in April 2023, Sudan’s civil war has killed over 150,000 people and displaced more than 13 million. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the UAE’s covert arms transfers are seen as a key enabler of the RSF’s sustained offensive against Sudan’s army and civilian population.
In response, Sudan filed a case against the UAE at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of “complicity in genocide.” However, the ICJ ruled in May 2025 that it lacked jurisdiction—a procedural blow to Khartoum but one that has not silenced the allegations. The Sudanese government has since cut diplomatic ties with Abu Dhabi and continues to demand international condemnation.
“The UAE is outsourcing its war crimes,” said a senior Sudanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “By using Somali territory—particularly Bosaso—as a launchpad, they are not just violating international law; they are dragging Somalia into this conflict by proxy.”
Analysts warn that the UAE’s strategy represents a troubling new model of warfare: one in which state actors fragment arms supply chains and exploit weak or complicit partners to obscure their involvement. This allows them to support armed groups without facing legal or diplomatic consequences.
As Sudan’s humanitarian crisis deepens, the international community faces growing pressure to investigate the UAE’s role, scrutinize its operations in the Horn of Africa, and close the legal loopholes that make such covert campaigns possible. For now, however, the drones continue to fall—and the world continues to watch.