UAE Jails Eight for Life in Major Arms Trafficking and Money Laundering Scheme Targeting Sudan's Army

A court in the United Arab Emirates has handed down life sentences to eight individuals for their involvement in arms trafficking and money laundering operations that supplied Sudan's army. The convicted individuals were part of a network that supplied weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese army and facilitated money laundering between the UAE and Sudan, according to the Emirati state-run news agency WAM.

The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal determined that the defendants had participated in a comprehensive plan involving the illicit trade of weapons, ammunition, and military gear. Evidence presented indicated that the accused also engaged in document forgery, utilizing companies and bank accounts within the UAE to obscure the origins and destinations of funds related to these arms deals.

As part of the court's ruling, ammunition and communication devices used in the criminal activities were ordered to be confiscated. The convicted individuals are also set to be deported from the UAE upon completion of their prison sentences, WAM reported. The court's order highlighted that these arms deals and money laundering activities posed a threat to UAE interests.

Relations between the UAE and Sudan have been strained, particularly as the Sudanese military has accused Abu Dhabi of supplying arms to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, a rival in Sudan's ongoing civil war which began in April 2023. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

The conflict in Sudan has resulted in the displacement of over 14 million people, leading to severe poverty and widespread food shortages. In recent developments, over 100 individuals, predominantly women and children, were killed when military drones struck a bustling market in Nyala, Darfur, an area frequented by RSF fighters. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported a second attack on a civilian neighborhood, with a hospital they support in Nyala receiving 36 bodies, 21 of whom were in civilian clothing, and treating over 150 wounded.

Previously, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had accused the RSF of committing war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity during their takeover of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, following the Sudanese army's withdrawal from its last stronghold in the region.