The Sudanese Army withdrew from a key city in Darfur now under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, sparking fears of mass atrocities by the group, which has reportedly received backing from the UAE.
The RSF — accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing campaigns in Darfur — has been bolstered in recent months by weapons from the UAE: According to reports by US intelligence agencies, Abu Dhabi has funneled powerful materiel, including Chinese-made drones, to the RSF, threatening to exacerbate a conflict that has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of people being displaced. “The war would be over if not for the UAE,” an expert told The Wall Street Journal.