As Sudan’s devastating civil war enters its third year, reports indicate that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is shifting its logistical strategy to sustain support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Investigative findings based on flight data and corporate registration documents reveal that Abu Dhabi is establishing a new “air bridge” to facilitate weapons supplies through Ethiopia and the Central African Republic (CAR). This strategic pivot follows increased international scrutiny and diplomatic pressure on previous supply routes that operated through Chad.
At the center of this new transit network is a cargo aircraft registered in the Central African Republic with the tail number TL-AIT. Since January, this plane has completed at least nine suspicious rotations between the UAE and East Africa.
Evidence suggests the aircraft is operated by companies under NG9 Holding, an entity with direct links to the family of UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.
According to the report of le Monde, on the evening of Tuesday, March 17, this A300 cargo plane departed from Fujairah Airport with its transponder intentionally disabled before reappearing in Ethiopian airspace. Security sources suggest these “dark flights” are intended to deliver modern military equipment, including drones and anti-aircraft weaponry, to RSF positions near the Sudanese border.
Ethiopia’s role as a hub for this transit significantly escalates regional involvement in the conflict. Experts note that the RSF has recently established a military base in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region, which borders Sudan’s Blue Nile State.
A regional security analyst noted that the UAE is diversifying its supply options by using companies registered in countries like Burkina Faso and the CAR to evade accountability.
While Abu Dhabi maintains its involvement is strictly for “humanitarian aid,” the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) repeatedly accuse the Emirates of “fueling the fire.” With the war displacing over 15 million people and the fall of El-Fasher last October signaling a grim escalation, the adapting air bridge suggests a peace settlement remains far out of reach.
