KHARTOUM, SUDAN — A high-ranking defector from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has delivered a stunning blow to the paramilitary group, publicly detailing a sophisticated international support network involving the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ethiopia.
The whistleblower, identified as Field Commander Ali Al-Tayeb Mohammed Musa, spoke at a televised press conference in Port Sudan on Sunday, providing what he described as first-hand testimony of foreign interference in the brutal Sudanese civil war.
Inside the “Al Ain” Training Camps
Musa, who recently abandoned the RSF to join the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), alleged that he and other senior paramilitary officers were flown to the United Arab Emirates for advanced military training.
“I personally received training in camps within the city of Al Ain,” Musa told reporters. He claimed the training was supervised by Emirati military personnel and focused on urban warfare and the operation of advanced weaponry. This testimony provides the most direct link to date between the RSF and UAE soil, moving beyond the usual allegations of logistics and funding.
The Drone War: The Ethiopian Connection
Perhaps the most explosive part of Musa’s confession centered on the air war that has devastated Khartoum. He alleged that the suicide drones currently terrorizing the capital are not only UAE-funded but are launched from bases within Ethiopia.
“The drones being used come from Ethiopia under UAE supervision,” he asserted. This claim mirrors a growing diplomatic rift in the Horn of Africa; just last week, the Sudanese government recalled its ambassador from Addis Ababa, accusing the Ethiopian military of allowing its airports to be used as launchpads for UAE-owned drones.
Mercenaries and Global Logistics
Musa’s testimony also shed light on the complex global pipeline fueling the RSF’s operations. He described a multi-country logistical route where fighters are moved through Nyala in Sudan, Al Jufra and Benghazi in Libya, and Somalia, before being processed for training or deployment.
In a surprising revelation, he also mentioned the presence of over 30 Colombian mercenaries embedded within RSF units, suggesting a level of international private military involvement previously unknown in the conflict.
A Growing Proxy War
The UAE has repeatedly and vehemently denied providing any military support to the RSF, maintaining that its involvement in Sudan is strictly humanitarian. Similarly, the Ethiopian government has dismissed claims of its territory being used for drone strikes as “baseless fabrications.”
However, Musa’s defection comes at a time when the Sudanese military has begun displaying what it calls “conclusive forensic evidence”—including flight logs and serial numbers from downed drones—to the UN Security Council.
For an international community struggling to broker a ceasefire, this testimony underscores the complexity of the war. Sudan is no longer just a domestic power struggle; it is a full-blown proxy conflict involving some of the Middle East’s and East Africa’s most powerful actors.
