U.N. Analysis Reveals Paramilitary RSF’s Gold-Fueled Alliance with Wagner Group in Sudan Conflict

In the recent struggle for dominance in Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) heavily depended on illicit gold trade and established connections with Russia’s Wagner Group, now operating under the name Africa Corps, as revealed by a United Nations analysis.

The RSF strategically utilized intricate financial networks both prior to and during the conflict to secure weapons, cover salaries, finance media campaigns, engage in lobbying efforts, and garner support from various political and armed factions, according to U.N. experts.

Sudan’s gold, smuggled through the United Arab Emirates (UAE), played a pivotal role in the RSF’s collaboration with Wagner, becoming a critical revenue source for Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The smuggling operations through the UAE transformed RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo into one of Sudan’s wealthiest individuals. Hemedti leveraged these resources to finance the RSF’s campaign against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). He established over 50 companies across diverse industries, both within and outside Sudan, maintained funds in UAE banks, and operated the RSF’s social media propaganda from the country.

Hemedti’s connection with the UAE, facilitated by gold trade, has cultivated a strong ally for him. The U.N. reports that the UAE served as a conduit for weapons and supplies, often disguising them as humanitarian aid shipments.

The U.N. documented a Sudanese gold trader associated with the RSF receiving a 50-kilogram gold shipment in May 2023, coinciding with increased hostilities between the RSF and SAF. Subsequently, RSF fighters started receiving heavy weapons, including MANPADS surface-to-air missiles, via Libya. This was made possible through the collaboration of the Wagner Group, Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who was backed by the UAE and RSF in his conflict against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.

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These weapons influxes have empowered the RSF to sustain its battle against the more heavily armed SAF, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of civilian lives in Khartoum and the western Darfur region. The U.N. now estimates that up to 15,000 civilians have perished in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, a 25% increase from the initial estimate of 12,000 deaths.

U.N. monitors uncovered credible claims that the UAE supplied the RSF with materials regularly through a UAE-funded field hospital in Amdjarass, Chad. Despite contrary reports, the UAE continues to deny providing weapons to either side of the Sudan conflict.

Notably, analyst Elfadil Ibrahim warned in the National Interest magazine that the UAE’s alignment with the RSF could jeopardize its investments in Sudan. This includes the planned $6 billion Abu Amama port complex on the Red Sea and ownership of 2,800 square kilometers of Sudanese agricultural land, much of it in regions still under SAF control.

Ibrahim emphasized that supporting the RSF poses multiple risks for the UAE, urging a reconsideration of their strategic alliances in Sudan.