UAE stops attempt to smuggle weapons to Sudanese Armed Forces

The UAE security services have foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces through an airport in the country.

Members of the cell involved in the illegal arms deal were arrested during an inspection of a private jet that had landed at one of the country’s airports for refuelling, the UAE's Attorney-General Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi confirmed on Wednesday. 

The plane had initially declared it was carrying a consignment of medical supplies. However, inspections revealed it was carrying approximately five million rounds of 7.54 x 62 mm Goryunov-type ammunition.

Al Shamsi said investigations revealed the involvement of members of the cell with senior Sudanese military figures, including former intelligence Chief Salah Gosh and a political figure close to General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, along with several Sudanese businessmen.

The authorities also seized copies of contracts related to the arms deal, forged shipping documents, as well as audio recordings and messages exchanged among the cell members. 

Several companies owned by a Sudanese-Ukrainian businessman, including one operating in the UAE that was listed under US sanctions, have been linked to the deal.

The Public Prosecution is continuing its investigation and working to carry out "urgent trial proceedings" of the suspects. 

The deal

According to investigators, the cell members completed a weapons deal involving Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, machine guns and grenades worth millions of dollars. The arms were transferred from the Sudanese army to an importing company in the UAE using the "HAWALADARS" transfer method.

The transaction was facilitated through a company owned by a fugitive cell member working for the Sudanese Armed Forces, in coordination with Colonel Othman Al-Zubair, who is in charge of financial operations in the Sudanese military.

Fake contracts and commercial invoices were used to falsely claim the payments were for a sugar import deal.

The deals were carried out at the request of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ Armament Committee, chaired by Al-Burhan and his deputy Al-Atta.

The cell members were directly assigned to broker and finalise the transactions by Ahmed Rabie Ahmed Al-Sayed, a political figure close to the Sudanese Commander-in-Chief and responsible for issuing end-user certificates and approvals.

The group earned $2.6 million in profit margin above the actual value of two deals. Authorities said they seized part of the financial proceeds from the deal in the possession of two suspects in their hotel rooms.

The Attorney-General stressed that this incident represents a grave breach of the UAE’s national security, turning its territory into a platform for illegal arms trafficking to a country experiencing civil strife, in addition to constituting criminal offenses punishable under law.