Abu Dhabi – SPT
UAE authorities have referred a network suspected of illicit arms trafficking, linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court, in a case that sheds light on how licensed companies within the country were used to channel payments tied to the conflict in Sudan.
On April 30, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi ordered the referral of 19 defendants and six companies to the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal, on charges including illegal arms trading, forgery and money laundering.
The public prosecution said the investigation indicates links between the network and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) “armament committee” chaired by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, with a coordinating role attributed to Osman Mohamed al-Zubair.
Deal structure and financial flows
According to prosecutors, the case is structured around two interconnected transactions.
The first deal, carried out outside the UAE, involved the supply of small and medium arms. While officially valued at $13 million, investigators estimate its actual cost did not exceed $10 million, with the difference distributed as illicit commissions.
Payments were allegedly routed through UAE-licensed companies and domestic bank accounts using what prosecutors described as fictitious commercial transactions.
The second transaction, financed from proceeds of the first, involved the procurement of additional ammunition within the UAE worth more than $2 million. Investigators say part of the shipment entered the country via a private aircraft using inaccurate documentation before being redirected to Port Sudan.
Prosecutors added that the network had planned six additional transactions to move up to five million rounds, but the discovery of the initial shipment disrupted the broader operation.
Evidence and investigation
The case is supported, according to prosecutors, by financial records, official correspondence, bank transfer tracing, as well as audio recordings and partial confessions from some defendants.
A source familiar with the investigation told SPT that what has been made public represents only a portion of the evidence compiled, adding that audio recordings, documents and confessions yet to be disclosed are expected to carry significant weight at trial.
Individuals and corporate fronts
Those referred to court include prominent figures, among them former intelligence chief Salah Abdallah Gosh, along with Yasser al-Atta, Osman al-Zubair and others.
The case also involves six UAE-registered companies suspected of being used as operational fronts, including Rashed Omar Brokerage, Vortex Trade, Wardat Al Masarra Trading, Sudamina, Yellow Sand Trading, and Apollara Electronics.
Sudan’s war economy
The case comes amid growing warnings over the expansion of informal arms networks linked to Sudan’s conflict since fighting erupted in April 2023.
Retired Sudanese brigadier Jalal Abdelrahman told SPT: “The Sudanese army today is no longer functioning as a professional national military – it has become closer to a secret armed organization, procuring weapons through arms dealers and trafficking networks, including Russia’s Wagner and others.”
He added, referring to the arrest last week of Iranian arms broker Shamim Mafi at Los Angeles airport who was charged in connection with deals involving drones, explosives, detonators and millions of rounds of Iranian-manufactured ammunition:
“This suggests that the current army leadership, dominated by Islamist factions, has drifted far from any conventional national army and now operates closer to an irregular militia.”
The Sudanese army did not respond to requests for comment on the case or on these remarks.
