United Nations — The United Nations has accused the United Arab Emirates of breaching international arms embargoes after investigators traced British-made military equipment sold to the Gulf state to militia groups operating in Sudan, Somalia, and Libya, according to a confidential report.
The report, presented to the UN Security Council, found that UK-manufactured weapons and components -- including small-arms targeting systems and engines used in Nimr Ajban armoured vehicles -- were recovered from positions held by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF, a powerful paramilitary group accused of war crimes and genocide, has been fighting Sudan's national army in a brutal conflict now in its third year.
UN experts said Emirati-produced Nimr Ajban vehicles, powered by British-made Cummins engines, have also been documented in Libya and Somalia, both previously subject to UN arms restrictions.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Somalia is no longer under a general arms embargo after the Security Council lifted restrictions in December 2023 under Resolution 2714, though an embargo remains on the militant group al-Shabaab under Resolution 2713.
The diversion of such equipment poses a "serious risk" to regional stability and could further inflame conflicts in countries still under arms restrictions, the UN experts warned.
Photographs and dossiers submitted to the UN show that Nimr vehicles built by the UAE's state-owned Edge Group, fitted with Cummins engines, were seized from RSF forces in Khartoum and Omdurman.
Earlier reports linked the same vehicles to militia groups in Libya, Somalia, and other conflict zones under arms-transfer scrutiny.
The Emirati government has denied supplying arms to the RSF or any other militias, while the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Britain maintains "one of the world's most robust export control systems," reviewing every license for diversion risk.
Sudan, where the war has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced over 12 million, filed a case in May 2025 at the International Court of Justice accusing the UAE of complicity in genocide. The case was later dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
In August 2025, Somalia's government denied speculation that back-to-back visits by Emirati and Sudanese delegations to Mogadishu were linked to alleged weapons transfers.
Earlier satellite investigations showed that the UAE has built and expanded military and intelligence facilities along the Somali coast, including in Berbera and Bosaso, without authorisation from Mogadishu.
According to UN experts, the bases serve as logistical hubs for operations across the Gulf of Aden, giving the UAE deep regional reach.
Previous reporting also revealed the Emirates' growing presence in Puntland, where fortified hangars, radar systems, and ammunition depots have been constructed near Bosaso International Airport, overlapping with the Puntland Maritime Police Force -- a UAE-trained unit previously criticised by the UN for operating outside Somalia's federal command structure.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
