Recent intelligence reports from U.S. agencies reveal that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has significantly increased its supply of advanced Chinese drones and other weapon systems to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This development, reported as recently as October, underscores the UAE’s deepening involvement in the Sudanese conflict. The RSF, accused of committing genocide in Darfur, has received a steady flow of arms, including small arms, heavy machine guns, vehicles, artillery, mortars, and ammunition, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report published on Tuesday. The UAE’s support for the RSF has been well-documented, with Middle East Eye (MEE) previously reporting in January 2024 on the UAE’s complex network of supply lines stretching across Libya, Chad, Uganda, and breakaway regions of Somalia. In May, Amnesty International confirmed the UAE’s delivery of Chinese-made weaponry, such as GB50A-guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers, to Darfur, where the RSF has been besieging cities. The RSF’s recent capture of el-Fasher in North Darfur, accompanied by documented civilian massacres, follows the collapse of U.S.-sponsored peace talks. Sources indicate that the UAE, the RSF’s primary patron, has refused to address the ongoing siege of el-Fasher, which has persisted for over 500 days. The WSJ report highlights that the UAE’s weapon supply to the RSF intensified after March, when the Sudanese Army, backed by Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, reclaimed Khartoum. MEE also reported in May that the UAE orchestrated precision drone attacks on government-controlled Port Sudan, injuring members of a Turkish technical team assisting the Sudanese military. The UAE is now supplying the RSF with advanced Chinese drones, including the CH-95 model, capable of precision strikes and long-range reconnaissance. The RSF, originally formed as the janjaweed militia under Omar Bashir’s regime, has expanded its operations in Darfur, leveraging its close ties with the UAE. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, has established a commercial empire in Dubai, using the emirate to smuggle gold from Darfur’s mines under his control.