Intelligence report reveals UAE “death funding” networks in four African countries
BERLIN, May 16 (YPA) – The German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin has issued an extensive analytical report highlighting the growing Emirati role in the African continent.
The report describes Abu Dhabi’s foreign policy as having become a major factor in destabilizing a number of conflict zones by building cross-border networks of influence to support armed forces and paramilitary militias in four African countries, directly contributing to prolonging local conflicts and deepening humanitarian crises.
The report details this role across several African files, pointing out that Abu Dhabi provides direct financial and military backing to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in their confrontation with the Sudanese Army. This is in addition to arming the General Command forces led by Khalifa Haftar in Libya, in coordination and cooperation with the Russian Wagner Group.
Furthermore, the report notes the supply of drones to the government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed during the armed conflict in the Tigray region, and the utilization of ports in the regions of Puntland and Somaliland as rear bases that have contributed to weakening the Somali central authority and establishing a “state-within-a-state” model.
The security study also indicates the existence of a complex logistical network managed by the UAE that extends from eastern Libya and Chad to the Horn of Africa. These corridors are exploited to transport weapons and military equipment in exchange for gold and precious metals.
This represents a violation of international arms embargoes imposed by the United Nations in conflict zones and aims to enhance the UAE’s geopolitical influence in the region.
The German Institute concluded its report by calling on European countries and the international community to reassess their relations with Abu Dhabi and end the leniency toward its policies in Africa.
The researchers urged the implementation of strict monitoring measures on financial channels and the imposition of sanctions to halt funding flows that fuel conflicts, warning that investments and port management in those regions are being exploited to weaken central entities and states across the African continent.
YPA