NAIROBI/LONDON: Ethiopia is hosting a secret camp to train thousands of fighters for the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in neighboring Sudan, Reuters reporting has found, in the latest sign that one of the world’s deadliest conflicts is sucking in regional powers from Africa and the Middle East.
The camp constitutes the first direct evidence of Ethiopia’s involvement in Sudan’s civil war, marking a potentially dangerous development that provides the RSF a substantial supply of fresh soldiers as fighting escalates in Sudan’s south.
Eight sources, including a senior Ethiopian government official, said the United Arab Emirates financed the camp’s construction and provided military trainers and logistical support to the site, a view also shared in an internal note by Ethiopia’s security services and in a diplomatic cable, reviewed by Reuters.
The news agency could not independently verify UAE involvement in the project or the purpose of the camp. In response to a request for comment, the UAE foreign ministry said it was not a party to the conflict or “in any way” involved in the hostilities. Sudan’s civil war erupted in 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule. It has spread famine and been marked by racially-charged atrocities. Millions of refugees have fled to Egypt, Chad, Libya and South Sudan. Both sides draw strength from international backers, fueling the war and increasing the risk that the fighting spills over into neighboring countries.
