The Federal Court of Appeal in Abu Dhabi has sentenced eight defendants to life imprisonment for smuggling weapons and ammunition to the Sudanese army. The case involved an attempt to transport a military shipment through the UAE to Port Sudan, where the authorities aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are based. The court also handed down three-year prison sentences to several defendants and acquitted two others.
The case centered on two linked transactions, including an agreement to purchase weapons and military equipment worth $13 million. Investigators said the actual value did not exceed $10 million, with the remaining $3 million allocated to illicit commissions. The second transaction involved using over $2 million from the first deal to purchase an additional shipment of ammunition.
Authorities said part of the shipment was brought into the UAE aboard a private aircraft, using documents that described the cargo as humanitarian aid or medical supplies. The investigation extended beyond the shipment that was intercepted, with the prosecution uncovering plans to smuggle an additional five million rounds of Goryunov machine-gun ammunition through six further operations.
The evidence presented during the trial included financial and commercial records, bank transfers, correspondence, and recordings, as well as confessions from some of the defendants. Prosecutors established that a network had used companies and commercial fronts to conceal the nature of the deals and the movement of funds.
The case has political sensitivity due to the names mentioned in the indictment, which were linked to Sudanese officials and figures associated with the military and security establishment. The UAE prosecution said the arrangements to purchase the equipment were connected to an arms committee affiliated with the authorities in Port Sudan, headed by Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Yasser al-Atta.
The court’s findings against those convicted should be distinguished from the wider political allegations surrounding the war in Sudan. The case concerned specific transactions intended for the Sudanese army and did not constitute a ruling on separate allegations that the UAE had supplied weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The new verdicts carry additional significance as they provide a judicial outcome in a case that had remained under investigation amid reciprocal accusations for over a year and a half. The implications of the verdicts should be considered within the scope of the proceedings, focusing on a specific network and particular transactions.
Key points
- Eight defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment for smuggling arms to the Sudanese army.
- The case involved an attempt to transport a $13 million military shipment through the UAE to Port Sudan.
- The verdicts provide a judicial outcome in a case that had been under investigation for over a year and a half.
