Sudan’s Widening War: The Regional Web Sustaining the Rapid Support Forces

New Evidence of Ethiopia-UAE Cooperation Against Sudan

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Sudan’s rebel alliance is ostracized by Western governments and frequently condemned, but it is far from isolated regionally. Five of seven countries bordering Sudan now allow the rebels to operate on their territory.

Since the war began in 2023, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Libya (LNA) have all served as conduits for weapons, fuel, and recruits into rebel-held territory in Sudan, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) acting as financier, organizer, and the supplier of advanced weaponry.

None of these neighbors is openly hostile, but they all fought the Sudanese government in previous eras, either directly or through proxies. Now, a mix of economic incentives, strategic considerations, and historical grievances has driven them to covertly support the Sudanese rebels—or, at minimum, to tolerate rear operations on their territory.

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