A forthcoming United Nations report has mapped complex logistical supply lines that continue to fuel the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, including routes extending through Chad, Libya, and potentially by air into Darfur, according to reviewed documents and diplomatic sources.
The detailed findings, compiled by the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan and shared with Sudan Tribune, focus on the RSF’s evolving military logistics between May and October 2024. Investigators tracked activity at Am Djarass airport in eastern Chad—located close to Sudan’s border—but noted that while road corridors from the airport into Darfur had been identified, there was no direct confirmation of military shipments during that period.
By June 2024, those land routes came under significant strain due to intensified military operations by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), who launched a campaign dubbed the “Desert Front” targeting RSF transit hubs. In response, RSF commanders reportedly established new logistical networks, decentralizing supply depots and erecting a major base in Bir Mirgui, North Darfur—supplied via corridors from eastern Chad and southern Libya.
UN investigators also flagged increased air activity in South Darfur’s Nyala airport between September and November 2024, indicating the RSF may have resorted to aerial resupply to circumvent ground combat zones. The SAF bombed Nyala airport in late November, aiming to disrupt this potential air bridge.
While the soon-to-be-published UN report focuses on regional logistics, a separate leaked UN document from November 2023—reported by The Guardian—has reignited speculation over the involvement of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). That earlier confidential document detailed a pattern of cargo flights using Soviet-era Ilyushin Il-76TD aircraft, regularly traveling between UAE airbases and locations in Chad.
UN experts observed irregular flight behavior, such as transponders being turned off mid-route, raising concerns of covert operations. Some of the aircraft operators named in the report were previously linked to illicit arms deals. However, the panel cautioned that it lacked definitive proof of weapons transfers and deemed it too early to conclude the existence of a clandestine arms network based solely on flight activity.
These revelations come as international attention on Sudan’s war intensifies. On Tuesday, the UK hosted a peace summit in London, while Sudan formally filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing the UAE of aiding the RSF in acts of genocide—allegations strongly denied by Emirati officials, who maintain they are not backing any party to the conflict.
The final UN Panel of Experts report, expected soon, reportedly omits the UAE-Chad air bridge findings from the 2023 leak and does not identify specific weapon suppliers behind the RSF’s overland and possible air-based supply routes. This omission is likely to fuel ongoing debates over foreign involvement in Sudan’s brutal civil war, now entering its second year.