In Sudan, the power of Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, known as “Hemedti” and his Rapid Support Forces (FSR) has been built thanks to Emirati support for almost ten years. From the battlefields of Yemen to the gold mines of Darfur via the skyscrapers of Dubai, an itinerary of an interested friendship.
It is in the steep valleys of Yemen that the alliance between Sudanese general Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, known as “Hemedti” and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was forged. In 2015, the petromonarchy was heavily involved in the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia. But on the ground, Abu Dhabi is seriously lacking in infantry. It found among the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FSR) the ground support it lacked. A boon for Hemedti, who took the helm of this organization created in 2013 by the deposed dictator Omar el-Bashir. The deal is perfect: in addition to the $340 million spent by the UAE, sending thousands of fighters to Yemen provides a training ground for the RSF.
Financial support has remained continuous since. At the start of 2019, in the midst of the Sudanese revolution, the FSR purchased more than 900 pick-ups from Emirati dealers. Models subsequently converted into combat vehicles equipped with machine guns. A leak of financial documents linked to the paramilitary organization reveals that this purchase coincides in time with a transfer of 40 million dollars to the Emirati bank account of the RSF from an unknown source. The Gulf godfather also supplies Nimr Ajban armored personnel carriers, manufactured by the Emirates Defense Technology company, located in the heart of the Zayed Military City, nestled in the desert between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
