UAE-funded camp in Ethiopia training fighters for Sudan’s RSF: Report

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - NAIROBI/LONDON — Ethiopia is hosting a covert military training camp for thousands of fighters linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a Reuters investigation.

The camp, located in Ethiopia’s western Benishangul-Gumuz region near the Sudanese border, is providing the RSF with a substantial influx of newly trained fighters as battles intensify in southern Sudan, particularly in Blue Nile state.

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.

Reuters reviewed an internal Ethiopian security services note and a diplomatic cable that also cited UAE involvement.

Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.

The conflict has triggered widespread famine, mass displacement and allegations of racially motivated atrocities, forcing millions of refugees into neighboring countries including Egypt, Chad, Libya and South Sudan.

Reuters said it spoke to 15 sources familiar with the camp’s construction and operations, including Ethiopian officials and diplomats, and analyzed satellite imagery showing recent development at the site.

Two Ethiopian intelligence officials confirmed details contained in the security memo and diplomatic cable.

As of early January, around 4,300 RSF fighters were undergoing training at the camp, with their “logistical and military supplies being provided by the UAE,” according to the Ethiopian security services note seen by Reuters.

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The diplomatic cable, dated November, described the camp as having capacity for up to 10,000 fighters.

Sudan’s army has previously accused the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF — allegations that UN experts and some US lawmakers have described as credible.

Satellite images reviewed by Reuters show that construction activity at the camp accelerated from October, including extensive forest clearing, the erection of hundreds of tents and the arrival of heavy vehicles.

An image taken on Nov. 24 showed more than 640 tents, suggesting capacity for several thousand recruits, according to analysis by defense intelligence firm Janes.

Officials said most recruits are Ethiopians, though fighters from South Sudan and Sudan are also present.

The internal security note said the project was overseen by General Getachew Gudina, head of the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s Defense Intelligence Department. A senior Ethiopian official and multiple diplomatic and security sources confirmed his role.

Attention has also focused on Asosa airport, about 53 kilometers from the camp, where satellite imagery shows new construction since August, including a hangar, paved aprons and infrastructure consistent with a drone ground control station. Ethiopian officials said the military plans to expand drone operations at the site as part of a broader shift of aerial assets toward the western border.

Several regional officials expressed concern about the camp’s proximity to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, warning that further militarization of the area could pose security risks if fighting spreads.