Ethiopia: UAE Rejects Allegations of Supporting RSF Training Camp in Ethiopia

Reported Facts

Observable data points shared across all narratives

•The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) conducted a major attack on Sudan's city of al-Fashir, resulting in the deaths of at least 6,000 people over three days, according to a United Nations assessment.
•A UN body has stated that RSF forces committed atrocities during the capture of al-Fashir, including actions that may constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.
•The ongoing conflict in Sudan is widely described as a civil war involving the RSF and forces aligned with Sudan's regular army.
•Public and media scrutiny has focused on the roles of Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates in relation to the Sudan civil war, including possible support to armed actors.
•Allegations have been made that the UAE supported an RSF training camp located in Ethiopia.
•The government of the United Arab Emirates has officially rejected allegations that it is supporting an RSF training camp in Ethiopia.
•The United Kingdom's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has publicly denied that the UAE sent British-origin arms to Sudan's RSF.
•Multiple countries have been reported as contributing, through arms or other support, to the continuation of the war in Sudan.

Narrative Split

How different information blocks interpret these facts

UAE denies arming RSF

Middle East–based coverage emphasizes the UAE’s categorical rejection of allegations that it supports an RSF training camp in Ethiopia or channels British-origin arms to the RSF. It portrays the UAE as seeking to distance itself from accusations of fueling the Sudan war, framing such claims as unfounded and politically motivated. The narrative suggests that the UAE aims to preserve its international partnerships and present itself as aligned with diplomatic, not military, solutions in Sudan.

•Middle East sources report that the UAE has officially denied any role in supporting an RSF training camp on Ethiopian territory.
•They highlight Yvette Cooper’s statement denying that the UAE sent British arms to the RSF as corroborating the UAE’s position.
•These outlets claim that allegations against the UAE are exaggerated or mischaracterized, potentially reflecting broader geopolitical rivalries.
•They argue that the UAE positions itself as supporting stability and diplomacy in Sudan rather than backing any single armed faction.
•They suggest that the UAE is sensitive to reputational risk and is actively contesting narratives that link it to RSF atrocities.

AFRICA

Regional concern over foreign meddling

African-focused reporting centers on the humanitarian toll of the RSF’s actions in al-Fashir while highlighting regional unease about foreign involvement, including alleged UAE support via Ethiopia. It attributes responsibility for the immediate violence to the RSF but frames external backing—whether proven or alleged—as a critical factor prolonging the war and complicating African-led diplomacy. These sources tend to advocate for greater transparency on foreign military footprints in the Horn of Africa and stronger regional mechanisms to curb external interference.

•African outlets report that at least 6,000 people were killed in three days during the RSF attack on al-Fashir, underscoring the scale of the crisis.
•They relay allegations that the UAE has supported an RSF training camp in Ethiopia, while noting the UAE’s formal rejection of these claims.

WEST

External fuel for RSF abuses

Western outlets frame the Sudan conflict as a civil war in which external actors, including Ethiopia and the UAE, risk enabling RSF atrocities through material or logistical support. They attribute responsibility for escalating violence in al-Fashir primarily to the RSF, but argue that foreign backing, whether direct or indirect, sustains the group’s capacity to commit mass killings. They predict that without tighter scrutiny and potential sanctions on suppliers and facilitators, RSF abuses and regional destabilization will likely continue.

•Western reporting claims that Ethiopia’s and the UAE’s roles in the Sudan civil war are under scrutiny because of alleged support channels to the RSF.
•These sources assert that the RSF is responsible for large-scale killings and atrocities in al-Fashir, enabled by continued access to arms and training.

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