UAE sentences eight people to life in prison for arms trafficking to Sudan's army

On October 29, 2026, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced eight men to life imprisonment for operating an illicit arms trafficking network that supplied weapons to the Sudanese army using forged documents and UAE-based companies. The court found the scheme endangered UAE international interests, escalating diplomatic tensions amid Sudan's ongoing civil war. Meanwhile, severe fighting continues across Sudan, where recent military drone strikes in Nyala killed over 100 civilians.

Court verdicts for individual defendants

• ▪The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal ordered the deportation of the convicted individuals from the United Arab Emirates following their prison sentences, as well as the confiscation of seized ammunition and communications equipment.
• ▪The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal acquitted Mubarak Ali Al Sheikh and Musab Awad Al Karim Hassan of all charges on October 29, 2026.
• ▪The eight men handed life sentences by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on October 29, 2026, are Rashid Omar Abdul Qadir Ali, Salah Gosh, Abdullah Khalafallah, Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed, Mohammed Fath Al Beik, Yasser Abdulrahman Al Atta, Othman Al Zubair, and Maher Abdul Jalil.
• ▪On October 29, 2026, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced eight men to life imprisonment for illicit arms trafficking and money laundering connected to the Sudanese military.

Background and scale of the Sudan conflict

• ▪The United Nations reported that the ongoing civil war in Sudan has displaced over 13 million people and left about 34 million requiring humanitarian assistance.
• ▪The conflict between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began in April 2023 following disputes over integrating military forces.

Drone strike on the Nyala market

• ▪In late October 2026, a Sudanese military drone strike on a busy market in Nyala, South Darfur, killed over 100 people and injured 113 others, primarily women and children.
• ▪Doctors Without Borders reported receiving 36 bodies and treating over 150 injured people at its hospital in Nyala following an attack on a civilian neighborhood.
• ▪The rights group Emergency Lawyers condemned the October 2026 drone strike on the Nyala market and requested an independent investigation into the civilian deaths.

Diplomatic tensions over foreign involvement

• ▪Sudanese Defense Minister Hassan Daoud Kabroun accused over 20 unnamed countries on October 28, 2026, of supporting the Rapid Support Forces with mercenaries, funding, and drones.
• ▪Diplomatic relations between the UAE and Sudan have worsened due to Sudanese military accusations that Abu Dhabi provides military supplies to the Rapid Support Forces, an allegation the UAE denies.
• ▪The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the illicit arms network's operations on UAE territory compromised United Arab Emirates international interests and foreign relations.

Operations of the arms trafficking network

• ▪Rashid Omar Abdul Qadir Ali utilized his company to coordinate weapons sales to the Sudanese military and accepted roughly Dh8 million in cash within the UAE from intermediary Maher Abdul Jalil.
• ▪The arms trafficking group brought Goryunov-type ammunition into the UAE to transport by air to Port Sudan, falsely declaring the shipments as medical supplies.
• ▪Yasser Abdulrahman Al Atta, assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, requested the arms purchase and secured landing permits for transport aircraft at Port Sudan Airport.
• ▪Othman Al Zubair, financial official for the Sudanese army, paid for weapons purchases and funneled payments to Maher Abdul Jalil using the Hawala Dar system.

Red Sea maritime coalition

• ▪On July 30, 2026, Saudi Arabia established a Red Sea maritime coalition to protect navigation and energy supplies, which Sudan's defense minister stated on October 28, 2026, Sudan intends to join.
• ▪On August 13, 2026, the Saudi Defense Ministry announced that 15 countries had signed the founding declaration of the Red Sea maritime coalition.

Money laundering sentences and fines

• ▪On October 29, 2026, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced seven men to three years in prison each for money laundering linked to the arms network.
• ▪The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal fined six commercial entities Dh1 million each for money laundering involved in the arms trafficking network and canceled their licenses.