U.S. Senator voices concern over alleged UAE arms route to Sudan’s RSF via North Western State of Somalia

Hargeisa (AX) — The chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voiced sharp concern over reports that a United Arab Emirates–linked training center has been established in Ethiopia for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, with potential supply routes running through North Western State of Somalia’s Port of Berbera.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Sen. Jim Risch described the RSF as “genocidal RSF thugs” and warned that alleged training and transit activity tied to the UAE would be “escalatory and further reason to designate the RSF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, bringing consequences for this regional proxy support.”

Risch said such moves risk further destabilizing the Horn of Africa and would strengthen the case for formally labeling the RSF as a foreign terrorist organization. An FTO designation under U.S. law carries sweeping political and criminal penalties, including sanctions and material-support prohibitions.

The statement comes as international scrutiny intensifies on the RSF, a powerful paramilitary force locked in a brutal war with Sudan’s army. Rights organizations and several foreign governments have accused the RSF of grave abuses and acts of genocide, particularly in Darfur, amid mass displacement and widespread reports of atrocities.

The governments of North Western State of Somalia, Ethiopia and the UAE have not issued official responses to Risch’s remarks.

The UAE has previously faced accusations of supplying weapons and equipment to the RSF, including claims that shipments moved through Bosaso port in Somalia’s Puntland State region. Abu Dhabi has repeatedly denied providing military support to the militia.

In November 2025, Somalia’s defense minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, told the Upper House that aircraft had flown from Bosaso to Sudan — the first formal acknowledgment from Mogadishu after weeks of speculation. Fiqi said the federal government was aware of the flights, but did not know what cargo they carried or who operated them.

Somalia’s relationship with the UAE has been strained in recent years. Mogadishu nullified security and port agreements with Abu Dhabi, and formal security cooperation between the two countries has since been suspended.

The allegations outlined by Risch focus new attention on the strategic infrastructure that shapes power balances in the Horn, from Berbera’s expanding role as a Red Sea–adjacent port to air corridors linking the Gulf and the Sahel. If confirmed, the reported training and supply routes would underscore how Sudan’s civil war continues to draw in regional and international actors — complicating diplomacy and raising the stakes for humanitarian access and civilian protection.

Risch’s comments also signal potential shifts in Washington’s posture toward armed groups and their foreign patrons. While the U.S. has sanctioned RSF leaders and entities, an FTO designation would mark a significant escalation in legal and diplomatic pressure, potentially impacting any third parties found to be facilitating training, financing or logistics.

As fighting in Sudan grinds on, allegations of cross-border support are likely to attract heightened monitoring by Western and regional governments. For now, the reported Ethiopia-based training hub and the suggestion of supply routes through North Western State of Somalia remain unconfirmed by the named governments, but the warning from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s chairman suggests they could carry real consequences if substantiated.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.