Sending mercenaries to Libya main income source for Darfur armed groups: UN
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A UN report has said that thousands of Sudanese mercenaries are in Libya and the UAE facilitated breaking the arms embargo on Sudan.
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The arms ban had been broken with the transfer of arms and other military material into Darfur, according to UN experts.
The principal source of income for the armed groups in Sudan's own war-torn Darfur has become to send mercenaries to Libya's internal conflict, according to a Friday report by experts in the United Nations.
The experts, in charge of monitoring the arms ban imposed on Sudan, said the United Arab Emirates facilitated the guns-for-hire deals, and the activity meant that the arms ban had been broken "with the transfer of arms and other military material into Darfur."
The report said that "mercenary activities in Libya had been the major source of financing for most Darfurian movements" in 2021, noting that thousands of Sudanese mercenaries are in Libya to serve the Haftar's forces. These mercenaries come from signatory and non-signatory movements of the October 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, and they are not able to estimate the total number.
"Most Darfurian armed groups continued to work for the Libyan National Army in Libya during the reporting period, securing areas and manning checkpoints. In return for these tasks, the five main movements (SLA/MM, GSLF, SLA/TC, SLA/AW, and SRAC) were receiving payments and logistical support," the UN experts said.
The report noted that "several sources in the movements said that the money and support were discussed and agreed upon in meetings between their military commanders and the United Arab Emirates representatives in Libya," adding that the payments "were provided by the United Arab Emirates and channeled to the movements by the Libyan National Army, which took a cut," the report added. The UN experts said that when confronted last November with allegations about providing "financial and military support to Darfurian forces (both in Sudan and in Libya), the United Arab Emirates referred to its country’s moderate position and struggle against extremism and hate speech."
The report also said the Sudanese government took part in the activities of the so-called "5+5" Joint Military Commission, which joins representatives from eastern and western Libya to ensure a ceasefire and that the foreign fighters and troops withdraw from that country.
The UN experts said many Sudanese mercenaries "small groups" operating in Libya had demonstrated willingness to be part in peace talks and return to Sudan. Darfur, a big region in western Sudan, is constantly shaken by clashes associated with territorial conflicts or problems in access to water. The region has experienced a long war that has caused at least 300,000 dead and 2.5 million people displaced, according to the UN.
