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The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on October 29 2026 convicted eight defendants of operating an illicit network that supplied weapons ammunition and military equipment to the Sudanese Army. According to the Emirates News Agency the court imposed life imprisonment on each of the men and ordered confiscation of all seized ammunition mobile phones and communications devices used in the crimes. The ruling also requires deportation of the convicted individuals from the UAE after they complete their sentences.
Those receiving life terms are Rashid Omar Abdul Qadir Ali, Salah Abdullah Mohammed Mohammed Saleh known as Salah Gosh, Ahmed Abdullah known as Abdullah Khalafallah, Ahmed Rabie Sayed Ahmed, Mohammed Fath Al Beik, Yasser Abdulrahman Al Atta, Othman Al Zubair and Maher Abdul Jalil, Khaleej Times reported. The judgment established that Yasser Al Atta as assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces and its chief armament official requested the weapons purchase and arranged landing permission for aircraft at Port Sudan Airport while knowing the transaction had been completed in the UAE. Othman Al Zubair as the Sudanese Army’s financial official oversaw payments through the hawala system and other channels including substantial cash transfers.
The court additionally sentenced seven defendants to three years in prison each along with fines of one million dirhams apiece for money laundering offenses and confiscated 1.545 million dirhams in related funds Asharq Al-Awsat reported. Six companies that served as fronts in the scheme received identical fines with their licenses and registrations revoked and all associated assets seized. The named entities include Rashid Omar Brokerage Portex Trade Limited Abu Lara Electronics Trading Yellow Sand Trading Warda Al Masarra Trading and Sudamina Free Zone.
This verdict concludes an investigation that UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi referred to the court in April 2026 after authorities identified 13 suspects and six firms involved in the operation. The network transported ammunition into the UAE where it was repackaged and falsely declared as medical equipment and relief supplies before shipment to Sudan. Court records detailed how commercial companies bank transfers and direct cash payments were used to conceal the true source destination and purpose of the funds.
The activities occurred against the backdrop of Sudan’s civil conflict that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. A Voice of Emirates account of the ruling noted that the court found the exploitation of UAE territory and its financial system for such deals risked harming the country’s interests and international relations. Investigators traced one cash component of the deals to approximately eight million dirhams provided under an agreement with one of the convicted men.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal acquitted two defendants in the case while applying the full range of penalties to the remainder including business closures and asset forfeitures. Emirates 24|7 reported that the comprehensive measures underscore judicial efforts to prevent the UAE from being used as a conduit for illegal arms flows into regional conflict zones. The judgment confiscates all proceeds linked to the laundering activity and ensures uniform application of deportation orders following completion of prison terms.
