Secret Abu Dhabi Visit: Hemedti’s Plans to Restructure Sudan’s RSF with UAE Backing
Plans include relocating RSF leaders, funding new recruits, and launching a media campaign to reshape Hemedti’s image as Sudan's real power center shifts to Abu Dhabi.
Watan-Diplomatic sources have revealed that Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo “Hemedti” conducted a secret visit to Abu Dhabi to discuss restructuring the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following a series of defeats in Sudan, including the Sudanese army’s recapture of the capital, Khartoum.
According to the sources, the war criminal Hemedti arrived in the UAE several days ago and is currently staying in a luxurious residence in the Saadiyat area of Abu Dhabi, under the protection of the UAE State Security Agency.
The sources explained that Hemedti has been holding frequent closed-door meetings with senior security officials in the Emirati regime, including Major General Rashid Al Ketbi and Brigadier General Salem Al Neyadi, who oversee Sudan and the African Sahel portfolio in the office of UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoun bin Zayed.
UAE and Hemedti Plot Foreign-Run Military Council to Divide Sudan
According to the sources, the discussions are centered on reengineering the RSF both politically and militarily, including the replacement of current leaders, and the planning of a “Transitional Military Council” managed from abroad to divide Sudan in practice.
Hemedti, in coordination with the UAE, is reportedly planning to relocate remaining RSF leadership to southern Libya and Chad, with the aim of restructuring the force in training camps under the guise of “border protection mercenaries.”
There are also plans to inject new funds via the Emirati company “Noor Capital” to recruit fresh fighters from Darfur and Central Africa, in coordination with smuggling networks in Niger and Mali.
Additionally, a global media campaign is being arranged to rebrand Hemedti as a “tribal leader” and revolutionary figure, rather than a war criminal. This effort will leverage Abu Dhabi’s ties to European media institutions, the same ones previously mentioned.
Hemedti is also working with the UAE on a plan to introduce new public figures within Sudan, while he remains the de facto ruler from abroad under full Emirati sponsorship.
Some sources believe that the UAE no longer has the luxury of withdrawing from the Sudanese arena, and feels compelled to support Hemedti to the very end. Though their plan has so far failed, the battle over it is not over — it has simply moved from Khartoum to Abu Dhabi.
Sudan Accuses UAE of War Crimes and Files Case at ICJ
The UAE has become one of the biggest enemies of Sudan and its people, due to its long-standing involvement in backing the RSF and fueling the civil war in the country for nearly two years.
On March 5, Sudan filed a lawsuit against the UAE at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention, for supporting RSF militias involved in attacks in West Darfur State.
Earlier this month, Sudan also filed an official complaint to the United Nations Security Council, calling for action to stop what it described as the UAE’s aggression through its support for the RSF.
This week, Sudan also criticized the UAE’s participation in a conference organized by the European Union scheduled for mid-April, aimed at addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan and mobilizing support for the UN’s relief plan, which seeks to help 20.9 million people.
