EXCLUSIVE: Bulgaria Admits Selling Weapons to the UAE That Were Later Found in Sudan

Bulgaria, denying any breach of international sanctions, has confirmed that weapons it delivered to the United Arab Emirates were later transferred to Sudan despite a European Union embargo, according to an investigation by France 24 published on Friday.

“The products were fully received by the Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates,” wrote the manufacturer Dunarit in a statement seen by AFP.

“In order to dispel any doubt regarding Bulgaria’s legal position in this matter,” the company released a copy of a certificate dated August 2020, confirming that the UAE Armed Forces had ordered 15,000 81mm mortar shells.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Economy, cited by the BTA news agency, also denied any violation of the European arms embargo.

The export permit was issued to “a government agency in a country that is not subject to UN sanctions,” the ministry stated.

These weapons appeared in videos published in November 2024 by Sudanese fighters, who claimed they were intended for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to France 24’s investigation.

Sudan has been ravaged by a war since April 2023 between the regular army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who seized power in a 2021 coup, and the RSF paramilitary forces commanded by his former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).

According to the United Nations, the conflict has already killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 13 million people.

The Sudanese army accuses the UAE of supplying arms to the RSF, a claim denied by both the RSF and Abu Dhabi. A genocide case related to the Darfur region is currently underway at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

In mid-April, the UN Secretary-General expressed deep concern about the flow of weapons and fighters into Sudan, stating that it has enabled the continuation of a “brutal” war now entering its second year.

In early 2024, UN Security Council-appointed experts monitoring sanctions enforcement reported violations of the arms embargo, specifically detailing a supply route from Abu Dhabi to western Sudan’s Darfur region via Chad.