Libya's Haftar supporting Sudan's RSF with fuel, weapons: report

Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar is supporting Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with fuel, weapons and other supplies, according to a report by The Guardian. 

The RSF are loyal to Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, and had been embroiled in a conflict against Sudan’s armed forces since 15 April. 

Several trucks carried fuel from an oil refinery near the Libyan town of al-Jawf to RSF forces, according to the report, in addition to medicines, amenities, and other supplies.

Some of the weaponry, including anti-tank missiles looted from the stocks of the Libyan regime more than a decade ago, were transported by air.

Haftar has denied supporting one side or another in Sudan’s conflict. 

The war in Sudan has all but destroyed the country’s fragile process to transition to a civilian government after three decades under the brutal regime of Omar al-Bashir. The new combatants - Abdel Fattah-al Burhan, who leads the Sudanese army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the RSF - both cut their teeth during the Bashir regime. 

Once allies and coalition partners, they have fallen out spectacularly over the past few months, leading to open warfare on the streets of Khartoum. 

Several international players are watching the developments in Sudan closely. The UAE reportedly has close ties to Hemedti and the RSF, while Egypt firmly backs the army. Arms and funding from other states, including Libya, is likely to draw out the conflict and further worsen Sudan’s dire humanitarian situation.