Surge in fuel smuggling from Libya benefits Sudanese paramilitaries backed by Abu Dhabi while costing billions of dollars in lost revenue, report says

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces have been providing smuggled fuel to the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) at the request the United Arab Emirates, a report by US-based watchdog The Sentry said on Thursday.

Investigating how fuel smuggling in Libya has escalated into “a major national crisis” that costs the North African country around $6.7bn per year, the report shows how the illegal activity is also enabling the deadly conflict in neighbouring Sudan between the Sudanese army and the RSF.

According to investigative organisation The Sentry, Haftar “has been a key fuel supplier to the RSF” since the start of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023, reflecting his “deep loyalty to the Emirati government”.