Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Al-Harith Idris, said in a briefing to the UN Security Council on Monday that the UN Panel of Experts had documented the transformation of eastern Libya into a central hub in the supply chain of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the renovation and expansion of Kufra Airport and a significant increase in cargo flights coinciding with the growth of the RSF’s capabilities.
He said the RSF militia had received direct support from Libyan armed groups, while foreign recruits were deployed and RSF-aligned factions were facilitated in crossing the Libyan border. RSF elements were also present in Libya during the monitoring period from October 2024 to February 2026, with the flow continuing to date.
Idris said the Chad axis had likewise become a major hub in the war economy and the wider Sahel conflict, with smuggling networks operated by armed groups transporting fuel, gold, weapons, and fighters between Libya, Chad, and Sudan.
He said these networks have established collection and storage centers for weapons and vehicles, which are then transported directly to Darfur through routes not subject to security interception measures, further increasing the risks associated with the Adré border crossing.
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Regarding the Ethiopian axis, Idris said the Sudanese government had monitored the establishment of a supply center and rear base for the RSF along the Ethiopian border since late 2025. He said this had led to the opening of a new front against the Sudanese Army in the Blue Nile region, including the launch of drones from Bahir Dar Airport in March 2026.
He added that the RSF had recruited mercenaries from within Ethiopia and South Sudan and used them in the attack on Geissan.
Ambassador Al-Harith Idris noted that the rate at which new fronts are being opened exceeds the RSF’s capabilities, indicating external tutelage and sponsorship by states supporting and hostile to Sudan. He said this warrants activating verification and fact-finding mechanisms.
He stressed that the recruitment of mercenaries constitutes an overt act of aggression and violates the UN Charter, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and the Organization of African Unity Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa.
He added that the continuation of this approach makes the use of mercenaries and external support an integral part of the RSF’s structure, thereby undermining the credibility and moral basis of the myth that there are simply “two sides to the conflict.”
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