🚨 🌍 UAE power play in Africa? Secret Ethiopian camp trains Sudanese fighters

Ethiopia is hosting a clandestine camp to train thousands of combatants for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in neighboring Sudan, according to Reuters.

What's known so far?

Military camp

🔴 First signs of construction activity were spotted in April 2025

🔴 The camp is located near Menge, Benishangul-Gumuz, ~32 km from the border at a strategic Ethiopia–Sudan–South Sudan tri-border point

🔴 Has a capacity of up to 10,000 fighters; as of early January, 4,300 RSF fighters were training there

🔴 Recruits are mostly Ethiopian, with some South Sudanese and Sudanese, including fighters from Sudan People's Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N)

🔴 General Getachew Gudina, head of the Ethiopian National Defense Force’s Defense Intelligence Department, is responsible for establishing the camp

🔴 Recruits are expected to bolster RSF fighters in Blue Nile — an emerging front line — with hundreds already crossing in recent weeks

Asosa airport: Drone operations center

♦️ Asosa airport, 53 km from the camp, has seen new construction since August 2025

♦️ Airport to become a drone operations hub, in addition to five other drone centres across Ethiopia

♦️ Aimed at countering Sudan border threats and protecting the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

♦️ Instrumental in providing supplies to the RSF across the border

UAE backs construction & military training

The UAE reportedly funded the camp, provided trainers and logistics, and financed airport renovations. Why?

🔴 It supports the RSF in Sudan’s civil war since 2023

🔴 It aims to expand influence in the Horn of Africa, control the Red Sea, and counter Iran-backed Ansar Allah

🔴 It leverages its ties with Ethiopia, drawing the country into the Sudan conflict for strategic gains

🔴 It is boosting its military presence in Somaliland and fostering Ethiopia-Somaliland rapprochement

🔴 Why would Ethiopia need this? Landlocked Ethiopia backs UAE efforts to secure sea access and attract investments

'Great game'

🌏 The UAE competes for influence in the Middle East and East Africa alongside Saudi Arabia and Israel against Iran, Turkey, and Qatar, sometimes at the expense of its close allies, observers say.

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