An investigation by the Sentry, a US-based investigative group, has revealed that a network linked to the leadership of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has amassed a vast property portfolio in Dubai worth £17.7 million. The RSF, accused of committing genocide, has used the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a safe haven for family members and their wealth, according to leaked real estate records.
Luxury Properties in Dubai
The investigation uncovered more than 20 luxury properties in the portfolio, including one in the iconic Burj Khalifa skyscraper. Family members, sanctioned individuals, and entities linked to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, acquired these properties. The UAE, a key foreign backer of the RSF, has been accused of providing weapons and mercenaries, though it denies these claims.
The Scale of the Crisis
Sudan's ruinous war between the RSF and the Sudanese armed forces has caused the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Of Sudan's 50 million population, 33 million require aid, and at least 19 million face acute hunger. The Sentry's findings suggest that the UAE provides a safe haven for the RSF leadership's wealth, much of which is believed to come from gold smuggled out of Sudan.
Hemedti seized control of Darfur's largest goldmine in 2017, with exports enabling him and his family to accumulate significant assets. A network of UAE-based firms allowed the RSF leadership to turn smuggled gold into hard currency, with Dubai serving as a major hub for the precious metal, which is trading at near-record highs.
Key Properties and Individuals
Analysis of leaked real estate records revealed that properties owned by a company linked to the RSF and members of Hemedti's family were worth approximately £7.4 million. Real estate owned by sanctioned individuals linked to the RSF was valued at another £10.3 million. Relatives of Hemedti acquired luxury six-bedroom villas in a gated community near Dubai's Meydan racecourse. These villas were purchased through Prodigious Real Estate Management Supervision Services, a UAE-registered firm whose owner is linked to Dubai's gold trade and was sanctioned by the US for providing funding and military equipment to the RSF.
Further investigation, including phone and passport records, revealed that relatives of the Dagalo family have congregated within that gated community. Hemedti's wife bought a plot of land for £627,000 six months into Sudan's war in a luxury development near Dubai's Trump International Golf Club. Mustafa Ibrahim Abdel Nabi Mohamed, sanctioned by the EU and the UK for his role as a financial adviser to the RSF and the Dagalo family, owns an apartment worth £516,000 in the Burj Khalifa.
Responses and Denials
The Dagalo family declined to comment on whether its members still owned specific properties, stating that any private residences or assets had been properly obtained. They stressed that ownership does not constitute wrongdoing and that members have been engaged in legitimate commercial activity, such as livestock trading, for generations. The Sentry could not reach Prodigious for comment, but its owner previously declined to answer questions, citing legal proceedings. Mohamed told the Sentry that he is not a financial adviser to the RSF but has been a financial director seconded to the RSF since 2017, adding that he has not engaged in activities hindering peace in Sudan since the war began.
The UAE has previously stated that it categorically rejects claims of providing weapons, funding, trainers, or logistical support to the RSF. Spokespeople have been contacted for comment. The RSF is commanded by Hemedti and his brothers Abdelrahim and Algoney, all of whom have been sanctioned. The UN recently stated that the RSF's attack on El Fasher bore the hallmarks of genocide, and the US has accused the group of committing genocide. A separate report found that a network of Colombian mercenaries, backed by the UAE, provided crucial support to the RSF during the fall of El Fasher.
