The UAE Currency Trail: New Banknotes in RSF Areas Raise Questions Over Abu Dhabi’s Role in Sudan’s Economic Fragmentation

A Dark Box Investigative Report

Dark Box has obtained information pointing to a dangerous new phase in Sudan’s war: the circulation of newly printed Sudanese pound banknotes inside areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces. This development is not merely a financial irregularity. It appears to be part of a broader attempt to deepen Sudan’s institutional division, weaken the authority of the official Central Bank, and create a parallel economic reality in territories held by the militia.

According to Dark Box information, the new banknotes began circulating in RSF-controlled areas after months of severe cash shortages. The shortage followed the Sudanese government’s 2024 decision to withdraw old 500 and 1,000 pound notes and issue new official currency in an effort to protect the financial system and limit illicit money flows. The RSF responded by banning the new official notes in areas under its control, creating paralysis in local markets and leaving civilians trapped in a cash crisis.

That crisis suddenly eased in late May, when employees and RSF-linked personnel reportedly began receiving salaries in clean, unused banknotes. The notes carried an old issue date of May 2022 and the signature of former Central Bank governor Hussein Yahya Jangoul, who has since been linked to the financial structure of the RSF-backed parallel authority in Nyala. This detail has raised urgent questions about whether the militia is attempting to manufacture the appearance of monetary legitimacy while operating outside Sudan’s official institutions.

Bankers and local experts in Nyala told Dark Box that the circulated notes appear newly printed and highly similar to pre-war versions. Such production would require advanced printing capacity, technical expertise, secure paper, logistical access, and financing. Critics argue that these are not capabilities an armed militia can easily obtain alone, especially while under pressure and operating across fragmented territory.

This is where attention turns sharply toward the UAE.

Dark Box information suggests that observers inside Sudan increasingly suspect external involvement in the production, financing, or supply of these banknotes. The UAE has already faced repeated accusations of supporting the RSF through financial, logistical, and military channels, allegations Abu Dhabi denies. The appearance of newly printed currency in RSF-held areas now adds another layer to those suspicions, suggesting that the conflict may be moving from battlefield support to institutional sabotage.

The danger is clear. Currency is one of the core symbols of state sovereignty. If a militia can circulate parallel banknotes, pay salaries, and fund an alternative administration, then Sudan’s war is no longer only a military conflict. It becomes a war against the state’s institutions, economy, and national identity.

The RSF-backed “Sudan Founding Alliance – Establishment” appears to be trying to present itself as a functioning authority capable of managing services, salaries, and public administration. But without transparent financial sources, this project raises serious questions about how it is funded and who benefits from it. For critics, the new banknotes are not evidence of governance; they are evidence of a dangerous attempt to normalize rebellion through monetary manipulation.

Nasr al-Din al-Ta’aishi, a figure in the parallel authority, avoided giving a direct explanation for the source of the new banknotes, saying only that the arrangements were based on “well-studied technical plans.” His vague response has deepened suspicion rather than easing it. If the funds are legitimate, why has no clear source, printing authority, or legal basis been disclosed?

The result is a deeply alarming picture. The circulation of newly printed notes in RSF-held areas may represent one of the most serious attempts yet to create a separate economic system inside Sudan. It threatens to entrench division, weaken the official currency, and provide the militia with the financial tools needed to sustain its parallel rule.

For Dark Box, the central question is unavoidable: who printed the money, who financed it, and who transported it into RSF territory?

Until those questions are answered, the currency circulating in militia-held areas will remain more than paper. It will stand as a symbol of Sudan’s attempted fragmentation, and as a new file placing Abu Dhabi’s alleged role in the war under even heavier scrutiny.