Crates labeled with Kenya’s Ministry of Defence markings have been discovered at a suspected former Rapid Support Forces (RSF) depot near Khartoum, Sudan, raising fresh questions about regional arms flows and Nairobi’s alleged ties to one side of Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict.
The discovery was made by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers following the military’s recent recapture of parts of Omdurman and surrounding districts. Videos circulated on social media appear to show SAF troops inspecting Kenyan-marked ammunition crates and mortar rounds left behind after the RSF’s retreat from the area.
Independent verification efforts have linked the footage to the Salha neighborhood of southern Omdurman, a key battleground in the struggle for control of Sudan’s capital region. Analysis of the crate labels suggests that some of the ammunition may have been delivered as recently as 2024, well after the civil war began in April 2023.
Kenya’s Ministry of Defence has officially denied involvement, stating that it does not recognize the crates or the inscriptions shown in the footage. The ministry emphasized its adherence to export controls and internal audits but did not comment on possible third-party transfers or regional diversions.
Defense analysts and arms-tracking experts say the crates—marked with contract and batch numbers—likely contained high-caliber ammunition and mortars not typically produced by Kenya itself. Some items appear to have originated from Chinese manufacturers, raising the possibility that Kenya served as a transit point for weapons destined for Sudan’s battlefield.
“This is further evidence that Kenyan territory may be serving as a logistical corridor for RSF operations,” said Justin Lynch, director of the Conflict Insights Group. “It also raises serious questions about regional arms trafficking and Nairobi’s real role in the Sudan conflict.”
The revelation follows a controversial February visit to Nairobi by RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti. While Kenya defended the meeting as a diplomatic initiative to promote peace, the Sudanese government responded by suspending trade ties with Kenya, accusing it of undermining Sudanese sovereignty.
Under a 2005 UN arms embargo, all arms transfers to Darfur and other conflict zones in Sudan are prohibited. However, investigations by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have identified weapons from several countries—such as China, the UAE, and Serbia—being used in the ongoing war.
Sudan’s government has also filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing the UAE of aiding the RSF through weapons shipments routed via Chad. Although the court dismissed the case, international concern continues to mount over unchecked arms proliferation in the region.
As the humanitarian toll deepens—with over 11 million people displaced and more than 24,000 killed—analysts warn that a lack of transparency and regional accountability could further fuel the violence.
“The presence of Kenyan-labelled ammunition in a war zone under UN embargo conditions should not be taken lightly,” said a regional security expert familiar with arms compliance protocols. “This is a wake-up call for tighter oversight and stronger safeguards against arms diversion in East Africa.”
The Kenyan government has not yet responded to calls for a full independent inquiry into how its military-marked equipment ended up in a Sudanese war depot.