{"id":23544,"date":"2026-02-10T07:03:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T05:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhb-webdevelopers\/channelafrica\/news\/ethiopia-reportedly-hosting-secret-camp-to-train-sudanese-paramilitary-fighters\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:34:20","slug":"ethiopia-reportedly-hosting-secret-camp-to-train-sudanese-paramilitary-fighters","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/ethiopia-reportedly-hosting-secret-camp-to-train-sudanese-paramilitary-fighters\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopia reportedly hosting secret camp to train Sudanese paramilitary fighters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ethiopia is reportedly operating a secret training camp for thousands of fighters belonging to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in neighbouring Sudan, according to an investigation by <em>Reuters<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The development marks the first direct evidence of Ethiopia\u2019s involvement in Sudan\u2019s civil war, which erupted in 2023 following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Eight sources, including a senior Ethiopian government official, told <em>Reuters<\/em> that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) financed the camp\u2019s construction and provided military trainers and logistical support. This claim is also referenced in an internal Ethiopian security services note and a diplomatic cable reviewed by Reuters. The UAE Foreign Ministry denied any involvement, stating it was not a party to the conflict or \u201cin any way\u201d involved in hostilities. Reuters has not independently verified UAE participation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The camp, located in the remote western Benishangul-Gumuz region near the Sudanese border, appears to provide the RSF with a fresh pool of soldiers as fighting intensifies in southern Sudan. Satellite imagery and sources familiar with the site show construction activity, including a drone ground control station at a nearby airport, picking up in October 2025.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sudan\u2019s civil war has caused widespread famine and atrocities, forcing millions to flee to Egypt, Chad, Libya, and South Sudan.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;ChannelAfrica\/Reuters&#8211;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":23545,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-23544","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Ethiopia is reportedly operating a secret training camp for thousands of fighters belonging to the Rapid Support Forces","published_date":"2026-02-10 09:00:02","news_description":"Ethiopia is reportedly operating a secret training camp for thousands of fighters belonging to the Rapid Support Forces","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26477,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/23544\/revisions\/26477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=23544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}