Friday 30th January 2026
By inAfrika Newsroom
Ethiopia RSF training camp claims have sharpened regional tensions after a Reuters investigation reported that Ethiopia is hosting a secret site to train thousands of fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the main belligerents in Sudan’s civil war.
The report, which Reuters said drew on sources and satellite imagery, described a camp in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region and framed it as direct evidence of Ethiopian involvement in a conflict that has already pulled in multiple regional and Middle Eastern actors.
Sudan’s war has destabilised border areas, disrupted trade corridors, and driven large-scale displacement into neighbouring states. Ethiopia, itself managing internal security pressures and a sensitive relationship with Sudan over border and Nile issues, has repeatedly stated support for stability and non-interference. The Reuters findings, if sustained by further evidence, would complicate Addis Ababa’s diplomatic posture and increase pressure from Sudanese parties and external mediators.
The RSF has faced allegations of atrocities and widespread abuses during the conflict, while also positioning itself as a power centre competing with Sudan’s army for national control. Any external training support could alter battlefield capacities, affect ceasefire bargaining, and fuel retaliation dynamics along borderlands that already suffer from militia activity and weak state presence.
For the Horn of Africa, the strategic risk is escalation through proxy involvement. When neighbours are perceived to be backing one side, trust collapses, mediation becomes harder, and cross-border security incidents rise. Those patterns can quickly spill into humanitarian access constraints, as aid groups face new restrictions or attacks.
Ethiopia’s leadership has not publicly confirmed the Reuters claims in the report excerpt available. However, the investigation’s publication alone adds urgency for diplomatic responses, because it may influence how regional bodies and partners interpret Ethiopia’s role in Sudan’s conflict.
Ethiopia RSF training camp: What the report alleges
Ethiopia RSF training camp reporting said the site trained thousands of RSF fighters, and that satellite imagery showed camp infrastructure and vehicle activity consistent with a large-scale operation.
Next steps
Regional governments and mediators are expected to seek clarification and verification, including whether Ethiopia issues a formal response and whether Sudan’s parties raise the claim in regional or international forums.
Why it matters
Sudan’s war is already a regional shock. If neighbours are drawn in through training or other support, the conflict’s duration and humanitarian toll could worsen, while trade and stability across the Horn face higher risk.
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