Investigators identified Global Security Services Group as a central part of the operation, alleging that it recruited Colombian contractors, trained them at two military bases in Abu Dhabi and routed them through territories controlled by Emirati allies in Libya and Somalia before their deployment to Sudan. Witness testimony and documentary evidence helped investigators identify entities registered in Colombia and the UAE that cooperated in the recruitment and deployment process [3][4].
The RSF has been accused of committing genocide in Darfur, and the report links Emirati support to the conflict. Human Rights Watch found that the Colombian private military contractors apparently hired by the UAE-based company transited through Emirati military bases before their deployment to Sudan [5][6]. The UAE has denied any involvement in the civil war and says it investigates alleged links [7].
Report Details UAE-Linked Firm, Training Bases, and Smuggling Routes
The report identifies Global Security Services Group as a central entity in the operation. The company was founded by a senior official in the Emirati presidency, and its public materials describe it as a preferred security provider for the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.
The UAE has also been accused of supplying the RSF with drones and weapons despite a UN arms embargo, according to officials familiar with the matter. The report states that weapons continue to flow from Libya to Sudan despite Saudi and Egyptian pressure on eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar to stop facilitating the shipments [8].
UN investigators also found that the UAE-linked Puntland Maritime Police Force base in Bosaso, Somalia, has been used as a site of transit and training for Colombian mercenaries prior to their deployment to Sudan [9]. The deployment adds to evidence of UAE military support for the RSF, an organization that has committed widespread atrocities during the conflict [5].
El-Fasher Massacre and Reported Role of Colombian Mercenaries
After capturing El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region, RSF fighters reportedly massacred approximately 2,000 civilians in October 2025, according to the findings. Satellite imagery published by Yale University showed large blood stains across parts of the city, consistent with accounts of extrajudicial killings [10]. Video footage also showed RSF fighters executing civilians, including a wounded man at a Saudi-funded hospital. The World Health Organization cited reports that as many as 460 patients and medical staff were killed at the facility.
Colombian mercenaries known as the Desert Wolves reportedly flew drones, trained fighters, and provided artillery support to the RSF as it laid siege to El-Fasher before the massacre. A separate investigation by the Conflict Insights Group used data obtained from tracking the mobile phones of the Colombian fighters, concluding that the network backed by the UAE provided critical support to the RSF and enabled it to capture the city [11].
Sudan's Ambassador to the UK, Babikir Elamin, told The Telegraph that UAE support for the RSF militia was the single most important element in prolonging and enabling this genocide, according to reporting on his statements. Sudan has provided evidence to the UN Security Council, including satellite images and video footage, showing British-made military equipment used by the RSF in mass killings and atrocities in Darfur, including targeting devices and vehicle engines manufactured in the United Kingdom [12][13].
Nusseibeh Candidacy Draws Scrutiny Over UAE's Sudan Role
The confidential report was delivered to the Security Council as Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, seeks to become the UN's next secretary-general, according to officials and the report. Cambridge-educated Nusseibeh represented the UAE at the UN for over a decade, officials said. During that time, she reportedly worked to deny reports that the UAE supported the RSF in Sudan, according to the report's findings [1].
Bruno Stagno Ugarte of Human Rights Watch stated that Nusseibeh has spent over a decade in roles acting for the UAE government and repeatedly whitewashing their abusive role in Yemen and Sudan, presenting Abu Dhabi as a humanitarian actor while dismissing or obscuring mounting evidence of its role in fueling abuses. His comments were reported by Middle East Eye [1].
In an email, Nusseibeh said that ending the terrible conflict in Sudan would be her priority as secretary-general, according to the report. Critics have argued that a vote for Nusseibeh's candidacy would be an endorsement of the UAE's role in Sudan [14]. The allegations in the confidential report remain under review as her candidacy proceeds.
Sudan War Background and UAE Strategic Interests
Sudan's civil war began in April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary RSF commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, according to officials. The two men were once partners in the October 2021 coup before their rivalry spun out of control, triggering a conflict that has devastated Sudan [15]. The war has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions of people, and fueled a humanitarian catastrophe, according to the report.
The UAE has intervened in Sudan via the RSF to control its deep gold deposits and project power in strategic areas on the Red Sea coast, according to the report. Sudan has called for international action against foreign parties supporting the RSF and accused the UN Security Council of failing to identify and condemn the group's sponsors, Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim said at the UN General Assembly [16].
In a report to the UN Security Council, Sudan's government said the RSF had also received British small-arms targeting systems and engines for military vehicles, officials said. A group of Western nations, including the UK, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway, has said they intend to form an atrocity prevention coalition for Sudan after a UN report concluded that the RSF has committed genocide in Darfur [17].
International Accountability Efforts Target RSF Backers
Sudanese victims have filed a submission with the International Criminal Court urging prosecutors to investigate the paramilitary group's alleged foreign backers, including UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to Middle East Eye [18]. A coalition of nongovernmental organizations has separately accused foreign officials, primarily from the UAE, of aiding and abetting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur [19]. These efforts add to mounting international scrutiny of the RSF's foreign support networks and the governments accused of sustaining them.
References
- Leaked UN report 'establishes conclusively' that UAE hired Colombian mercenaries for Sudan's RSF. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/leaked-un-report-establishes-conclusively-uae-hired-colombian-mercenaries-sudans-rsf
- UAE-linked networks supplying weapons and fighters for Sudan atrocities, UN finds. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/foreign-weapons-and-mercenaries-fuelling-atrocities-sudans-darfur-un-finds
- UN Says United Arab Emirates Hired Colombian Mercenaries to Fight in Sudan. https://colombiaone.com/2026/11/06/un-says-united-arab-emirates-hired-colombian-mercenaries-to-fight-in-sudan/
- UN Report: UAE?Linked Firm Recruited Colombian Mercenaries for Sudan’s RSF. https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/22615
- Sudan: Colombians Linked to Atrocities Trained in UAE Bases. https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/25/sudan-colombians-linked-to-atrocities-trained-in-uae-bases
- HRW: UAE Boosted RSF War Crime Capacity via Colombian Mercenaries. https://sudantribune.com/article/314392
- Rights group accuses UAE of being transit point for mercenaries on way to Sudan. https://bbc.com/news/articles/c1422nrgm1jo
- Exclusive: Weapons flow to RSF via Libya continue despite pressure on Haftar. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-weapons-flow-rsf-libya-continue-despite-pressure-haftar
- Leaked UN report ‘establishes conclusively’ that UAE hired Colombian mercenaries for Sudan’s RSF. https://martinplaut.com/2026/11/07/leaked-un-report-establishes-conclusively-that-uae-hired-colombian-mercenaries-for-sudans-rsf/
- Blood splatter from RSF massacres in Sudan visible from space. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/blood-splatter-rsf-massacres-sudan-visible-space
- UAE-backed Colombian mercenaries provided support to Sudan paramilitary, report says. https://bbc.com/news/articles/cn4vk13wgwwo
- UK faces pressure to halt arms sales to UAE amid Sudan genocide allegations - NaturalNews.com, November 03, 2025.
- Sudan militia implicated in war crimes used UK military equipment, UN told. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/rsf-used-uk-military-equipment-sudan-un-told
- The UAE deals in the darkest of politics - its representative should be nowhere near the UN. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/uaes-deals-dark-politics-its-representative-nowhere-near-the-UN
- Trends-Journal-2024-08-20.
- Sudan demands UN action against external backers of rebels. https://www.rt.com/africa/646413-sudan-un-action-rsf-foreign-backers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
- European nations to form atrocity prevention coalition for Sudan after UN report. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/european-nations-form-atrocity-prevention-coalition-sudan-after-un-report
- Sudanese victims ask ICC to investigate Emiratis over RSF atrocities in el-Fasher. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudanese-victims-ask-icc-investigate-uae-officials-over-rsf-atrocities-el-fasher
- Senior UAE and regional officials referred to ICC over role in Sudan atrocities. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/senior-uae-and-regional-officials-referred-icc-alleged-role-darfur-atrocities
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