A leading international rights organisation has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of acting as a critical recruitment hub and transit point for foreign mercenaries. These fighters are allegedly deploying to Sudan to support a paramilitary group accused of widespread atrocities.
Human Rights Watch released a comprehensive report detailing the accusations. The group alleges that a network of Emirati and Colombian security firms covertly recruited former Colombian soldiers. These contractors were reportedly funnelled through the UAE military infrastructure. They then arrived on the frontlines of Sudan’s civil war to bolster the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The UAE government has strongly denied the accusations. The Gulf state maintains that any such operations violate local laws and completely lack state authorisation.
The HRW investigation spanned interviews with Colombian contractors conducted between March and September 2025. According to the findings, the pipeline targeted former military personnel under the guise of specialised technical employment. An Abu Dhabi-based firm named Global Security Services Group allegedly advertised "drone pilot work in Africa." UN experts previously noted that an Emirati national, Mohammed Hamdan Al-Zaabi, chaired the firm. Contractors detailed highly unorthodox transit procedures designed to avoid official scrutiny. "They didn't stamp our passports," a mercenary told the rights group, describing his journey through the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. "We went in and went out, and there was a bus waiting for us to take us to a military base." HRW identified key transit nodes used to move fighters into the conflict zone. These locations included airports across the UAE, Libya, Chad, and Somalia. The findings build upon previous research by the Conflict Insights Group. That organisation recently highlighted the presence of Colombian contractors operating inside Sudan’s western region of Darfur.
The investigation alleges that the contractors received specialised training at prominent Emirati military facilities. These locations included bases in Ghiyathi, Al Wathba, and the Al Dhafra region. Once prepared, the men were deployed to Sudan to provide the RSF with critical technical capabilities. Contractors reportedly served as infantry, artillerymen, drone pilots, and vehicle operators. Open-source intelligence and leadership admissions appear to verify the deployment. In February 2025, RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged the setup. He stated in video comments that Colombian mercenaries have aided his group in operating drones. Furthermore, a United Nations panel of experts reported to the UN Security Council in September 2025. They stated that Colombian mercenaries fought across multiple operational theatres. These zones included Khartoum, Omdurman, Darfur, and Kordofan. One unnamed contractor quoted by HRW admitted he trained RSF recruits at camps around Nyala, the provincial capital of South Darfur. He noted that many recruits were “young children.”
The presence of foreign contractors links them directly to theatres of gross human rights violations. International outrage intensified following the RSF's violent capture of the strategic Darfur city of el-Fasher. UN-commissioned experts stated that the offensive bore “the hallmarks of genocide.” The United Nations Human Rights Office estimates the human toll of that assault. Officials state that more than "6,000 were killed within the first three days of the RSF offensive." Residents and survivors placed foreign fighters directly at the scenes of these mass killings. "In November and December 2025, six el-Fasher residents told Human Rights Watch they saw people they believed were Colombians in the city in October 2025, when mass killings were taking place," the HRW report states. A survivor detained by the RSF reported seeing "foreign fighters" who "looked on silently" as RSF fighters opened fire on crowds. Another resident recalled seeing "white fighters" alongside RSF units during the execution of three individuals. "They were there when the executions happened, but they didn't execute," the witness stated.
Battlefield recoveries provide further evidence for the allegations. HRW reported that munitions belonging to the UAE armed forces were discovered inside Sudan following the capture of several Colombian mercenaries. The rights group traced tracking data for the weapons. They found some of the munitions were manufactured in Serbia and Bulgaria, but purchased directly by the UAE. “The recruitment of Colombian private military contractors adds to a growing body of evidence that the UAE provides military support to the Rapid Support Forces, which have repeatedly carried out heinous atrocities in Sudan,” said Mausi Segun, executive director of HRW’s Africa Division. The phenomenon has drawn sharp condemnation from Colombia. Colombian President Gustavo Petro previously called the mercenaries "spectres of death" and described their recruitment as a "form of human trafficking".
The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a firm rejection of the report's conclusions. The UAE government stated that it "condemns and denies any allegations of its involvement in supporting illegal armed groups or individuals operating in violation of international law and UNSC resolutions." The ministry further emphasised that the UAE adheres strictly to all relevant international sanctions and arms embargoes.