05.11.2026 Colombian mercenaries allegedly were recruited by a United Arab Emirates-based company and transited through Emirati military bases to support paramilitary troops who committed atrocities in Sudan, a leading human rights organisation said.
The UAE denies claims it recruited and trained foreign fighters in its territory.
Breaking News: The UAE hired Colombian mercenaries to help a notorious Sudanese paramilitary group accused of genocide, UN investigators found. https://t.co/o5t2LYtfSc
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 5, 2026
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the findings are further evidence of UAE-backing for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (widely known as Hemedti)which has been accused of war crimes during the Sudanese civil war. (Image: courtesy Ammar Nassir)
UAE-linked contractors recruited Colombians for Sudan’s RSF terror group, UN investigators say, intensifying scrutiny of Lana Nusseibeh’s bid to lead the world body.
It amounts to the most detailed U.N. accounting yet of the Emirati role in Sudan’s war.
https://t.co/pWZFdFlT3l— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 5, 2026
“The UAE does not permit its territory to be used for the recruitment, training, financing or transit of foreign fighters to any conflict, including Sudan,” its ministry of foreign affairs said.
The HRW investigation was conducted through interviews with Colombian mercenaries between March and September 2025 as well as an analysis of social media posts identifying key locations and weapons in videos and images.
War broke out in Sudan on 15 April 2023, following growing tension between the paramilitary RSF forces and the Sudanese army.
Sudan 🇸🇩 MAP UPDATE: the situation in Sudan as of 02/11/2026.
As the SAF slowly advances through North Kordofan to reach the Darfur, the RSF and SPLM-N continue to launch cross-border attacks in Blue Nile, exploiting the situation in Ethiopia to keep pressure on the east. https://t.co/dHmeI9UhIT
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) November 2, 2026
Since then more 150,000 people are believed being perished from the violence and more than 13M have been displaced.