Colombian mercenaries backed by the United Arab Emirates assisted Sudan’s RSF paramilitary group in seizing El Fasher in 2025, contributing to war crimes committed during the 18-month takeover, a new report has found.
An investigation by security organisation the Conflict Insights Group (CIG) accessed data from over 50 mobile phones belonging to Colombian fighters, revealing their role in a network that transfers mercenaries from Colombia to hubs across the MENA region.
Among these hubs are facilities in Bosaso, Somalia, and Kufra in eastern Libya - both locations where the UAE maintains a military presence.
Using flight-tracking data, satellite imagery, and open-source social media posts, investigators also traced some mercenaries to a UAE military training facility in Ghayathi, Abu Dhabi.
The report documents links between the mercenaries and the Global Security Services Group, a UAE-backed company tied to senior Emirati officials, including national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The UAE has consistently denied financing or supporting the Sudanese paramilitary group, dismissing such accusations as "false".
In September 2025, the UAE issued a joint statement with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the US, saying that "external military support to the conflict parties in Sudan serves to intensify and prolong the conflict and contribute to regional instability".
However, numerous reports by human rights organisations have documented the UAE’s continued financing of the RSF throughout the now three-year-old conflict . Complicity in atrocities in El Fasher The CIG investigation found that Colombian mercenaries operated drones, tracked soldiers, and were present during the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher in October 2025. Data placing them in North Darfur’s capital at the time of its capture supports these findings.
The fall of El Fasher triggered a brutal campaign that killed tens of thousands and created a severe humanitarian crisis .
The International Criminal Court (ICC) concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity took place in El Fasher, with the RSF’s actions bearing the "hallmarks of genocide".
The report concludes that "without this foreign support, the 18-month siege, takeover, and resulting atrocities would likely not have occurred".
Estimated to number in the hundreds, some of the Colombian mercenaries were identified as members of the Desert Wolves battalion (Lobos del Desierto).
Its leader, retired Colombian army Colonel Alvaro Quijano - who is under US and UK sanctions - is believed to be based in the UAE, according to Colombian media.
The investigation also notes that the Sudanese army , which has been fighting the RSF since April 2023, has received foreign support from Turkey, Iran, and other regional actors.