- A Human Rights Watch report reveals Colombian mercenaries responsible for atrocities in Sudan were trained and deployed through Emirati military bases, providing strong evidence of UAE complicity in genocide in Darfur.
- Since 2024, Abu Dhabi-based GSSG recruited hundreds of Colombian contractors who transited through Emirati bases in Sudan to fight alongside the RSF.
- Mausi Segun stated the recruitment adds to evidence that the UAE provides military support to the RSF, which has carried out heinous atrocities and urged governments to demand an end to Emirati support.
- Lt. Gen. Yasser al-Atta accused the UAE of bankrolling the RSF and supplying weapons to wage a race war aimed at eliminating African tribes and consolidating Arab dominance.
A new report from Human Rights Watch has uncovered that Colombian mercenaries responsible for atrocities in Sudan were trained and deployed through Emirati military bases, providing the strongest evidence yet of United Arab Emirates complicity in what experts are calling a systematic genocide in Darfur.
As noted by BrightU.AI's Enoch, genocide is any act committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. This includes acts such as killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, or deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction.
The investigation reveals that since 2024, Global Security Services Group (GSSG), an Abu Dhabi-based security company, has recruited hundreds of Colombian private military contractors who were sent to Sudan to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group. These contractors transited through Emirati bases within Sudan before joining combat operations.
"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 the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch. "Governments should publicly demand that the UAE stop supplying weapons, equipment, personnel and other military support to the Rapid Support Forces."
The findings corroborate earlier allegations from Sudanese officials, including Lt. Gen. Yasser al-Atta, who has accused the UAE of bankrolling the RSF and supplying weapons to wage what he described as a race war aimed at eliminating African tribes and consolidating Arab dominance.
Evidence of Emirati complicity mounts
Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea detailed the direct connections between Colombian contractors and grave abuses on the ground. "We also found linkages between the Colombian contractors and grave abuses on the ground," Shea told Middle East Eye. "So one contractor who I spoke to told me that he helped to support the training of child soldiers, boys as young as 13-14 years old."
The relationship between the UAE and Colombian mercenaries dates back to at least 2011, according to the report. Shea noted that Abu Dhabi ruler Mohammed bin Zayed had been building a "foreign legion" of up to 800 Colombian private contractors to be part of the UAE armed forces.
"One private, retired contractor with whom we spoke said that he was part of that recruitment drive and he told us that there was nothing clandestine about this operation, that it was very public, that he received a proper work contract to be in the UAE," Shea added.
A report by Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab in March corroborated UN allegations of genocide in Darfur, finding that the RSF waged a campaign of starvation against the city of el-Fasher, razing dozens of farming villages and devastating crop production. Once the RSF stormed into the city, fighters raped, executed and extorted residents in large numbers.
Sudan's ambassador to the U.K., Babikir Elamin, has stated that "UAE support is the most significant factor in prolonging and enabling the genocide in Darfur." The UAE has provided the RSF with drones, heavy artillery and armored personnel carriers. U.S. intelligence reports confirm the UAE's role in arming the RSF, allegedly to secure access to Sudan's gold reserves and Red Sea coastline.
British-made weapons found
Sudan has submitted evidence to the UN Security Council, including satellite images and video footage, showing British-made military equipment used by the RSF in mass killings. This includes targeting devices and vehicle engines manufactured in the United Kingdom.
The presence of Colombians in Sudan first became public through videos posted on social media in November 2024, showing an armed group associated with the Sudanese Armed Forces intercepting a convoy of Colombians who had entered Sudan from Libya.
While the UAE continues to deny all allegations, Middle East Eye has extensively documented its support for the RSF, citing satellite imagery, flight logs, weapons serial numbers and multiple sources. The international community now faces mounting pressure to take concrete action against the UAE, with Human Rights Watch calling for governments to publicly demand an immediate end to all military support for the RSF.
Watch this video discussing the war in Sudan and who's behind it.
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