UN report finds foreign recruitment and external support fueling Sudan civil war

Foreign recruitment and external support networks are sustaining and expanding the civil war in Sudan by providing weapons, military technology and fighters, to the detriment of civilians, according to a United Nations-backed investigation.

A report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, released on Thursday, said transnational entities operating across several countries recruited, trained and deployed foreign personnel to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

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The report also said there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used foreign-supplied drones in its operations that harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Since April 2023, the conflict between the SAF and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of Sudanese and forced millions to flee their homes.

“This support fed into RSF operations in Zamzam camp and later during the takeover of el-Fasher, where the [UN] Mission documented grave human rights and international humanitarian law violations and international crimes, including conduct displaying hallmarks of genocide,” mission member Mona Rishmawi said.

The report said external entities have substantially enhanced the drone capabilities of both the RSF and the SAF, enabling them to strike far beyond front lines.

Documented drone attacks included RSF strikes in Kalogi, South Kordofan that killed 114 people, and army strikes in Ad-Da’ein, East Darfur, which killed at least 70 people and destroyed a major hospital.

Repeated RSF drone strikes in el-Obeid, North Kordofan, especially between July and August this year, may “constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and may amount to war crimes”, the report said.

“The consequences of this external support are being felt most acutely by civilians,” mission chair Mohamed Chande Othman said.

Networks across several countries

The investigation documented the deployment of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors, who it said directly operated combat drones, artillery, and advanced weapons alongside RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan.

The Colombian government told investigators it opposed mercenarism and was taking steps to address the participation of its nationals in foreign conflicts.

Witnesses also reported fighters from South Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia, “including women, serving primarily in frontline, rather than technical roles”, identified by language, accent “and, in some cases uniforms”, the report said.

Private entities, intermediaries and recruiters operating from countries including Colombia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used transit locations in Chad, Libya and Somalia to facilitate the delivery of personnel, training, weapons and logistics to the RSF in Sudan, the report said.

The UAE rejected allegations that it had provided military, logistical, financial or political support to the RSF. Chad said it remained neutral in the war, and Somalia’s government said it took the report’s allegations seriously, according to the Reuters news agency.

The UN mission urged states to halt illicit supply networks and enforce the UN arms embargo.

Since 2023, Sudan’s civil war has displaced more than 12 million people, devastated civilian infrastructure, collapsed basic services and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the UN says. At least three million Sudanese refugees have fled to neighbouring countries including Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

The UN Human Rights Council established the fact-finding mission in October 2023 to begin gathering evidence of violations in Sudan. The independent investigative team does not speak on behalf of the UN.