Foreign fighters and external support fuel Sudan’s war: UN-backed probe

Investigation says extracurricular enactment for warring parties strengthens subject capabilities, intensifying a humanitarian crisis.

Foreign recruitment and outer enactment networks are sustaining and expanding the civilian warfare successful Sudan by providing weapons, subject exertion 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 connected Thursday, said transnational entities operating crossed respective countries recruited, trained and deployed overseas unit to enactment the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

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The study besides said determination were “reasonable grounds to believe” that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) utilized foreign-supplied drones successful its operations that harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Since April 2023, the struggle betwixt the SAF and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of Sudanese and forced millions to fly their homes.

“This enactment fed into RSF operations successful Zamzam campy and aboriginal during the takeover of el-Fasher, wherever the [UN] Mission documented sedate quality rights and planetary humanitarian instrumentality violations and planetary crimes, including behaviour displaying hallmarks of genocide,” ngo subordinate Mona Rishmawi said.

The study said outer entities person substantially enhanced the drone capabilities of some the RSF and the SAF, enabling them to onslaught acold beyond beforehand lines.

Documented drone attacks included RSF strikes successful Kalogi, South Kordofan that killed 114 people, and service strikes successful Ad-Da’ein, East Darfur, which killed astatine slightest 70 radical and destroyed a large hospital.

Repeated RSF drone strikes successful el-Obeid, North Kordofan, particularly betwixt July and August this year, whitethorn “constitute superior violations of quality rights and planetary humanitarian law, and whitethorn magnitude to warfare crimes”, the study said.

“The consequences of this outer enactment are being felt astir acutely by civilians,” ngo seat Mohamed Chande Othman said.

Sudanese refugees displaced by the warfare thrust done the Oure Cassoni exile campy successful Chad, connected February 24, 2026 [File: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]

Networks crossed respective countries

The probe documented the deployment of up to 2,000 erstwhile Colombian subject contractors, who it said straight operated combat drones, artillery, and precocious weapons alongside RSF units successful Darfur and Kordofan.

The Colombian authorities told investigators it opposed mercenarism and was taking steps to code the information of its nationals successful overseas conflicts.

Witnesses besides reported fighters from South Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia, “including women, serving chiefly successful frontline, alternatively than method roles”, identified by language, accent “and, successful immoderate cases uniforms”, the study said.

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

The UAE rejected allegations that it had provided military, logistical, fiscal oregon governmental enactment to the RSF. Chad said it remained neutral successful the war, and Somalia’s authorities said it took the report’s allegations seriously, according to the Reuters quality agency.

The UN ngo urged states to halt illicit proviso networks and enforce the UN arms embargo.

Since 2023, Sudan’s civilian warfare has displaced much than 12 cardinal people, devastated civilian infrastructure, collapsed basal services and created 1 of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the UN says. At slightest 3 cardinal Sudanese refugees person fled to neighbouring countries including Egypt, Chad and South Sudan.

The UN Human Rights Council established the fact-finding ngo successful October 2023 to statesman gathering grounds of violations successful Sudan. The autarkic investigative squad does not talk connected behalf of the UN.