GENEVA (AP) — A United Nations mission warned in a report Thursday that the recruitment of foreign fighters and external support are fueling conflict in Sudan and exacerbating violence against civilians.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 19:25

The war has been going on since April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, after the two parties were allies.

The report concluded that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that the army used drones provided by foreign parties during its operations.

The mission, which was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council but does not speak on behalf of the organization, documented up to two thousand “former contractors” with the Colombian army fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur and Kordofan.

The statement stated, "There are reasonable grounds to believe that private parties, logistical intermediaries, and recruits operating from various countries, especially Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, used crossing points in Chad, southeastern Libya, and Bosaso in Somalia to facilitate the transfer of personnel and weapons to the Rapid Support Forces, as well as training them and providing logistical support to them."

In Geneva, the UAE mission denounced these accusations.

The mission said in a statement published on the X platform, “The United Arab Emirates reaffirms that it is not a party to the civil war taking place in Sudan, and that it has not provided weapons or any related equipment to any party in Sudan since the outbreak of the conflict.”

She also stressed "the importance of expanding the scope of the arms embargo to include the entire territory of Sudan."

"Characteristics of genocide"

Member of the UN mission, Mona Rishmawi, said in the statement, “We uncovered a cross-border network that extends across several countries” and provides support to the Rapid Support Forces.

She added, "This support fueled the operations of the Rapid Support Forces in Zamzam camp, and then during their control of El Fasher, where the mission documented gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as crimes that included acts bearing the characteristics of genocide."

The US government has previously accused countries of fueling the Sudanese conflict, while non-governmental organizations in particular pointed to a role for the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The war resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 people, according to humanitarian workers, and led to the displacement of more than 12 million Sudanese, in what the United Nations describes as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

According to the report, the army and the Rapid Support Forces committed “serious violations” during operations carried out using drones, and some of their actions may amount to war crimes.

The head of the mission, Mohamed Shandi Othman, said, “Protecting Sudanese civilians requires taking measures not only against those fighting the war, but also against the people, entities and networks that allow it to continue.”

The United States recently proposed expanding the scope of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations in Darfur to include all of Sudan, in an attempt to confront the risk of the conflict expanding regionally. In the absence of a new agreement, the current ban will expire on September 12.

In the regional context of the war, 12 people were killed and others were injured last week in a bombing on a border area between Sudan and Chad, according to what a Chadian security source told Agence France-Presse at the time, while N'Djamena and Washington accused the Sudanese army of launching strikes inside Chadian territory.

A Chadian security source told AFP, requesting that his name not be mentioned, that the air strike "targeted a fuel market where the Rapid Support Forces were refueling."

The Rapid Support Forces also announced in mid-August their control of the city of Kurmuk, adjacent to the border with Ethiopia in southeastern Sudan. A source from the army accused the Rapid Support of launching the attack from Ethiopia.

© 2026 AFP

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