An investigative report revealed that the United Arab Emirates secretly recruited and trained Colombian military veterans who were subsequently deployed to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese paramilitary group engaged in the country’s ongoing civil conflict. The report documented the recruitment pipeline from Colombia to training facilities and ultimately to deployment in Sudan’s active conflict zones in Darfur and other affected regions.
The finding added a new dimension to understanding of the RSF’s external support network. The paramilitary group has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces since the conflict began in 2023, displacing millions of civilians and creating one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. External backing for the RSF has been a significant and contested element of the conflict’s geopolitical context among international observers and UN investigators.
Colombian military veterans represent a particular category of mercenary recruitment because of their extensive combat experience accumulated during Colombia’s decades-long internal conflict. That background has made them attractive to foreign actors seeking experienced fighters for proxy operations in difficult terrain and complex operational environments far from their home country.
The UAE has not publicly acknowledged a role in training fighters for deployment to Sudan, and the report came from investigative journalism and advocacy sources that the Emirati government would be expected to contest. International law prohibits the use of mercenaries in armed conflicts under certain conditions, and the legal status of the arrangement described would depend on how it is characterized under applicable international frameworks.
The report added to pressure on international bodies to investigate external support for the RSF more thoroughly as part of broader accountability efforts related to the Sudan conflict and alleged violations of arms embargo provisions.
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Sources:
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/28/headlines