A United Nations-backed investigation has found that foreign recruitment and external support networks are sustaining and expanding the civil war in Sudan by providing weapons, military technology, and fighters, negatively impacting civilians. The report by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, released on September 3, 2026, indicates that transnational entities have recruited, trained, and deployed foreign personnel to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The report states there are 'reasonable grounds to believe' that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have utilized foreign-supplied drones in operations that have harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure. Since April 2023, the conflict between the SAF and the RSF has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions.
Mona Rishmawi, a mission member, noted that this support has contributed to RSF operations in Zamzam camp and during the takeover of el-Fasher, where the UN Mission documented serious human rights violations and potential international crimes, including actions that may qualify as genocide.
The investigation highlighted that external entities have significantly improved the drone capabilities of both the RSF and the SAF, allowing them to conduct strikes beyond front lines. Documented attacks include RSF drone strikes in Kalogi, South Kordofan, which resulted in 114 fatalities, and army strikes in Ad-Da’ein, East Darfur, which killed at least 70 people and destroyed a major hospital.
The report also mentioned repeated RSF drone strikes in el-Obeid, North Kordofan, particularly between July and August 2023, which may constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, potentially amounting to war crimes.
Mission chair Mohamed Chande Othman stated that the consequences of this external support are being most acutely felt by civilians. The investigation documented the deployment of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors who operated combat drones, artillery, and advanced weapons alongside RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan.
The Colombian government informed investigators that it opposes mercenarism and is taking steps to address the involvement of its nationals in foreign conflicts. Witnesses reported the presence of fighters from South Sudan, Chad, and Ethiopia, including women, serving primarily in frontline roles, identifiable by language, accent, and sometimes uniforms.
Private entities and intermediaries from countries such as Colombia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have facilitated the delivery of personnel, training, weapons, and logistics to the RSF in Sudan using transit locations in Chad, Libya, and Somalia. The UAE has denied allegations of providing military or logistical support to the RSF, while Chad maintains a neutral stance in the conflict, and Somalia's government stated it takes the report's allegations seriously, according to Reuters.
The UN mission has called on states to halt illicit supply networks and enforce the UN arms embargo. Since the onset of the civil war in 2023, over 12 million people have been displaced in Sudan, leading to the collapse of basic services and creating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with at least three million Sudanese refugees having fled to neighboring countries including Egypt, Chad, and South Sudan. The UN Human Rights Council established the fact-finding mission in October 2023 to gather evidence of violations in Sudan, and the independent investigative team does not represent the UN.