Mercenaries, drone shipments and military technology fuel Sudan war, UN report says

A UN fact-finding mission said foreign fighters and military support are strengthening Sudan’s warring parties, helping prolong the conflict and worsen the situation.

The independent UN mission said in a report published on Thursday that it had documented cross-border networks operating in several countries have recruited, trained and deployed foreign personnel to support the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while facilitating the transfer of weapons, ammunition and military technology and providing logistical support.

The mission said it had documented the deployment of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors who were fighting alongside RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan.

The report said it believes that private entities, logistical facilitators, and recruiters operating from countries including Colombia and the United Arab Emirates used transit points in Chad, southeastern Libya, and the Somalian city of Bosaso to facilitate the delivery of personnel, training, weapons, and logistical supplies to the RSF in Sudan.

It also concluded that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Sudanese Armed Forces used foreign-supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians and civilian objects.”

UN expert Mona Rishmawi said this support had fuelled RSF operations in Zamzam camp and El Fasher, where serious violations and international crimes with characteristics of genocide were documented.

Sudanese civilians have borne the brunt of these developments, the report said, warning that such support does not protect civilians but instead forces them to pay the price through attacks on homes, hospitals and schools.

The investigators urged countries to enforce the Darfur arms embargo, halt military transfers that risk violations and investigate illicit support networks. They also called on the UN Security Council to extend the embargo to all of Sudan to protect civilians and hold those prolonging the war accountable.