A United Nations-backed investigation has accused transnational networks of helping fuel Sudan’s devastating war by supplying weapons, military contractors, logistics and training to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s military has raged since 2023, killing at least 59,000 people, displacing about 13 million and pushing parts of the country into famine.
According to a summary released Thursday by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, investigators found “reasonable grounds to believe” that a transnational network had supplied the RSF with weapons, logistical support, training and foreign personnel.
The report specifically identified Colombian contractors involved in advanced weapons and drone systems.
It also said individuals and companies operating from, registered in or linked to the United Arab Emirates played a significant role in networks involved in recruiting, financing, transporting and deploying foreign military contractors, as well as providing military-related assistance to the RSF.
The UAE has repeatedly denied accusations that it provides military backing to the RSF.
The investigators also found evidence that foreign-supplied drones had expanded the Sudanese army’s drone capabilities, although they stressed that their findings concerning external support for the army remained preliminary.
The mission called on the UN Security Council to extend its arms embargo on Sudan, warning that the continued flow of weapons, financing, personnel and technology was sustaining the conflict.
“The weapons, financing, personnel and technology that sustain this war must be constrained,” the investigators said.
The report further documented drone attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure by both sides, saying some of the attacks could constitute war crimes.
Foreign-trained fighters were also linked to two massacres in 2025 in Zamzam camp and El Fasher.
Survivors among more than 100,000 people who fled El Fasher reported that RSF fighters killed civilians in homes and on the streets, leaving bodies across the city. Satellite imagery later appeared to show the alleged disposal of bodies in mass graves or through burning.
The investigation received cooperation from Chad, Colombia and the UAE, while Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Somalia did not provide substantive responses. Panama requested additional time to respond.
Neither the Sudanese military nor the RSF cooperated with the investigation, according to the UN.
The findings come after an Associated Press investigation in July reported that Colombian mercenaries had trained children to fight for the RSF. Rights groups have alleged that the Colombians were recruited by a UAE-linked company, although the firm has denied providing arms or military support to either side of the Sudanese conflict.
The United States has also called for additional UN sanctions aimed at pressuring the warring parties back to negotiations.
A draft US resolution seen by the Associated Press in August criticised the continued flow of external military assistance, weapons and ammunition to the rival forces, including the use of drones and unmanned aerial systems launched from third countries.
The proposed resolution calls on all countries to end any direct or indirect logistical, financial or military support that enables the conflict to continue.
The UN findings are likely to intensify international scrutiny of the external actors accused of sustaining Sudan’s war, as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict struggle to gain traction.
