Rights group accuses UAE of training Colombian mercenaries for Sudan's war 

Human Rights Watch accused the United Arab Emirates of acting as a critical recruitment hub and transit point for foreign mercenaries. The rights organisation released a report on Tuesday detailing the accusations. The group alleges that a network of Emirati and Colombian security firms covertly recruited former Colombian soldiers.

The UAE government has strongly denied the accusations, maintaining that any such operations violate local laws and completely lack state authorisation. The HRW investigation spanned interviews with Colombian contractors conducted between March and September 2025. An Abu Dhabi-based firm named Global Security Services Group allegedly advertised "drone pilot work in Africa." UN experts previously noted that an Emirati national, Mohammed Hamdan Al-Zaabi, chaired the firm. One mercenary described his journey through Abu Dhabi, stating, "They didn't stamp our passports... We went in and went out, and there was a bus waiting for us to take us to a military base." HRW identified key transit nodes used to move fighters into the conflict zone, including airports across the UAE, Libya, Chad, and Somalia.

In February, RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged the setup, stating in video comments that Colombian mercenaries have aided his group in operating drones. A United Nations panel of experts reported to the UN Security Council in September that Colombian mercenaries fought across multiple operational theatres, including Khartoum, Omdurman, Darfur, and Kordofan. One unnamed contractor admitted he trained RSF recruits at camps around Nyala, noting that many recruits were "young children." The United Nations Human Rights Office estimates that more than "6,000 were killed within the first three days of the RSF offensive." In November and December 2025, six