In its 83-page report titled “From Bogotá to El Fasher: UAE’s Role in the Deployment of Colombian Fighters and Other Backing to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan,” Human Rights Watch says an Abu Dhabi-based security company, Global Security Services Group (GSSG), recruited hundreds of Colombian contractors who later fought alongside the RSF in Sudan.

According to the report, the contractors passed through military facilities in the UAE before being deployed to Sudan, including bases in Ghiyathi and Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi. Human Rights Watch said the findings add to growing evidence that the UAE has provided military support to the RSF despite repeatedly denying the allegations.

“The recruitment of Colombian private military contractors adds to a growing body of evidence that the UAE provides military support to the Rapid Support Forces, which have repeatedly carried out heinous atrocities in Sudan,” said Mausi Segun.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Human Rights Watch said evidence gathered during its investigation places foreign contractors in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, during the RSF takeover of the city in 2025.

The rights group cited testimonies from residents who described killings, rape, starvation, and attacks on civilians during the assault. The United Nations International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan previously stated that the events in El Fasher bore “the hallmarks of genocide.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed Colombian contractors, former employees of GSSG, Sudanese residents, and former Colombian military officers. The organization also reviewed official documents and verified videos and photographs posted online showing contractors training at UAE military sites and fighting alongside RSF forces in Sudan.

One Colombian contractor told investigators that upon arrival in the UAE, contractors bypassed immigration controls and were taken directly to a military base for training by Emirati personnel.

The report also alleges that Colombian fighters intercepted in Sudan in 2024 were found carrying Bulgarian-made ammunition reportedly diverted from UAE military stocks. Human Rights Watch said this could constitute a violation of international arms embargoes and end-user agreements.

The investigation further claims that some contractors trained RSF recruits, including children, around Nyala in South Darfur. International law prohibits the recruitment and use of child soldiers, which constitutes a war crime when involving children under the age of 15.

Human Rights Watch said GSSG has close ties to senior Emirati officials. The company was reportedly founded in 2016 by Ahmed Mohammed al-Humairi, secretary general of the UAE presidential court, before ownership was transferred to businessman Mohamed Hamdan al-Zaabi.

The UAE has consistently denied providing military assistance to the RSF, insisting its support to Sudan is humanitarian. However, Human Rights Watch argued that Emirati authorities would likely have been aware of military-related activities occurring on government property and military bases.

The rights group called on the UN Security Council, the European Union, and the African Union to investigate GSSG and impose sanctions on individuals and entities accused of supporting the RSF.