The United Arab Emirates supported the fight of Colombian mercenaries in Sudan, the UN found Today’s news
(Bloomberg) — The United Arab Emirates helped fund and train Colombian mercenaries who fought Sudanese paramilitary forces accused of war crimes and genocide, a recent U.N. report found.
A confidential investigation by the UN Panel of Experts on Sudan, seen by Bloomberg and shared with the UN Security Council last week, found that a UAE-based private security company recruited Colombian mercenaries to support the Rapid Support Force. It also found that a base in Somalia linked to the United Arab Emirates was used to transport and train fighters before they were deployed in Sudan.
The new findings come as one of the UAE’s top diplomats, Lana Nusseibeh, is vying for the role of UN secretary-general – a campaign already criticized by Sudanese envoys to the world body.
Sudan has been in civil war since 2023, when a power struggle between the military and the RSF erupted into all-out fighting that left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. The conflict has become a proxy war that has drawn regional and global powers, and the report adds to a growing body of evidence of UAE support for the RSF.
The report “convincingly” proved that Global Security Services Group, a private security company based in the UAE, had hired mercenaries. It also found that they stopped at the Puntland Maritime Police base in Somalia’s UAE-linked Bossas for transit and possible training before traveling to Sudan.
The United Arab Emirates has repeatedly rejected accusations of playing a role in the Sudanese conflict. In a statement on Friday, the Foreign Ministry said: “The UAE authorities have investigated the allegations regarding the GSSG” and that a UN panel of experts “has been briefed on the findings”.
The statement added that “the UAE has not provided weapons or any military support” in Sudan and has “consistently supported regional and international efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire and protect civilians”.
A UN investigation concluded that Colombian mercenaries played a significant role in the RSF’s military operations in Darfur, particularly in the 18-month siege and capture of the Sudanese town of El Fasher.
The UN previously said there were “widespread atrocities amounting to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity” in El Fasher, with around 6,000 people killed in just three days, the UN found. Mercenary involvement included drone operations, artillery and infantry support.
The report is likely to further complicate Nusseibeh’s bid to become the UN’s top official. Her country’s role in the war in Sudan has already dogged her campaign and drawn opposition from both human rights groups and the Sudanese government.
Nusseibeh has long denied that the UAE had anything to do with arming the RSF. When she was the UAE ambassador to the UN, she told the Security Council that allegations of UAE support for the RSF were “spurious, baseless and devoid of any credible evidence”.
Since announcing her UN candidacy, Nusseibeh has reiterated that the war in Sudan will be her top priority and a “litmus test” for the success of the next Secretary-General.
“The situation in Sudan is dire. Ending this terrible conflict would be a priority for me as Secretary-General,” Nusseibeh said in a statement, adding that she had not seen the report.
“In the event of a finding by a UN body against any member state, I would absolutely fulfill my responsibility to act accordingly and engage that state,” she said.
The New York Times previously reported on the conclusions of the UN investigation.
(Update with UAE comment in paragraph seven.)
More such stories are available at bloomberg.com
