Geneva: Foreign fighters, weapons networks and advanced military technology are helping sustain Sudan's war and strengthening the military capabilities of the rival forces, according to a new United Nations mandated fact finding mission.
The Independent International Fact Finding Mission for the Sudan said transnational networks had provided the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, with foreign personnel, weapons, military technology, training and logistical support. The mission also found reasonable grounds to believe that the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, had used foreign supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The investigation into external support for the SAF remains at an early stage, the mission said.
One of the most significant findings concerns the involvement of former Colombian military personnel. The mission documented the deployment of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors who directly operated combat drones, artillery and advanced weapons alongside RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan.
The report said private entities, intermediaries and recruiters operating from countries including Colombia and the United Arab Emirates used transit locations in Chad, southeastern Libya and the Somali city of Bosaso to facilitate the movement of personnel, training, weapons and logistical supplies to the RSF.
The findings do not establish that the governments of all the countries named in the report directly authorised or organised the support. The investigation focused on networks, individuals and entities involved in the movement of military personnel, weapons and other forms of military assistance.
The United Arab Emirates has rejected allegations that it provided military, logistical, financial or political support to the RSF. Chad has also rejected allegations concerning its involvement and reaffirmed its neutrality in the conflict. The Somali government said it took the allegations seriously and did not permit its territory, airspace or ports to be used for military purposes.
The report also identified foreign fighters from South Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia. Witnesses told investigators that some of these fighters served mainly in frontline roles rather than technical positions.
The growing use of drones has become a major feature of Sudan's conflict. The mission said foreign suppliers had substantially enhanced the drone capabilities of both the RSF and the SAF, allowing the two sides to strike targets far beyond the front lines.
The mission documented an RSF drone attack in Kalogi, South Kordofan, that reportedly killed 114 people. It also said army strikes on Ad Da'ein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur killed at least 70 people.
In El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, repeated RSF drone strikes between May and July damaged electricity and fuel facilities. The attacks disrupted water supplies, health services, transport and other basic services in a city already under severe pressure from the war.
The mission said attacks it documented by both sides may amount to war crimes. It called on states to halt illicit supply networks, investigate individuals and entities involved in such networks and prevent military transfers where there is a substantial risk that they could contribute to serious violations.
The mission also linked external support to RSF operations at Zamzam camp and the later takeover of El Fasher in North Darfur. It said its investigations in those areas had documented grave human rights and international humanitarian law violations and international crimes, including conduct displaying hallmarks of genocide.
Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 14 million, according to recent estimates cited by international agencies and news organisations.
The true death toll remains uncertain. The United Nations has warned that the actual number of people killed could be far higher because many deaths have not been recorded.
The latest findings have also increased pressure on the international community to address the flow of weapons into Sudan. The United States has proposed expanding the existing United Nations arms embargo, which currently applies to Darfur, to the whole of Sudan.
Washington has also proposed bringing drones and related technology under the restrictions and increasing international monitoring of weapons flows.
The existing Sudan sanctions regime, including the Darfur arms embargo, is due to expire on September 12 unless the Security Council renews it. The proposal to extend the measures across Sudan faces opposition from several Council members, including Russia, China and the African members of the Council.
Sudan's army backed authorities have called for a technical renewal of the existing measures and opposed broader restrictions that they say could weaken the army.
The latest investigation adds to growing international concern that Sudan's war is becoming increasingly internationalised and technologically advanced. Foreign personnel, weapons, drones and logistical networks are giving the rival forces greater military capabilities while civilians continue to bear the consequences of the conflict.