UN links UAE-linked networks to weapons and fighters fueling Sudan atrocities

A UN investigation has found reasonable grounds to believe a transnational network supplied Sudan's Rapid Support Forces with weapons, training, and foreign fighters, enabling attacks that may constitute war crimes. The network operated through the UAE, Colombia, Chad, Libya, and Somalia. The report identified an Abu Dhabi-linked recruitment operation that deployed up to 2,000 former Colombian military personnel, including a unit called "Desert Wolves," to support RSF operations in Darfur. It also found foreign-supplied drones expanded the Sudanese army's strike capabilities, with over 1,000 civilians killed in drone attacks between January and May 2026. The mission documented attacks on a kindergarten, hospital, and displacement shelter, and urged the Security Council to expand the Darfur arms embargo to all of Sudan. The UAE denied the allegations, while investigators said accountability must extend to those who finance and facilitate the crimes.