A confidential United Nations report submitted to the Security Council in early November details how an Abu Dhabi-based security company recruited and deployed hundreds of Colombian former military personnel to fight alongside Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to The New York Times, which disclosed the report on November 5. Addis Standard reported the newspaper's account on Friday.

Source: The New York Times via Addis Standard

The report identifies Global Security Services Group (GSSG), an Abu Dhabi-based private security company, as the principal recruiter and facilitator of the Colombian fighters, according to the newspaper's account. The findings add to mounting evidence of external military and logistical support sustaining the RSF in its war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which erupted in April 2023 and has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions and triggered widespread atrocities, particularly in Darfur.

The 'Desert Wolves' battalion

According to the report, GSSG recruited hundreds of former Colombian military personnel and organised them into an operational battalion known as the "Desert Wolves", or "Lobos del Desierto". The fighters reportedly served in several military capacities, including infantry operations, artillery, drone operations, vehicle deployment and the training of RSF combatants. Earlier investigations cited estimates ranging from several hundred to approximately 2,000 Colombian contractors deployed over time.

The company is described as having close political, business and familial connections to senior figures in the UAE leadership. It was founded by a senior official in the UAE Presidential Court, and its business activities reportedly include providing security services to government ministries, including Foreign Affairs and Presidential Affairs. The recruitment operation moved Colombian fighters through a network of transit points connected to Emirati allies and partners, including Bosaso in Somalia and areas of eastern Libya controlled by forces aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar, before the fighters were transported into Sudan, the report said.

Training in the UAE and the El Fasher offensive

The disclosures build on earlier UN investigations indicating that Colombian contractors received military training at two facilities in the UAE before deployment. A July 2026 report by UN investigators reportedly documented the training arrangements but was not made public following objections at the Security Council; The New York Times reported that Bahrain objected to its publication, allegedly at the UAE's request. Abu Dhabi rejected suggestions that it had sought to influence Bahrain.

The reported deployment is particularly consequential because Colombian contractors were allegedly involved in RSF operations around El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, during its prolonged siege and eventual capture in October 2025. A July 2026 UN experts' report said Colombian mercenaries established a base in Nyala in March 2025 and participated in operations supporting the RSF's campaign around El Fasher, operating drones and assisting with military planning during the siege and capture of the city. UN investigators have said the assault bore the "hallmarks of genocide" — an assessment by investigators, not a court ruling. Previous investigations also pointed to foreign contractors' involvement in training activities involving child soldiers, which is prohibited under international law.

What Human Rights Watch found in May

In an 83-page report published on May 25, 2026, titled "From Bogota to El Fasher", Human Rights Watch documented how GSSG apparently hired hundreds of Colombian former military personnel from 2024 onwards. HRW found that a Colombia-based recruitment agency, A4SI, recruited the contractors, who subsequently signed contracts with GSSG and were transferred through UAE military facilities, including Ghiyathi and Al Wathba, before being deployed to Sudan. The organisation, which examined interviews with former contractors and El Fasher residents, corporate records, employment documents, photographs, videos and geolocation data, concluded that the evidence indicated the UAE was assisting or substantially contributing to the RSF's capacity to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. HRW called for investigations into GSSG and individuals involved in the recruitment network, possible targeted sanctions, and measures to end external military support to the RSF.

UAE rejects the allegations

The UAE has consistently denied providing military assistance to either side in Sudan's war and has rejected allegations that it recruited, financed, trained or facilitated the deployment of foreign fighters to support the RSF. In response to the latest allegations, an Emirati spokesperson told The New York Times that the UAE did not support any party to the conflict and did not permit its territory to be used for recruiting, training, financing or facilitating the transit of foreign fighters to Sudan. The UAE also maintained that GSSG had not deployed mercenaries to Sudan or violated Emirati laws and regulations, and said its involvement in Sudan was humanitarian.

A fresh problem for the UAE's UN chief bid

The timing presents a fresh diplomatic challenge for the UAE as it seeks the appointment of Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, its senior diplomat and former ambassador to the United Nations, as the next UN secretary-general; this desk reported on October 30 that her candidacy already faced a backlash over Sudan. Nusseibeh has repeatedly rejected allegations that the UAE provides military, logistical or financial support to the RSF, including telling CNN in 2024 that the accusations were "categorically untrue", and maintains that her country's engagement in Sudan is humanitarian. Speaking to The New York Times, Cameron Hudson, a former CIA analyst and director for African affairs at the National Security Council, said the continued Emirati denials "make a mockery" of the investigative mechanisms Nusseibeh now seeks to lead, adding: "That ought to disqualify her from any further consideration." Sudan's government, which accuses Abu Dhabi of financing, arming and backing the RSF, has also questioned her independence; the UAE rejects those accusations. What happens next rests with the Security Council, which faces continued pressure to address the flow of weapons, foreign personnel and military technology sustaining Sudan's war.