A network of Colombian mercenaries backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provided critical support to Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enabling it to capture the western city of el-Fasher last year, a new report says.
The investigation, by security analysis organisation the Conflict Insights Group (CIG), used data obtained from tracking the mobile phones of the Colombian fighters.
The UAE has long denied supporting the RSF, which has been fighting Sudan's regular army for three years.
El-Fasher's fall was one of the most brutal chapters of the conflict, which has led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands killed and millions forced from their homes.
The CIG has been closely following evidence of extensive Emirati military assistance to the RSF, but this is the first research where we can prove UAE involvement with certainty, says director Justin Lynch.
We are making public what governments have long known - that there is a direct link between Abu Dhabi and the RSF.
The report highlights the use of Colombian mercenaries for military operations, including drone pilot roles, and details their recruitment by a UAE-based company with ties to Emirati officials.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has previously referred to these mercenaries as spectres of death and dubbed their recruitment as a form of human trafficking.
The UAE has officially rejected allegations of supporting mercenaries in Sudan, persistently condemning the violence as undocumented.
