Sudan files UN complaint over alleged UAE-backed Colombian mercenaries in Darfur
September 5, 2025 (NEW YORK) – The Sudanese government on Friday submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council, accusing the United Arab Emirates of direct intervention in the country’s ongoing war by recruiting, financing, and deploying hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to fight alongside the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a copy of the complaint seen by Sudan Tribune.
The complaint was circulated to council members by the Security Council’s president for September, South Korean Ambassador Kim Sangjin. The official submission consists of a six-page letter from Sudan’s Permanent Representative, accompanied by 13 annexes containing purported evidence.
In the letter, Sudan’s Permanent Representative, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith, presented what he described as “alarming and well-documented evidence” of the UAE’s role in prolonging the conflict. The letter states the intervention constitutes a “grave violation of Sudan’s sovereignty” and a “direct threat to regional peace and security”. The UAE has previously denied allegations of providing military support to any warring factions in Sudan.
According to the submission, between 350 and 380 Colombian mercenaries, mostly retired soldiers, were recruited through Emirati-based private security firms. The complaint names explicitly the Global Security Services Group (GSSG), chaired by Emirati national Mohammed Hamdan Al-Zaabi, and the International Services Agency (A4SI), co-founded by retired Colombian Colonel Álvaro Quijano, who allegedly operates from Al Ain, UAE. Many were reportedly led to believe they would be working in security roles but were instead sent to Sudan.
The document details the logistical path of the mercenaries, who were allegedly flown from the UAE to Somalia and then to Benghazi, Libya, with the assistance of officers aligned with General Khalifa Haftar, before being moved overland through Chad into Sudan. Sudan alleges that between November 2024 and February 2025, UAE-chartered aircraft operated 248 flights to smuggle mercenaries and military equipment to RSF-controlled areas, including Nyala, El Fasher, and Hamrat al-Sheikh.
The letter accuses the mercenaries of participating in frontline battles across multiple regions, including Khartoum, Omdurman, and the ongoing siege of El Fasher in North Darfur. Their roles allegedly included operating RSF drones, artillery, and armoured vehicles. Their presence has been corroborated by video footage released by the Sudanese army. In one major incident, the military claimed to have destroyed a UAE aircraft carrying mercenaries to Darfur, killing dozens.
Particularly grave allegations in the report include the mercenaries’ use of prohibited weapons and the training of child soldiers. The complaint references a captured 18-page operational order, written in Spanish and dated December 1, 2024, which allegedly specifies the use of white phosphorus munitions by the “Desert Wolves” battalion in El Fasher. The use of such incendiary weapons in civilian areas is prohibited under international humanitarian law. The document also contains photographic evidence purporting to show mercenaries training child soldiers.
The Sudanese government claims the mercenaries’ actions have led to “egregious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law,” citing the killing of 73 civilians between January 22 and February 11, 2025. Furthermore, the complaint accuses the UAE of using its logistical networks to smuggle Sudan’s natural resources, including gold and gum Arabic.
The submission notes that major media outlets in Colombia have widely reported the recruitment and has been publicly condemned by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who confirmed the deaths of at least 40 Colombian mercenaries in Sudan. The involvement of its citizens has prompted the Colombian government to apologize to Sudan and issue warnings to its citizens, urging them not to get involved in foreign conflicts. For its part, the Sudanese Prime Minister has made a public appeal in Spanish, calling for a halt to the recruitment of mercenaries.
Calling the UAE the “diabolic architect of Sudan’s tragedy” and the “mastermind of that war machine”, Sudan urged the Security Council to investigate the matter, hold all responsible actors accountable, and designate the RSF as a terrorist group. The Sudanese government requested the letter and its annexes be circulated as an official Security Council document.