Sudan prosecutor files cases against 122 foreign mercenaries

January 24, 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s prosecutor general said on Saturday that criminal cases have been opened against approximately 122 foreign mercenaries fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while 135 children recruited into the conflict have been handed back to their families.

Intisar Ahmed Abdel Mutaal, who chairs the National Committee for Investigating Crimes, said some of the mercenaries have already been sentenced to death. Sudanese authorities accuse the RSF of recruiting foreign fighters from Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Colombia.

Speaking to a Turkish media delegation, Abdel Mutaal said her committee has recorded 188,405 criminal cases since the conflict began, with some referred to specialized courts.

She said the committee had secured physical evidence of United Arab Emirates involvement in supporting rebel forces, as well as proof that other countries allowed weapons to transit across their borders. The UAE has previously denied supporting the RSF.

Abdel Mutaal accused the RSF of systematic sexual violence, including against minors, and said the 135 children had been returned to their families through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

She detailed alleged crimes against the Masalit tribe in El Geneina and attacks in Kadugli and Dilling that killed 114 people, mostly women and children, including the shelling of a kindergarten during a graduation ceremony.

On January 19, the Anti-Terrorism Court in Port Sudan began trials of 201 defendants, including RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, on charges of inciting war and undermining the constitutional system.