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Sudan: Colombians Linked to Atrocities Trained in UAE Bases

Human Rights Watch reports that Colombian private military contractors were recruited by a UAE-based company and transited through Emirati bases before being deployed to Sudan to support the Rapid Support Forces. The UAE denies the claims, while evidence points to continued military support for the RSF amid ongoing atrocities.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage May 26 – Jun 2, 2026 Published Aug 13

Lead

A recent report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleges that Colombian private military contractors were recruited by a United Arab Emirates-based security company and transited through Emirati military bases before being deployed to Sudan to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The findings, released Wednesday, add to a growing body of evidence that the UAE has provided military support to the RSF, which has been accused of committing atrocities during the Sudanese civil war.

The UAE has denied the allegations, with its ministry of foreign affairs stating that the country "does not permit its territory to be used for the recruitment, training, financing or transit of foreign fighters to any conflict, including Sudan."

Coverage Comparison

The report has been covered by multiple news outlets, including AllAfrica and the BBC, with consistent emphasis on the alleged role of the UAE-based company Global Security Services Group (GSSG) in recruiting Colombian fighters. The BBC's coverage highlights the transit through Emirati military bases and includes the UAE's official denial. AllAfrica, drawing on investigative reporting, provides additional details about the recruitment process and the fighters' eventual deployment to Darfur.

Key Claims

Recruitment and transit: According to HRW and investigative reporting, Colombian fighters were recruited through a Colombian agency called A4SI, which targeted retired military personnel. The contractors traveled through airports in the UAE, Libya, Chad, and Somalia before reaching Darfur.
Company involvement: The Abu Dhabi-based security company GSSG reportedly hired the contractors. GSSG was founded in 2016 by Ahmed Mohammed al-Humairi, the secretary general of the UAE's presidential court, according to one report.
Deployment numbers: At least 300 Colombians had been deployed by August 2024, per HRW's findings. One contractor described passing through a "smaller special airport" outside Abu Dhabi and bypassing immigration controls.
Atrocities in Darfur: The RSF has faced international accusations of war crimes and atrocities in Darfur. The UN International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan said that events in El Fasher in October 2025 bore "the hallmarks of genocide."
UAE's response: The UAE denies recruiting or training foreign fighters in its territory. The foreign ministry reiterated this denial following the HRW report.

Perspectives

The UAE government maintains that it has not provided military support to the RSF and rejects the allegations as unsubstantiated. Human Rights Watch and other rights groups argue that the evidence, including contractor testimonies and social media analysis, points to direct UAE involvement in facilitating the deployment of Colombian fighters. The Sudanese government has previously accused the UAE of supporting the RSF, a charge Abu Dhabi denies. The conflict in Sudan, which began on April 15, 2023, has resulted in over 150,000 deaths and displaced more than 12.9 million people, according to international estimates.

This report underscores the complex international dimensions of the Sudan conflict, with private military contractors from Latin America allegedly playing a role in the fighting, raising legal and ethical questions about accountability and the outsourcing of military support.

How each outlet told it

AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC

Framing: UAE's alleged support for Rapid Support Forces in Sudan — investigative

Facts Included:

UAE supporting a covert network to recruit and transport Colombian private military contractors to Sudan
Colombian mercenaries travelled through the Central African Republic and were deployed in Nyala, South Darfur State
Abu Dhabi-based security company Global Security Services Group (GSSG) hired Colombian mercenaries
GSSG has links to senior UAE officials and members of the ruling family
Colombian fighters were recruited through A4SI, a Colombian agency targeting retired military personnel
Evidence suggests direct interaction with UAE military infrastructure
At least 300 Colombians were deployed by August 2024
RSF faces international accusations over atrocities committed across Darfur and other regions of Sudan

Read the source article →

AllAfrica as of May 26, 2026, 6:31 AM UTC

Framing: UAE's alleged support for Rapid Support Forces in Sudan — advocacy

Facts Included:

Colombian private military contractors deployed to Sudan to support RSF
Contractors hired by UAE-based company Global Security Services Group (GSSG)
GSSG founded in 2016 by Ahmed Mohammed al-Humairi, secretary general of the UAE's presidential court
UAE denies providing military support to RSF
HRW found evidence of UAE's alleged support for RSF
UN International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan said events in El Fasher bore 'the hallmarks of genocide'

Read the source article →

BBC — World as of May 26, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC

Framing: Colombian mercenaries recruited by UAE-based company — neutral

Facts Included:

Colombian mercenaries recruited by UAE-based company
Mercenaries transited through Emirati military bases
UAE denies claims it recruited and trained foreign fighters in its territory
HRW investigation found evidence of UAE's alleged support for RSF
War broke out in Sudan on 15 April 2023
Over 150,000 people believed to have died from the violence

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) is supporting a covert network to recruit and transport Colombian private military contractors to Sudan to fight alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimColombian mercenaries travelled through the Central African Republic and were deployed in Nyala, South Darfur State.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC
ClaimAbu Dhabi-based security company Global Security Services Group (GSSG) hired Colombian mercenaries who were later deployed to Sudan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimGSSG has links to senior UAE officials and members of the ruling family.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC
ClaimColombian fighters were recruited through A4SI, a Colombian agency targeting retired military personnel.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC
ClaimEvidence suggests direct interaction with UAE military infrastructure.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimAt least 300 Colombians were deployed by August 2024.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC
ClaimThe RSF faces international accusations over atrocities committed across Darfur and other regions of Sudan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from AllAfrica as of Jun 2, 2026, 3:31 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe UAE denies claims it recruited and trained foreign fighters in its territory.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from BBC — World as of May 26, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimWar broke out in Sudan on 15 April 2023.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from BBC — World as of May 26, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimOver 150,000 people are believed to have died from the violence in Sudan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from BBC — World as of May 26, 2026, 6:00 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimGSSG was founded in 2016 by Ahmed Mohammed al-Humairi, secretary general of the UAE's presidential court.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via AllAfrica as of May 26, 2026, 6:31 AM UTC
ClaimThe UN International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan said events in El Fasher bore 'the hallmarks of genocide'.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from AllAfrica as of May 26, 2026, 6:31 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 3 articles consulted: AllAfrica, BBC — World 13 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13