UAE-Linked Network Recruited Colombian Mercenaries for Sudan War, Investigation Says
A major investigation by the Financial Times has revealed details of an alleged UAE-linked network that recruited and deployed Colombian former soldiers to fight alongside Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), including during the capture of El-Fasher, where mass atrocities were reported.
The investigation estimates that around 2,000 Colombians travelled to Sudan through a recruitment and logistics network involving employment agencies, intermediaries and former military contacts. Some reportedly received specialist training in drones, artillery and anti-aircraft weapons before deployment.
The operation allegedly involved Abu Dhabi-based Global Security Services Group (GSSG), a company founded by Ahmed Mohammed Al-Humairi, secretary-general of the UAE Presidential Court. GSSG has previously described itself as the UAE government’s only armed private security provider and listed UAE government institutions among its clients.
According to the investigation, recruits travelled through transit hubs in Libya and Somalia before reaching RSF-controlled areas of Darfur. Some fighters also said they received training at facilities inside the UAE.
US and British authorities have sanctioned several individuals linked to the recruitment network, including retired Colombian Colonel Álvaro Andrés Quijano Becerra, whom Washington accused of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian military personnel for Sudan.
Colombian fighters reportedly earned thousands of dollars per month and formed several battalions operating with the RSF. Some participated in the October 2025 capture of El-Fasher, after which extensive evidence of executions, sexual violence and ethnically targeted killings emerged.
The investigation describes a transnational system connecting recruitment in Colombia, training and logistics in the UAE, transit routes through Africa and RSF operations in Sudan. The UAE has previously denied accusations of supporting the RSF.
