Human rights groups allege that the United Arab Emirates backs the RSF group, which has experienced several notable defectors joining the Sudanese Army. At the same time, civilians remain affected.
When Sudan's military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accepted Al-Nour Ahmed Adam—also referred to as Al-Nour Al-Qubba and once a top officer in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group—into the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) at the start of this year, it marked one of the most notable shifts among the... Sudanese civil war to date.
Although the SAF maintains control over the capital, Khartoum, as well as Port Sudan and significant portions of the eastern and central regions of the nation, its opposing force, the RSF, governs extensive territories in the western part of the country, notably in Darfur, including the city of El Fasher.
Al-Nour Al-Qubba is not the sole defector; shortly afterward, a senior RSF officer named Ali Rizq Allah, also referred to as Al-Savannah, joined him.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has examined footage claimed to depict these two deserters during the attack on El Fasher, where the global non-governmental organization has recorded events. crimes against humanity perpetrated by the RSF led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, widely referred to as Hemedti, during the city's takeover in October 2025.
Full pardon for RSF combatants?
Since the war began in 2023 , Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been trying to recruit defectors from the RSF into the SAF. Almost from the beginning, he declared a general amnesty for members of the militia if they laid down their arms, saying they could be integrated into the military. Human Rights Watch says it was unable to verify whether this also applied to the most recent defectors.
According to Mohamed Osman, a Sudan analyst with Human Rights Watch, accountability should never be overlooked. "Individuals involved in grave international offenses and breaches of human rights cannot escape consequences just because they change their allegiance," he stated, emphasizing that "Sudanese citizens who have suffered terrible mistreatment under any leader’s command are entitled to fairness."
As per conflict observers from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), the latest desertions might indicate growing unrest among the RSF members and suggest "fractures in the RSF’s main partnerships." They believe that "regional allegiances are taking precedence over top leadership, leading to fierce internal conflicts over leftover wartime gains."
If it weren't for the UAE, the war would have ended" "The conflict could have concluded without the involvement of the UAE" "The war's continuation is due to the UAE's role" "It is only because of the UAE that the war hasn't ended yet" "The war would have finished had the UAE not been involved
The desertions occur as both the SAF and the RSF receive backing from outside sources. Although the conflict takes place within Sudan, the partnerships fueling the fighting stretch well beyond the nation’s boundaries. It is thought that the RSF receives assistance from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia, Libya, Chad, and Kenya. The SAF, which has faced allegations of war crimes, is backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Eritrea. Iran is also reportedly involved in supplying military help to the SAF.
Last year, U.S. intelligence officials informed the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal that the UAE was thought to have provided the RSF with "sophisticated Chinese-manufactured drones together with light weapons, heavy machine guns, vehicles, artillery, mortars, and supplies." The report referenced Cameron Hudson, who previously served as chief of staff to various special envoys for Sudan, stating that the "one factor sustaining their involvement in this conflict is the" huge volume of military assistance that they are getting from the UAE."
"the conflict would end if it weren't for the uae," he maintained.
In 2025, the human rights group Amnesty International uncovered proof indicating that the United Arab Emirates likely resold Chinese-manufactured arms to the RSF.
The United Arab Emirates has dismissed the claims. Salem Aljaberi, the UAE's assistant minister for security and military matters, stated that Amnesty International's assertions were "unfounded" and did not have "verified proof."
Soldiers of fortune from Colombia along with RSF
Towards the end of May, Human Rights Watch released a report titled "From Bogota to El Fasher: The UAE's Involvement in Sending Colombian Mercenaries and Providing Support to the Rapid Response Force in Sudan." This 83-page publication outlines how numerous Colombian fighters have been enlisted to battle with the RSF in Sudan starting from 2024. According to the findings, a recruitment firm based in Colombia collaborated with the "Global Security Services Group (GSSG) headquartered in Abu Dhabi," which seems to have employed these contractors sent to Sudan.
"Fortunately for us, Colombian contractors aren't particularly careful about hygiene on their social media, allowing us to gather significant data from their TikTok profiles and other public posts online, enabling us to track their locations at these critical UAE military facilities prior to their deployment to Sudan," said Joey Shea from Human Rights Watch to the U.S. news outlet Democracy Now.
HRW interviewed two Colombian military consultants who were sent to Sudan, three ex-Colombian officers, a previous GSSG worker, inhabitants of El Fasher, and additional informants when preparing their report. They also reviewed corporate files, government papers, and visual materials. The report mentioned that certain pictures displayed Spanish-speaking private military contractors (PMCs), believed to be from Colombia, along with RSF combatants in Sudan. Other footage captured training activities at armed forces installations in the United Arab Emirates.
"During our inquiry, we recorded that this security firm based in Abu Dhabi, Global Security Services Group, seems to have recruited hundreds of these Colombian combatants prior to their deployment to fight side-by-side with the Rapid Support Forces, an armed organization charged with war crimes and atrocities against humanity in Sudan," Shea stated.
Some experts think that ex-Colombian soldiers were hired to battle in Sudan due to their significant battlefield experience and familiarity with U.S.-made weaponry. In a report, Human Rights Watch mentioned that based on news sources, "UAE officials have been recruiting Colombian defense and military staff since at least 2011." The organization noted that in Sudan, "the UAE seems to be following the same strategy."
The New York Times, United Nations officials, and human rights groups such as ours have consistently highlighted the UAE's military backing for the RSF," stated Shea. "However, the global community has stayed quiet. Even now, none of the European Union member states, the EU itself, the U.S., or the UK have openly condemned the UAE's involvement in financing and providing military assistance to the Rapid Support Forces.
In April, the security research group Conflict Insights released a report using information gathered from monitoring the mobile devices of Colombian combatants, claiming that the UAE contributed to the collapse of El Fasher. Their inquiry uncovered a military training center in Ghayathi, United Arab Emirates, where Colombian hired soldiers worked under the "Desert Wolves" unit headed by former Colombian Army Colonel Alvaro Quijano. The U.S. and U.K. have imposed penalties on him for supporting conflict in Sudan.
Similarly, the UAE rejects these claims. "We are urging an immediate halt to hostilities," said Anwar Mohammad Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president, during an interview with Reuters at the end of 2025. "Most crucially, we do not envision Sudan's future under a military regime. Instead, we believe in a civilian-led transition for Sudan."
'Hallmarks of genocide'
Defections within the RSF, repeated accusations directed at the UAE, and inquiries regarding Colombian combatants highlight how extensive this conflict has become outside of Sudan. However, for those civilians who are dying, injured, or forced to flee their homes, these developments make minimal impact. Human rights groups have recorded large-scale massacres and various offenses committed against non-combatants. A UN fact-finding mission has determined that the siege of El Fasher showed the" hallmarks of genocide ."
The It is believed that RSF was responsible for the deaths of approximately 70,000 individuals. in El Fasher alone.
Aid groups state that Sudan is now home to the biggest and most rapidly expanding displacement and humanitarian emergency globally, with the World Food Programme noting that Sudan deals with one of the world's most significant food crises. hunger crises.
Approximately 12 million people have been displaced from their residences, with nearly 20 million experiencing severe food shortages.
This article was translated from German.
Author: Diana Hodali