HRW says UAE deployed Colombian contractors to Sudan

A new report from Human Rights Watch alleges the United Arab Emirates has facilitated the deployment of Colombian private military contractors to support Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused of widespread atrocities. The findings add to a growing body of evidence of external military backing for the RSF in its ongoing war against the Sudanese Armed Forces.

The 83-page report details how the Abu Dhabi-based security company Global Security Services Group (GSSG) has, since 2024, hired hundreds of Colombian contractors who were later deployed to Sudan. According to the rights group, these personnel transited through UAE military facilities, including a base in Ghiyathi and an apparent military facility in Al Wathba, both in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, before their deployment.

One contractor interviewed stated that upon arrival in the UAE, he and others bypassed standard immigration controls. Their passports were not stamped, and they were transported directly to the Ghiyathi base, where they received training from Emirati nationals. Human Rights Watch said it verified photographs and videos showing contractors at UAE military sites and later fighting alongside...