Sudan Submits New Documents to UN Security Council Accusing UAE of Recruiting Mercenaries for the RSF

 

Sudan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Harith Idris, submitted new documents to the UN and the UN Security Council, confirming the United Arab Emirates’ involvement in recruiting foreign mercenaries for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

 

 

In his letter to UN Security Council President Ambassador Sangjin Kim and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Harith stated that Sudan is providing well-documented, alarming evidence of direct UAE intervention, including the recruitment, funding, and deployment of foreign mercenaries to fight alongside the RSF, based on instructions from the Sudanese government.

 

 

 

He explained that this intervention, which prolonged the war, vandalized vital infrastructure, and caused immense civilian suffering, constitutes a grave violation of Sudan’s sovereignty and international humanitarian law, and represents a direct threat to regional peace and security.

 

 

The Sudanese authorities gathered evidence indicating that UAE-based private security companies recruited between 350 and 380 mercenaries, mostly retired Colombian army officers and soldiers, under the pretext of providing “security and protection services,” but in reality transported them to Sudan for combat.

 

 

 

The companies involved included Global Security Services, owned by UAE citizen Mohammed Hamdan Al-Zaabi, and the International Services Agency, co-founded by retired Colombian Colonel Alvaro Cuichano, operating from Al Ain city.

 

 

Combat Operations

 

 

Harith Idris stated that the mercenaries were flown from the UAE to Bosaso in Puntland, Somalia, then to Benghazi, Libya, under supervision of associates of retired General Khalifa Haftar, before being transported across the desert through Chad into Sudan.

 

 

Authorities recorded 248 flights totaling 15,268 flight hours from November 2024 to February 2025, using aircraft chartered by the UAE to smuggle mercenaries, weapons, and military equipment into Sudan, particularly to Nyala, El-Fashir, and Hamrat-al-Sheikh.

 

 

The first batch of 172 Colombian mercenaries arrived in El-Fashir in November 2024, followed by additional groups who participated in the current military siege and attacks on the city.

 

 

Harith Idris highlighted that foreign mercenaries fought across Khartoum, Omdurman, Al Gezira, White Nile, Sennar, Blue Nile, Kordofan, and Darfur, operating RSF drones, artillery, armored vehicles, and taking part in direct attacks.

 

 

The Sudanese government obtained detailed training manuals prepared by the mercenaries for RSF fighters, covering urban warfare, open-field combat tactics, fire coordination, and use of heavy weaponry.

 

 

Alarmingly, there is evidence that mercenaries trained child soldiers aged 10 to 12.

 

 

Types of Violations

 

 

Harith Idris stated that foreign mercenaries were involved in serious violations, including extrajudicial killings, with 73 civilians killed by snipers, artillery, suicide drones, and raids, and 115 civilian buildings devastated between 22 January and 11 February 2025 alone.

 

 

Colombian mercenaries also directly trained minors in weapon use and combat operations.

 

 

The government obtained a classified 18-page operations order, in Spanish, dated 1 December 2024 from El-Fashir, detailing the deployment of the Colombian mercenary unit called “Desert Wolves Battalion”, its chain of command, operational protocols, and mission objectives.

 

 

The documents revealed the use of white phosphorus munitions, strictly prohibited in civilian areas due to severe incendiary effects.

 

 

The letter also included lists of weapons and supplies requested by the mercenaries from Colonel Alvaro Cuichano in Al Ain, UAE, including firearms, ammunition, food rations, medical supplies, and banned chemical agents.

Sudanese forces seized Starlink communication devices registered to the mercenaries, recording their serial numbers.

The government also obtained the Desert Wolves’ detailed operational plan for besieging and occupying El-Fashir.

Clear Crimes

 

Harith Idris stated that UAE aircraft and logistical networks were used to smuggle Sudan’s natural resources, including gold, livestock, and gum arabic.

 

He emphasized that the attached evidence shows UAE’s participation in a systematic campaign to undermine Sudan’s peace, security, and sovereignty by recruiting, funding, and deploying mercenaries alongside the RSF.

 

 

Harith noted that the UAE intends to continue systematic attacks on Sudanese civilians, disregarding international law and basic human rights.

 

 

He added that the UAE’s reservation upon joining the 1948 Genocide Convention, which rejected Article 9 granting the International Court of Justice jurisdiction over disputes, signals its intent to evade accountability and perpetuate impunity.

 

 

Demands… Will They Be Enforced?

 

The UN Security Council President circulated a copy of Sudan’s letter to council members, officially registered as S/2025/555.

 

 

Harith stated that the UAE-recruited mercenaries serve as tools in a proxy war orchestrated abroad to undermine Sudanese sovereignty.

 

 

He explained that the war in Sudan is an external aggression, funded, coordinated, and supported by the UAE through criminal networks that recruit mercenaries, commit massacres, and deploy them to fight. Abu Dhabi is not merely an observer but a key actor in the conflict.

 

 

The letter aims to inform the UN Security Council about the situation and the role of external actors in escalating the war.

 

 

Harith Idris called on the council to take measures to investigate and condemn the illegal cross-border flow of foreign mercenaries, hold perpetrators accountable, and classify the RSF as a terrorist organization, highlighting its threat to African and the Sahel security, and naming countries and individuals supporting the militia.