GENEVA - Foreign recruitment and external support networks are fuelling the war in Sudan, strengthening the military capabilities of the country's warring parties and enabling increasingly sophisticated military operations with devastating consequences for civilians, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said in a new report today.
The report, "Fuelling Sudan's conflict: weapons, fighters and external support networks," documents how transnational entities operating across several countries have recruited, trained and deployed foreign personnel to support the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while also facilitating the transfer of weapons, ammunition, military technology and logistical support. The report also finds reasonable grounds to believe that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used foreign-supplied drones in its operations that harmed civilians and civilian objects.
States linked to these supply chains are under strict international legal obligations to exercise due diligence, investigate and halt illicit mercenary and supply networks operating from or through their territories, prevent violations, and enforce the UN arms embargo.
Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects constitutes war crimes. "The consequences of this external support are being felt most acutely by civilians," said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. "This external support has not brought greater protection for civilians. Instead, civilians are paying the price through attacks on homes, hospitals, schools, markets and places of refuge."
The Mission documented the deployment of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors who directly operated combat drones, artillery, and advanced weapons alongside RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan.
The report found reasonable grounds to believe that private entities, logistics intermediaries, and recruiters operating from countries, including Colombia and the United Arab Emirates, used transit locations in Chad, southeastern Libya and Bosaso in Somalia to facilitate the delivery of personnel, training, weapons and logistics to the RSF in Sudan.
"We found a transnational chain of networks spanning several countries that provided the RSF with foreign personnel, training, weapons, and logistics," said Mona Rishmawi, expert member of the Fact-Finding Mission. "This support fed into RSF operations in Zamzam camp and later during the takeover of El-Fasher, where the Mission documented grave human rights and international humanitarian law violations and international crimes,, including conduct displaying hallmarks of genocide."
The report also found that foreign suppliers have substantially enhanced the drone capabilities of both the RSF and the SAF, enabling them to strike far beyond front lines. Documented drone attacks included RSF strikes in Kalogi, South Kordofan which killed 114 people, including around 60 children, and SAF strikes in Ad-Da'ein, East Darfur, which killed at least 70 people and destroyed a major hospital.
Repeated RSF drone strikes in El Obeid, North Kordofan, especially between July and August 2026, also progressively degraded essential infrastructure in a city already under severe strain and partial siege. Intensified drone operations repeatedly affected electricity, fuel and other infrastructure serving El-Obeid, aggravating existing constraints on water, healthcare, transport and civilian movement.
The Mission found reasonable grounds to believe that these attacks constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and may amount to war crimes.
The report stressed that continued external support despite well-documented violations raises serious concerns under international law.
"Accountability cannot stop with those who carry out the attacks," said Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, an expert member of the Fact-Finding Mission. "The full chain of responsibility must be investigated, including those who order, finance, supply or otherwise facilitate international crimes."
The Mission called on States to enforce the Darfur arms embargo, halt military transfers where there is a substantial risk of contributing to serious violations, investigate individuals and entities involved in illicit support networks, and strengthen accountability measures. It also urged the Security Council to extend the arms embargo throughout Sudan.
"The international community has been repeatedly warned about the violations unfolding in Sudan.Those warnings must now translate into action ," Othman said. "Protecting Sudan's civilians requires action not only against those fighting the war, but also against the individuals, entities and networks that enable it to continue."
Read the report's accompanying Annex
Background: The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan was established by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2023 through resolution A/HRC/RES/54/2, and its mandate was extended for an additional year until October 2026 by resolution A/HRC/RES/60/3. Its key task is "to investigate and establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of all alleged human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, including those committed against refugees, and related crimes in the context of the ongoing armed conflict that began on 15 April 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as other warring parties." The Human Rights Council additionally requested the Fact-Finding Mission to conduct urgent inquiries into alleged violations of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and related international crimes committed in and around El Fasher and El Obeid, respectively through resolutions A/HRC/S-38/1 (14 November 2025) and A/HRC/RES/62/1 (6 July 2026). The members of the Fact-Finding Mission were appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council.
