# UN Investigators Link UAE‑Tied Contractors to Recruiting Colombians for Sudan’s RSF

*Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 10:06 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-11-05T22:06:32.063Z (53m ago)
**Category**: intelligence | **Region**: Africa
**Importance**: 8/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/22619.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: UN investigators say private contractors linked to the UAE recruited Colombian fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, offering the most detailed UN account so far of Emirati involvement in the war and increasing scrutiny of a senior Emirati diplomat’s bid to lead the UN.

Sudan’s war is drawing fresh attention to foreign involvement after United Nations investigators detailed how outside actors have helped supply fighters.

According to a UN investigation reported on 5 November, private contractors linked to the United Arab Emirates recruited Colombian fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. The RSF is a powerful paramilitary group that has been fighting Sudan’s army in a conflict that has devastated Khartoum and other regions.

Investigators describe their findings as the most detailed UN accounting yet of the Emirati role in Sudan’s war. Their report says contractors with ties to the UAE were involved in sourcing and sending Colombian ex-soldiers to fight alongside the RSF. The available reporting does not state that these actions were ordered directly by the Emirati government, but the description of the contractors as UAE‑linked raises political questions.

For civilians in Sudan, the reported recruitment pipeline means more trained personnel joining an already lethal force. Each group of experienced fighters added to RSF ranks can change conditions in neighborhoods and towns where battles are under way, prolonging clashes over markets, roads, and basic services.

The UN findings also land at a sensitive moment for the UAE’s diplomacy. Contractors tied to the country are now accused of feeding a war at the same time Emirati diplomat Lana Nusseibeh is seeking to lead the UN. The investigation is intensifying scrutiny of her bid, because the secretary-general’s role includes responding to exactly the kind of cross-border intervention the report describes.

The case illustrates how some foreign governments and their associates now shape African conflicts. Instead of sending national troops, they rely on private contractors, foreign veterans, and opaque logistics chains that move personnel between continents.

African institutions are trying to respond to similar patterns elsewhere. The African Union has condemned external interference in the continent’s conflicts and has set up a Sahel Special Task Force to strengthen counterterrorism efforts and address security challenges in that region, including by engaging member states that are currently suspended from the Union. While the Sahel initiative is separate from Sudan, it reflects a broader desire among African governments to regain control over security agendas on the continent.

Next steps will show how far the UN and member states want to push this issue. Diplomats will be watching for any direct impact on Nusseibeh’s candidacy, for moves to dig deeper into Emirati-linked entities, and for on-the-ground evidence that foreign fighters are present in RSF units or arriving through defined routes.