Colombians Atrocities UAE: Training Bases Exposed

Colombians linked to atrocities in Sudan received training at UAE military bases, according to a report released by Human Rights Watch today. The investigation reveals that Colombian private military contractors were reportedly hired by a UAE-based firm. They transited through UAE military installations before being deployed to Sudan to assist the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an armed group accused of committing severe human rights violations. This further substantiates claims that the UAE is providing crucial military aid, enabling the RSF to perpetrate war crimes. The 83-page report titled “From Bogotá to El Fasher: UAE’s Role in the Deployment of Colombian Fighters and Other Backing to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan” presents evidence that since 2024, the Abu Dhabi-based Global Security Services Group (GSSG) has enlisted hundreds of Colombian contractors. These individuals were deployed to Sudan to join the RSF in their conflict against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Human Rights Watch found that Colombian contractors were present in El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, in October 2025, coinciding with the RSF's takeover of the city, which resulted in mass killings and sexual violence. The UN International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan has characterized these events as showing "the hallmarks of genocide." Mausi Segun, the executive director of the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch, remarked, "The recruitment of Colombian private military contractors adds to a growing body of evidence that the UAE provides military support to the Rapid Support Forces, which have repeatedly carried out heinous atrocities in Sudan. Governments should publicly demand that the UAE cease supplying weapons, equipment, personnel, and other military assistance to the Rapid Support Forces." The organization interviewed various individuals, including two Colombian contractors, one former GSSG employee, eight residents from El Fasher, and seven additional sources, including ex-Colombian military personnel. They reviewed corporate records and official documents, alongside verifying and geolocating images and videos shared online, some of which displayed contractors fighting alongside the RSF in Sudan and receiving training in UAE military facilities. Although the recruitment was purportedly managed by private entities, Human Rights Watch identified that the contractors passed through a military base in Ghiyathi and another facility in Al Wathba, located in Abu Dhabi. One contractor revealed that upon arriving in the UAE, they skipped immigration checks, stating, "They didn’t stamp our passports." He was quickly moved to the Ghiyathi base for training by Emirati personnel. Further, Human Rights Watch identified additional contractors whose verified images and videos confirmed they made stopovers in the UAE before deployment to Sudan. Social media footage from November 2024, approximately 19 months into the conflict, marked the first public evidence of Colombian forces in Sudan. The Joint Forces of the Armed Movements, a coalition allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces, captured a convoy of Colombians entering Sudan from Libya. The Colombian contractors possessed Bulgarian-made 81mm shells, which a French broadcaster reported as being diverted from UAE military supplies. These weapons represented one of three types of military equipment misappropriated by the RSF, a violation of existing end-user agreements, based on research by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Videos verified by Human Rights Watch displayed foreign private military contractors, presumably Colombians, engaged in combat during the RSF’s capture of El Fasher in fall 2025. The city’s inhabitants faced widespread atrocities, including killings, rape, starvation, and targeting of vulnerable individuals. Witnesses reported sighting “white” foreign fighters at the mass killing sites, wearing similar protective gear shown in the videos: helmets, body armor, and kneepads. One Colombian contractor admitted he trained RSF recruits in camps around Nyala, the RSF's primary base in South Darfur, around April 2025. Some contractors were reportedly involved in training child soldiers for the RSF, as noted by the Colombian outlet La Silla Vacía. International law strictly prohibits the recruitment or use of children in armed conflict, constituting a war crime if the participants are under 15 years old. The UN secretary-general verified 16 instances of child recruitment by the RSF in 2024 and included them in the UN's “list of shame” for grave violations against children in warfare. Founded in 2016 by Ahmed Mohammed al-Humairi, secretary general of the UAE’s presidential court, GSSG has been scrutinized for its connections. Al-Humairi reports to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s vice president and brother of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Reports indicate that in 2017, al-Humairi sold his shares in GSSG to Mohamed Hamdan al-Zaabi, a long-time business associate. GSSG promotes itself as “the first private security firm in the UAE to obtain an armed security license.” It has previously claimed to have key Emirati ministries as clients and reported being the “only armed private security service provider” for the UAE government. A former employee asserted that senior figures within the ruling family likely represented GSSG's clientele, a statement corroborated by leaked emails examined by Human Rights Watch. The UAE has consistently denied providing military backing to the RSF, asserting that any support offered is humanitarian in nature. However, authorities in the UAE should be fully aware of activities occurring within their territories, especially on military grounds. The UAE operates as a centralized authoritarian regime. According to UAE law, private security firms must coordinate their operations with national authorities to ensure congruence with other security measures. Human Rights Watch contacted GSSG, the UAE authorities, and other implicated parties concerning the apparent recruitment and military support to the RSF but received no responses. The UN Security Council should direct its Panel of Experts on Sudan to investigate GSSG and al-Zaabi for involvement in supporting the RSF, potentially in breach of the 2004 UN Security Council arms embargo on Darfur. The council should also examine other entities potentially assisting the RSF and impose sanctions on those providing such backing. Governments, along with the European and African Unions, ought to investigate GSSG and al-Zaabi, aiming for targeted sanctions. States should halt all military associations with the UAE and arms sales. The EU and others should leverage bilateral negotiations with the UAE to pressure for the cessation of RSF support. Segun concluded, “Civilian victims are bearing the consequences of the reluctance to confront the UAE’s support for the RSF. Other nations need to dismiss the UAE’s broad denials, which contradict the facts, and put an end to its impunity for war crimes and crimes against humanity.” For further insights, see reports by [Amnesty International](https://www.amnesty.org) and [UN Human Rights](https://www.un.org/humanrights). For more on related topics, visit [www.globemigrant.com/uae-atrocities](http://www.globemigrant.com/uae-atrocities) and [www.globemigrant.com/military-contractors-sudan](http://www.globemigrant.com/military-contractors-sudan). Source link: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/25/sudan-colombians-linked-to-atrocities-trained-in-uae-bases

Colombians Atrocities UAE: Training Bases Exposed

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