Sudan claims UAE recruiting mercenaries from Colombia, Africa to aid RSF
Sudan's Foreign Ministry levelled the allegations in a recent statement, claiming to have "irrefutable evidence" to support the claims.
Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of recruiting and financing foreign mercenaries, including fighters from Colombia and neighbouring African nations, to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in its ongoing war against the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
Sudan's Foreign Ministry levelled the allegations in a recent statement, claiming to have "irrefutable evidence" to support the claims.
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While it stopped short of revealing specifics or naming the neighbouring countries allegedly involved, the ministry described the deployment of mercenaries as an "unprecedented phenomenon" and warned that it poses a grave threat to peace and stability across the region.
According to AP News, the UAE swiftly denied the allegations, with the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissing the claims as baseless, adding that they are an attempt to deflect attention from efforts to end the conflict and initiate a peaceful transition.
"The UAE emphasises that these claims are merely attempts to derail the peace process and evade the moral, legal, and humanitarian obligations to end the conflict and pave the way for a transitional process that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese people for security, stability and development," the statement by the ministry's media office said.
Earlier this week, the Sudanese army accused RSF of handing over control of the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur to Colombian mercenaries
The fresh allegations emerged as the Sudanese army released video footage, reportedly retrieved from the phone of a deceased fighter, which appears to show Spanish-speaking men. The army claims these individuals, believed to be Colombian mercenaries, were killed in recent clashes around El Fasher.
The Colombian government has previously expressed regret over the involvement of its citizens as mercenaries in Sudan, stating it was "shocked and dismayed" by their participation in the conflict and promising to repatriate those identified.
The war between Sudan's military and the RSF began in April 2023, initially erupting in the capital Khartoum before spreading across the country.
The conflict has since killed more than 40,000 people, displaced approximately 12 million, and left millions at risk of famine.
Khartoum has previously accused the UAE of supplying weapons to the RSF, an assertion the Gulf state has consistently denied.
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