Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission reports that transnational entities are facilitating the recruitment, training, and deployment of foreign personnel to support the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. The report also details assistance in transferring weapons, ammunition, military technology, and logistical support to enhance the RSF's capabilities.
The mission highlights the presence of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors operating combat drones, artillery, and advanced weapons with RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan. It indicates that private entities and facilitators from countries including Colombia and the United Arab Emirates use transit points in Chad, southeastern Libya, and Bosaso in Somalia to deliver personnel, training, and supplies to the RSF.
According to the report, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have also used foreign-supplied drones in operations that have harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure. Both RSF and SAF have expanded drone capabilities, increasing the range of their strikes.
Fact-Finding Mission Chair Mohamad Chande Othman stated that external support has not protected civilians but instead has led to increased attacks on homes, hospitals, schools, markets, and places of refuge. The mission stresses States' international legal obligations to investigate and halt illicit mercenary and supply networks, and to enforce the UN arms embargo.
Expert member Mona Rishmawi described a transnational network spanning several countries that provides the RSF with foreign personnel, training, weapons, and logistics, supporting operations involving serious human rights violations and international crimes, including acts resembling genocide.