A covert network of Colombian mercenaries, financed and directed by the United Arab Emirates, provided decisive military support that enabled Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to capture the strategic city of el-Fasher last year, according to a groundbreaking new investigation.
"We are making public what governments have long known—that there is a direct link between Abu Dhabi and the RSF," said Justin Lynch, director of the Conflict Insights Group (CIG), which conducted the research.
The report, based on mobile phone tracking, flight data, and satellite imagery, details a clear pipeline. Investigators followed devices from Colombia to a UAE military facility in Ghayathi, Abu Dhabi, and then directly to RSF strongholds in Sudan.
Key findings include:
- Phones configured to Spanish (Colombia's language) were tracked from the UAE to Nyala, a major RSF drone operations hub in Sudan's South Darfur state.
- In Nyala, devices connected to wi-fi networks explicitly named "ANTIAEREO" (anti-aircraft) and "AirDefense."
- A specific phone was tracked from Colombia to el-Fasher during the RSF's brutal October 2023 takeover, where it connected to a network named "ATACADOR" (attacker).
The fall of el-Fasher after an 18-month siege was one of the conflict's most horrific episodes, marked by atrocities that UN investigators say bear the "hallmarks of genocide." The CIG asserts the mercenary network bears shared responsibility.
"The scale of atrocities and siege in el-Fasher wouldn't have happened without the drone operations the mercenaries provided," Lynch stated.
The mercenaries are identified as operating under the "Desert Wolves" brigade, led by sanctioned retired Colombian Colonel Alvaro Quijano, who is based in the UAE. The brigade is reportedly paid by a UAE-based company with ties to senior Emirati officials.
The UAE has consistently denied supporting the RSF, calling such allegations "false and unfounded." However, this investigation claims to be the first to provide concrete, device-level proof of the connection, tracking over 50 phones linked to Colombian fighters.
Analysts note that foreign support has been crucial in prolonging and intensifying Sudan's civil war, which has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The U.S. has recently sanctioned additional Colombian individuals and companies for their role in recruiting fighters for the conflict.