Geneva (WDN) — A new United Nations investigation has found that Sudan’s devastating war has expanded far beyond the country’s borders, with transnational networks operating across the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, Chad, Libya and Somalia allegedly facilitating the movement of fighters, weapons, military equipment, training and logistical support to forces involved in the conflict.

The findings were published on September 3, 2026, by the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, which said it had found reasonable grounds to believe that a cross-border network had provided military support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting Sudan’s armed forces since April 2023.

The alleged assistance includes weapons and ammunition, military equipment, training, logistical support and foreign military personnel. One of the report’s most significant findings concerns the recruitment and deployment of former Colombian military personnel. The investigators said hundreds—and potentially as many as 2,000—Colombian fighters were transported to Sudan to work with the RSF.

Some were reportedly involved in operating drones, artillery and other advanced weapons systems used by the paramilitary force.

The UN findings are consistent with earlier investigations by Human Rights Watch, which reported that an Abu Dhabi-based company recruited Colombian fighters, some of whom received training at facilities in the UAE before being deployed to Sudan.

The network reportedly moved personnel through several countries before they reached the battlefield. The UAE has repeatedly denied allegations that it provides military, financial or logistical support to the RSF.

Somalia’s Role in the Transit Network

Somalia features prominently in the logistical routes identified by investigators, particularly through Bosaso, the commercial hub of Puntland. Human Rights Watch documented the case of a Colombian fighter who travelled from Colombia in 2025 using commercial flights and arrived in Bosaso. He reportedly remained there for approximately 10 days with a group of about 40 other fighters.

He was subsequently transported to the United Arab Emirates, then to Chad, before ultimately reaching Nyala in South Darfur. The findings are significant because they place Somalia within a wider international logistics network connected to the Sudan conflict.

However, the evidence cited does not establish that the Federal Government of Somalia officially supports the RSF. Rather, it indicates that Somali territory—particularly Bosaso—was allegedly used as a transit point by networks moving personnel toward Sudan. That distinction is important.

Libya Route and Chad’s Strategic Position into Darfur

Libya has also emerged as a major corridor into Darfur. According to the investigations, Colombian fighters were transported from the UAE by charter aircraft to Benghazi in eastern Libya before continuing overland through the desert toward Darfur. Earlier UN reporting has identified networks operating in southern Libya that facilitate the movement of fighters, weapons and other military supplies toward RSF-controlled areas.

The vast and poorly controlled desert frontier has made the region particularly attractive to trafficking and military logistics networks. Chad also occupies a critical position in the network. Investigators found indications that fighters and military equipment moved through N’Djamena, Chad’s capital, before entering Sudan.

The Amdjarass airport in eastern Chad has previously been identified as an important transit point for weapons and military supplies allegedly destined for the RSF. The Chadian government maintains that it is neutral in the Sudan conflict and has rejected accusations that it officially supports either side.

The UAE at the Center of the Allegations

Among the countries identified in the investigations, the United Arab Emirates occupies the most prominent position. The UN and Human Rights Watch have pointed to companies and individuals based in the UAE in connection with the recruitment, training and transportation of foreign fighters.

Human Rights Watch has reported that some Colombian recruits received military training in the UAE before being sent to Sudan. The UAE has strongly rejected allegations that it provides military, financial, logistical or political support to the RSF.

The competing claims underline the need for further independent investigation into the financing, recruitment and transportation networks sustaining the conflict.

The UN Fact-Finding Mission said Sudan’s war has entered a new phase in which advanced weapons and unmanned aerial systems are playing an increasingly important role. Both sides have acquired the ability to conduct long-range attacks, contributing to civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure.

More than 1,000 people were reportedly killed in drone attacks during the first six months of 2026, according to UN findings. Some attacks struck civilian locations and infrastructure, with investigators warning that certain incidents could constitute war crimes. The report does not place responsibility exclusively on the RSF. While much of the investigation focuses on external support to the RSF, the UN also found evidence that the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have received foreign military assistance.

Investigators identified preliminary evidence that government forces have used foreign-supplied drones in operations that caused damage to civilian sites and casualties among civilians. The UN therefore stressed that both sides must be held accountable for attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure, regardless of their external sponsors.

A War Sustained by an International Network

The UN investigation fundamentally changes how Sudan’s conflict should be understood. What began in April 2023 as a devastating confrontation between the SAF and RSF has increasingly become a regionalized war sustained by networks of fighters, weapons dealers, military contractors, transport routes and foreign support structures spanning Africa and the Middle East.

The involvement of Colombia, the UAE, Chad, Libya and Somalia demonstrates the extraordinary geographic reach of those networks. Somalia’s reported role is particularly significant because the findings raise questions about how international military trafficking networks are using regional ports and transportation corridors.But the evidence must not be overstated: the identification of Bosaso as a transit point does not, by itself, establish official involvement by Puntland or the Federal Government of Somalia.

The UN Fact-Finding Mission has called on the countries concerned to dismantle the weapons and logistical networks fueling Sudan’s war. It also urged full enforcement of the UN arms embargo on Sudan and called for accountability for individuals and entities implicated in war crimes and abuses against civilians. The war has displaced more than 14 million people since April 2023, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The latest UN findings make one reality increasingly difficult to ignore:

Sudan’s war is no longer confined to Sudan. It is being sustained by a sprawling international ecosystem in which fighters can be recruited on one continent, trained in another country, transported through multiple African corridors and eventually deployed on a battlefield thousands of kilometres away.

Until those networks are disrupted, the fighting in Sudan is likely to remain far more than a domestic conflict. It has become a regional war with an increasingly global supply chain.

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