London/Washington, DC, November 5 (Darfur24)
A new investigation by the U.S.-based organization The Sentry alleges business ties between one of the United Arab Emirates’ most senior government officials and a businessman accused of supplying foreign mercenaries to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the recent siege of El Fasher.
The report states that Colombian fighters calling themselves the “Desert Wolves” were deployed alongside RSF forces, and in some cases trained child soldiers, during the 18-month siege that culminated in the RSF’s capture of the city late last month.
Human rights groups and local monitors have reported mass killings with suspected ethnic targeting following the takeover.
According to the investigation, Emirati businessman Mohamed Hamdan Alzaabi, whose company Global Security Services Group (GSSG) has been accused of recruiting Colombian fighters, also holds business interests in other security firms jointly with Ahmed Mohamed Al Humairi, the Secretary-General of the UAE Presidential Court.
“The involvement of Alzaabi, a man trusted enough to be a longtime business partner to Al Humairi, in supplying mercenaries to the RSF could indicate support at senior levels of the UAE government. This raises the question of who is funding the deployment,” Nick Donovan, an investigator with The Sentry, said.
Leaked documents reported by Colombian media outlet La Silla Vacía show that GSSG contracted the Colombian recruitment agency International Services Agency (also known as A4SI) to recruit former soldiers. The report states that salaries were paid through an offshore-linked company, Global Staffing SA, registered in Panama.
John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry, said, “El Fasher has seen some of the most horrific violence in the world today, worsened by the presence of mercenaries. Governments should urgently investigate these companies and impose sanctions if they are supplying personnel to the RSF.”
In September 2025, the Sudanese government filed a complaint to the UN Security Council naming GSSG and A4SI and accusing the UAE of interfering in the conflict. The Colombian government has publicly denounced the recruitment of its former soldiers for foreign conflicts.
The UAE has denied supplying the RSF or facilitating mercenary operations, saying previous accusations were based on “fabricated evidence.”
The report recommended that the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union investigate and, if warranted, sanction individuals and companies linked to the alleged recruitment networks.
It further advised that financial institutions should conduct enhanced monitoring of transactions linked to UAE-based security companies and their suppliers.