A United Nations fact-finding mission reported on Thursday that foreign weapons, military technology, hired fighters, and logistical support are sustaining Sudan’s civil war and expanding the warring parties’ ability to strike civilian areas with drones. Investigators found credible grounds that a network involving individuals and entities based in the United Arab Emirates, Chad, Libya, and Somalia has supplied the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with weapons, equipment, training, logistics, and foreign personnel. Additionally, the mission identified evidence that up to 2,000 Colombian contractors have been involved in operating and maintaining drone systems and other advanced weaponry used by the RSF.
According to investigators, drone strikes killed more than 1,000 people during just the first five months of 2026. The report accused both the Sudanese army and the RSF of committing serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in their drone operations, noting that some conduct may amount to war crimes. Investigators specifically highlighted foreign-supplied combat drones and loitering munitions that extended the army’s long-range strike capacity, including weapons used in an attack on a civilian market in Blue Nile State that killed and wounded numerous bystanders.
Sudan’s war began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the regular armed forces and the RSF. The conflict has displaced more than 14 million people, creating one of the world’s largest displacement crises, and pushed parts of the country into famine. Investigators urged the governments named in the report to investigate and prosecute those suspected of violating sanctions or facilitating war crimes through arms transfers.