Sudan: UN mission reports Ethiopian nationals among RSF foreign fighters

The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has identified Ethiopian nationals among foreign fighters serving with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), while urging the Ethiopian government to engage with its investigation into illicit activities linked to the Sudan conflict.

In its report titled “fuelling Sudan’s conflict: weapons, fighters and external support networks,” submitted to the UN Human Rights Council on 1 September 2026, the mission said witnesses reported fighters from Ethiopia, South Sudan and Chad serving primarily in frontline roles with the RSF. The fighters, including women, were reportedly identified in El-Fasher and elsewhere based on language, accent and, in some cases, uniforms.

The report, however, does not suggest that the Ethiopian nationals identified as fighting alongside the RSF were recruited, deployed or otherwise involved in the conflict at the direction of the Ethiopian government. Nor does it make a specific finding that the Ethiopian government supplied the RSF with weapons, financing or other forms of military assistance.

The mission said its wider investigation found that foreign fighters, drone operators, technicians and military specialists had become integrated into RSF operations, including in activities involving advanced weapons systems and other military capabilities.

The report, however, does not attribute the presence of Ethiopian nationals fighting for the RSF to the Ethiopian government. Rather, it identifies a broader transnational network involving weapons, military supplies, logistical assistance, training and foreign personnel that it says helped sustain RSF military operations.

The mission separately said it had engaged with Ethiopia and several other states over allegations of support to the parties to the Sudan conflict by entities operating or registered in those countries. Chad, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates provided written and oral responses, while the mission said it received no substantive response from Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan or Somalia.

According to the report, the mission sent Ethiopia a request for information on June 11 2026 but received no substantive response. It subsequently listed Ethiopia, alongside Libya, South Sudan and Somalia, among states it considers “non-responsive.” The mission encouraged their governments to engage with it, particularly in light of evidence of illicit activities stemming from their territories documented in the report.

The report does not provide, in the section specifically addressing Ethiopia, a detailed finding that the Ethiopian government supplied weapons, financing or other military assistance to the RSF. Its explicit Ethiopia-related findings concern the reported presence of Ethiopian nationals among RSF fighters and the lack of a substantive response from Addis Ababa to the mission’s requests for information.

The mission’s findings come as fighting continues to intensify in areas of Sudan bordering Ethiopia. It documented Sudanese Armed Forces drone attacks in Yabus, southern Blue Nile, which it described as being near the Ethiopian border. A 29 or 30 March 2026 strike on the Yabus market and nearby water-pump area killed at least 13 civilians and injured others, including women and children, according to the report.

More broadly, the mission concluded that both the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces had committed serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law during drone operations, with some conduct potentially amounting to war crimes. It said external support had sustained the parties’ military capabilities and called for tighter controls on weapons, financing, personnel and technology fuelling the conflict.

The report also said the mission’s investigation into external support to the Sudanese Armed Forces remains at an initial stage, while its findings on the transnational support network benefiting the RSF were based on converging evidence collected during its investigations.

The UN mission’s findings come amid repeated accusations by Sudanese officials that Ethiopia has provided support to the RSF, allegations Addis Ababa has previously denied. Separate investigations by Reuters and the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) have also reported evidence pointing to alleged Ethiopian support for the paramilitary group.

The latest accusation came on 3 September 2026, when Sudan Tribune reported that Abdelati Mohamed El Faki, commissioner of Kurmuk, accused the RSF of operating four training camps inside Ethiopian territory, allegedly with backing from the United Arab Emirates. El Faki claimed the facilities were being used to train RSF fighters and foreign mercenaries and to support drone operations and logistical activities. Sudan Tribune said it could not independently verify the allegations. Ethiopia has previously rejected accusations that it facilitates arms transfers or training for the RSF, while the UAE has repeatedly denied providing military support to the group.

Earlier, on 9 April 2026, Addis Standard reported on findings by Yale HRL alleging Ethiopian military support to the RSF. The report, published on 8 April and based on satellite imagery and open-source data collected between late December 2025 and late March 2026, said it had found “high confidence” evidence of activity consistent with military assistance by Ethiopia to the RSF at an Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) base in Asosa, Benishangul-Gumuz.

According to Yale HRL, the findings constituted visual evidence that the RSF was basing attacks on Sudan’s Blue Nile State from inside Ethiopian sovereign territory. The report also said the alleged activity was taking place within an active ENDF installation and involved an armed group it described as being credibly accused of genocide, raising concerns over possible violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1591, which imposes an arms embargo in relation to the Darfur conflict.

In February 2026, Reuters reported that Ethiopia was allegedly hosting a training camp for fighters linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), citing multiple diplomatic, security, and government sources – claims that pointed to a possible deepening of regional involvement in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. Ethiopian authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations.

The Reuters investigation, based on interviews with 15 sources – including Ethiopian officials, diplomats, and security personnel – as well as satellite imagery analysis, said the camp was located in the remote Benishangul-Gumuz region near the Sudan border. According to the report, the facility could serve as a recruitment and training site for RSF fighters as hostilities continue in Sudan.

Reuters further reported that eight sources, including a senior Ethiopian government official, alleged that the United Arab Emirates financed the construction of the site and provided logistical and training support. However, the news agency said it could not independently verify the UAE’s involvement. In response, the UAE’s foreign ministry denied any role in the conflict, stating that it was not a party to hostilities in Sudan.

The report drew international attention. Days later, Jim Risch, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned of potential consequences. In a statement posted on social media, he said he was “concerned about reports of a UAE-linked training hub for genocidal RSF thugs in Ethiopia with possible supply routes via Somaliland,” adding that such developments “would be escalatory and further reason to designate the RSF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), bringing consequences for this regional proxy support.”News subscription service

Sudanese officials have also repeatedly accused Ethiopia of backing the RSF. In March 2026, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP), a Sudanese regional official aligned with the military alleged Ethiopian involvement in cross-border attacks.