UN Panel Says Ethiopia Silent On Alleged Links To Sudan Conflict

The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan has revealed that the Ethiopian government is yet to respond to official requests regarding alleged illicit military and logistical support originating from its territory in connection with Sudan’s ongoing civil war.

According to an advance report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council for its sixty-third session, the UN panel formally submitted an inquiry to Ethiopian authorities on June 11, 2026. The communication sought clarification on allegations concerning external entities operating within several nations to support the warring factions. However, the mission confirmed that Ethiopia provided no substantive response.

The UN report details widespread, cross-border operational networks supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), encompassing recruitment, financing, weapons procurement, and logistics across multiple territories, including Chad, Colombia, Libya, Somalia, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia.

Crucially, the investigation identified foreign combatants of Ethiopian and South Sudanese nationality operating alongside RSF troops. Witnesses reported seeing “Ethiopian fighters—including women—serving predominantly in frontline combat units in El-Fasher and other active conflict zones”, states the UN report. Investigators stated that eyewitness accounts identifying fighters by language, accent, and uniform were corroborated by visual, photographic, and documentary evidence.

Beyond ground forces, the UN mission examined how foreign military transfers have expanded the long-range strike capabilities of both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) through advanced drone technology.

The report documented a major cross-border incident in late March 2026, when a drone strike attributed to the SAF targeted the primary market and a nearby water station in Yabus, located in the southern Blue Nile region near the Ethiopian border. The attack resulted in civilian casualties, severely damaged a medical facility, and cut off access to vital commercial and public services for local populations.

While investigating these cross-border dynamics, the UN mission noted varying responses from named regional governments in the Horn of Africa and beyond. Libya is among the countries responded to UN Mission enquiries, stating its ambassador was unavailable, while South Sudan requested additional time without following up. Both Ethiopia and Somalia remained entirely non-responsive.

The UN findings coincide with escalating diplomatic alarm over the regionalization of the conflict. The United States strongly condemned recent SAF airstrikes inside neighboring Chad, warning against further territorial expansion of the war.

Massad Boulos, US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs, called on the UN Security Council to urgently expand targeted sanctions and extend the existing arms embargo nationwide. Speaking in an interview with the BBC’s Focus on Africa this week, Boulos revealed that at least 12 nations are actively providing military backing to the opposing factions, warning that surging foreign interference continues to drive violence. Boulos added those 12 countries  include neighboring countries and regional actors—who are involved in supplying weapons or backing rival factions of SAF and RSF. Boulos chose not to explicitly name the 12 specific countries during the interview, noting that the identities of the involved actors are ‘well known’.

The UN mission concluded that continuous foreign intervention has bolstered the combat endurance of both the SAF and the RSF, resulting in severe violations of international humanitarian law and potential war crimes targeting hospitals, schools, markets, and displacement camps across Sudan.