Mobile Phone Tracking Exposes UAE-Backed Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan's El-Fasher Capture
A recent investigation by the Conflict Insights Group (CIG) has presented evidence directly linking a network of Colombian mercenaries, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture of el-Fasher, Sudan. The report, drawing on mobile phone tracking data from the Colombian fighters, challenges the UAE's consistent denials of involvement in the three-year conflict.
Justin Lynch, CIG director, stated this research offers definitive proof of UAE involvement, a connection he claims governments have long acknowledged privately. The report outlines how mercenaries, involved in drone operations, travelled from a UAE base to Sudan prior to the RSF's takeover of el-Fasher. Intriguingly, some mercenary units even used their unit names for Wi-Fi networks, which were subsequently traced to a UAE-operated company.
The CIG utilised commercially available tracking technology to monitor over 50 mobile phones in Sudan between April 2025 and January of this year. These devices, operated by Colombian mercenaries, were located in RSF-held territories where drone operations were conducted. Complementary data from flight tracking, satellite imagery, social media, and other open-source information corroborated the findings.
The data meticulously details a logistical pipeline, showing the mercenaries present at various regional staging grounds, including a UAE military training facility in Ghayathi, Abu Dhabi. One device was tracked from Colombia to Abu Dhabi's Zayed International Airport, then to the Ghayathi facility, where four other Spanish-configured devices were identified. Subsequently, two of these phones travelled to South Darfur state, Sudan, and one to Nyala, the de-facto RSF capital, where it connected to Wi-Fi networks named "ANTIAEREO" and "AirDefense". Nyala is known as a hub for Colombian mercenaries and RSF drone activities.
Another case study tracked a phone from Colombia to Nyala and then to el-Fasher in North Darfur state during the RSF's October takeover of the city. While in el-Fasher, the device connected to a Wi-Fi network named "ATACADOR". The CIG identified other devices linked to Colombian mercenaries present during the RSF assault.
The fall of el-Fasher was marked by mass atrocities, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor assessing them as war crimes and crimes against humanity, and UN investigators noting the "hallmarks of genocide". The CIG's report asserts that the "UAE-Colombian mercenary network bears shared responsibility for these outcomes," citing the indispensable role of mercenary-provided drone operations in the siege and scale of atrocities.
The mercenaries operated under the
