Links Revealed Between Top UAE Government Official and Emirati Supplier of Mercenaries to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher

Report identifies business ties that indicate further linkages between the UAE and the RSF, which has been accused of committing genocide

November 5, 2025 (London and Washington, DC) – A new investigation by The Sentry reveals the close relationship between the United Arab Emirates’ most senior bureaucrat and the businessman supplying Colombian mercenaries to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in Sudan.

The revelation comes amid reports of Colombian mercenaries—calling themselves the Desert Wolves—joining the fighting in the western city of El Fasher and training child soldiers for the brutal paramilitary group. Last week, after a brutal 18-month siege, El Fasher fell to RSF, with reports emerging of horrific atrocities, including suspected ethnically motivated mass killings.

The report, “Sudan Mercenaries Linked to Business Partner of Top UAE Bureaucrat,” describes how Mohamed Hamdan Alzaabi, the Emirati businessman accused of supplying mercenaries via his firm Global Security Services Group (GSSG), also owns interests in other security companies with Ahmed Mohamed Al Humairi, the longstanding secretary general of the Presidential Court in the UAE.

Nick Donovan, Investigator at The Sentry, said: “The Sentry has already detailed how the UAE permits RSF front companies to operate on its soil. The involvement of Alzaabi, a man trusted enough to be a longtime business partner to Al Humairi, in supplying mercenaries to the RSF could be an indicator of support for the militia at the highest levels of the UAE government. The relationship raises the question: Who is paying Alzaabi’s firm to supply mercenaries?”

GSSG contracted with a Colombian security recruitment agency, International Services Agency (also known as the Academy for Security Instruction, or A4SI) to supply hundreds of former soldiers to support the RSF, according to leaked documents obtained by Colombian media outlet La Silla Vacía. A4SI is reportedly controlled by Álvaro Quijano, a retired Colombian colonel based in the UAE, and salary payments to the contracted mercenaries are processed through Panama registered company Global Staffing, which pays the soldiers via an offshore account.

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of The Sentry, said: “El Fasher is experiencing some of the most horrific war crimes in the world today, undoubtedly made worse by mercenaries. Governments should urgently further investigate these businessmen and companies and impose sanctions if they are currently supplying mercenaries to support the brutal Rapid Support Forces militia.”

In September 2025, the Sudanese government submitted a complaint to the United Nations Security Council naming both GSSG and A4SI and accusing the UAE of meddling in its ongoing war. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has denounced “mercenarismo” and apologized to Sudan’s government. The UAE has publicly denied providing supplies or support to the RSF and says claims that the country supplies mercenaries are based on fabricated evidence.

Key recommendations detailed in the report:

• The United States, European Union, and United Kingdom should investigate and, if appropriate, sanction Mohamed Hamdan Alzaabi, Global Security Services Group, Álvaro Quijano, Claudia Oliveros, International Services Agency (A4SI), and Global Staffing SA under authorities related to Sudan or other applicable programs for activities related to undermining the peace, security, and stability of Sudan and providing material support to sanctioned members of the RSF.
• Financial institutions should conduct enhanced due diligence on customers and transactions involving UAE private security providers, their owners, and their suppliers—particularly transactions involving Mohamed Hamdan Alzaabi, Global Security Services Group, Álvaro Quijano, Claudia Oliveros, International Services Agency (A4SI), and Global Staffing SA.

Read the full investigative report: https://thesentry.org/reports/sudan-mercenaries-rsf-uae-bureaucrat/

For media inquiries, please contact: Jen Lonnquest, Deputy Director of Communications, [email protected]

About The Sentry
(Short descriptor for press use: “The Sentry, an investigative organization that tracks corruption.”)

The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization that seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy. Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts. Learn more at: https://TheSentry.org