Why Sudan is accusing neighbouring countries of supplying fighters

Prosecutor General Intisar Ahmed Abdel Mutaal said criminal cases have been opened against about 122 foreign mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF. She said the fighters were recruited from Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Colombia, according to Sudanese investigations.

Speaking to a Turkish media delegation, Abdel Mutaal said some of the foreign fighters have already been sentenced to death, while others are facing ongoing trials. She added that Sudanese authorities have documented cases in which weapons were allowed to pass through neighbouring countries to reach rebel forces.

The prosecutor also claimed her office had obtained physical evidence linking the United Arab Emirates to support for the RSF, an allegation the UAE has previously denied.

Sudan’s authorities say the use of foreign fighters has worsened the conflict and contributed to widespread abuses against civilians. Abdel Mutaal accused the RSF of committing systematic sexual violence, including against minors, and of recruiting children into the fighting.

She said 135 children who had been recruited into the conflict were recently handed back to their families with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The prosecutor detailed alleged atrocities in several regions, including attacks against the Masalit community in El Geneina and assaults in Kadugli and Dilling that killed more than 100 people, mostly women and children. She also cited the shelling of a kindergarten during a graduation ceremony as part of the investigation.

Since the war began, Sudan’s National Committee for Investigating Crimes has recorded more than 188,000 criminal cases, some of which have been referred to special courts. Earlier this month, Sudan’s Anti-Terrorism Court in Port Sudan began trials against 201 defendants, including senior RSF figures and political leaders, on charges ranging from inciting war to undermining the constitutional system.