Sudan: UN Fact-Finding Mission Warns External Support Networks Are Fuelling the War and Endangering El Obeid

Summary

On 28 October 2026, Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan, presented the Mission's findings on external support for the warring parties to the General Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). He stated that "the responsibility of States extends to actions beyond their borders," according to UN Meetings Coverage.

On the same day, the Mission released a new report, "Sudan's Unrelenting War: Civilian Devastation and Deepening Insecurity in El Obeid," which documents drone attacks attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and arbitrary arrests by security actors affiliated with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the city, according to UN News.

Background

The armed conflict between the SAF and the RSF began on 15 April 2023. The Fact-Finding Mission was established by the Human Rights Council in October 2023 through resolution A/HRC/RES/54/2, and its mandate was extended until October 2026 by resolution A/HRC/RES/60/3, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Council also requested urgent inquiries into events in and around El Fasher and El Obeid.

On 3 September 2026, the Mission published its report "Fuelling Sudan's conflict: weapons, fighters and external support networks." Anadolu Agency reported that the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced around 13 million.

Key Findings

External Support Networks

According to UN Meetings Coverage, the Chair stated: "Evidence gathered by the Mission points to the involvement of individuals and entities operating from the United Arab Emirates, Chad, south-eastern Libya and Puntland, Somalia." He said that these actors were involved in transfers of weapons, drone technology, logistical support and personnel into areas controlled by the RSF.

OHCHR reported in September that the Mission documented the deployment of up to 2,000 former Colombian military contractors who operated combat drones, artillery and advanced weapons alongside RSF units in Darfur and Kordofan. The September report also found reasonable grounds to believe that the SAF used foreign supplied drones in operations that harmed civilians and civilian objects.

At a press briefing in New York, the Chair stated that "external actors supplied both parties, and this helps sustain their military operations," according to Anadolu Agency.

Escalating Drone Warfare

The Chair told the Third Committee that "this October witnessed some of the deadliest single attacks across Sudan since the beginning of the conflict." He cited an RSF drone strike in Blue Nile State that killed at least 30 people, a reported Egyptian air strike near the border that killed 72 gold miners, and SAF drone attacks that killed at least 80 people in the Abyei area, according to UN Meetings Coverage. UN News reported that the Mission is investigating the Abyei attack and the reported Egyptian air strikes.

"The conflict is becoming more geographically extensive, more technologically sophisticated and increasingly dangerous for civilians," the Chair said, according to Anadolu Agency.

Civilians in El Obeid

According to UN News, the new report found that RSF drone strikes continue to kill and injure civilians in El Obeid, damaging homes, schools, displacement sites and electricity and water systems, and may amount to war crimes. One expert told the Mission that only around 30 per cent of hospitals in the city remained operational.

The report also found that SAF affiliated security actors have intensified surveillance and targeted people engaged in humanitarian, human rights and peace work. Mission member Mona Rishmawi stated: "Thousands have been arrested by SAF security cells, detained and tortured in unofficial locations and in El Obeid Central Prison, kept under appalling conditions." UN News reported that the prison holds some 2,000 people against a capacity of about 450.

El Fasher One Year On

The Mission has previously found that the RSF takeover of El Fasher bore the hallmarks of genocide, according to UN Meetings Coverage. Mission member Joy Ngozi Ezeilo stated: "The passage of time should not diminish attention to what has happened in El Fasher. On the contrary, it should remind us of the cost of impunity."

Statements and Responses

The Chair drew a distinction between States and actors operating from their territory. "We have not yet, in terms of our evidence, linked any of the neighboring states as states," he said, adding that the Mission is engaging with the United Arab Emirates and Chad, according to Anadolu Agency. He noted that Chad denies the use of its territory and that the investigation is ongoing.

Responding to the September report, the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations stated that the country is "not involved in the civil war in Sudan" and had "engaged with the FFM in a transparent and substantive manner," according to Khaleej Times. It said allegations "must be assessed carefully and grounded in an objective, impartial and evidence-based methodology," and reaffirmed its support for extending the arms embargo to Sudan and ending all external military support to the warring parties.

The Government of Sudan has repeatedly accused the United Arab Emirates of supporting the RSF, an allegation the United Arab Emirates rejects. In May 2025, the International Court of Justice removed a case brought by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates from its list, finding that it manifestly lacked jurisdiction.

Recommendations

According to UN Meetings Coverage, the Chair stated that accountability must extend to those financing or enabling war crimes. At the press briefing, he said: "All States must take reasonable action to prevent individuals and entities operating under their jurisdiction from contributing to violations and international crimes in Sudan."

The Mission reiterated its call for the Security Council to expand the arms embargo, currently limited to Darfur, to all of Sudan. "Sovereignty should not shield mass atrocity crimes, period," Ms. Ezeilo said, according to UN News. Anadolu Agency reported that the Mission also supports extending the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to all of Sudan.

Ms. Rishmawi called for an immediate end to arbitrary detention and torture in El Obeid, stating: "These practices must stop immediately."

Relevant International Standards

Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and the customary rule of distinction prohibit attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects in non international armed conflict. Directing such attacks constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Security Council resolution 1556 (2004) established the arms embargo covering Darfur, and resolution 1593 (2005) referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. Articles 6 and 7 of the Arms Trade Treaty require States Parties to deny arms exports where there is a risk of serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law.

Taskforce Note

The Global HR Taskforce will continue to monitor the situation of civilians in Sudan, the findings of the Fact-Finding Mission and the responses of the States concerned. Sources: UN Meetings Coverage, Third Committee, GA/SHC/4452, 28 October 2026; UN News, 28 October 2026; OHCHR press release, 3 September 2026; Anadolu Agency, 28 October 2026; Khaleej Times, 4 September 2026.