WASHINGTON – A senior Human Rights Watch researcher has criticized the latest U.S. sanctions related to the war in Sudan, saying they failed to target a United Arab Emirates-based company that the rights group has previously linked to the recruitment of Colombian fighters for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Joy Shea, Senior Researcher on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates at Human Rights Watch, wrote on X that the new U.S. sanctions “still fail to target the UAE-based company – Global Security Services Group – apparently hiring the Colombian fighters sent to support the RSF.”
She added: “Why keep cutting off tentacles if you’re not going to target the heart of the operation: UAE-linked entities and individuals.”
Her comments came after the U.S. Treasury Department on June 26 imposed sanctions on eight individuals and entities linked to procurement and recruitment networks that Washington said have fueled the war in Sudan. The sanctions targeted companies and individuals accused of supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), as well as officials associated with the Panama-based Talent Bridge S.A., which U.S. authorities said was linked to the recruitment of former Colombian soldiers to fight alongside the RSF. The measures did not include any UAE-based company.
In May, Human Rights Watch published its report “From Bogotá to El Fasher,” alleging that Global Security Services Group, based in the United Arab Emirates, played a role in facilitating the deployment of Colombian fighters to Sudan to support the RSF. The organization said its findings were based on interviews, travel records and other documentary evidence.
The United Arab Emirates has repeatedly denied providing military support to the RSF or involvement in recruiting foreign fighters, saying it supports international efforts to end the conflict through a peaceful political solution.
The latest U.S. sanctions are part of a broader effort targeting procurement and recruitment networks that Washington says have prolonged the conflict, while international human rights organizations continue to call for accountability for those facilitating military support to the warring parties.
