Cairo– An armed group in Libya facilitated the transfer of former Colombian military personnel to fight alongside the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group against the Sudanese army, according to a UN report released days after the third anniversary of the start of the war in Sudan.
Libya’s Subul al-Salam battalion facilitated the transfer of recruits, including Colombian mercenaries, Weapon And cross-border fuel to support RSF, fueling chaos destructive conflict.
The battalion was part of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army, commanded by powerful General Khalifa Hifter, who rules chaos-stricken eastern and southern parts of Libya. Its activities are centered in the southern city of Kufra, which borders Sudan, Chad and Egypt. Experts said it controls vital facilities, including an airport, allowing the RSF to transfer weapons and fighter aircraft.
The report of the UN panel of experts on Libya for the period October 2024 to February 2026 was released on Sunday.
The war in Sudan began on April 15, 2023, when a power struggle between the army and the RSF escalated into open fighting in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere in the vast country.
The UN report details the gains the RSF made through Libya, including a former base about 75 kilometers (46.6 mi) south-west of Kufra.
Experts found that the Sudanese paramilitary group also benefited from an airbase and other facilities in Kufra, which were used as transit points for Colombian fighters and sites for the modification of vehicles imported through Libya.
UN experts said the battalion supported RSF operations in June 2025 by deploying units on the ground, providing fighters and “moving them into Libyan territory and facilitating access to fuel and spare vehicle parts.”
The report said its support helped the RSF advance on the Uwenat area, a border triangle where Sudan, Egypt and Libya meet, but “weakened border security in southern Libya”.
An RSF spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Subul al-Salam battalion could not be reached for comment.
RSF said in June that it had been controlled triangle area This came after the Sudanese army said it had evacuated the area as part of “its defensive arrangement to prevent aggression”. The army has accused Hifter’s forces of aiding the RSF’s attack on the area – a claim the Libyan commander denies.
Both Hifter’s forces and RSF received support united arab emiratesAccording to international rights groups. The UAE has long denied the allegations.
In recent months, the military also tried to disrupt supply routes originating from the RSF, Libya. The report said it launched airstrikes in November, targeting vehicles and shipments of foreign fighters inside Libya that were headed towards paramilitaries.
America imposed sanctions Colombian firms and individuals have been prosecuted over alleged links to the deployment of former Colombian officials to fight alongside the RSF to fight famine in Sudan, creating the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
The armed conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, according to location. & The Event Data Project, a US-based war tracking group, says its toll is almost certainly lower given difficulties in reporting.
