LONDON (Dispatches) – A new investigative report by the Financial Times has detailed the United Arab Emirates’ growing involvement in conflicts and political affairs across Africa.
According to the investigation, Abu Dhabi has developed an extensive regional network used to recruit, transport and train foreign fighters, with links stretching from Colombia through the UAE and into Somalia, Libya and Sudan. 
The report draws on interviews with former fighters as well as travel records, digital evidence, photographs and other documents.
The investigation portrays the UAE as pursuing an increasingly aggressive strategy across Africa, driven by ambitions to expand its political influence, secure access to strategic ports and capitalize on the continent’s natural resources. 
Under President Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi has substantially expanded its economic and military footprint as it prepares for a future less dependent on oil.
Critics of the UAE’s approach state that its pursuit of strategic and commercial interests has come at the expense of African stability. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel described Abu Dhabi’s ambitions as an attempt to dominate the wider region, saying that its involvement in East Africa has evolved from securing ports into broader political and economic intervention.
The UAE’s malicious activities in the Horn of Africa have attracted particular scrutiny. The Financial Times reported that Abu Dhabi has established relationships with non-state armed groups and has been accused of providing weapons and other forms of support. These activities have also been linked by critics to the lucrative gold trade between Africa and the UAE.
Sudan represents the most serious example of the allegations. The investigation reported that thousands of Colombian fighters were recruited to support Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with recruits telling the newspaper that a UAE-based company, Global Security Services Group, handled their transportation and employment.
According to the report, the first Colombian recruits arrived in Sudan in October 2024 and were initially tasked with helping establish logistical routes through eastern Libya toward Darfur.
Former fighters interviewed by the Financial Times revealed that the UAE was financing the operation and supplying weapons to the RSF.
The revelations come amid Sudan’s devastating civil war, which has produced mass displacement, widespread destruction and severe humanitarian suffering. Any external support that prolongs the conflict risks deepening the crisis and making a negotiated settlement more difficult.
The investigation also highlights the enormous economic stakes surrounding Africa’s resources. 
Swissaid estimates that Dubai imports tens of billions of dollars’ worth of African gold annually, raising continued questions over transparency, supply chains and the relationship between resource flows and regional conflicts.