ICHRO Calls for an Independent Investigation into the Reported Recruitment of Sudanese Fighters into the War in Ukraine

The International Coalition of Human Rights Organizations (ICHRO) has received a video that appears to show a man in military uniform, identified as a soldier of the Sudanese Armed Forces affiliated with the Hajanah (Camel Corps) unit in El Obeid, fighting alongside Russian military forces in Ukraine.

According to the information received by the Coalition, these operations target civilians in Ukraine. The Coalition has not independently verified the identity of the person shown, his unit, or the date and place of filming.

If confirmed, the involvement of Sudanese soldiers in a foreign armed conflict would raise serious concerns under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. It is all the more grave while Sudan’s own civilians endure a devastating war.

The Coalition urges the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union to examine these reports without delay. Civilians, in Ukraine and in Sudan alike, must never be targeted.

Update, 5 November 2026. Following publication, the Coalition received a message attributed to the man shown in the video. In it, he states that he belongs to the Hajanah unit in El Obeid and that he was recruited into the Russian armed forces with the assistance of staff at the Embassy of Sudan in Moscow. The Coalition has not verified this message or its claims. The Coalition calls for the independent investigation to examine any role that Sudanese diplomatic personnel may have played in the recruitment of Sudanese nationals into foreign armed forces.