Sudan Events – Agencies
A Colombian newspaper has revealed the involvement of former Colombian soldiers fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) against the Sudanese army in the Sudanese war.
The Joint Armed Movements Force intercepted a supply convoy headed for the RSF from the UAE, led by foreign mercenaries, including Colombians. Documents seized during the operation included passports and IDs of Colombian nationals.
According to a report by Colombian journalist Santiago Rodríguez Álvarez, over 300 Colombian soldiers seeking wealth are either participating in the Sudan war or en route to the country. The report stated that soldiers are being recruited for $2,600, while sergeants receive $3,400.
The report, based on testimonies of former Colombian soldiers involved in the war, revealed that many were coerced into participating against their will. Soldiers disclosed to the newspaper that they were hired for one role but then deployed elsewhere for a different purpose.
The mercenaries shared that their journey to Darfur began more than three months ago.
A retired Colombian military officer in Sudan, whose testimony was shared with La Silla newspaper through audio recordings, reported that his unit was attacked by Sudanese forces near El Fasher in late October. The attack resulted in the deaths of three Colombians and injuries to others.
In an audio recording to the newspaper, the leader of the Colombian mercenaries in Sudan described the situation as “very difficult and complex,” admitting they were recruited under false pretenses and against their will.
The recruitment process was reportedly facilitated by a Colombian company called International Security Education Services Agency (A4AI). The job offer initially presented to them was for providing security services to oil infrastructure in the UAE.
The company, founded in Colombia in 2017 by a former Colombian army officer, was allegedly led by retired army colonel Álvaro Quijano, dismissed from the Colombian military for involvement with drug cartels. The soldiers stated they were not given copies of their contracts and were forced to sign confidentiality clauses.
The soldiers revealed to the newspaper that they departed Colombia for the UAE in several groups, heading to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and later to Libya. According to two sources who testified to La Silla, they flew from the UAE to Benghazi, Libya. “We were taken through the back of the airport to bypass normal controls and placed in shelters reportedly built by Gaddafi’s regime. These were official Libyan government facilities,” they said.
A retired military officer told La Silla that upon arriving in Libya, he learned their final destination was Sudan to support an armed group aiming to overthrow the country’s official government. The plan involved deploying three battalions of Colombian mercenaries to Sudan, numbering between 1,500 and 1,800.
One Colombian soldier lamented: “I want to go back, but there’s nothing we can do here. The people in charge are these Sudanese. I just pray that nothing happens to us and that God helps us get out of here.”
