Sudan Events – Agencies
Colombian newspapers have revealed new details about the involvement of Colombian mercenaries in the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces in the ongoing war in Sudan.
The Colombian newspaper La Silla Vacia reported that at least 300 Colombian mercenaries are believed to be either in Sudan, where the civil war is taking place, or in Libya, through which they transit.
The newspaper disclosed a large mercenary operation, in which these retired Colombian soldiers find themselves deeply involved in the Sudanese conflict through the UAE.
According to the information, the Colombian mercenaries are fighting in North Darfur, near Al-Fasher, an area where they are responsible for repelling a counteroffensive by the Sudanese army since September.
The newspaper noted that the operation was supposed to rally up to 1,800 Colombian fighters.
The media managed to contact several of these former Colombian soldiers to trace their journey. Forty of these retired soldiers claim to be victims of a vast “human trafficking” network and that they are being held against their will.
They stated that they initially applied for a job offer from a Colombian company specializing in private security to protect oil infrastructure in the UAE, which promised a salary of $2,600 per month (about 2,500 euros). The company, headed by a former colonel who was forced to leave the Colombian army in 2007 due to troubled relations with a drug cartel, is based in Dubai.
One soldier claimed, “It’s a deception,” adding that he had never signed a contract with the company. He said, “Things are going badly. They hire us for one purpose and then take us somewhere else for another mission.”
Another soldier said, “In fact, these men were transferred three months ago from the UAE to Benghazi, Libya. The city is the stronghold of Marshal Haftar, who is very close to Abu Dhabi. Then, dozens of trucks carried the Colombian mercenaries across the Libyan desert to reach Sudan’s Darfur after a week.”
An investigation by The New York Times revealed that nearly 500 fighters from Panama, Chile, and especially Colombia are fighting on Yemeni soil. They were hired by a Colombian company based in Abu Dhabi and compensated directly by the UAE.
Many of the Colombian fighters told La Silla Vacia that they wanted to “return” to Colombia. For some, it is already too late. At least three of these men have died in the Sudanese desert.
