(Sudanese Echoes) exposes Ethiopian army’s involvement in recruiting mercenaries for RSF militia
With a salary of $700… Recruiting thousands of mercenaries from the (Sidama) region in Ethiopia
700 mercenaries deported from Ethiopia after only one week of training, who received 3 months’ salary in advance
Special: Sudanese Echoes
(Sudanese Echoes) obtained dangerous information about an agreement between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and the Ethiopian army to recruit Ethiopian mercenaries for the militia from the (Sidama) region in southern Ethiopia.
The dangerous agreement, the details of which (Sudanese Echoes) obtained, stipulated the recruitment of mercenaries from veterans of the regular forces or regional militias in addition to unemployed youth.
The agreement set the age of recruitment between (18) and (45) years. It included paying huge sums of money to the Ethiopian army in exchange for the mercenaries, while the mercenaries’ work period ranges between 9 months and two years. The wage was set at (700) dollars, the first three months of which are paid in advance before deportation to Sudan.
Insurance after Death
The agreement also included insurance on the life of the mercenary to be paid to his family after his death, and the local authorities of the (Sidama) region follow up on the special situation of each mercenary and his rights in terms of salaries, treatment and insurance in the event of death with the militia representative and the Ethiopian embassy in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Chad.
The agreement stipulated that the mercenary be granted a new identity from one of these countries (Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Chad) based on his level of proficiency in the Arabic language, so he is granted the identity of one of the countries neighboring Sudan, some of whose citizens speak Arabic.
Confidential Causes
The agreement stipulated, according to Information of (Sudanese Echoes), full confidentiality and that the mercenary not talk about the nature of the mission he will carry out or has carried out, even with his close relatives, while disguising himself as being in a rehabilitation course.
It was agreed to avoid filming or any media appearance during training or operations.
The agreement between the mercenary and the militia included dealing with high professionals, in case of arrest, not referring to the terms of the agreement, and claiming that he came to fight personally in search of money, and using the new identity he will obtain and hiding his Ethiopian identity and not recognizing his nationality no matter what happens.
The agreement obligated the mercenary not to back down from the operation if he accepted and entered the training camp. However, if he tried to escape during training or combat operations before the end of the war, he would be held accountable.
Training camp
The agreement specified the location of the training in camps for special forces in Ethiopia during the days of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, located (25) km west of the road linking the city of (Awassa) and the city of (Shashmani), which is located north of (Awassa) on the road to Addis Ababa.
Training for one week only
The information revealed the graduation of the first batch of mercenaries, and there are still other batches in the camp. According to the information, it is expected that new batches will be recruited to reach the largest number of mercenaries.
The agreement also included, in the event of failure to recruit more mercenaries, resorting to recruitment from prisoners in the region’s prisons.
The agreement stipulated how to deport them outside Ethiopia in batches via Ethiopian Airlines from Awassa Airport in Ethiopia to Chad via the airport of a third country (Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon).
The number of mercenaries deported so far has reached 700 after only one week of training. Each mercenary was given the agreed-upon $2,000 before departure.