Serious and Exciting Details About the Presence of Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan
Report: Sudanese Echoes
An investigation by the Colombian newspaper “La Silla” has revealed new information about the involvement of Colombian mercenaries in the Sudanese war, brought in by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia to fight and train mercenaries in Darfur.
Serious and Exciting Details About the Presence of Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan
A Colombian mercenary, who named himself Caesar for fear of reprisals, and a former Colombian army officer, confirmed that he was training children to kill for the Rapid Support Forces militia. He indicated that their ages ranged between 12, 11, and 10 years old.
Training Children:
Caesar told La Silla that he was sent to be a trainer at training camps near the city of Nyala. He explained that the number of child trainees ranged from 1,000 to 3,000, including individuals in their twenties and thirties, the majority of whom were children.
Colombian Newspaper: Recruitment of Mercenaries in Colombia for the UAE and the Militia Continues.
The newspaper previously revealed the arrival of 300 Colombian mercenaries in Darfur to fight with the militia.
Some of them were deceived into calling themselves the “Desert Wolves” and were recruited by retired Colombian army colonel Alvaro Quijano for a UAE security company called Global Security Service Group, owned by UAE Mohammed Hamdan Al Zaabi.
Continued Recruitment of Mercenaries:
La Silla confirmed that despite statements issued by the Colombian President rejecting mercenary operations, recruitment operations are still ongoing. The newspaper added that Colombians are now implicated in a new war crime by recruiting and training children for war.
Who is the Emirati owner of the mercenary recruitment company in Sudan? And what is the secret of his relationship with the Ugandan army?
Caesar revealed that he arrived in Darfur earlier this year and left a few weeks ago. He admitted that he had not been deceived into going to Sudan and had sufficient information about the mission he would perform for the RSF. He explained that training children was an ugly thing, but he did it for money, he said.
Ukrainian War:
Caesar revealed that his participation in the Ukrainian army’s war against Russia. He explained that he left the Russian-Ukrainian war after seeing many Colombians fall dead on the battlefield. He explained that he joined the Rapid Support Forces because he thought it was less dangerous than the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The UAE is Bringing Mercenaries Who Participated in the Ukrainian-Russian War to Darfur
Caesar confirmed the presence of many Colombian soldiers who left the war in Ukraine and went to Sudan in search of money and a less difficult front.
He explained that his main job in Sudan is to provide security on the runway at Nyala Airport.
Nyala and Bosaso:
Caesar revealed that all Colombians enter Darfur via Nyala Airport and then depart by plane to the port of Bosaso in Somalia, which is under UAE control. He asserted that the Emiratis deliver weapons and supplies from Bosaso to the militias in Darfur via Nyala Airport.
Colombian Officer: Weapons and Mercenary Transports Are Carried Out Through Bossaso in Somalia to Nyala
The newspaper revealed that Caesar recorded numerous videos of Emirati planes landing at Nyala Airport, loaded with weapons.
Guerrilla Warfare:
In the same context, Caesar revealed that they conducted training in four militia camps located a few kilometers from Nyala, in the Bulbul Timbuktu area – 30 kilometers south of Nyala. He explained that the training lasts only four to five weeks, with between 50 and 70 Colombian army personnel participating.
He noted that they are trained in guerrilla warfare and how to handle assault rifles, machine guns, and RPGs, and then they are transferred to the front.
Militia Shortage:
On the other hand, Caesar confirmed the significant numerical shortage in the militia’s ranks, which has increased sharply in recent months. He acknowledged that the militia is deploying untrained elements into the field who only know how to shoot and who lack training. Caesar revealed that he was transferred to the UAE before entering Sudan to train on how to fly drones. He revealed the strict security measures taken by the Emiratis in the UAE and in Bosaso, prohibiting them from taking photos or using their mobile phones, which are regularly checked to prevent leaks. Regarding the reasons for his departure from Sudan, Caesar unveiled that they sometimes do not receive their salaries for a month, or their salaries, which amount to $2,600 per month, are deducted. He explained that they terminate their contracts if they complain about delayed salaries or deductions, and they also deduct their airfare costs. In the same vein, the Colombian newspaper revealed that the Emirati company is sending more mercenaries to Darfur to fight or to train children in combat.
The Mysterious Emirati:
The newspaper disclosed more information about the owner of the Emirati company recruiting mercenaries for Hemeidti’s militia. The company is headed by the Emirati Mohammed Hamdan Al Zaabi, whose name appears on business documents and government certificates. Hamdan, a low-profile Emirati, was mentioned in a 2019 New York Times article as the owner of a militia propaganda campaign against the December revolution in Sudan. His advertising company operates in the Dubai Media Production City, owned by the UAE government. Other seized items belonging to Hamdan include a publication and photos issued by the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), the Ugandan army. The photo shows him with Ugandan Army commander Major General Bakasumba in June 2024, thanking him and the UAE for training the Ugandan army.
Colombian Mercenary Discloses Details of the Severe Numerous Shortage in the
Militia’s Ranks
La Silla revealed that the Colombian colonel responsible for recruiting Colombian mercenaries lives in the UAE. He changed the name of the previous company registered in Colombia, “Phoenix”, and replaced it with another company registered in Panama under the name “Global Staffing SA”, and its pages contain the following:
Security job offers in Africa are being called “a recruitment tool for mercenaries.”
Mercenaries on trial in Colombia:
In the same context, Human Rights Watch researcher Jean-Baptiste Gallopin confirmed to La Silla that recruiting children under the age of 15 is a war crime. He called on the Colombian government to prosecute former Colombian soldiers who trained Sudanese children to fight against the Sudanese army.
At the same time, Justin Lynch, an American researcher who closely follows the war in Sudan and director of the Conflict Insights Group, revealed that the rebel RSF militia is suffering from a severe shortage of soldiers, is forcibly recruiting children, and is attacking villages that send men or boys to join its ranks.