By Moses Ntandu
Currently in Cairo, Egypt
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is
facing growing accusations of fueling Sudan’s brutal civil war by deploying
foreign fighters—specifically Colombian mercenaries—on behalf of the Rapid
Support Forces (RSF) against the Sudanese army.
According to the Sudanese
government, many of these fighters were recruited through Emirati security
firms such as Global Security Service Group and International Services Agency
A4SI. The men, most of them retired Colombian soldiers with long combat
experience, were allegedly promised stable, well-paid security jobs in the UAE.
Instead, they found themselves shipped off to Sudan’s frontlines, caught in a
war they neither signed up for nor understood.
Accounts emerging from El-Fasher,
Darfur, suggest that these mercenaries have been heavily involved in drone
operations and artillery assaults, including the RSF’s recent attempt to seize
the city, the last major Darfur state capital under army control. Several
Colombians were killed in those battles, their deaths captured in battlefield
photographs now circulating widely. Sudan’s foreign ministry insists it holds
“irrefutable evidence” of the UAE’s hand in the conflict; a charge Abu Dhabi
firmly denies despite mounting documentation from both the Sudanese government
and UN experts.
The allegations are not without
precedent. The UAE has a history of deploying Colombian mercenaries in foreign
wars. In Yemen, hundreds of Colombians fought the Houthi in 2015 under Emirati
command.
Similar patterns were reported in
Libya. The Sudanese case, however, strikes an especially raw nerve because of
the sheer scale of the humanitarian catastrophe already unfolding: more than
40,000 people dead, 12 million displaced, and millions teetering on the edge of
famine.
For Colombia, the revelations
have come as a painful reminder of how its veterans—prized globally for their
battlefield skills—can be exploited. President Gustavo Petro has publicly condemned
the practice, pledging to repatriate Colombians trapped in Sudan’s conflict and
urging international action to criminalize mercenary recruitment. “These young
men must come home,” he insisted, while calling on his government to outlaw
mercenarism altogether.
The deeper question, however, is
whether a country implicated in fueling Sudan’s violence can credibly position
itself as a mediator. The UAE is part of the diplomatic “Quad” that has sought
to broker peace in Sudan, but its alleged complicity in supplying fighters and
resources to the RSF undermines its neutrality. If Abu Dhabi is serious about
ending the war, critics argue, it must first end any covert support to the
militia forces destabilizing Sudan.
What is increasingly clear is
that the conflict has slipped far beyond Sudan’s borders. The mercenaries are
only one example of how the war is being internationalized, drawing in foreign
fighters, external sponsors, and proxy interests. Without firmer global
pressure—whether through sanctions, diplomatic isolation, or tighter monitoring
of arms and fighters—the war risks spiraling indefinitely.
Regional and international actors
have roles to play. The United Nations should intensify its monitoring of
mercenary activity, documenting evidence through testimonies, videos, and field
reports. Neighboring states and African regional blocs need to strengthen
border controls to stem the flow of arms and hired guns. And governments like
Colombia’s must ensure their citizens are not drawn into conflicts thousands of
miles away, often under false pretenses.
Meanwhile, humanitarian needs on
the ground remain staggering. Civilians trapped in contested zones require
food, medicine, and protection from violence. Supporting victims of mercenary
violence—through medical treatment, shelter, and psychosocial care—should be as
urgent as any battlefield calculation.
Sudan’s war is already one of the
world’s deadliest current conflicts. What the revelations about Colombian
mercenaries’ underline is that it is also one of the most cynically
manipulated. If peace is to have any chance, accountability for those who
recruit, deploy, and profit from mercenaries must be part of the conversation.
Without that, calls for mediation risk sounding hollow.