The United Arab Emirates secretly trained Colombian mercenaries who were deployed to fight alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan’s conflict, according to investigative reporting. The arrangement connected Latin American military contractors to one of Africa’s most destructive civil wars through UAE intermediation.
Sudan’s RSF has battled the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023, producing widespread civilian casualties, displacement, and famine conditions in affected regions. Foreign fighters and external weapons supplies have sustained the conflict beyond what domestic forces alone could maintain.
Colombia exports military-trained personnel to private security markets globally, a phenomenon rooted in the country’s large veteran population from decades of internal conflict. Mercenary deployment to Sudan raises legal and ethical questions under international norms restricting foreign intervention in civil wars.
UAE officials have previously denied direct military involvement in Sudan beyond humanitarian claims, and the training allegations add to scrutiny of Gulf state roles in the conflict. Investigators traced paths from Bogota training facilities to RSF operational areas in Darfur, illustrating the globalized nature of modern proxy warfare.
United Nations panels and human rights investigators have documented foreign fighter involvement in Sudan’s war, calling for accountability mechanisms and arms transfer restrictions that enforcement bodies struggle to implement effectively. Colombian government officials have previously investigated mercenary recruitment networks, though prosecuting extraterritorial training arrangements presents jurisdictional challenges under international and domestic legal frameworks.
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Sources:
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/28/headlines