Khartoum, Sudan – August 4, 2025
At least five Colombian mercenaries have been killed in fierce clashes in Sudan’s Darfur region, where they were reportedly fighting alongside the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to multiple regional and intelligence sources. Their presence raises serious questions about foreign involvement in Sudan’s brutal civil war and the opaque network of global mercenaries fueling violence in the region.
The Colombian nationals, all ex-military, were contracted through a Dubai-based security firm with ties to private interests in the United Arab Emirates. They were deployed to Sudan in early June and embedded with RSF units operating in Central Darfur near Zalingei, an area that has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks. The men were killed in an ambush by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied tribal fighters last week, according to Sudanese security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The identities of the deceased have not been made public, but local sources described them as former members of Colombia’s special forces. Their remains are believed to have been flown to the UAE for repatriation.
Foreign Footprints in Sudan’s War
The presence of Colombian mercenaries adds to mounting evidence of international meddling in Sudan’s conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), and the Sudanese Armed Forces under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
What began as a power struggle between two rival generals has morphed into a regional proxy war, drawing in foreign weapons, drones, and fighters. The UAE has been widely accused of backing the RSF with arms and funding, a charge Abu Dhabi denies. Egypt and Iran have reportedly supported the SAF in various capacities. The battlefield has grown increasingly complex, with Darfur descending into ethnic violence and lawlessness.
Security analysts say the use of Latin American mercenaries is not new. Colombian ex-soldiers, many with combat experience from decades of counterinsurgency warfare, have been employed in Yemen, Iraq, and elsewhere, often through Gulf-based military contractors. Their recruitment for Sudan signals a dangerous escalation.
“These aren’t just advisors or trainers. They are frontline fighters,” said a Horn of Africa security researcher based in Nairobi. “The RSF is trying to professionalize its forces and expand its control in western Sudan. These mercenaries are helping them do it.”
RSF Expands in Darfur
Darfur has become a major front in Sudan’s war. The RSF, originally formed from the Janjaweed militias, has taken control of most of the region, including cities such as El Geneina, Nyala, and Zalingei. Reports of massacres, ethnic cleansing, and sexual violence have emerged, particularly against non-Arab communities.
In Central Darfur, SAF-aligned forces and local resistance groups launched a coordinated assault last week aimed at retaking territory held by the RSF. According to two senior tribal leaders in Zalingei, the Colombian fighters were leading an RSF unit tasked with holding a strategic road linking the city to RSF positions in South Darfur. The unit was overwhelmed after a six-hour battle that left dozens dead.
One tribal fighter described finding documents and ID cards on the bodies of the foreign fighters, indicating Colombian nationality. A Sudanese military intelligence officer confirmed the documents were authentic.
“They had satellite phones and advanced weapons. These were not ordinary RSF fighters,” the officer said.
UAE Links and Gold Interests
The deaths of Colombian mercenaries also shed new light on the murky relationship between the RSF and the UAE. The RSF controls most of Sudan’s artisanal gold mines, particularly in North Darfur and South Kordofan. The gold is smuggled through RSF networks and exported via Dubai.
A 2023 UN report noted that Sudan exported over $2 billion in gold to the UAE, much of it unrecorded and linked to RSF operations. In return, the RSF has received drones, armored vehicles, and funding, much of it funneled through private firms and front companies in the Gulf.
“It’s a cycle of war funded by gold,” said a former UN investigator. “These mercenaries are being paid from gold revenues looted from Sudanese soil.”
International Response
The killing of foreign mercenaries has drawn criticism from human rights groups and regional diplomats, who warn that Sudan risks becoming a second Libya if the influx of foreign fighters continues unchecked.
“The involvement of Colombian mercenaries, and by extension their contractors, shows how commercial war has become,” said a Western diplomat in Addis Ababa. “This isn’t about ideology. It’s about money, resources, and influence.”
The Colombian government has not commented publicly. It remains unclear whether the fighters traveled to Sudan under official contracts or were recruited privately. In past cases, Colombia has claimed little jurisdiction over former soldiers working abroad.
As the war in Sudan deepens, the presence of mercenaries from South America, drones from the Gulf, and shifting regional alliances has transformed the conflict into one of the most dangerous and destabilizing wars on the continent. The killing of the Colombians may mark only the beginning of a broader trend.
