Reports from Sudan’s Darfur region suggest that Somali nationals are fighting and dying in the ongoing conflict alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia at the heart of Sudan’s devastating civil war. Four Somali fighters, all from Bosaso, have been confirmed killed. Their families identified them as Ahmed Abdi Kodax, Hassan Orshe Mohamed, Abdullah Farah Qasim, and Issa Jama Guleed.
According to sources close to the families, the men were part of the first recruitment batch of 320 Somali fighters deployed to Sudan. A second and larger batch of 670 recruits was later assembled under what sources allege was the authority and approval of officials in Puntland. Among the four confirmed dead, at least two were previously members of Puntland’s elite special security unit, raising questions about the recruitment channels being used to funnel trained personnel into Sudan’s conflict.
The Rapid Support Forces, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, has been accused of widespread human rights abuses in Sudan. As the war escalated against the Sudanese Armed Forces, RSF commanders began seeking fighters abroad to supplement their ranks. Somalia, struggling with poverty and instability, has become a recruitment ground. Families of the deceased in Bosaso report that the men were lured with promises of well-paid contracts, often exceeding what local security forces receive. For unemployed youth or soldiers frustrated with irregular salaries, the offers were difficult to resist. Sources suggest recruitment was facilitated through networks operating openly in Puntland, with claims that some officials were aware of the process. These allegations raise troubling questions about the role of Somali regional administrations in enabling foreign militias to draw on Somali manpower.
The deaths of the four Bosaso men highlight the shadowy lines between local governance and external conflicts. Puntland, which operates its own security apparatus independent of Mogadishu, has faced longstanding criticism for lack of transparency in its military structures. If confirmed, the allegation that a second batch of nearly 700 recruits was assembled with Puntland’s blessing would mark one of the most significant cases of Somali nationals being systematically drawn into a foreign conflict since the Somali civil war began in the early 1990s. The Puntland administration has yet to issue any public comment. Silence from officials, however, has fueled speculation that the recruitment and deployment of Somali fighters to Sudan may have been tolerated, if not actively coordinated.
The presence of Somali fighters in Sudan carries serious risks for Somalia. Families of the deceased are now grappling with the loss of young men who once served in Puntland’s security ranks. This could weaken local security units at a time when Somalia is still battling Al-Shabaab and other armed groups. Somalia also risks being drawn into a wider diplomatic crisis. If Somali nationals are found fighting in Sudan, it could strain relations with Khartoum and complicate Mogadishu’s already fragile foreign policy. International partners, especially those backing Somalia’s state-building and counterterrorism programs, may see this as a dangerous diversion of manpower. The use of Somali youth in foreign wars could also strengthen recruitment pipelines that undermine Somalia’s stability. Promises of money and opportunity abroad echo the tactics once used by Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State to lure fighters. If unchecked, these networks could widen and further destabilize Somalia’s fragile security environment.
There is also the broader issue of sovereignty. If regional authorities like Puntland are complicit in exporting fighters, it undermines the Federal Government’s authority and weakens national unity. Such practices would deepen internal divisions at a time when Somalia faces pressing threats to its sovereignty, including Ethiopian ambitions and separatist claims from Somaliland. The deaths in Darfur have forced Somali families into mourning, but they also raise uncomfortable questions for Somali leaders. How were trained security personnel able to leave for Sudan? Who facilitated their recruitment? And why has there been no official investigation or statement from Puntland or Mogadishu?
Sudan’s war has become a magnet for foreign fighters. For Somalia, the consequences go beyond the battlefield in Darfur. The export of its youth into another nation’s war risks pulling Somalia into a conflict it cannot afford, while deepening the fractures in its own fragile political order. Unless addressed swiftly, the deaths of the four men from Bosaso may be only the beginning of a much larger crisis.
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