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DECEMBER 21, 2025 (BOGOTÁ) – A network focused on profit and trickery has sent hundreds of former Colombian soldiers to the conflict-ridden area of Darfur to strengthen the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as revealed by a recent report from AFP.

The findings reveal new transportation routes across Somalia and highlights a security company based in Abu Dhabi as a key player in enlisting South American veterans for the Sudanese war.

Although the involvement of Colombian fighters in international conflicts is not a novel occurrence, the AFP investigation uncovers a far more advanced logistical system than previously known. By analyzing geolocation data from combat videos and company documents, the agency identified mercenaries hired through WhatsApp, who were presented as offering security services in the United Arab Emirates, but were actually sent to fight in the RSF’s operations in western Sudan.

A significant finding in the inquiry is the utilization of Bosaso, Somalia, as a key transit point. According to local sources and satellite images examined by AFP, since early 2025, groups of foreigners have been transported via a UAE-operated part of the Bosaso airport. These fighters, typically arriving in cargo planes, are subsequently flown toward the Sudanese border. Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, informed parliament that aircraft have been moving personnel from Bosaso to Chad and Niger to aid entry into Darfur.

In addition to the Somalia route, the investigation identified a second pathway via eastern Libya, an area under the control of military leader Khalifa Haftar. A mercenary named Christian Lombana shared his travels through this region on social media before his group was attacked in the Darfur desert. Evidence found at the site, such as a passport bearing a Libyan entry stamp, offered a rare physical record of movement through territories aligned with the UAE.

The AFP inquiry also highlights the particular corporate organization suspected of overseeing the payment of mercenaries. Although the United States has recently imposed sanctions on Colombian recruiters, such as retired Colonel Alvaro Quijano, the AFP report indicates that the Global Security Services Group (GSSG) based in Abu Dhabi is the financial backer. Contracts signed by 26 Colombian recruits in Libya allowed GSSG to issue their salaries, which varied between $2,500 and $4,000 per month, via a firm registered in Panama. GSSG, which previously listed the UAE’s interior and foreign ministries as clients on its website, has since eliminated those mentions.

The influence of these specialized fighters on the battlefield has been significant. Geolocation information indicates that Colombians were present at the location of the RSF’s October capture of El-Fasher, an attack characterized by numerous accounts of mass executions and sexual abuse. The RSF has utilized the Colombians’ skills in drone and artillery combat to make up for the technological shortcomings of its infantry. In addition, confirmed video footage reveals the mercenaries training young recruits in Darfur, instructing them on how to handle rocket launchers and other heavy arms.

The United Arab Emirates has consistently denied any participation in the conflict, with a senior representative stating to AFP that the nation rejects any allegations of aiding either side in the fighting. Nevertheless, the investigation’s conclusions regarding the “Somalia stopover” and the GSSG agreements contribute to an increasing amount of evidence presented by UN experts and global observers indicating a significant level of regional cooperation in maintaining the RSF’s military strength.

For the families in Colombia, the operation has brought a path of sorrow and unanswerable questions. Several veterans were enticed by the offer of six times their military salary, only to vanish into a conflict thousands of miles away. A widow, whose husband passed away soon after arriving in Sudan in mid-2024, shared with AFP that the remains of many deceased mercenaries have still not been brought back, as the covert structure of the recruitment network hinders official repatriation processes.