The ongoing conflict in Sudan has revealed a troubling connection to Colombia, with over 300 former Colombian soldiers reportedly involved in the war. As reported by La Silla Vacía, many of these ex-military personnel were lured into the conflict under false pretences, believing they were hired to provide security for oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Instead, they found themselves in the midst of Sudan’s brutal civil war.

Documents, including Colombian passports and military IDs, were found on November 20 in the Sudan-Libya border region by a pro-government militia. These papers revealed the identities of mercenaries fighting for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a group accused of severe human rights violations.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 after a coup attempt by the (RSF) against Sudan’s military government, has devastated the country. Over 61,000 people have been killed, and 11mn displaced. The RSF, has been accused of heinous crimes, including the deliberate starvation of civilians.

Evidence of Colombian involvement came to light when Sudanese militiamen discovered identification documents belonging to Christian Lombana Moncayo, a retired Colombian officer. The documents were found in a convoy attacked near the Libyan-Sudanese border, a route frequently used by RSF fighters to transport foreign recruits.

According to testimonies, some 40 Colombians are now trapped in Sudan, unable to leave. “This is human trafficking,” one soldier told La Silla Vacía. “We were recruited for one thing and brought here for another.” Comparisons have been drawn to the assassination of Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021, where Colombian mercenaries claimed they had been misled.

The mercenaries’ recruitment appears to have been orchestrated by a Colombian company, A4SI, allegedly linked to retired army colonel Alvaro Quijano with a controversial past. While they were promised salaries of up to $3,400 per month, many report payment delays and lack of support.

Allegations have surfaced linking Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemedti"), commander of the RSF to the Wagner Group, accused of providing military training, equipment, and security services. Reports suggest that Wagner supplied armoured vehicles and helicopter gunships to RSF forces, particularly during Sudan's 2019 revolution.

The Sudanese government denies any ties to Wagner, yet evidence points to Hemedti leveraging his position in the Sovereign Council to deepen these connections. Both Hemedti and Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan are reported to have collaborated with Russia to exploit Sudan’s gold reserves, allegedly funding Vladimir Putin’s war efforts in Ukraine amidst Western sanctions.

In recent years, Colombian mercenaries have been reportedly fighting on both sides of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Two of them, allegedly enrolled in the Ukrainian unit "Carpathian Sich," were arrested last August while transiting through Caracas on their way back from Ukraine. They were handed over to Moscow by the Russia-allied regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and now face up to 15 years in prison on charges of mercenarism under Russian law.