The Forgotten War: Even the most brutal fighters were stunned by the atrocities in Sudan
An extensive Financial Times report reveals harrowing testimonies from mercenaries in the Sudanese civil war. The report points to UAE involvement in war crimes, despite denials from Abu Dhabi. Fighters with experience in anti-cartel operations were stunned by the intensity of the local violence.
About 2,000 mercenaries from Colombia were deployed to the civil war in Sudan through the mediation of the UAE. This is considered the largest and most organized foreign intervention in the conflict. In one instance, fighters requested an end to the abuse of prisoners. One fighter who escaped the combat zone stated: "I have never seen anything like this." Another testimony claimed: "The fighters did not understand what was waiting for them."
The civil war in Sudan has become one of the deadliest in the world. Approximately 2,000 Colombian mercenaries joined the fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Many arrived with extensive experience in guerrilla warfare and anti-drug cartel operations, while some had previously worked as security contractors in the Middle East. However, even for fighters accustomed to violence, the scenes in the city of El Fasher in Darfur were particularly difficult.
According to an extensive Financial Times investigation, the Colombians were recruited through a private security company, GSSG, based in the UAE. The UAE categorically denies any connection to the war or the RSF, despite numerous reports and testimonies to the contrary.
The Horrors of El Fasher
One fighter, using the pseudonym Luis, recounted that upon arriving in El Fasher, the city was defined by the smell of death. Flies covered the area, attracted to corpses and piles of garbage. He described seeing bodies discolored by the sun and the difficulty of eating while swarms of flies buzzed around them.
Fighters were forbidden from moving through the city without an escort. RSF members claimed they were burning bodies to prevent cholera, but the sight of piles of bodies—some appearing crushed by vehicles, including women and children—disturbed the mercenaries. The atrocities in El Fasher followed an 18-month siege that ended in the city's fall in late October 2025. The UN has since labeled these acts as genocide.
A Journey Through African Bases
Colombians were recruited starting in mid-2024 via WhatsApp job offers. Fighters were transferred through a network of airports in countries allied with the UAE, including Kufra in Libya and Bosaso in Somalia. Some flights were "ghost flights" with transponders turned off.
The force was divided into battalions. The third battalion, involved in the attack on El Fasher, suffered the heaviest losses. Some fighters underwent secret training in the UAE, including UAV operations, with some instructors wearing UAE military uniforms.
"We leave our home and our country only to find ourselves lost in a war that is not ours," Luis said. "Our families may never know what happened to us."
