Desert Wolves
The Desert Wolves are a private battalion of retired Colombian Armed Forces personnel fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces in the ongoing Sudanese civil war.[1] It consists of four companies comprising between 300 and 400 mercenaries in total. The first company arrived in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, in November 2024.[2]
According to Notices Caracol newspaper, the battalion was recruited by private security companies in the United Arab Emirates under the coordination of Álvaro Quijano, a retired colonel of the Colombian Army.[3][4] According to Sudan Events, Emirati firms have previously deployed Colombian ex-soldiers in Yemen, Libya, and Somalia.[4] Responding to accusations from Sudanese government authorities, a UAE official denied the allegations and called them fabricated.[5]
References
- ^ Farmer, Ben (August 4, 2025). "Colombian mercenaries hired to fight for Sudan rebels". The Telegraph. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ Rodríguez Álvarez, Santiago (April 8, 2025). "Sudan: How Colombian mercenaries were duped into fighting in a brutal civil war". The Africa Report. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ "Coronel retirado del Ejército es señalado como reclutador de mercenarios colombianos para la guerra en Sudán" [Retired Army colonel is accused of recruiting Colombian mercenaries for the war in Sudan]. El Heraldo (in Spanish). Agencia EFE. August 18, 2025. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ a b Al-Makki, Sabah (August 19, 2025). "Colombian Mercenaries in Darfur: Foreign Flames in a Proxy War". Sudan Events. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
- ^ Wallis, William; Daniels, Joe (10 September 2025). "Sudan accuses UAE of sponsoring mercenaries to fight for rebels". Financial Times. Retrieved 11 September 2025.