Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) – "Stop sending Colombian mercenaries to fight in Sudan." Sudanese Prime Minister Kamal Idris addressed this appeal in a video message to the authorities and people of Colombia.
"The Spanish-speaking world has made extraordinary contributions to the humanities, from the art of Pablo Picasso to the poetry of Pablo Neruda, from the narrative art of García Márquez to the literature of Vargas Llosa," the Sudanese Prime Minister recalled in his message, which was written in Spanish and published in Arabic, French, and other languages.
"In the same spirit of creativity, solidarity, and commitment to peace, I call on the Colombian people and all Spanish-speaking communities to continue standing with us to end the siege of El Fasher and stop the recruitment and deployment of mercenaries to our country," he continued, referring to the capital of North Darfur, the last stronghold of the SAF (Sudan Armed Forces), which has been besieged for over a year by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias. The latter reportedly rely on the help of Colombian mercenaries hired by the United Arab Emirates.
Idris called on the Colombian government to investigate networks that recruit Colombian fighters for deployment in the Sudanese conflict, stressing that these practices "threaten peace and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis."
The Colombian president responded with a post on X, demanding: "Young former soldiers and officers, don't sell yourselves. Fight for your country, don't die in foreign wars."
According to an investigation by the Colombian daily newspaper "La Silla Vacía," the deployment of Colombian mercenaries is part of a transnational operation involving four countries. At least 300 former Colombian soldiers have already been sent to Sudan, of whom around 40 have been imprisoned by their recruiters for refusing to fight and claiming to have been recruited under false pretenses.
According to "La Silla Vacía," the former Colombian soldiers were hired by the Colombian company "International Services Agency A4SI (Academy for Security Instruction), officially to provide security services for oil infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates. Among the company's secret partners is a former officer in the Bogotá army who left the army in 2007 due to alleged links with the Norte del Valle drug cartel. The Colombian company had actually been awarded a contract to provide security for the Emirati oil infrastructure in 2022, but then began deploying Colombian mercenaries in partnership with an Emirati company.
Most Colombian professional soldiers retire at age 40 or retire early if they are not promoted to the rank of sergeant or officer. Having participated in the Colombian conflict, they are considered experienced soldiers who are in high demand in the world of international security companies. (L.M) (Agenzia Fides, 18/8/2025)
