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Sudan’s brutal civil war has drawn in an unlikely force: hundreds of young Colombian ex-soldiers. Lured by the promise of lucrative security jobs in the UAE, many were instead deceived, had their passports confiscated, and were forced to fight for Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Many, some barely out of their teens, found themselves on the front lines or training child recruits—a war crime under international law—in Darfur. Reports suggest at least 20 Colombians have already died, their bodies left unclaimed in Sudanese morgues. Meanwhile, salaries are often delayed or docked for so-called operational fees. The situation highlights a grim new era in global mercenary activity, where combat veterans are exploited as cheap, deniable soldiers in foreign conflicts.
The Telegraph