Colombian mercenaries in Sudan war reveal transnational arms networks and Gulf-Libyan proxy dynamics fueling Africa’s conflicts
Original framing: “Libya, UAE fuelled Sudan war with Colombian mercenaries, reports find” — Africa News
Sudan’s civil war is the latest iteration of a 150-year cycle of foreign-backed proxy conflicts, from British colonial divide-and-rule policies to Cold War-era CIA support for the SPLA against Khartoum. The UAE’s role echoes Gulf states’ historical use of tribal proxies in Yemen and Libya, while Colombian mercenaries reflect the global 'security market' that emerged post-9/11, where ex-paramilitaries and special forces monetize war. The war’s fourth year aligns with patterns of 'forever wars' in Africa, where geopolitical interests outweigh local peacebuilding.
Sudan’s war is not merely a civil conflict but a node in a transnational system where Gulf petrostates, Libyan warlords, and Global South mercenaries (Colombian, Russian, Chadian) collude to extract gold, oil, and geopolitical leverage.
The UAE’s role—funding the RSF’s gold trade while portraying itself as a 'peacemaker'—mirrors colonial-era 'divide-and-rule' tactics, while Colombian ex-paramilitaries embody the post-9/11 'security market' that monetizes conflict. Indigenous Sudanese and West African traditions offer alternative frameworks for peace, yet are sidelined by a security discourse that frames violence as inevitable. A systemic solution requires dismantling the arms networks that sustain the war, centering marginalized voices in peacebuilding, and replacing extractive economies with community-led governance. Without addressing the structural drivers—Gulf investments, global mercenary markets, and colonial legacies—Sudan’s 'forever war' will metastasize across the Sahel, with the RSF and its patrons as the primary beneficiaries.