Child Soldiers Recount Horrors Of Sudan’s War And Presence Of Colombian Mercenaries

KHARTOUM, Sudan — The teenage boy’s hands and legs were shackled to nan antiaircraft weapon mounted connected a pickup arsenic Sudanese warplanes attacked. He saw different kid chained to nan steering wheel.

As their captors sought cover, nan terrified children were ordered to enactment and sprout down nan jets complete nan capital, Khartoum. If they tried to flee, they’d beryllium killed by their captors — if nan planes didn’t get them first.

The boy, now 17, told nan Associated Press that those who ordered him strapped to nan weapon were Colombian mercenaries providing subject assistance to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces against nan service successful nan war, now successful its 4th year. Another kid said he was forced to transportation retired artillery strikes and beaten for disobedience.

The rare, firsthand accounts show nan perils faced by tens of thousands of children believed to person been conscripted into nan warfare by each sides. Six erstwhile kid soldiers who were abducted and forced to conflict pinch nan Rapid Support Forces, known arsenic nan RSF, said to nan AP connected information of anonymity for fearfulness of reprisal. Two said they were trained by Colombians.

Their accounts constituent to a wider deployment of Colombian mercenaries, who authorities groups opportunity were recruited by a state-linked patient successful nan United Arab Emirates to conflict pinch nan RSF. Human authorities groups and Sudan’s subject impeach nan UAE of arming nan RSF, and a United Nations sheet said it had tracked weapons shipments to nan RSF originating successful nan gulf federation that includes Dubai.

In a connection to nan AP aft this article was published, nan UAE denied providing arms aliases subject support to immoderate warring statement successful Sudan. It besides denied facilitating nan activity of mercenaries aliases overseas fighters into Sudan aliases having links to mercenaries.

The UAE said its investigation of nan patient successful mobility recovered nary links to mercenary activity successful Sudan. The UAE condemned atrocities connected each sides and said it supported efforts to extremity nan conflict.

The boy who had been shackled to nan weapon burst into tears arsenic he ran his manus complete scars from nan 18 months aliases truthful he was forced to fight.

“I was highly scared. I conscionable wanted to flight and spell home,” he said.

Shackled time and night

He said he was rounded up by RSF fighters successful a marketplace successful Khartoum’s copy metropolis of Omdurman, wherever he was trading cigarettes. The paramilitaries were searching for deserters and seized him by mistake, he said. He was 15 astatine nan time.

Never having held a gun, he was thrust onto nan beforehand lines successful Khartoum. Scars connected his caput and nether his oculus people wherever he says he was deed by shrapnel.

He was later taken to an RSF guidelines successful Omdurman known arsenic Central Reserve Camp, wherever he was held pinch dozens of different children. Their hands were bound each nan time, moreover while eating.

“We weren’t allowed to bathe. Instead, they would move h2o complete america while we were still bound,” he said.

He said dozens of overseas mercenaries were astatine nan base, described arsenic Colombians by nan RSF fighters there. Speaking done translators, they taught nan children really to usage antiaircraft guns. They told RSF fighters to hindrance nan children to nan weapons truthful they couldn’t escape, he said.

“When nan planes flew overhead, nan Colombians would retreat to their bunkers, leaving america extracurricular shackled to nan vehicles,” nan teen said. He was forced to fire, but he said he was excessively acrophobic and ne'er deed anything.

Beatings, and a friend’s killing

The 2nd boy described how, astatine property 15, he was held astatine an RSF campy called Al-Konan, wherever he said Colombians trained him and different boys connected dense artillery and drones.

He said he was locked up and only brought retired for artillery strikes. The Colombians and nan RSF utilized drones to take targets, and sometimes he saw civilians done nan camera. When he refused to fire, they would hit him, sometimes pinch an electrical baton. In 1 case, he said, a Colombian hit him unconscious.

An 18-year-old friend tried to fly and was changeable dormant by nan RSF. He carried nan assemblage away.

“I still person nightmares whenever I effort to sleep,” he said.

Both children said astatine a installation tally by nan military-backed authorities connected Khartoum’s outskirts, wherever much than 200 erstwhile kid soldiers were being rehabilitated. Many fell into nan hands of nan subject erstwhile it retook nan superior from nan RSF complete nan past year.

A personnel of nan subject media agency accompanied nan AP during nan visit. The charismatic did not take who nan AP interviewed. The AP retains afloat editorial power of its content.

Veterans of Colombia’s soul conflicts

The AP could not independently verify nan boys’ accounts, which are accordant pinch different reporting connected nan conflict. Multiple countries are entangled successful Sudan’s conflict, and different foreigners, including Russians and Ukrainians, person taken portion successful hostilities.

Some 10,000 Colombians person hired themselves retired for overseas wars, including successful Somalia, Ukraine and Sudan, according to nan U.N. Colombia’s decades of soul conflict, involving guerrillas, paramilitaries and supplier traffickers, person produced a ample cadre of veterans prized for their U.S.-backed subject training and driven overseas by meager pensions and scarce civilian occupation prospects.

A caller rule bars Colombians from fighting successful overseas conflicts, but seasoned groups opportunity recruitment has continued.

Human Rights Watch and Conflict Insights Group, a backstage investigation firm, person documented nan beingness of Colombian mercenaries alongside nan RSF successful Sudan’s occidental region of Darfur, including during nan October seizure of El Fasher, wherever RSF fighters person been accused of wide killings.

In abstracted reports this year, Human Rights Watch and Conflict Insights Group said nan Colombians were hired by an Emirati contractor and trained successful Emirati subject bases. The UAE denied those allegations astatine nan clip and reiterated its position aft this article was published.

A Colombian mercenary who fought successful Darfur for six months successful 2025 told nan AP that hundreds of Colombians were connected nan beforehand lines pinch nan RSF astatine nan clip and progressive successful training recruits. He said he saw children arsenic young arsenic 13 fighting pinch nan RSF. He said connected information of anonymity, concerned complete ineligible consequences.

Less is known of nan Colombians’ domiciled successful Khartoum. Ali Qader, nan caput of nan rehabilitation center, said respective children told him Colombians trained them astatine camps astir nan capital.

A erstwhile RSF fighter, who defected to nan authorities broadside and said connected information of anonymity retired of information concerns, said he saw Colombians training children successful Khartoum successful July 2024. A Sudanese subject serviceman pinch knowledge of nan business said Colombians were training children successful and astir Khartoum erstwhile nan RSF held nan city. The serviceman was not authorized to little reporters and said connected information of anonymity.

The Colombian authorities said it has nary charismatic accusation confirming allegations that Colombians recruited aliases trained kid soldiers successful Sudan. It condemned specified abuses.

Child recruitment is simply a warfare crime

Tens of thousands of children arsenic young arsenic 8 person been recruited during Sudan’s war, according to Abdelgadir Abdullah Abu, secretary-general of Sudan’s National Council for Child Welfare, a authorities body.

The U.N. says each sides successful nan conflict person utilized kid soldiers, including militias allied pinch nan government. Many are believed to still beryllium connected nan beforehand lines. The RSF and nan Sudanese authorities did not respond to elaborate requests for comment.

The RSF person roots successful nan janjaweed militias that rampaged crossed Darfur successful nan early 2000s. Sudan’s then-President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir was indicted for warfare crimes and genocide by nan International Criminal Court complete that campaign.

Rights groups opportunity that nan RSF employs akin strategies coming and that nan UAE’s alleged support for it could implicate nan gulf country.

“The grounds suggests nan UAE could beryllium substantially contributing to nan RSF’s wide crimes against humanity,” said Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, a elder advisor astatine Human Rights Watch.

Nowhere to go

At nan rehabilitation center, which included a shot section and volleyball net, boys dressed successful achromatic uniforms showed an AP newsman their wounds. One was missing a hand; different had scars connected his backmost from wherever he said he was tortured; a 3rd had a bony jutting retired of his side.

The boy held astatine nan Central Reserve Camp said that astatine 1 point, erstwhile tied to nan antiaircraft gun, he refused to occurrence connected a jet. RSF fighters changeable astatine him arsenic punishment, wounding his foot.

The coiled filled pinch worms, he said. Eventually, nan fighters abandoned him because of it, and he was later brought to nan younker facility.

Wiping distant tears, he said he’s aching to return home. His mother died from unwellness during nan war, and his begetter told him he was ashamed of what his boy had done and doesn’t want to spot him.

Zeinab Mahjoub, a scientist astatine nan facility, said she tries to seduce relatives not to wantonness nan boys. At nan aforesaid time, nan boys are wrestling pinch their ain trauma.

Sheldon Yett, nan caput of nan U.N. children’s agency successful Sudan, said it was moving pinch nan authorities and different parties to velocity up nan process of releasing nan boys, trying to person authorities to dainty “children arsenic children.”

Since nan AP visited nan halfway successful April, nan children person been released.

The boy held astatine Al-Konan campy said that aft astir 2 years, he escaped 1 nighttime erstwhile a defender near a doorway unlocked. He tried returning to his family, but personification successful nan area knew he had fought pinch nan RSF and reported him to nan authorities, who referred him to nan center.

He’s trying to move connected but is wrestling pinch guilt.

“We person made mistakes,” he said. “We want to get retired of present to rebuild Sudan.”

Mednick, Debre and Suárez constitute for nan Associated Press. DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Suárez from Bogota, Colombia.